If you are willing to pay the money for Nvidia's DX 11 video card, even a mid-range, then you should get a Core i7 9xx/X58 system. The socket 1366 mobo's will have the upgrade option to the i9's. Nvidia's DX 11 gpu's will probably outperform the HD 5800's but no one really knows how much better the performance will be. Also, Nvidia tends to be a lot more expensive than ATI.

jtcraft

You're definitely thinking ahead with regard to the i9, but the i9 will be released relatively soon, so would it really be realistic of me to expect to upgrade from the i7 to the i9? By the time I'm ready for another upgrade (years), the i9 and its mobo will probably be too badly outdated anyway.

As for Nvidia, I've got $450 set aside just for it, and I'll still meet my budget. Of course if it doesn't utterly blow ATI away, I may save some cosft efficiency and buy ATI.

I like the build but I think you should consider getting a GTX260 or a ATI 58XX series card. Also, if you want your cabling to look purdy, I'd recommend getting a modular powersupply.CStheGreat

The GTX260 isn't DX11 compatible, and it's a fairly safe assumption that the 5800 series from ATI won't be able to compete performance wise with Nvidia's 300 series.

WD Caviar Black 1tb LG DVD-RW Sata (IDE ruin your airflow)Aldouz

Good call on the SATA. 1TB is a bit excessive, but seeing as how I could potentially get it for only $20, it'd be hard to pass up. New build:

Windows 7 64 bit
mid-range 300 series GeForce GPU
ASUS P7P55D Deluxe
Intel Core i5 750
Western Digital Caviar Black, 1TB
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB
Lite-on Black SATA

PS, not that it matters, but until GeForce coughs up the 300 series, I'll be using my old 8800

For high-end games and daily use

Windows 7 64 bit
mid-range 300 series GeForce GPU
ASUS P7P55D Deluxe
Intel Core i5 750
Western Digital Caviar Black, 500GB
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB
Lite-on Black IDE

I haven't decided on a case yet, but I've narrowed it down to Apevia, Thermaltake, Antec, or Cooler Master =

The CPU/Mobo aren't set in stone either, someone might be able to convince me to go over to AMD, if the performances are relatively equal

Thanks everyone. I think I'll wait the extra month or two to get the 8,800 320MB.

Yeah, I'm pretty poor. It'd take me until October or Novemberto save up enough for the 8800, I'm just wondering how big the difference between the 8800 and the 8600 are performance wise.

I'm not that experienced with video cards, so I'm never quite sure howmuch more performance alittleextra clockspeed, or alittle more RAM, can actually get.

I need to upgrade, and yeah, it's obvious that the GeForce 8800 320MBhas better performance than the 8600,

Buttakingprice into consideration, which one is the better deal?

Is that 64MB of extra memory really worth the $130 more that the 8800 costs?

Which would you recommend I get?

Flame me, and I will put a curse on your family.