I am trying ot decide what main board I should get. I am wanting to overclock the CPU, an Intel, but I do not know what chipsets do well with this. I could either get the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 and the GIGABYTE GA-EX38-DS4, or I could get the Intel Core 2 Duo Q6600 and the GIGABYTE GA-EP35C-DS3R.

Is it worth it to get the better setup? Or will I be fine with the cheaper setup.

I have read some articles that say the Intel X38 chipset is better than that of the Intel P35 chipset.

Didn't jam give you some advice about this topic?

While the chipset is important the BIOS options are more important if you intend to OClock. You need options to change settings and to lock frequencies.

Quite honestly you need to learn to walk before you can run. Build a computer and learn how to tweak the settings before attempting to OClock. That said, there is a dedicated forum here that is a more appropriate place for these questions. CPUs/Overclocking.

I did not ask you guys for guidance on the chipset yet.

Sorry for the multiple questions, I am trying to make sure that the questions that I ask are not similar so that I won't get my message kicked off the forum.

Is there a huge difference on the two chipsets?

Here is a comparision of the two.

http://compare.intel.com/pcc/showch...

Go ahead, spend the big bucks, you know you want to.

Here you go, read up on the X38:

X38 Comparison Part 1: DDR2 Motherboards

X38 Comparison Part 2: DDR3 Motherboards

"And that's the fishing line, because Sharkboy said so!"

I'm trying to figure out how much more this would benefit me over the cheaper setup.......

Virtually not at all. Neither of the mentioned chipsets support 8 SATA drives. Both will support up to 6. The major difference is the X38 has SLI capability.

I have head that X38 is better with overclocking. If I am going to overclock, should I get this X38 board? And will this increase my system performance?

I am not going to use SLI, so I should rule that out now.

After some research, I just found that the Q9300 has a multiplier of 7.5, the Q6600 has a multiplier of 9.

If you are in the USA go to Newegg.com for your parts. Better pricing and service than TigerDirect. Different speed processors will have different multipliers. That is the nature of the beast. Which processor you get is up to you. I NEVER buy the latest/ greatest myself there is usually a sweet spot in the pricing. That is where I go.

You are getting entirely too wound up about all this. Whatever you build today is going to be obsolete in 12 to 18 months anyway. You have never stated what you plan on using the computer for. Either of those chips will probably do what you need them to do. If you are a gamer I suggest you spend the extra cash on a bettter graphics card.

I am not a gamer, but I do do a lot of heavy multi-tasking and video editing, and 3d graphics editing. I do not need a killer card, just one that will handle what I need it to handle.

I am ordering all of my parts from newegg, I have done so for a long time.

I also do realize that what I get will be obsolete soon, but hey, that is what happens when we buy any electronic right? I can always upgrade, maybe not the new chips intel are coming out with, but the other components, RAM, Graphics, HDD, optical drive ect.

I just need a good system that will handle what I throw at it made with the parts that are available today. As long as it can handle my video editing and 3D graphics editing programs at a reasonable speed, I will be happy.

All I have to do is decide which CPU I want/need. I know that both of them will handle what I need them to, but "is it worth it for the more expensive system," that is what I am asking myself.

Will this board work with a four pin CPU connector? If I get the Q6600? It says 8 pin, but four of them are blocked out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...

"After some research, I just found that the Q9300 has a multiplier of 7.5, the Q6600 has a multiplier of 9"

Yup. And if you plan on overclocking, the lower multiplier of the Q9300 is gonna limit the results. Assuming your board can handle running the FSB at 1600MHz (400MHz), the Q9300 will only be able to run at 3.0GHz, but the Q6600 would be able to run at 3.6GHz.

And why do you keep changing the board? The board (GA-P35-DS3L) I mentioned in your other thread is one of the best selling P35 based boards out there. It's reasonably priced ($90) & overclocks like mad. The board you linked to above is almost twice the price plus you lose one PCI slot...I thought you said you needed 3?

"And that's the fishing line, because Sharkboy said so!"

I don't know, I was just looking at another board option. It is not something that I need, I was just looking at some options. Now that I look back, it would be silly to get that board.

Do you think that I should get the board that you linked, or the $140 one that I was looking at?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...

I've already made my recommendation(s).

"And that's the fishing line, because Sharkboy said so!"

Ok........ You gave me two, so I am guessing that I will have to decide based upon that, and what the others' said in this thread. I think that I will go with the $90 board.

Thank you for all of your help, I really appreciate it.

Thanks especially to jam, OtheHill, and Cobra_R for all of your help.