HI, I am building new PC i need some advice / help choosing the components

cfg:

CPU = Intel Core 2 Duo (45n) E8500 3,16Ghz
MB = Asus Striker 2 Formula (nForce 780i) SLI
RAM = Geil Dual Evo 2x2GB (dual) CL4 800Mhz
HDD = 2x Seagate 1TB/ 7200 / 300 / 32MB - ST31000340 SATA (they will run in raid mode)
GPU = 2x GF 9800 GX2 1024MB ASUS, 256bit PX DDR3 (SLI mode)
PS = Thermaltake Toughpower 1000W Cable Manager
SND = Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite PRO
CASE = Thermaltake Mozart TX VE1000SNA

+

LCD = HP LP2465 (24", MVA, 8ms, Full HD)
Speakers = Logitech Z-5500 THX 5.1

OS= MS Vista 64bit...

(NO OC please)

Q1= is there any benchmark that shows advantage on 2x GF9800GX2 vs 2x GF8800Ultra GTS?
Q2= should i use box fan 4 this cpu or should i buy better? (no OC!)
Q3= for use of dual GF9800gx2 this is a dual or quad SLI?
Q4= what problems should i expect?
Q5= what is better low CAS DDR2 or high CAS DDR3?
Q6= will this MB do the job!?
Q7= is there anything U want to change in this cfg?
Q= WHAT DO U THINK about this PC system?

A2 - if you're not overclocking, then the standard box fan should be adequate. The only reason to upgrade the cooler may be to extend the longevity of the CPU, but that's probably not a big deal.

A3 - this setup would be considered quad SLI.

A4 - problems would potentially include poor multi-gpu support in certain games and applications. However, support continues to improve, though it will never be to the level of compatibility a single GPU enjoys. However, those games that don't support multi-gpu setups usually run off of a single card, so it's not as though it won't work at all. There are some glitches that are total show-stoppers, but those are stamped out pretty quickly by driver teams (usually).

Other problems could include mounting the discreet sound card with an SLI setup, but it looks like the X-Fi may fit in the first PCI slot, just above the lower video card. I was going to say some cases have issues with the longer vga cards, but dang...that's a big case. There may be some driver issues with the 64bit OS, but that should not be an issue for very long since most companies eventually supply updated drivers.

A5 - I don't see there being all that much difference, though the DDR3 will almost certainly be faster. Overall memory speed is less important that it used to be now that CPUs have very large on die caches.

A6 - If you go with DDR2, this board should work quite well. DDR3 will require a step up to the 790i chipset.

A7 - If you're going with a 64 bit OS, perhaps 8 gb of RAM would be useful. Other than that, I'd just like to change the shipping address

A8 - looks very nice.

1) http://www.firingsquad.com/hardwar [...] /page8.asp

2) stock fan is fine if you aren't overclocking

3) Quad

4) Underwhelming performance for that price

5) DDR2

6) Yes

7) (a) Ditch the E8500 for the E8400. Else get the Q9450.

(b) Ditch the 9800GX2 and get the Radeon 4870 when it releases (a single 4870 beats the cr@p out of a 9800GX2 which is a dual card).

8) By doing step number 7(b) you wouldn't need a kilowatt of power... stick with 750W of power at the max.

I sure hope you're right. I might even upgrade my 8800GTX if you're right.
Is this just a guess, or are there some benchmarks out already that prove it?

@OP:
I'd replace the X-Fi card because their Vista drivers are bad. AFAIK Auzentech and HT Omega are good.

RAID with 2 drives? Are you thinking of RAID 0? Do backups very often if you use RAID 0. Maybe you should get 3 or 4 drives (Seagate 750GB or WD6400AAKS or WD7500AAKS) and do some other type of RAID. The cost will be close, because 1TB drives are still overpriced these days.

Hiya aevm...a rather trustworthy acquaintance of mine has confirmed regarding 4870

Moreover I'm sure you've visited the popular "Radeon HD4870 benchmark" thread here...

Not yet. All right, I'll look for it, thanks. This silly forum GUI with no scrolling means I miss a lot of good stuff.

I hear these 4870s were already in production a couple of weeks ago. Wow, I hope they're fast

Edit: found it. Nice!!! I'll just paste a link from it here for the OP's pleasure.
http://forums.legitreviews.com/about15370.html

hehehe yeah i miss the scrolling forums ... yup that link is yummy indeed!

Well said. +1

At start big thanx to All who reply Yours info is very helpfull, Ive read that gf9800gx2 is overpriced etc...., but now im working on ati radeon - and.... in my opinion it is very poor gpu ( Now i dont know what to do with it and what to choose, maby good option is to buy 2x 8800 and pleace them in SLI or wait for something new? , and i resing of RAID 0, but I stay with 2x 1TB (i really need a lot of free space)

Now> Im totaly nawbie in OC, will it be good choice to relpeace e8500 with e8400 and overclock it with some good cooler? IS THAT SAFE? what cooler should I use?

For a good and cheat HSF look at:
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 ~$35-40 on Newegg.

for review see:
http://www.frostytech.com/top5heat [...] ELHEATSINK