Video Card/ MotherBoard / CPU combinations

[Thedaego]

I'm in the market to build a new rig, and i'm trying to decide on the right platform.

Intel vs. AMD, Nvidia vs ATI.

I like the idea of SLi:
1. I can buy one card now, and upgrade later to 2.
2. I'd like to be able to say my rig has 2 video cards
3. potential for stupid amounts of power. :evil:

However some of the potential downsides point me towards ATI:
1. currently only Nvidia
2. Heat
3. Price
4. stability? / ease of use?

That being said... i'm more than likely going to build an SLi capable rig, but only initially equip it with one video card. (i'm thinking 6800gt or 6800ultra) then later on down the road slap another card in there to boost performance. If anyone could please debunk my conclusions about its potential downsides, it would be much appreciated because i do like the idea ... (Rollo?)

So for the main questions (assuming you've read this far):

which VideoCard/Motherboard/CPU combination works best with an SLi setup? (keeping in mind that it will at first only be running one video card)

Also, just for the sake of any other readers perusing the forums wondering the same thing i am:

which VideoCard/Motherboard/CPU combination works best with a NON SLi setup?

Thanks in Advance.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Well, SLI is only available right now on nVidia cards... so it rather rules out the current ATI cards. As for the processor / motherboard, Socket 939 A64's are clearly the most popular choice for gaming PC's. You'll probably have a better SLI experience with AMD.