[DeepIron]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

Good advice. Problem is the system is probably being offered as a 'package' hence the low price.

You're probably right on that SW...

But, if I had my choice for an Intel based solution... For a mobo for a Q9400, I'd go with just about any ASUS boards, any of the boards starting with P5xx and LGA775 sockets would work well. It depends on the other features, Crossfire or SLI support, etc...

I like this P5Q3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131344

FWIW, this is a system I spec'd out and ordered myself from Newegg.com after mine fried over the holiday:

Processor: AMD Phenom x4 9950 2.6GHz "Black Edition"
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-DS4H
RAM Memory: Kingston HyperX 4GB (2x2GB) 240Pin DDR2 800 (PC6400) x2 for 8GB on board
Video Card: Asus ATI 4870 Dark Knight 1GB DDR5 256bit
Enclosure: xClio Wind Tunnel Full tower
Power: Corsair CMPSU-750TX (750W 60A)
DVD: Samsung 22x DVD r/RW

I'm recycling my hard drives so I didn't include them. The price was $900.00US and it should run like a raped ape... I expect to push this CPU up to 3.2GHz with the stock CPU cooler and beyond with a Noctua NH-U12P or Coller Master V8 and the RAM to 900Mhz (after the board, CPU and RAM all burn in after a couple of weeks.)

I know AVG just ordered a smokin' AMD Phenom system too...

Don't discount the AMD CPUs... they can be overclocked and kept very stable if you have the right mobo and RAM...