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Asus ROG System build Trade-offs

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First off I'd like to say that i've learned alot from the tom's hardware community while being a lurker, so big thanks right up front.

So I've finally outgrown my FX-55/nForce 4 caveman setup and am currently considering options for a multi part upgrade build and needing some real world opinions to help me decide my components. Im on a budget for this build so I will transition some pieces over to the new build.

First the transition components (up for debate):

OCZ 700w PSU (700MXSP)
8800GTX (evga)
2x Barracuda's (80bg & 160gb) 2x Hitachi 1TB for storage

So here's what I'm having a hard time deciding which to go with on the new components of the build. I've got things somewhat narrowed down to a few decisions.

Asus P7P55D (Premium or Pro)
or
Asus Maximus III Formula

I7 860
or
I5 750

RAM is undecided still, so many to choose from.

My goal is to build an upgradable system on a budget, but with of course the best bang for my buck. Im weighing the trade off between the components and just cant decide. Which is the lesser of two evils or the best performance with upgrades planned later in mind..

For roughly $80 I get 1.4ghz and hyper transport between the CPU's
for roughly another $70 I get a rock solid overclocking board with all the bells and whistles...

Im leaning towards the Maximus and I5, and using the money i saved to SLI another 8800gtx, but then I have to starting thnking about power and heat and wondering if 700w will be sufficient.

Faced with these trade offs what would you do?

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CPUs Master

i would definitely save your money and get the I5. No point going anything higher, especially with only a couple of 8800GTX's. The money saved and used to get another 8800GTX will be worth it (I'm assuming you're gaming)
As for the ram, a good brand with decent timings should be fine. OCZ tends to be cheap but reputable. I personally like Mushkin but they tend to be more expensive... though their timings also seem to be better. Go for a 2x2GB kit since either motherboard supports dual channel memory. anything above 4GB is a waste of money currently.
The motherboard is really up to you. If you want to get more features go for the maximus.
700W should be fine for 2 8800GTX's. Just make sure it has the four 6-pin power connectors you need for the cards. As for heat, what case do you have? fans? What are the temps in that case from your old system?

thanks for the reply. I think you had the same idea as i had... why do an i7 and bottle neck it at a single 8800gtx..? Yes, I am somewhat gaming, but since I've always been somewhat limited by my current hardware so the thrill factor has never been real high.. (always having to play on low-med settings :( ..)

my current case is no-name steel full tower. I've got 3x http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/sku=nexus120mm.... for the case. 1 in and 2 out, under load the system temps hover around 40c and load they'll top out at about 47-48c. I let the mobo control the fans.

my concern with heat is due to the steel case and fact just one 8800 is enough to raise my sys temp 10c over my old 7600gt and conduct enough heat into the i/o plate that its hot to the touch. I can only image if i stick another heat source in there... fans are easy to do, but my case doesnt lend itself well to another case fan...

should heat really even be that much of a concern or am I over thinking this? But im about to invest in a new system and dont want to short it because i overlooked the little things like cooling and such..

Thanks
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