[Triple Ace]

My Gateway I got a couple months ago was a piece of junk and I had to return it, I won't even go into details with what I found wrong with it. Anyway, I have decided to attempt to build a pc. I have most of my parts picked out except a motherboard and case. For a motherboard I was thinking of going with a Asus P5b-e or the Gigabyte equivalent witch ends in ds3 I think but, I don't know witch one is better. Both are P965 chipsets. I think one of these boards would be good for me as they have pretty much everything I need. The only thing they don't have is sli, but this is no big deal as I don't and probably won't need sli especially if I upgrade to a power hungry dx10 card. I also came to the dicesion about sli is that the only boards to support it are the nforce series boards which are buggy and unstable beyond belief right now. I also have to decide on a case. I need something that will have a low to medium noise level, have good ventalation, and room for a dx10 card when I can get one and room for other expansion as well. If I don't respond quickly then I don't have access to a pc as I don't have one right now.

[Shade]

Since you are looking for silence and don't intend to run an SLI setup, a Sonata 2 might be a good case for you. Its built-in power supply would limit an SLI system but is more than enough for one high performance card, its case and power supply fans are very quiet, and airflow is decent (though not super). Oh, and it looks good, which counts too.

It is a smallish case though, which means that a large motherboard is slightly tricky to install - You almost have to drop it in, as there's hardly any room for fingers to lower it down... might be a bit terrifying if you're a first-time builder.

The P5b is ok, but a few quick web searches seem to indicate that an MSI P965 Platinum offers better performance and nearly the same features in the same price range. Plus, I'd tend to pick MSI over Asus on general principles, but I guess that's a matter of taste, both are good.

[IceFire]

Asus is my pick for motherboards for a very long time.  The other manufacturers are good and sometimes make better boards but Asus is pretty much guaranteed to be a good solid, stable, and reliable board.  I guess you could have a lemon but you get the idea.  By all means research the boards and if the reviews say the Gigabyte one is many times better than go for it...but otherwise...Asus P5B-E should be fine.

I'm a fan of Antec cases and power supplies myself.  Not super expensive like the Lian-Li but still good quality. Look at the P150, SOLO, or Sonata II if you want a smallish mid-tower system. All of those have noise dampening features including rubber gromits, sound absorbing panels, and the like.

http://www.antec.com/us/pro_enclosures.html

Good PSU's as well...don't go cheap on a power supply.  Doesn't have to be Antec...but I like what I've read.  The NeoHE's are great from what I've been reading.  Planning to put one in my next system.

[CP5670]

The DS3 is better due its superior overclocking capabilities. As you said, SLI is not that great an option right now due to the hit-or-miss nature of the 680i boards.

Cases are mostly a matter of preference. Anything with at least two 120mm fan positions and 1mm steel or 1.2mm aluminum will work well. I would recommend this or this. The latter used to be available a lot cheaper some months ago (under $100), but prices seem to have gone up to the original level again.

[Triple Ace]

That Enermax mid tower case looks pretty decent, but before I decide I am going to look a bit more. As for a psu, I have a 500w Enhance psu I have barely used so it is in extremely good condition and will work with just about anything I throw in the system. As for a motherboard, I'm still undecided. Asus has a good reputation, but Gigabyte has a lower price, and I still have not looked at MSI yet.

[Taristin]

As for a motherboard, I'm still undecided. Asus has a good reputation, but Gigabyte has a lower price, and I still have not looked at MSI yet.

As the old saying goes:

Performance. Reliability. Cheap.
Pick two.

[Bob-san]

Can we get the full specs?

I am guessing you're going for Core 2 Duo... may I recommend a Gigabyte GA-965P-S3 (not -DS3)? I'd actually wait-it-out if at all possible; the GeForce 8600 Ultra isn't that far away... a great DX10 card with good price/pref

[Triple Ace]

I don't have to wait until the 8600 comes out. I have a 7600 GT to use until the 8600 does come out. It is going to be a core 2 E6400 (until the q6600 price drops or the q6400 is released later this year) with 2 gb of ddr2 800.

[Bob-san]

OK the Gigabyte GA-965P-S3 should be great for you.

Mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128017

Case:
Any of these...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Order=PRICE&Page=1&Category=9&Brand=8348&N=2010090007+50008348&Submit=ENE&Nty=1&Manufactory=8348&SubCategory=7

I would recommend the third case if youre on a budget, though the fourth or fifth have much better cooling.