System Builder Marathon: Day Three

Graphics Cards: Two XFX 8800GTX In SLI

How can one do better than the most powerful graphics card technology? By using two cards in an SLI configuration! Thanks to partnerships with key OEM players, the XFX 8800GTX is almost affordable, at $545 per card.

Two XFX 8800GTX in SLI

We could have just as easily chosen an overclocked version, but we'd rather leave overclocking to individual efforts. The pre-overclocked versions are a poor value even by enthusiast standards. And what of the 8800 Ultra? Isn't the Ultra just an nVidia-approved overclock of the GTX?

Yes, we wanted to leave at least some extra value for the enthusiast who would rather buy a new car than a new computer. Choosing two 8800 GTX graphics cards was a reasonable "sacrifice" towards keeping system cost within reasonable limits.