late night lurker config, help?

Hi all.

I'm looking for a solid gaming machine that is near the current price-performance optimal. I dont really know how much power/ memory I need so it will remain tolerable for the next 3-5 years. I mostly play MMO's and stardock strategy games on a 22" monitor. I might upgrade the monitor a little if this one dies, but I doubt I would go beyond 24".

I do have a small folding@home farm, so any tweaks that would improve the system performance for that with minimal cost would be of interest to me.

I took a semirandom shot at the config, really I'd like to keep it under 2k, but if that isn't feasible, I will live with it. I'd like something quiet, yet low maintenance, dunno if that's an available combination... though it appears some of the liquid choices are cheaper than the more elaborate air cooling options. What's going on there?

questions:

Do I need a sound card these days?
I notice the x58 motherboards are more expensive than the p55's is there a real benefit to the former?
I have tended toward ATI video cards ( I have a 9800pro in my current machine) but know nothing about the current climate is the 5750 the correct model for my situation?

if nvidia has the better midrange offering, which would it be?

Thanks for your time and attention, and all replies.

And I apologize if the post is long.

Dave

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Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932 
Exterior Finish: - Not Available
Trim Accents: - Not Available
Processor: Intel Core i7 860 2.80GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA P55MV  SLI Edition (Intel P55 Chipset)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1000W Digital Storm Certified (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Highly Recommended) 
Expansion Bay: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Seagate/Hitachi/Western Digital (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Set 1 Raid Options: - Not Available
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1.5TB Seagate Barracuda (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 22x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB 
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Asetek Liquid CPU Cooler (240mm Radiator) (High-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Available
Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With Zalman Performance Fans (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - Not Available
Chassis Mods: - Not Available
Noise Reduction: - Not Available
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Requires Air Cooling Upgrade)
Boost Video Card: FREE: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
Boost Memory: - Not Available
Boost OS: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus Protection: - Not Available
Office: - Not Available
Benchmarking: - Not Available
Install/Test Game: FREE: Please include a free copy of a hot-selling game
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-10 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty

Thanks very much for your help. I think fermi may be out of my price range, but I will wait on it and see if it has salutary effects downstream.