Windows 7 - motherboards?

hey does anyone know which motherboard is better, A Gigabyte GA-Z68X DDR3 $or Gigabyte GA-X58A UDD3R or is there a better one at good price, ( $230 - $280) ? or does any one know of a good place to check out motherboards online that explains which motherboards are good and not so good and not just give u a bunch of numbers?

I'd stick with the newer Z68 chipset.

You are asking the wrong question!

What you are really asking here is "which processor is better?"

The X58 chipset uses socket 1366 for i series family processors that use RAM in triple channel mode.

The Z68 chipset uses socket 1155 for i series family processors that use RAM in dual channel mode.

When building a system it makes sense to decide what processor (family) you want to base the system on and then work out from there. So you would be choosing a motherboard to fit the processor, not the other way around.

TVeblen is right. After choosing the CPU you want, go to Newegg or similar place and find a motherboard for that CPU and read the user feedback on the ones with the features you want. That will give you an idea of which motherboard is better.

For most situations, you wouldn't need to spend over $200 for a good Gigabyte motherboard. I spent $140 for mine and have no regrets at all.

"Good" is subjective. You need to decide what particular features you need on the board and what processor you intend to use.

Then you have to hope you don't get a defective board, which can happen with any manufacturer.

I'd stick with Asus, Gigabyte, or Intel--but even those brands can have a DOA.

Here is a list of Gigabytes with the Z68 chipset:

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Motherboards, Intel Motherboards, GIGABYTE, Intel Z68

Here is a list for the P 67 chipset:

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Motherboards, Intel Motherboards, GIGABYTE, Intel P43/P45/P55/P67

The list below is ALL Gigabyte boards that will accept the newest Intel processors (socket 1155 Sandy Bridge):

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Motherboards, Intel Motherboards, GIGABYTE, LGA 1155

I will go along with TVeblen. Once you have decided on the CPU. Choosing the correct motherboard can be time consuming. We will be able to help you better we know the CPU.
Knowing what you intend to use this computer for and how much money you intend to spend would also help.