Ok this will be the second system build for me...but the last time I built it was 6 years ago... Here is the current major components...

CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8400 CPU @ 3.0GHz 1333FSB 6MB L2 Cache 64-bit

MOTHERBOARD: MSI P7N SLI-FI 750i SLI Chipset LGA775 Supports LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio

POWERSUPPLY: 850 Watts Power Supplies Thermaltake W0131RU ToughPower 850 Watts- NVIDIA GTX 8800 Certified

MEMORY: 4GB (4x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory

VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 16X PCI Express

VIDEO2: NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 16X PCI Express

The questions I have are:

1. Is this current set up(based off the current choices above) one that will last for 3-4-5 years?

I mostly play FPS games (BF2,BF2142,Halo, Halo2,CoD4 so on and so forth...)

2. Are the graphic cards that I have selected good enough to last the test of time? I dont like to upgrade or rebuild but every 3-4-5 years. I do have the option of going up to the 1G Video cards but I only want to do that if it is going to make a significant difference in gaming performance or longevity.

3. I haven't exactly decided which case to get but just say that it has 3-120 mm case fans...will a 850 watt power supply do an adaquette job with graphics cards, fans, hdd..etc.

4. Any good or bad reviews of the MSI motherboards?

I guess that is all I have for now and I would appriciate any and all feedback concerning my build and questions.

Russell

i would not go with 2 9500 gts in sli go with a single card like a 4850 or a 9/8800 gt sli is like multi core cpus it is only good if the games are wrighten to use it and guess what there not. and even then the profomance increase is like 1.5 to one card not 2 as fast

the psu is overkill look more in the 500-600 range

good build otherwise

poor choice of graphic cards. Both already outdated let alone 1 year down the road. Look into a crossfire motherboard instead of a SLI one. Check out reviews of the P45 or X38 or X48. Get 2x2 GB RAM instead of 4x1 GB.
#. good case choices would include antec900, antec300, coolermaster690. A 850w power supply would be fine for all but an extreme system, would be overkill for some systems.

What is your budget and what are you bringing to the system? I'd go with p45 mobo and 4850/4870 GPU if you can afford it. I'd go with Corsair 450vx/550vx/650tx for a PSU to consider, depending on budget. I'd also go with 2x2gb's DDR2 800mHz for the build. Plenty fast and won't break the bank.

A single 9600GT is faster than those two 9500GTs in SLi. I'm not sure what your budget is, but if you really want to go nVidia get an 8800GT (same as a 9800GT) since they are around $100 now. If you Sli two of them you'll get better performance than a single GTX280 in games that use SLi at least half way decent. Personally I say get a P45 based board and Crossfire some 4850s or 4870s.

yea wouldnt touch the 9500s with a 10 foot pole

id prob opt for an intel chipset board such as
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131299
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
they OC well and you can do xfire, p45 is upgrade of p35, and both OC well

and get something like this for GFX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814161244
HIS Hightech H485QT512P Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported IceQ4 Turbo Video Card - Retail


mem
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] Tpk=a-data
A-DATA Vitesta 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137
Cooler Master 690
comes with two fans, space for upto 4 more, cable management, good price, looks decent, top USB, firewire, audio, eSATA

PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

CPU is good, i have same one with a better cooler and have it running at 3.8ghz, for longevity though, u might want to look at a quad core, q6600 apparently OCs well and is well priced

if you want any type of longevity, you will have to get a better GFX card
the 9500s you selected are crap, i could draw the frames by hand quicker

you may want to look into an ati 4870x2 or an nvidia 9800GX2
they are dual card solutions on a single card, so no SLI motherboard required for the 9800GX2

they are pricey cards, but should last a while