PSU ADVICE NEEDED

I like the xion 600w supernova at newegg for about $70 after rebate and free shipping. It has a 140mm side fan for removing warm air around the cpu. The 2 12v rails are listed as 21 and 22 amps. If you want to spend more, corsair and seasonic are premium brands, and pc power and cooling is top of the line.

For dual 8800s I wouldn't settle for anything less than a good quality 600w unit, 750w to be safe. Here's a couple of top rated options, pricey, but you get what you pay for. Remember, Newegg doesn't have the best prices on PSUs so shop around a little and you might save a few bucks.

Corsair TX750W

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad

opps forgot to say thanks for your replies. much appreciated.

Really.

Official XS Tiered PSU Manufacturer Brand Listing Phase III

That's more like it.

The Tiered PSU list is a great resource for comparing power supplies, but I wouldn't be citing it as fact. It is ultimately a collection of opinions, and should be treated as such.

Totally agree with Zorg here. It may not be the most accurate, but where can you disprove it? Yes a Tier 5 PSU "might" be able to power up an 8800gtx, but will it hold for more than 6 mo? will it only damage itself when it goes? Does it have a very small 12v ripple on it? Do you want a $70 PSU powering 2 8800gtx's at a cost of >$1000? Does the Xion have a 3 yr. warranty or more? These are things that you must consider. I'm not an expert, but I use jonnyguru's list to try and make an educated decision. There are lots of people making input on the list (more qualified people than me) and I'd trust it more than some things.
Here is an example of what to expect on some 400-450w PSU's:
http://www.anandtech.com/casecooli [...] spx?i=3146
If you look at the build quality of all of the PSU's in that test, you'll see what were talking about as far as the Corsair brand. The Ultra's IMO are a piece of crap, but you can decide if you want that kind of quality or not.

I'm voting for 8800gt purchase and at least a vx450w Corsair PSU. It'll run you about $69 shipped and $49 after $10 MIR and google checkout here:
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-vx [...] 66485.html

Maybe the tiering can't be cited as fact, but it is the experience of many people with a whole lot of knowledge about PSUs. True enough, a PC P&C can fail, and an Aspire might hold up for years, but such things are exceptions to the rule. I also agree with what Zorg had to say. Further, I won't buy anything less then a tier 2 PSU. I don't think its worth the headache. Beyond that, what I can't figure out is why so many people are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a graphics card, but unwilling to spend a hundred or two on a good PSU.

The PSU is the heart of a computer. Without it, nothing works. If it fails, it can take everything down with it. To me, its not worth the gamble. I'd much rather spend a couple hundred dollars getting a PSU that's bigger than I need then to try to get by on the cheapest, barely enough power type PSU that I can find. If nothing else, I don't like the idea of buying a cheap PSU and then having to replace it, costing me even more money.

If you plan on running 2x 8800GTX's I got a quick question for you: Do you already have a case for this build? If not, you might want to go with a case that has a dual PSU setup like the Antec P190. It also comes equipped with both PSU's and it seems a lot of people like Antec PSU's. That way you could have each GTX powered by a separate PSU. But I'd recommend getting 2x 8800GT's instead just for the price/perfomance difference and the GT's wouldn't kill you on power as much as the GTX's.

Or if you can wait, people keep saying the new N92 based 8800GTS is supposed to spank the current GTX.

In my opinion he would be better served by a single rail PSU than two PSUs e.g., Silencer 750 etc.

Another vote for the PC P&C Silencer 750 Quad. I read an awful lot of PSU reviews before I bought mine... It's a bad idea to skimp on the PSU and put your $1200 video cards at risk.

And by the way, it's not making any sense to buy 8800 Ultra cards.

Get overclocked GTXs instead (BFG 8800 GTX OC2, eVGA 8800 GTX ACS3, etc.), save $200 on each card, get almost the same performance.

With 8800GT cards you save much more, and you'd only see a performance drop in things like Crysis at 1920x1200. That's also a good option, depending on your games and screen resolution. Look for benchmarks before you decide.

Here's how I think the list should be used:

If a PSU is on the list and it is tier 4 or lower, approach with caution.
If it is tier 3 or higher it's probably a safe bet.
If it is not on the list either look for a close match to it that is on the list or do your own research.
And never buy a xion

Totally agree with Zorg. Through my years worth of research and personal experience, I'd have to say the guide is pretty accurate. I haven't bought and used all of the manufacturers, but from my experience, it was pretty close.