Been out of the game for a while

[cgrant26]

ThIngs have come a long way since I built my last rig. Due to the numerous standards changes such as PCI-e and DDR2 I have been putting off any serious upgrades as my rig has been working too well to justify replacing everything. So now I'm finally getting ready to retire the ol' NF7-S for something current. I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the product info and am looking for some recommendations to narrow things down.

My current rig:
AthlonXP-M 2600+ @ 2.4 Ghz
Abit NF7-S
Asus X800 XT PE @ 560/590
3 x 512mb PC 3200 CL2-3-3-6
CPU and GPU on H2O cooling

I have two primary purposes for this rig; gaming and CAD/3D modeling software. I've been an AMD fan since the T-bird days but since C2D is apparently the cat's ass these days, I'm not limiting myself to any specific brand. I'm mainly looking for which boards the enthusiasts are touting but any suggestions are welcome. AND PLEASE, for the love of all that is good, do not turn this into a flame fest. Thanks.

 

[BUFF]

abit AB9 QuadGT is excellent as I'm sure will be DFI's new 965 Infinity once they've polished the BIOS.

You should consider though that P35 chipset mobos are only a few weeks away now .

 

[kirbyrj]

I'd at least wait until the Intel price drops later this month (Monday maybe) if not for the complete chipset revision. Personally, I'd go with a E6420 and then OC the bejeebers out of it.

 

[cgrant26]

Thanks for the suggestions. Being a hardware nerd is NOT like riding a bike so your suggestions are much appreciated. The way I see it, if I've gone this long I can wait a few more weeks (or months, lol) to commit to anything if there is anything promising in the works. (which the P35 is sounding to be)

 

[o0akoni0o]

ya, if sli isn't a necessity than the p965 boards are the best overclockers out there. i'm happy with my ds3, but dfi always has good boards once they work out the bios. definitely wait for the price cuts and reviews on how well the new chips oc.