Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! … This post has nothing to do with Monster Trucks. Furthermore, I will never post anything about Monster Trucks.

It’s time to upgrade the rig. Some people start with the case, some start with the graphics cards, but I start with the motherboard. I’ve always been an AMD guy… And I’ve always used Asus. Times have changed. Intel’s processors are so much faster than AMD’s and there is some very healthy competition for Asus.

I’ve decided to go with an nForce 680i SLI motherboard of which there are three I am considering. The Asus Striker, the EVGA nForce 680i SL, and the Intel 975XVX2KR. These motherboards run the latest Intel processors including the extreme series and the core 2 duo. Let’s compare them.

We’ll start with the Asus Striker Extreme. What’s drawn me to this motherboard, other than my brand loyalty to ASUS, is the amount of options you have. It’s loaded and as a result, it’s the most expensive of the three. Click the link above and check it out. There are external serial ATA ports and an LCD screen on the back. It has about a billion serial ATA ports on the board itself. Another thing that I think is an amazing idea, there are power and reset buttons right on the board. Convenient. Some would call this overkill. Others would argue that there is no such thing… I am one of these.

Next the EVGA nForce 680i SLI. This one is probably the one I am leaning toward the most at the moment. While it doesn’t overpower the Asus in the bells and whistles department it is probably the best board ever for overclocking. What does that mean? Well in a test review they overclocked the system by 500mhz and this was the only board to run all of the stress tests without a hitch.

What else is nice? It has, arguably, the best bios ever (it’s even accessible through windows). It’s also the official NVIDIA partner. That’s surely gonna mean better support.

Lastly, the Intel 975XVX2KR. This is the least expensive of the three and is nearly identical to the EVGA (as far as specs go). It is the best selling and most reviewers report that it is rock solid. There is a parallel port and a serial port for when you are feeling old school.

So, what would you go with. Give me a suggestion. I really like the features on the Asus but I really like the bios and ability to over-clock on the EVGA. The intel; well, it’s amazing for the money.

/Logan