Hi D,M nore used rto seeing you over on Clunks
X38-DQ6 - is a better package & better quality heatpipes without doubt, the extra £ is worth it.
for the majority of people it wil be all they want.
But
I like to tweak, dabble & OC. THe bios options on the X38-DQ6 are more limited than the Abit, there is also no windows oc feature with voltage.temp monitoring or tweaking to rival Guru.
If I was to compare it in car terms the X38-DQ6 is like a Saab saloon classy with a decent bit of power.
The Abit is more like a ford escort, for boy racers i guess. It has that something
I've had 2x IX38 Quad GT's and 2x Gigabyte X38-DQ6's, all damaged in someway!
Packaging on the abit is poor but i'm suprised you had any issues with the I've had any issues with the Dq6
maybe you need to change supplier
luck