Which motherboard is right for my build?

[apav]

Hey guys, trying to figure out the right mobo for my system but since I am not familiar with motherboards too well, I need your help!

Spec:
PSU to be determined(looking at 850W ones)
i5 2500k
Dual HD 6950's Crossfire(Either 2x Sapphire Toxic or 2x MSI Twin Frozr)
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
Samsung or Seagate 1 TB HD
Haven't decided on if I'm getting a SSD yet. Prob not worth it.


I'm looking at this mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131729

1.) Will I be able to fit 2 6950's on this motherboard? Would they be jammed right up next to each other? It doesn't say CF support on the product box so I'm not sure.
2.) This is x8/x8 I believe, how much of a difference is CF x8/x8 and x16/x16?
3.) Besides the card, I'm attaching those memory and this after market cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
4.) What about the Smart Response and Quick Sync features, do I need those?

The memory seems kind of tall with its trimmings, will I be able to fit it in with this cpu cooler?


Also I know this is a little off topic but I'm so confused whether or not I should attach 1 or 2 crossfire bridges. Some people say do it in case one fails the other is there, performance increase. Others say it damages the cards. I think for safety I'll just put one on but I'd like to hear what you think!

Thanks guys, after this I just need a psu and I'm good to go!

 

[abekl]

1.) Will I be able to fit 2 6950's on this motherboard? Would they be jammed right up next to each other? It doesn't say CF support on the product box so I'm not sure.
2.) This is x8/x8 I believe, how much of a difference is CF x8/x8 and x16/x16?
3.) Besides the card, I'm attaching those memory and this after market cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
4.) What about the Smart Response and Quick Sync features, do I need those?

The memory seems kind of tall with its trimmings, will I be able to fit it in with this cpu cooler?

Also I know this is a little off topic but I'm so confused whether or not I should attach 1 or 2 crossfire bridges. Some people say do it in case one fails the other is there, performance increase. Others say it damages the cards. I think for safety I'll just put one on but I'd like to hear what you think!

You're putting the cart before the horse picking your memory before picking the MB. Pick your MB, then choose memory based on the compatibility list.

x8 vs x16 makes some difference, but not a whole lot. Most gamers use xfire/sli in x8 mode because the x16 MB's cost too much.

You should have no interference problems between the cooler and graphics cards.

Smart response is nice, if you can afford it. Most people get by just fine without it. You can always add an SSD later if you're not happy with the performance of the regular HDD.

Quick Sync is only useful for video encoding in applications that specifically support it. Nice to have, but again, not necessary.

 

[apav]

You're putting the cart before the horse picking your memory before picking the MB. Pick your MB, then choose memory based on the compatibility list.

x8 vs x16 makes some difference, but not a whole lot. Most gamers use xfire/sli in x8 mode because the x16 MB's cost too much.

You should have no interference problems between the cooler and graphics cards.

Smart response is nice, if you can afford it. Most people get by just fine without it. You can always add an SSD later if you're not happy with the performance of the regular HDD.

Quick Sync is only useful for video encoding in applications that specifically support it. Nice to have, but again, not necessary.

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately I am not home to take a closer look at the parts but I want them all there when I get home(in December), so I am ordering them now.

I just wanna make sure that this is a good board.