Getting a new pc, need some advice on the hardware

[Germz]

Hello Everyone,

I'm getting a new machine soon and i have some questions regarding certain hardware items. I need some advice on what to pick. Below i will provide a list of items i'm considering. This post will deal with only 4 basic components: processor, motherboard, vid card and memory. I have an idea about the rest of the components but i will pick them later. This machine will be used pedominately for gaming, and i'd like to spend about 2 thousand for everything, that also includes the monitor. I've already selected the processor, it will be Intel E6700 dual core 2.66Ghz.The next thing is the motherboard, i'm thinking of getting one of these:

ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium nforce 590 SLI

ASUS P5N32-E SLI nforce 680i SLI

ASUS Striker Extreme nforce 680i SLI

eVGA nForce 680i SLI

BFG nforce 680i SLI

Most of the parts i'm considering are certified by Nvidia for SLI mode, i'd like to adhere to their list only because i want to play it safe. The 2nd and 3rd motherboards are not on Nvidia's list of certified parts, however, i'm quite tempted to get an Asus nforce 680i board only because its hard to go wrong with ASUS. Any thoughts here?

Next thing, memory, i'm considering these 2:
CORSAIR, 2GB (2 x 1GB) XMS2 Dominator PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz
OR
CORSAIR, 2GB (2 x 1GB) XMS2 Dominator PC2-8500 DDR2 1066MHz

Both are also certified by Nvidia for SLI, I'm thinking of going with the latter option. the PC2-8500 is a better match for nforce 680i boards so thats why this question is tied with the first.

And finally, the video cards. I'm considering 3 options. First, I can get 2 geforce 7900 GTs 256 mb by either eVGA,BFG,XFX,ASUS, Gigabyte or PNY. Which one of these brands are better? I know that eVGA is good, i've had their card before.

Next choice is 1 single PNY GeForce7950 GT 512MB (the only 7950 GT card certified by Nvidia)

And finally i can get either an Asus, BFG, XFX or eVGA single geforce 8800 GTS 640 MB. I''m not even considering an 8800 GTX, since i wont have the cash to get it.

In case of the later two options i'm only getting 1 card for now, i'll buy a second card a few months from now when i have more cash.

And one last question. Is it better to get video card and mobo by the same manufacturer? For instance, if i get an eVGA board, should i also get a video card by eVGA? Or it doesnt make a difference? When i was looking at a BFG 8800 GTS card, they suggested that it should be matched with one of their boards, are they justvtrying to sell you more of their stuff?

Anyway, i apologize for making this post too long, but i want to get some opnions from the tech community. Folks that already have this hardware, I'm especially eager to hear from you.

[glc]

I would not throw ANY kind of serious money into a video card right now - wait for DX10.

SLI is not economical at all - one high end card will spank 2 lower end cards in SLI.

If you are at all budget restricted, don't spend a premium for components that perform marginally better than the next step down - example, the E6700 is not worth the premium over a E6600. Same with that high end ram - the standard XMS2 DDR2-800 CL5 is plenty good.

I'd personally get a single slot board with the P965 chipset - such as an Asus P5B-E - and a "placeholder" video card - such as a 7900GS or even one of the 7600 series - and update to a high end DX10 card down the road when the dust clears. I would NOT toss any kind of serious bucks into DX9. Yes, the 8800's support DX10, but it's the first one and it's too early to trust them to properly support it. Same deal with the OS - just get XP Home for now - with an upgrade coupon for Vista. The 680i chipset shows a lot of promise, but it does have issues.

[Germz]

Thanks for the reply. You make some very good points in your post and i happen to agree with most of what you are saying. Your recomendation about the video card is right on, i'm also wary of the geforce 8800 cards, because of the high price and DX10 support issue you mentioned. However, i think i will go with a single 7900 GT, not GS. But i'm still not sure which card maker to pick, eVGA, BFG, who is better?


As for the motherboard i will most likely get one of the ASUS nforce 680i boards only because of good reviews they received. This is a board maker that i know and trust. You are rightabout the issues with some of the 680i boards, the eVGA and BFG have some problems and nvidia had to release a fix for it. Thats why i am reluctant to get one of those 2, who knows what other problems they have.

And finally, i still like to know if its a good idea to get the board and the video card by the same manufacturer, would it help things?

[glc]

eVGA is the generally accepted best choice for Nvidia video cards. Miximg video card and motherboard brands is a total nonissue.

Do you *have* to have SLI?

[Germz]

Thnx for clearing that up. As for SLI, yes , i would like to have it, but i like i said earlier i will follow your advice for now and get only a single eVGA 7900 GT. Later on i would like to have 2 DX10 supporting cards from the 8000 series when they come down in price and all of the issues are worked out, dont know when that will happen though, 6 months to a year perhaps?

[glc]

What I'm trying to say is this - the 680i has some issues that make me stay away from them right now. It shows a lot of promise but Nvidia hasn't gotten it right yet. The P965 had issues too - but they are corrected.