Need guidance selecting motherboard

[cb]

Hi, I am yet another humbly in search of guidance on motherboard selection. I am not a hardcore gamer but do enjoy combat simulation games. Most of my usage will be with my current monitor which offers up to 1600 x 1200 @ 75Hz. However, I will be purchasing a large 1080p HD TV (58" or larger) soon that I will occasionally hookup my PC to. Native resolution would be 1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz although it is possible some newer TV models may be out soon that accept a 120Hz input (but that is a big maybe). Sooo, I plan on building around an e6600 processor, 2 Gb RAM, at least initially a single 8800 GTS 640Mb video card and for now, Win XP Pro. I'll also need a PATA connector so I can transfer stuff off my IDE drives. Overclocking is a real possibility. Which leaves me with the question of motherboard.

Given my video requirements, do I need SLI capability and a SLI board, maybe even for "just in case"? In that realm, I'm considering the ASUS P5N32-E SLI and EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 680i boards.

If I don't really need SLI, I'll still want a board capable of 1333Mhz FSB for processor upgradability, so I'd likely lean toward a P35 but will consider a P965. I don't plan to wait for the X38 board as my wife is in a hurry to inheret my existing system due to limitations and problems with her older machine.

Any guidance is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[firewolfsm]

If you can skip SLi I think the Gigabyte P35 DS3R is good, it's only $130 on newegg but it has everything you could ask for...except for SLi.

If you do want it, I you can get a 650i SLi board and save some money. Search for prices and that and the 680 and decide for yourself. Those andre pretty high resolutions so you might want SLi but a single 8800GTX can handle it alright.

 

[brencat]

Personally, I'd go P35 to give you the Penryn upgrade path at some point in the future, since P965 will not be able to run those CPUs. You haven't mentioned your budget so I'll assume < $200.

In that case, I'd look at the Abit IP35 Pro, the Asus P5K vanilla, or the Gigabyte P35-DS3R in that order.

If you want the older P965, your best choices are DFI P965-S Dark (if you're not a novice), or Gigabyte DS3 Rev 3.3. Although there are others i could suggest here, they are more money than these two. And if you're willing to enter the $140+ category, you should definitely go with P35-based mobos for the upgrade path.

 

[cb]

Sorry I didn't mention budget. Regarding the MB, $250 is my limit but so far I've been looking to stay under $220.

Based on reports and specs I've seen, it appears the 8800 GTS 640MB should be enough for now. As it is, a video card in the $350 zone is a hard pill to swallow for me. I'm kind of a miser but like my performance, too.

 

[cb]

Thanks to everyone on this thread and others for their assistance. In the end to allow for future growth I opted to build my system around the EVGA 680i MB (A1), Antec P182 case and a Corsair 620 PSU. MWave has a good price on the P182 and Directron had a special on the Corsair. Based on the reviews I read, this will be a solid, fairly quiet combo. The rest of my system will include:
Intel E6600
EVGA 680i MB (A1)
2 GB Crucial 6400 (800MHz) RAM
EVGA 640MB 8800 GTS
320 GB Seagate Barricuda SATA HD
HP Multi-format DVD/RAM Writer (PATA)
Maxtor 160 GB PATA HD (Interim)

I'm going to start with the stock fan on the E6600 and see how that works out sound wise. My only disappoint with this config is the weight of the P182, but it won't be a major issue as this is not going to be moved much.