[New system build] Advice on new system build.

The BFG 8800GTX OC2 is a very nice toy. I have one myself. It can handle 1920x1200 in most games without trouble. However, I think it's best if you keep the option of using SLI at some point. That is, replace the X38 motherboard with an eVGA 780i motherboard, and you get a chance to add a second 8800GTX later if needed. (Even a third, in fact.)

There's an 8800GTS G92 512MB out there that can match the GTX OC2 at lower resolutions, at lower cost and power consumption. I'm sure you will hear about it in other people's replies. Still, for 1920x1200 I think it's worth going with the 8800GTX. I suggest you find some benchmarks and compare.

I don't know how good the ModXStream 780W is. If you want a single 8800GTX I'd recommend an OCZ Silencer 610W (or PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610W, same thing), or a Corsair 620HX. For two video cards 780W sounds good.

The Q9550 isn't out yet and nobody can say for sure which motherboards will work with it. When it is out, check before buying a motherboard. I expect that most X38/780i/P35 boards will work, some even without a BIOS update.

I'd stay away from the Zalman 9700 because there are coolers out there that do a better job with less noise. For example look at the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme/Scythe S-Flex combination. There's also a new Thermalright IFX-14 which is even better, but it's huge and doesn't fit in all cases.

I assume you will also reuse your case. What type is it? The 8800GTX is the largest video card ever at 11" and may not fit.

I agree with aevm in leaving the SLI option open. If you want to, here is an excellent site for helping for the PSU, which also recommends no less than 850w for a GTX SLI rig:

http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html

I am not sure about BFG's cards, but I know that you can save yourself some money on eVGA's cards by NOT getting the factory OC'ed card. The 8800GTX is easy to overclock.

Don't forget about the Tuniq 120 Tower cooler. The Thermalright is the best cooler out there, but the Tuniq is right on its heels, is less expensive, and comes with everything including the fan.

The Q9550 is supposed to work fine with the 780i A1 board if you go that route. Like it was said already, though: Nobody knows for sure until the chip comes out.

I would spend the $30 and just get a new SATA Dual Layer DVD/CD Burner. Keep a IDE burner in case you need it (Acronis Drive Image didn't like my Samsung SATA burner), but use a SATA drive for the added speed.

If I am not mistaken, you Audigy card is not going to help out the system like a X-Fi Extreme Gamer card would, and if you do go with a 780i board most all of them come with some pretty friggin nice 7.1 onboard.

There's my $.02

Good news, the 8800GTX will fit in the P160W. I did a quick Google search and found somebody who has that combination.
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/for [...] 43570.html

In 4 to 6 weeks I expect the 9800GTX will be out too. Rumors are that it will be around $450 and much faster than the 8800GTX. Physically, I expect it to be 11" too - otherwise nVidia will have a lot of angry customers.

All right, let's forget SLI. This means X38 and P35 are also good options. X38 is better because it has PCI-E 2.0 slots. The 8800GTX doesn't really care about that, but I'm 99% sure your next video card will care. Check out the GA-X38-DS4 and see if you like it more than the Asus Maximus.

Agreed about the Tuniq Tower, that's also a very good cooler. The only problem I have with it is that it makes 46 dB of noise under load compared to 39 dB for the Thermalright. I'm sure lots of people wouldn't know the difference, it's not that big.

why whats wrong with X38 is it a bad choice?/

99.9% sure that it's a good choice. That is, if you do decide you want SLI you'll be sorry you picked X38. If you never want SLI, x38 is a good choice.

How about HD 3870X2? That beats the 8800GTX in a bunch of games (OK, and loses to the GTX in others). With one of those you can have your X38 and still keep the option to add a second card later. The only issue there is you need a PSU with 6/8-pin PCI-E connectors, like the PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W Crossfire Edition for example.

Even worse, the crippled X38 board without even supporting DDR3.

And it sounds like this user is interested in keeping this computer for a good while, so deciding he'd never ever want to spend another $200 in a year for another card to put it in SLI is a bit far reaching.

The EVGA 780i SLI on average is only $10 more expensive than the ASUS Maximus, supports SLI, supports DDR2 1200, supports the 45nm architecture... I don't see what the reason is to stick with an Intel chipset, particularly when he's interested in getting an 8800GTX overclocked. That screams gamer to me.

Why on earth spend $10 less and not leave yourself the option to SLI?

And considering that the 780i supports the 45nm chips I see no reason why it is any less likely to support the new processor.