Are these parts compatible?

[Erinak]

Hey guys. I'm helping a friend of mine choose the components for his next computer, which he's going to build. I just wanted to make sure that the core components I selected for him are completely compatible before I go and send the list to him. Your input is appreciated by the both of us!

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Processor: Intel E8400 Core 2 Duo (3.0 GHz)
Graphics card: GeForce 9800 GX2 (he'll be getting another one of these at the end of the year, but only one for now)
*Motherboard: MSI P6N Diamond LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
Power Supply: BFG Tech BFGR800WPSULE 800W ATX 12V 2.2

*I originally was going to set him up with the motherboard I have, the Asus P5N-D, but it's a 750i board. I've heard that 9800 GX2s work best with 680, 780, or 790 boards. Would a 750i board be okay, or is he better off just getting the above 680i board?

First of all, 800W should be sufficient to power a quad-SLI setup with the above specifications, right? Also, I have heard reports of bottlenecking with dual core processors and quad-SLI 9800 GX2 rigs. Can anybody confirm or deny this? Is he best off getting a quad core CPU, like the Q6700?

I appreciate your help.

 

[akhilles]

http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=prodcpusupport&prod_no=1168&maincat_no=1

The list says 45nm isn't supported by the board. Look into 750i/780i which can do Wolfdales & Yorkfields.

Who said what works best with what? Let me guess. A bunch of nobodies? If it were nvidia engineers, then yes, I'd take their words.

For Dual GeForce 9800 GX2:

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

Whether a cpu is bottlenecking depends on how many cores the game makes use of. Most games are still single core. Only a handful is quad-core. Look at the game's recommended sys. req's.

 

[Erinak]

Oh nice catch on the incompatibility.

Well, I got that info from a couple of sites that reviewed the 9800 GX2. Namely this one (scroll down the the table, the Mainboard row):
http://guru3d.com/article/quad-sli-review-with-dual-9800-gx2-/2

But if the card will work fine on a 750 board, then I see no reason for him to drop $200+ on a motherboard.

I'm going to recommend he upgrade to a 1000W PSU then.

Thanks for your help.