Thread: Core 2 Duo! What MB to use

I am going to build a new DAW and would appreciate some advice. I have been researching here and other forums for a week or so now and it would seem that the Intel Core 2 Duo is the hands down favorite with the overwhelming majority. Also, the ASUS boards seem to be at the top of the list. So I have a few questions on the MB’s.

ASUS P5B seems to be the most popular. I went to the ASUS site to check out the specs and found 14 variations of this board. So if you are using the P5B with a Core 2 Duo, please tell me what version you use and why you chose that particular version. What has your experience been with the Core 2 Duo/P5B combo? Is it stable, any problems, will it handle a heavy load? Any other relevant info you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

ASUS P5W DH Deluxe seems to be a good choice also and has a newer chipset. So if you are using the P5W DH Deluxe with a Core 2 Duo, please tell me why you chose this board. What has your experience been with the Core 2 Duo/P5W DH Deluxe combo? Is it stable, any problems, will it handle a heavy load? Any other relevant info you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Also, if you are using either of these MB’s with the Core 2 Duo, please tell me what kind of Ram and Graphics card you are using.

I will be using this system with:

Three (3) M-Audio Delta 1010 PCI interfaces
Cubase SX3
Wavelab Essential
Waves Native Power Pack
Waves Renaissance Maxx
Drumagog
Fruity Loops 4


Thank you in advance for all your help.
Glenn

I'm not using the ASUS board, but they are highly recommended. My DAW hasn't crashed once since I built it in November, here's the basic specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66 ghz
Intel BX975 series MB
4 gb Corsair RAM
3X ATI Raedeon 1900x GPU (crossfire when gaming, otherwise quad monitor)
etc, etc.

Everything works great on XP pro or Vista business.

I've been really happy and only run into overhead problems when I'm trying to max it out (i.e. 20 instances of Reaktor ensembles, or 40 instances of the Waves IR1).

Good luck and happy music making.