New system 80%, LF OC MOBO 750/780i SLI + CPU Cooler

[MAHAVISHNU-ORCHESTRA]

So I've made some progress as of late, sorry for my mess of a thread last time.
What I've purchased so far:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Quad-Core Socket LGA775, 2.83 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB, 12MB L2 Cache, 45nm
VID: BFG GeForce GTX 280 OC Nvidia GeForce GTX 280 Chipset (615Mhz) Shader Clock (1350Mhz) 1GB GDDR3 (2214Mhz) Dual Dual-Link Display PCI-Express 2.0
RAM: OCZ (OCZ2RPR10664GK) DDR2 PC2-8500 1066 MHz Reaper HPC Edition 4GB(2x2048) Dual Channel Kit 5-5-5-18 (yes i know, its just 667)
CASE: Ultra M923 ATX Black Full Tower Case http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3319620&sku=ULT40125
HDD: 2X Seagate Barracuda (ST3500320AS) 7200.11 SATA NCQ 3.0Gb/s 500GB 32MB Cache in RAID

Now what I need to complete this, a decent cooler and a motherboard. I've decided I want to leave my SLI options open so I'm gonna have to go the way of an nvidia chipset mobo. Looking for the best overclocker overall. As for the cooler, I have an old Venus 12 I'd like to get on a 775 via a mobo mount mod, or if there is something less time consuming and better cooling I'll probably go with that.

MOBO DECISION if you know better mobos for cost etc, please suggest me one: (bold looks appealing to me)

Asus P5N-T Deluxe 3-Way SLI nVidia nForce 780i SLI Chipset Dual-Channel DDR2 667/800/1066 Mhz 3x PCI-Express 2.0 8-Channel HD Audio SATA/eSATA GigaLAN 2x IEEE1394a Support Core 2 Quad Processor & 1333Mhz System Bus
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Asus P5N72-T Premium Socket 775 nVidia nForce 780i SLI Chipset Dual-Channel DDR2 1200(O.C.) / 1066 / 800 / 667 MHz 3x PCI-Express 2.0 x16 Dual SupremeFX II Audio Card 6x SATA 3.0Gb/s Support 1600Mhz FSB
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EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 3-Way SLI Socket 775 nVidia nForce 780i Chipset Dual-Channel DDR2 533/667/800/1200Mhz Support 1066/1333 FSB 7.1-Ch HD Audio 3x PCI-Express x16 Graphic Slots
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EVGA 132-YW-E178-A1 3-Way SLI Socket 775 nVidia nForce 780i Chipset Dual-Channel DDR2 533/667/800/1200Mhz Support 1066/1333 FSB Dual GigaLAN, 7.1-Ch HD Audio 3x PCI-Express x16 Graphic Slots, IEEE1394a
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EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 2-Way SLI Socket 775 nVidia nForce 750i Ultra Chipset Dual-Channel DDR2 800/1066Mhz Support 1066/1333Mhz FSB 7.1-Ch HD Audio 2x PCI-Express x16 Graphic Slots IEEE1394a

CPU COOLER DECISION:

VENUS 12 (already own it, will use again if possible to find a AMD 939-INTEL 775 conversion bracket http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1881
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Coolermaster Z600R /W fans http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=019601&cid=FN.349
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Scythe Infinity (Mugen) 5 heat Pipes http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=013081&cid=FN.349


Please if anyone can help me out here, I've been looking at 4ghz setups alot and have been trying to compile what I feel would be the best choice.
Thanks in advance, it's much appreciated.

 

[Proximon]

Current quality coolers run about 8c cooler than yours. That's a lot. You should just grab a Sunbeam or Xigmatek:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004

 

[eroc]

why not go core i7 since you're spending so much on a mobo anyways?

 

[Proximon]

why not go core i7 since you're spending so much on a mobo anyways?

Good point!

 

[MAHAVISHNU-ORCHESTRA]

why not go core i7 since you're spending so much on a mobo anyways?

Then I have to pay a premium for a cpu, around 200 more for what I would want in an i7, i7 920 won't cut it imo. 150-200 more for a good mobo, and 150-250 more for decent overclockers ram which puts me far beyond what I intend to spend on this build. It would run me about 450-600 extra on costwhich I have no intentions on spending for a core that I've heard runs hotter than the 9x series and would just be overkill to my budget. The current gains in gaming aren't enough either to justify that cost IMO.

 

[Proximon]

You might want to look at a few more benchmarks.

A quick comparison at newegg.ca showed a difference of about $100 for a motherboard and perhaps the same for the memory change.

You want to OC and you want to SLI. You can do both well with X58, but you are gambling with any Nvidia chipset.

 

[eroc]

You might want to look at a few more benchmarks.

A quick comparison at newegg.ca showed a difference of about $100 for a motherboard and perhaps the same for the memory change.

You want to OC and you want to SLI. You can do both well with X58, but you are gambling with any Nvidia chipset.

Couldn't have put it better myself!
i believe corei7920 will oc into 4GHz and i thought that was more than enough! but hey who am i to judge. if you've got your heart set on those components go for it, it's coming out of your wallet. we're only trying to steer you in the right direction.

 

[MAHAVISHNU-ORCHESTRA]

I paid 50 (before tax) for the 4gb of that reaper, the difference in cost would be too large for my wallet. For the Q9550 I paid 320 (before tax), boxing day had some very intense deals I snatched up and overall the build price would go beyond what I'm willing to pay, even if I did like the looks of the 920.

I know what you guys are saying and I do appreciate it, it doesn't seem like much of a bump in funds but the deals I got on last gen components during boxing day make too much of a difference in price right now. Most likely I'll have a i940 by the time the next great socket is released and once again I'll be behind a gen lol.

 

[Proximon]

Well, EVGA does have the best live support and warranty.

As to those Reapers, they are known to struggle to run at 1066. Also, be aware that their high voltage makes them not want to boot initially sometimes. You might need to use another stick of RAM to get into the BIOS and manually set the voltage, or it could be fine. Just be aware of that if there is no POST initially.