Please give my build a look

I read through these forums often and have come to respect many of the members and your opinions about hardware. I was looking to upgrade the core of my system around an e4300 overclock using liquid.

e4300

MSI 8800 GTS

or

Leadtek 8800 GTS

Patriot Extreme 2GB

Considering I would like to have the option to go SLI in the future since I plan on making the move to a high def monitor some time I need a 680i mobo. This is where I'm having problems making a decision. All I want is SLI, decent onboard audio, good overclocking and the option to go quad.

I plan on sticking with my antec 550W truepower 2.0 with 2 12V 19A rails until I decide to make the plunge with SLI. I have heard from some that they like to see more amps on a single rail though. I'm also not sure if converting my 4-pin CPU connector to 8-pin will have any negative effects.

I appreciate any feedback and by all means if you have fallen in love with an alternative tell me about it. I'm also looking for a good water block.

I like my eVGA 680i. The Striker is a dumb board, not worth it IMO. Although there's also the Asus P5N-E SLi or SLi on a 975X chipset but that's shady business. The eVGA 680i had several issues early in its life but I think they're all resolved now. I'm pretty pleased with mine.

Also, are you asking us to choose between MSI and Leadtek? Cuz I'd say MSI. MicroStar International just sounds cooler than Leadtek.

Read the sticky on PSU 101, here.

You do not have 38A available. Take a look at the max wattage supplied through your rails on the back of the PSU and divide by 12. This will give you the max amps.

Personally, I'd rather get a better chip than go watercooling with a cheap chip. Don't know how much your water cooler will cost but I've seen them around 150-200.

It would be much better to go with a E6600 and a good heatpipe heatsink as you can easily oc it to 3.2GHz and above.

A lot of people will argue that going SLI is a waste which I agree unless you have the money to buy the best video card out there. Then when prices fall, you can SLI and still have some future left into your system.

I think SLI'ing with a 8800GTS 320GB is a waste. I would rather get a motherboard with one PCI Express slot and get an 8800GTX.

I do have some questions. Are you buying other components such as memory or reusing? Get 2x1GB RAM sticks at a minimum.

What kind of monitor do you have? You might not need such a powerful video card for the moment. A $200 X1950XT has plenty of juice.

Ultimately, what is your current budget.

The MSI NX8800GTS-T2D640E hands down is the better value:

$20 cheaper before & after rebate
2 DVI-TO-D-SUB adapters

However, the Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GTS TDH has:

CyberLink Power DVD 6.0
SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars
TrackMania Nations