Need a mobo- please advise.

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tlharrell

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Morgan Hill, CA
Ok, I'm working on my big bad new system. I've got all the parts, but while reading online trying to solve a RAID driver issue so I can get Windows installed, I run across something that states "Despite all appearances, this mobo does not support SLI." (Board in question is Abit AW9D-Max) I've now got $2000 in parts that are dismantled all over my desk in front of my 30" Dell monitor. I've RMA'd the mobo back to Newegg. Slightly costly mistake here, but I need to remedy the situation as fast as I can and get a new mobo shipped to me with extreme haste. If I can get a couple boards specified that will work for this system, I might be able to pick one up locally on Saturday morning so I can get the system up in time for a buddy to come over Sunday afternoon and do gaming instead of Windows installing.

My current components:
Case: Nspire ATX case, basic, boring, gutted.
Mobo: NEEDED!
CPU: Intel Core2 Duo e6600 2.4GHz
HD: (3) Maxtor 500GB SATA (RAID5)
Optical: Samsung DVD +/-R/RW CD-R/RW w/ Lightscribe
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower 750W
RAM: G.Skill DDR2 (2x2GB) PC2-6400 DDR (4GB)
Video: (2) EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 640MB (SLI)
Monitor: Dell 3007WFP 30" LCD

Obviusly, need ATX mobo.
I need a mobo that will support SLI with either dual 16x PCIe slots, or one 16x and one 8x (doesn't matter, the cards can't talk fast enough to max out the 8x slot let alone the 16x.
I need support for RAID5 on the SATA drives. The more SATA drives can be connected into a RAID5, the better. Previous board supported 4 (out of 7 possible connections) in RAID.
I need support for e6600 Conroe 2.4GHz (LGA775 slot).
I need support for minimum 4GB of DDR2 800 ram.

I anybody has a good suggestion for a motherboard for this sucker, let me know. I'm going to go stuff my nose in the specifications over at ASUS's site and see if there's a good board there.

I still can't believe that board didn't run SLI!
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I've read a mess of reviews, and I'm certainly pleased with the features on the P5N32-E. Similar to that is the ASUS Striker Extreme. I'll go with that one if they carry it at my local really good hole-in-the-wall parts store. If not, I'll get it shipped from newegg... they've got the Striker Extreme going for $252 for the OEM box ($80 less than retail box) with everything in it, including the game. I guess it just doesn't come with a nice, shiny box? Whatever.

Cheers b1gapl! Hopefully I can get this beast up and running before the weekend's out.
 
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