Hey balance17,
Well, I finally saw your private message. Sorry it took so long for me to see it.
What you have picked will do nicely. However, if you have seen my sig, you know that I am a DFI fanboy. This is not something that just happened, but I actually was lead to DFI by all of my research.
I started my research about 3 months ago. My first sig looked completely different from what you see today. I actually purchased my sig this afternoon from the EGG.
I started, like you, with an ASUS mobo. This was because I have one in my existing box. Then, I ran a search for "The best gaming mobo" and DFI won hands down. Go to DFI-Street:
http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/index.php?
This is DFI's tech forum. You will get some great ideas from the members. They are, of course, hard-core OC'ers, so you will learn more about OC'ing than you can imagine.
I agree with your choice of processors. The X2 will future-proof your box to some extent. Nothing will do that completely, as you know. But the X2 is a good start toward that end.
I wonder if you should consider a processor with 1MB of L2 cache, however. I haven't seen definitive proof that this is necessary, but I felt that it was for me.
The guys/gals on DFI-Street will tell you to get an AMD Opteron 165/170, because they OC the best. However, keep one thing in mind -- "DFI, nor any of the manufacturers, support the use of Opty's in desktops". The reason is that AMD won't allow it. Why, I don't have a clue. The Opty was developed for servers and it could be that this is the problem. Although, they are being used with great success. I just didn't want to take a chance.
Also, I like OCZ memory. It is made for OC'ing. Therefore, if you are OC'ing and the memory fries, the warranty is still good.
Last, remember that the PSU is the back-bone of your system. Be sure to pick one that gives you the power that you require. The OCZ Powerstream 520W is the best all-around PSU made, according to DFI's "Motherboard guide".
I suggest that you read all you can on different forums and tech sites and then make your own choices. You will know better than anyone what you want your computer to do for you.
Good luck!
reggies links are good. although i don't know if the SLI-DR would have many more advantages for you. in hindsight though i wouldn't mind the SLI-DR for the 4 extra SATA ports so keep that in mind when you make your choice.
