Newegg has the ABIT IP35-E LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard on sale again with a $30.00 rebate for those that missed it the last time. Nice MB to go with those $199 Q6600 cpu's everyone bought from Microcenter.

Motherboard Link
Old (2/26/2008 - 3/15/2008) Rebate Link

Edit - 3/16/2008

Newegg has a new rebate (and $10.00 discount still showing) for the motherboard that runs till 3/31/2008. Different offer# on this new rebate, so if you like the MB and need a second one (like me), might be a good time to jump.

New Rebate Link (3/16/2008 - 3/31/2008)

Nice deal but I can't do it. Those dells are so cheap, this mobo, the Quad 6600 and ram costs almost the same as a whole Dell system.

clearanceman said:Nice deal but I can't do it. Those dells are so cheap, this mobo, the Quad 6600 and ram costs almost the same as a whole Dell system.

You get much better parts for the same price AND you get to overclock the Q6600 and ram to it's potential. The Dell system probably doesn't have enough juice in the PSU to run a high end video card either. The tradeoff, you have to invest time to build the system.

pentiuman said:Cheap price, if you're a real penny pincher. (I am, so I've been looking real hard at this board). Overall, this may be about the best Intel based mb for the after rebate price, if you're patient and experienced, and don't want to spend $30 more on a higher rated board like the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L

(I love Newegg, and try to buy my components based on the best user ratings within my price range. Get familiar with how to navigate Newegg's products and sort by price, rating, etc.)

That said, (according to Newegg User reviews), this Abit mb has or has had several potential issues:
1. Many complain of a double boot BIOS issue (which may be fixed with certain BIOS updates).
2. Some Users complain about IDE drive issues, from not recognizing certain hard drives, to not being bootable to an IDE optical drive. This may be a chip issue, or a "loose nut on the keyboard" (user) issue. Check your IDE jumpers and have SATA drives ready.
3. Others complain about the motherboard not booting / or DOA - which, in some cases, some seem to think is the boards default memory voltage settings and/or pickiness about memory. Better check the manufacturers approved memory list before buying, and if yours doesn't boot with approved memory, take out 1 stick temporarily, and/or check/change memory voltage in the BIOS.
4. North Heatsink size gets in the way of some CPU coolers. Modify or use different cooler or heatsink.
5. Some may have had setup problems initially with USB keyboards - have a PS2 backup handy, and/or check your keyboard BIOS settings.
6. One person complained that the board wouldn't boot with their USB hard drive connected. Perhaps, but this reminds me that when you're setting up a new motherboard (and installing Windows) for the very first time, it's just wise not to attach any "extra" components yet. You only want the bare essentials installed and connected, to reduce any potential conflicts and unknown or unrecognized system devices. After Windows is installed and all major components seem to be working and the system is stable, and you have installed the latest chipset driver and perhaps latest audio and video drivers, then try adding additional devices (one at a time), like printers, cams, external hard drives, USB flash drives, scanners, and additonal expansion cards. This helps to pinpoint and troubleshoot any issues.
7. A couple early buyers noted bad capacitors - but this may be solved now, (if you don't get old stock).

Finally, I've seen other people advise that it's good to clear the BIOS and reset to defaults, when you get a new motherboard, to clear out any potential file corruption that may have occurred after manufacturing, while in the storing or shipping stages.

Nice post! I might have to go ahead and get this mobo for its OC'ing potential. Not sure if I want to pay for a Q6600 though since others are having such great success OC'ing the dual cores.

I hear it is a great motherboard to base a hackintosh build on

pentiuman said:Cheap price, if you're a real penny pincher. (I am, so I've been looking real hard at this board). Overall, this may be about the best Intel based mb for the after rebate price, if you're patient and experienced, and don't want to spend $30 more on a higher rated board like the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L You may also want to consider an Abit board that's the next highest rated (but more than twice the price at $170 plus shipping), Abit IP35 Pro
EDIT: Forgot to mention that the rebate recently expired on the more expensive Abit IP35 Pro above. Maybe it'll return?

(I love Newegg, and try to buy my components based on the best user ratings within my price range. Get familiar with how to navigate Newegg's products and sort by price, rating, etc.)

That said, (according to Newegg User reviews), the OP's Abit IP35-E mb has or has had several potential issues:
1. Many complain of a double boot BIOS issue (which may be fixed with certain BIOS updates).
This has been fixed since BIOS 13 a long time ago. You need /wb option during flashing to solve double-post, otherwise you only update BIOS version without solving double-post problem. But new batches mostly come with >13 BIOS, so not needed anyway.
2. Some Users complain about IDE drive issues, from not recognizing certain hard drives, to not being bootable to an IDE optical drive. This may be a chip issue, or a "loose nut on the keyboard" (user) issue. Check your IDE jumpers and have SATA drives ready.
The reason is IDE devices are listed at the bottom of the bootable list. Many did not realize it. I actually have a IDE only setup with XP SP2.
3. Others complain about the motherboard not booting / or DOA - which, in some cases, some seem to think is the boards default memory voltage settings and/or pickiness about memory. Better check the manufacturers approved memory list before buying, and if yours doesn't boot with approved memory, take out 1 stick temporarily, and/or check/change memory voltage in the BIOS.
4. North Heatsink size gets in the way of some CPU coolers. Modify or use different cooler or heatsink.
5. Some may have had setup problems initially with USB keyboards - have a PS2 backup handy, and/or check your keyboard BIOS settings.
6. One person complained that the board wouldn't boot with their USB hard drive connected. Perhaps, but this reminds me that when you're setting up a new motherboard (and installing Windows) for the very first time, it's just wise not to attach any "extra" components yet. You only want the bare essentials installed and connected, to reduce any potential conflicts and unknown or unrecognized system devices. After Windows is installed and all major components seem to be working and the system is stable, and you have installed the latest chipset driver and perhaps latest audio and video drivers, then try adding additional devices (one at a time), like printers, cams, external hard drives, USB flash drives, scanners, and additonal expansion cards. This helps to pinpoint and troubleshoot any issues.
7. A couple early buyers noted bad capacitors - but this may be solved now, (if you don't get old stock).
Problematic surface-mounted transistor has been replaced but a new one. confirmed in the previous batch from Newegg. If you are unlucky, this has a cold-boot problem, no booting <63F. A hairdryer blowing through my P180 case top fan solves it when this rare event happens
8. Some FWer's complain of Abits rebate, and others complain of their RMA process, as seen in the earlier FW post on this deal. Previous ABIT IP35-E deal
Also, unlike some w/ Newegg's standard warranty, this particular motherboard comes w/ Newegg's 30 day warranty (afterward it is covered by Abit). And, according to Newegg's Return Policies, Newegg will not take back a product w/out a UPC - So, w/out missing the deadline, don't send your UPC in for the rebate until you have all your components, and your motherboard is working. When you send your rebate, photocopy everything, send via trackable service, and mark the expected rebate date on a calendar.

Finally, I've seen other people advise that it's good to clear the BIOS and reset to defaults, when you get a new motherboard, to clear out any potential file corruption that may have occurred after manufacturing, while in the storing or shipping stages.

clearanceman said:Jimmy319 said:clearanceman said:Nice deal but I can't do it. Those dells are so cheap, this mobo, the Quad 6600 and ram costs almost the same as a whole Dell system.

You get much better parts for the same price AND you get to overclock the Q6600 and ram to it's potential. The Dell system probably doesn't have enough juice in the PSU to run a high end video card either. The tradeoff, you have to invest time to build the system.

The PS angle is silly. I have several antecs I got for $30 after MIR from FW deals. I can just put a nice 500 watt antec in the Dell. Also, if you really want to overclock the CPU, you can do a pad mod on most of them. Just get a 800mhz CPU and pad mod to 1066 or 1333 if it will do it.

I think both of you have valid points in that:

clearanceman - Yes, (in addition to other benefits), you can often get a complete Dell for the same cost as building it yourself - in fact, sometimes it's cheaper to get a Dell, when you include the value of Windows. (And a better choice for those less experienced in building PC's).

But, regarding the PSU issue, many Dell's have proprietary power supplies, not standard ATX. (Note, you didn't list a specific Dell in your post.) Also, Dell just recently went to using standard PSU's and parts in their XPS series. (Thank you Dell). And yes, you may be able to do a pad mod to overclock some.

However, as Jimmy319 suggests, most Dell's do not have the additional overclocking abilities that a custom motherboard offers and which are needed to reach the highest overclock possible.

Jimmy319 is also right that it is certainly quicker to get a pre-built Dell than order the components seperately and put in the time (and risk) in building it yourself. And, he's right in that Dell's power supplies (whether standard or not), are traditionally underpowered, and may be unable to run a high end video card, if at all, for any extended period. If it works and you reach a power supplies maximum output, my understanding is that you can then encounter stability issues.

pentiuman said:clearanceman said:Jimmy319 said:clearanceman said:Nice deal but I can't do it. Those dells are so cheap, this mobo, the Quad 6600 and ram costs almost the same as a whole Dell system.

You get much better parts for the same price AND you get to overclock the Q6600 and ram to it's potential. The Dell system probably doesn't have enough juice in the PSU to run a high end video card either. The tradeoff, you have to invest time to build the system.

The PS angle is silly. I have several antecs I got for $30 after MIR from FW deals. I can just put a nice 500 watt antec in the Dell. Also, if you really want to overclock the CPU, you can do a pad mod on most of them. Just get a 800mhz CPU and pad mod to 1066 or 1333 if it will do it.

I think both of you have valid points in that:

clearanceman - Yes, (in addition to other benefits), you can often get a complete Dell for the same cost as building it yourself - in fact, sometimes it's cheaper to get a Dell, when you include the value of Windows. (And a better choice for those less experienced in building PC's).

But, regarding the PSU issue, many Dell's have proprietary power supplies, not standard ATX. (Note, you didn't list a specific Dell in your post.) Also, Dell just recently went to using standard PSU's and parts in their XPS series. (Thank you Dell). And yes, you may be able to do a pad mod to overclock some.

However, as Jimmy319 suggests, most Dell's do not have the additional overclocking abilities that a custom motherboard offers and which are needed to reach the highest overclock possible.

Jimmy319 is also right that it is certainly quicker to get a pre-built Dell than order the components seperately and put in the time (and risk) in building it yourself. And, he's right in that Dell's power supplies (whether standard or not), are traditionally underpowered, and may be unable to run a high end video card, if at all, for any extended period. If it works and you reach a power supplies maximum output, my understanding is that you can then encounter stability issues.

Consider that my 4600 took a standard ATX power supply with no modifications, I just put it in, and it is a relatively old model. Also, my 400sc had a reverse plug in but a few snips of the sheetmetal and it took an Antec just fine also. My 400sc 3.2 is now running a SATA DVD, CDRW, 250 gig SATA HD, 1 gig ram, and X1950 pro agp card. It has reached the end of the road upgrade wise but I bought it on a fatwallet deal in 2002. And it was half the cost of the OEM CPU at the time. Not bad at all. It's not as great pricewise with Dell now, but you can still get a whole machine (without monitor) for what a mobo, CPU and ram would cost. Not to mention your time. I exclusively built my own computers from 1993 to 2001, but haven't built one since I figured I could get a Dell with a warranty for less than I could buy parts and build my own. I do understand the desire to overclock but pad mods have even mostly fixed that. You are right, there are many more options with a builder board, ram timings, fsb adjustments, etc. You'll never get a Dell clock for clock as fast as a builder set up. But it is close enough for me. To each his own.

clearanceman said:Consider that my 4600 took a standard ATX power supply with no modifications, I just put it in, and it is a relatively old model. Also, my 400sc had a reverse plug in but a few snips of the sheetmetal and it took an Antec just fine also. My 400sc 3.2 is now running a SATA DVD, CDRW, 250 gig SATA HD, 1 gig ram, and X1950 pro agp card. It has reached the end of the road upgrade wise but I bought it on a fatwallet deal in 2002. And it was half the cost of the OEM CPU at the time. Not bad at all. It's not as great pricewise with Dell now, but you can still get a whole machine (without monitor) for what a mobo, CPU and ram would cost. Not to mention your time. I exclusively built my own computers from 1993 to 2001, but haven't built one since I figured I could get a Dell with a warranty for less than I could buy parts and build my own. I do understand the desire to overclock but pad mods have even mostly fixed that. You are right, there are many more options with a builder board, ram timings, fsb adjustments, etc. You'll never get a Dell clock for clock as fast as a builder set up. But it is close enough for me. To each his own.

Yeah, again, you're right that some Dell's do take a standard ATX PSU - I too have a Dell 4600 (now used by my son), and I too had to put in a new standard PSU (the Dell one failed at 18 months, and was somewhat underpowered given the # of drives and devices I used). - And, although I could've built myself a new PC, I too found that it was cheaper at that time (and easier) to just buy a Dell. On the other hand, my older Dell Dimension 8100 - w/ the lowest P4 ever made at 1300Mhz. (and cost over $2,000 new around 1999 and uses the mucho expensive and proprietary RDRAM), has a proprietary PSU - and when it fails it will be too expensive ($120) and outdated to fix.

You're also right that sometimes things just need a little modification to work, like perhaps your 400sc's reverse plug. (I didn't know that exactly - I had read that on some Dell's they wired the PSU connection totally different and it couldn't be made to work).

So, I'm happy that it appears that we agree on the facts, and only our opinions of what's best given our particular needs and preferences differs. In other words, the "temperature" of the deal depends on the individual. IMO - If you have some experience or are technically inclined, it can be a great choice for the price. But if you want a motherboard that likely has less potential issues - pay more for a different model (or like you say - buy a prebuilt Dell).

I have the IP35-E board and only paid about $75 from Newegg last Sept.

The board runs great with the E6750 and I've had no problems
booting off the optical drive mentioned. It posted great scores
on the benchmarks.

As for the double boot it's hardly a problem...don't even hardly
notice it anymore.