Looking for a rig...

Hi,

I wanted to post my specs to get some advice. I'm trying to put together a PC, preferably between $4 and $4.5k (including monitor), that will allow me to upgrade as I see fit. I'll be using it for games, primarily FPS, RPG, and perhaps MMO (depending on how good DCU Online and Old Republic turn out). The primary use of the machine will be for photography, photo manipulation, and level design. I want something on which I can use Unreal 3, Hammer, 3DS Max, etc. I'm trying to go for some good raw CPU power that will allow me to upgrade the video cards over time, going from single to dual to triple when I need to. I figured I'd go ahead and get the 30" monitor so that I don't have to buy another one for a little while, even if it is under-utilized at the moment. Here's what I've come up with so far:

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1333MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 750W Digital Storm Certified (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Recommended)  
Card Reader: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 1.792GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: High-Performance Liquid Chilled FrostBite System For CPU
Liquid Color:Black: Non-conductive High-Performance Fluid (Requires H20: Stage 3 Cooling Package)
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Requires Air Cooling Upgrade)
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) With Windows 7 Upgrade Coupon
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Install/Test Game: - No Thanks
LCD Display: Samsung 30 inch 305T (Widescreen) (Black) (High-Performance Gaming Display)
Surge Shield: APC SurgeArrest Personal PER7 (7 Outlet) 120V Surge Protector
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: Razer Lachesis Gaming Mouse (High-Speed Gaming Grade)
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-10 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty

One immediate question I have is in regards to the motherboard. What is the difference between the X58 and X58 LE? Is it solely that the former supports triple SLI?

Thanks in advance!

Well, I went with the Samsung because it's available here and because, from what I can tell reading about it in various places, it will serve better for the game aspect, since that's what I do for a living. The photo manipulation is more of a hobby thing. I suppose I should have listed those things in a prioritized order.

And thank you for the info about the motherboards. That helps!

Interesting. Going with multiple drives makes a lot of sense; perhaps I should get them RAIDed. Thanks for the input!

you mean you want to have the 360 and wii connected to the pc? to capture video you need a tv card but thats for getting tv.

Originally posted by DST4ME you mean you want to have the 360 and wii connected to the pc? to capture video you need a tv card but thats for getting tv.

I'm going with the latter, unless there is a way to do it directly to a pc without a Wii or 360 dev kit.