I'm attempting my first build. Since I was unable to get the MB I chose-IC7max3-I'm now considering a 925 intel chipset with a 3.2 or 3.4 chip. If I go that way I have to get a new graphics card and the selection of PCIe cards is pretty sparce. I want to use it for about 3 years for gaming and family things. Any sugestions?

the selection of PCIe cards is pretty sparce
www.pricewatch.com has 27 pages of PCI-Express video cards.

Sounds like you're going high-end, huh? No offense, but I don't think any gamer should be stuck with the same mobo for 3 freakin' years!! Technology moves way too fast to be sitting on your core for that long.

3 years from now, Prescott will be long gone, 64-bit will be in, and Longhorn might even see the light of day. For a new gaming rig, yes, the 925 chipset makes the most sense. It has dual-channel DDR/DDR2 support, built-in SATA and PCI-E, and it will likely be home to all future Prescotts. But consider this, 3 years ago the best performing chipset for the P4 was the 850 with dual-channel RDRAM. Where's RDRAM now? I rest my case.

Try not to get so caught up in future-proofing yourself that you lose sight of practicality. With EM64T being a mere precursor to true 64-bit support in Intel CPU's, SATA 2.0 with NCQ just around the corner, and talk of putting WiFi onto the mobo itself, there's no way you can stay current for more than a year at a time.

Saph, do you live this stuff or what!? http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/wink.gif