Ok so I have a case/keyboard/mouse/speakers and some case fans ect....

MSI R4870-T2D512 OC Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814127358
$294.99

OCZ EvoStream OCZ720EVOSLI 720W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817341005
-$75.00 Instant
$25.00 Mail-in Rebate $169.99
$94.99

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007
$5.99

mushkin XP 4GB ASCENT w/ eVCI technology (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996619 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820146789
-$10.00 Instant
$25.00 Mail-in Rebate $139.99
$129.99

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128344

-$15.00 Instant
$149.99
$134.99

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9450 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115042

Rosewill RCX-Z2-EX 92mm 2 Ball PWM CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835200025
-$24.00 Combo
$374.98
$350.98

Subtotal: $1,011.93

So I wanted to go with the ATI card and I know I will likely want to take advantage of crossfire in the future, but I think I would upgrade the motherboard as well at that point. I think if I understand right to truley take advantage of crossfire a board must allow for both PCIe slots to be separate with thier 16x which is out of my price range. Let me know if this notion is incorrect. I wanted a chip with 45nm. Any suggestions? It has been a long while since I have built my own computer so I would love any advice. I went with 1066 ram because its cheaper, but the mobo does support 1200.

Thanks for the help!!

If you're not upgrading to Nehalem, go with X38/X48. $180+:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] rder=PRICE

ga-ex38-ds4 is a good board, but newegg discontinued it. Should be less than $200.

No.

think about the future. Get a crossfire compatible motherboard. You should never have to spend $300 on a new card when yours gets old. Just pop in a copy of your current card for $150/.