i7 build need feedback

[hylo]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, photoshop work, VM for dev work
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
< 1800 CAD before tax/shipping
3) Where do you live?
Ontario Canada
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU, RAM, MB, video card, PSU, HSF
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
800D, WD1002FAEX x2, intel 80G ssd, LG bluray writer, (also have 2 8800gt's i can use over if I should wait on the videocard)
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes, air only, aiming for 3.5ghz - 4.0ghz
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
samsung 245t 24"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Plan on ordering as soon as I get feedback.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
sata 3.0 (6gbps), SLI and xfire support
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
no


I can't decide between the P6X58 and the UD3R. Concerns are ease of overclocking and the coil whine.
I am also undecided on RAM, mushkin, gskil, or corsair are my top picks but open to suggestions.

Here's the list:
https://secure.newegg.ca/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=11300734

Mushkin Enhanced Redline 6GB (3 x 2GB)
ASUS P6X58D-E
Intel Core i7-930
XFX Black Edition XPS-850W-BES 850W
XFX HD-587X-ZNFV Radeon HD 5870
Noctua NH-D14
Win7 pro


Thanks

 

[Shadowssong]

I would go with this ram instead:

$168 - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

This motherboard:

$230 - GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

This lesser power supply (850 is a bit overkill for a single card setup like that, unless you really are planning on Xfiring soon, and in that case, stick with the 850):

$108 - XFX P1-650X-CAH9 650W 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Power Supply

And personally I would prefer this cooler over that giant freaking Noctua one:

$80 - CORSAIR Cooling Hydro Series CWCH50-1 120mm High Performance CPU Cooler

 

[tiraides]

If you can squeeze it in, add a second 3x2GB tri-channel RAM kit. Then use a RamDisk program (search for it here) and convert some of that RAM into a super-fast swap disk for Photoshop, or allocate some of that extra RAM for your VMs (if you like to use multiple VMs at once).

 

[hylo]

@shadowssong I definitely want to keep xfire/sli open. I considered the H50, and love the look of it, but ultimately decided that the performance didn't justify the risk of a leak. That MB is the other one that I was considering and seems to be recommended a lot on here.

@tiraides I can definitely squeeze in 12GB, in fact I was considering 12GB to start, except when I read some other posts on here, someone mentioned that you can get a better O/C when only 3 ram slots are in use (not sure how accurate that is) but really, anything over 3.5 I would be happy with. 12GB would be ideal for me, i'm just worried about running into issues over-clocking.

 

[tiraides]

Having all of the RAM slots occupied will affect overclocking performance, but I can't give you a hard number or figure. If overclocking is important for you, then I recommend sticking with one tri-channel kit.

 

[Shadowssong]

TBH I have never heard of the H50 leaking. If it did because it is a completely self-contained prebuilt system I'm sure corsair would pay for any parts it destroys.