Best low end E8400 mobo

[Magik Smoke]

Needs an Intel chipset, stable high-FSB support, good VRM, solid caps, vista stable audio, and a single PCIE 16x slot.

Don’t want Wi-Fi.
Don’t want firewire.
Don’t need more than one USB root hub.
Gig-e would be nice but not required.
Don't care about RAID.
I'm fine with using a SATA DVD

In short: I do not want a motherboard that’s encrusted with shit I don’t use.

It’s proving a little hard to find

 

[farfromhome]

If you really, really want bare-bones and legacy-free, you could get an Intel DP35DP motherboard. It will be nice and stable, but its overclocking will be limited. Otherwise, it sounds like the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L or the abit IP35-E are right up your ally. Sorry, you can't get a P35 motherboard (and you want P35, not an older chipset) with less than 12 USB ports, counting the ones both on the backplate and through motherboard headers, though, as it's built into the chipset.

Edit: Never mind about the Intel, it has Firewire; better go for the Gigabyte or abit then. Also pretty much impossible to find one without a PATA port even, despite the lack of it in the chipset.
Edit II: Forget about the abit, as I forgot you specified solid caps. That pretty much just leaves the Gigabyte.

 

[Magik Smoke]

Had been looking at the ds3l...

I was kinda hoping not to buy something with a F#@!%g parallel port. (I haven't used a parallel interface in 10 years)

... and why MUST I buy something with onboard sound ... Damn it!

You can't get a decent motherboard anymore.

I think I'll go fondle my ISA AWE32 (That has a zero CPU/memory footprint). Why do I have an urge to go scream "git off my lawn" at the kids next door?

 

[farfromhome]

Had been looking at the ds3l...

I was kinda hoping not to buy something with a F#@!%g parallel port. (I haven't used a parallel interface in 10 years)

Revision 2.0 and above of the Gigabyte P35 motherboards don't have a parallel or serial port. If you can find the GA-EP35-DS3L, it will be guaranteed to be rev 2.2+.

... and why MUST I buy something with onboard sound ... Damn it!

Yeah, that irks me slightly too. Still, just an option away to disable in the BIOS. As are all the other features you don't want.

 

[BUFF]

Had been looking at the ds3l...

I was kinda hoping not to buy something with a F#@!%g parallel port. (I haven't used a parallel interface in 10 years)

the abits don't have parallel or serial.
& if you don't want onboard audio just disable it in the BIOS.
It's there for the bulk of the market at the cheap end that do want it.

IP35-E is $60 after rebate atm at newegg iirc.

 

[farfromhome]

It's there for the bulk of the market at the cheap end that do want it.

Actually, I have yet to see a motherboard period that doesn't have integrated sound made in the last few years. From low-end to ultra-luxury-high-end. The only difference is that, at the high-end, some come with a daughterboard with the sound chip rather than being on the motherboard itself, to isolate itself from the electrical noise. They all come with sound nonetheless though.