Advice on Intel MB

[Xylker]

OK, I have long been an AMD customer. K6-233 through A64 X2 4200 and Opteron 165. I am not getting the Phenom feeling. This places me in rather an interesting situation as I look to go with an Intel Q-something I have 4GB of DDR 2-800 that I intend to use and all the other components will transfer to the new system nicely. FYI, the other components are 8800 GTS, Raptor 150, a new WD 640, Plextor SATA DVD

My requirements:
Cost: <$150
Quad Core 45nm support
DDR 2 800
E-SATA
Firewire 1394a
4 or more SATA 300 ports (6 is preferred)
8 usable USB 2.0 connections (front panel header OK)
MUST NOT BE MSI brand. (too many bad experiences)

What I would like to know is what you have successfully used and why you like it. I am not very interested in reading anyone else's (other than TR) reviews, but I am interested in anyone's personal experiences with a Q6x00 or Q9x00 series. I am not likely to OC and am not interested in spending more than $300 for the CPU.

[CB5000]

ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813127030
GIGABYTE GA-EP35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128082

These boards are good mid-range board with a very good reputation.

I would go with the new Q9X00 series processors... lower power consumption and runs MUCH cooler.

[Taddeusz]

If you don't plan on ever overclocking I highly recommend the Intel DP35DP motherboard. It has to be the most stable motherboard I've ever owned. The only drawbacks that it might have to some are that it doesn't have a floppy connector or PS2 mouse/keyboard ports. Neither of these were a problem for me since I haven't had a floppy drive in my systems for at least 2 years and I have a Bluetooth keyboard/mouse set on that system. I really can't extol it's virtues enough. For the ~$109 you get Firewire via a TI chip and eSATA. Oh, and it's crab free for the audio.

Edit: Here's the link, unfortunately it appears to be currently out of stock at Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121314

[Xylker]

Nice stuff. I think the Abit is a little pricey out of the gate, but the rebate brings it down. The Intel board looks like it might just be a winner, even if it does look really weird w/o the typical legacy port cluster at the top of the board.

[CB5000]

Here is also this:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128059.

It is a forum favorite, and it might not be feature-filled, it's a very durable motherboard and a good overclocking reputation too