Need a new SB motherboard

[Mumbles37]

So Noctua won't replace my kind of defective NH-D14 and with my i7 950 it just runs too hot (81-84C load at 1.31v, 22C ambient!). So it looks like I'm going to exchange it with a less-hot 2500k SB build in preparation for a hot summer.

Got my RAM already, this Mushkin. Will probably get a 2500k, though there is still a slim possibility I'll get a 2600k on a whim.

I need a motherboard. Performance is most important, followed closely by aesthetics. Price is less of an issue, although I won't be spending obscene amounts on say a Maximus IV. Definitely will be overclocking the hell out of it. Looking for something sleek, preferably black with perhaps some color highlights. Will be doing SLI (2-way) down the line.

This means that the only Asus board I would consider is the Sabertooth x67. Can't have all that bright blue stuff. Right now I'm leaning towards waiting for an EVGA SLI or FTW, which should be available soon. I had also thought about a Gigabyte UD4, yet in one review I read, they said they had more trouble overclocking it than other boards.

I need the expert opinions of those who have hands-on Sandy Bridge experience. What boards would you recommend? Any boards you think I should steer clear of? Thanks in advance!

 

[Matthias2437]

You could just buy another NH-D14 instead of downgrading to a 2500k (still great proc but I am fairly sure the 950 performs better) and save some money while doing so. But if you have your heart set on a new proc and MB then the new EVGA p67 FTW board isn't bad, also the Gigabyte UD5/UD7 are both really good boards.

 

[sheroo]

Aesthetically I think the UD7 is the best looking SB board I've seen to date, but I think you get more bang for your buck with Asus at the moment despite the blue heatsinks...

 

[Mumbles37]

You could just buy another NH-D14 instead of downgrading to a 2500k (still great proc but I am fairly sure the 950 performs better) and save some money while doing so. But if you have your heart set on a new proc and MB then the new EVGA p67 FTW board isn't bad, also the Gigabyte UD5/UD7 are both really good boards.

That's very true... But I think what I'll do is just change up the rig a little now just to eliminate the possibility that I've got a nuclear-hot chip. I guess in the end I'm more worried about the temps getting so hot this summer than losing a frame or two (though I suspect I may gain some rather than lose). If the temps are still very high after changing up I'll buy a new cooler then.

Yeah EVGA FTW and UD5/UD7 I'd say are my top 3 right now. Just a matter of if the FTW ever gets released. Thanks

Aesthetically I think the UD7 is the best looking SB board I've seen to date, but I think you get more bang for your buck with Asus at the moment despite the blue heatsinks...

It is beautiful, isn't it? Just a liiittle bit more than I wanted to spend, so that choice depends on how much I get for my current rig (wife is a whiz at auctions here in Japan, luckily). Damn Asus and their light/dark blue mobos...at least there is that Sabertooth! I do like the Thermal Armour...