Help me pick a motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1644,1256:27400,2368:14897,2368:14899&bop=And

are the choices, or if you can think of a really, really good reason for something other than the above, under $200 (preferably as under as possible), shoot.

Abit has always been well thought of. Plus it's the prettiest.

I liked the s/pdif in/out although I don't know if that would ever be used.

no extra cooling fans (for me quieter is better). If you play the rebate game, the price is reasonable.

Of the two I'd go with the MSI, no extra fan, and not cluttered up with parallel and serial ports.

I have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130081
(MSI P6N nForce SLI 650i)

I've been going with MSI for quite some time and I've never had issues.

Eliminated the DFI. The $2 difference between that and the Gigabyte was worth it for the third PCI-E x1 and an eSATA bracket.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1644,1256:27400,2368:14897,2368:14899&bop=And

It's on the short list, as it's one of the few 650i boards that supports Wolfdale processors.

Damn I wish I had the budget for the P7N Diamond... that looks like a very sweet board.

And then, there were 4. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1644,1256:27400,2368:14897,2368:14899&bop=And

Only two pci slots for the MSI P7N? I wouldn't be keen on that.

Personally, I like the look of the Gigabyte board.

Got the Abit. Among other things, turns out Abit and MSI count onboard USB ports differently. MSI counts the number of ports that can be connected, which are two per header. Abit counts the number of headers, so the Abit board has twice as many USB ports.

Always go for the prettiest one. If they have money to burn on looks, it must be a Big Company. Use this advice on computers, not women. Women have hidden maintenance costs after the warranty runs out.

Unlikely. 5¢ worth of color dyes (if that) doesn't mean a whole lot.