My wait is over. I finally picked up an EVGA 8800GT [Spec sheet: here at EVGA.com] and I am extremely happy with the product. Easy install, easy overclock with ntune, powerful, stable, and quiet. This card replaces a BFG 7950GT OC 512, a substantial upgrade to my current rig:

Enermax Chakra Case
Asus P5N-E SLI Nvidia 650i
E6600 Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.4 Ghz
OCZ Powerstream 600W PSU
EVGA 8800GT 512
4GB Corsair DDR2 PC6400 800MHz @ 4-4-4-12
400GB SATA Seagate HDD
500GB SATA Samsung HDD
80GB IDE Western Digital HDD
18X Samsung SATA DVD RW
40X TDK IDE CD RW
Gateway FPD1975W 19″ LCD @ 1440 x 900

So the 7950 is pouting over in the corner, and here I am trying to enjoy the majestic bounty that is the 8800GT. Now… my WoW framerates went up to an ungodly 100-200fps, and that’s even after overriding the game settings for the highest quality results. But that only goes so far before the novelty wears off- I want a swing at the big leagues…So where’s a DX 10-ready gamer to go?
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The Tech Report presents an in-depth and detailed article on how to build a PC. This is simply a brilliant read for anyone looking to get started with his or her first build. My favorite part has got to be the pristinely manicured female hand in the step-by-step photos. I’d like to see that same manicure after installing the front intake fan of an Enermax Chakra chassis.

Tech Report is a great resource for novice and enthusiast builders alike. They periodically put together a system guide [TR's September 2007 System Guide, TR's July 2007 System Guide] detailing sample PC builds to accommodate a wide array of price ranges. Extreme Tech has a similar breakdown in their ‘Build It’ section.

AnandTech has a great article about Nvidia’s announcement of ESA: Enthusiast System Architecture. The announcement is an important step towards what many believed would be Nvidia’s next agenda: focus on overall hardware performance, not solely on the GPU and chipset.

In its simplest terms, ESA is a new industry standard developed for real-time monitoring and control of PC power supplies, chassis, and cooling systems. The goal, of course, is to enable manufacturers and enthusiasts to build higher performance PCs than has been possible before. However, ESA is not just about the highest benchmark score. This new component control will enable companies and/or users to build the quietest PC possible, or to set up ever more complicated control paradigms that allow the computer to function at its best regardless of the operating environment.

The implication is that ESA will revolutionize the way people build PC’s from the inside-out. As for the adoption of the standard thus-far, more than a dozen companies are already on-board, including both Dell and HP.