My slimline mATX gaming plans: trying to find most power-equivelent parts

[NssOne]

EDIT: I'm changing this initial post here so people who do still read this will still give it some attention. I'm really trying hard to get some help and guidance in building this system. Also, I meant to say "performance-equivalent" not necessarily "power-equivalent".

I've already posted about this in the Motherboard forum but since this is more about the combined power of the system, I thought the general forum might help me out better. The system is mainly built as a dedicated system for racing games (rfactor, GTR Evolution) I like to play and maybe some other casual gaming. My current system can handle the games I currently play with no problems and they look great as far as I'm concerned.

First off, my main objective is to build the best gaming-oriented system I can for a small mATX form factor. I've given up on truly slim mATX cases because they're A) not exactly fitting for my project as I have found out now and B) quite expensive. I don't quite feel like doling out the cash for something that doesn't look very gaming-oriented either.

Second, I'd like to build a system that I could ramp up a bit, make it powerful enough to hold its own for a few years, So I'm still thinking I might like to try CrossFire.

Here's my revised planned setup at a glance:
MB: DFI LanParty JR 790GX-M3H5 or MSI 785GM-E65 or Asus M4A785TD-M EVO (AM3 Mobos)
CPU: Phenom II X2 550 BE (or better??)
Video: 2x ??? or 1x ???
RAM: G.Skill 2x2GB DDR3 1600 or 1333 (can't figure out which would be better)
HD: 2x 320GB Seagate SATA 16MB cache running RAID0 (or maybe 2x 80GB WD Velociraptors?
Case: Thermaltake Lanbox Lite VF6000BNS
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX
Monitor: ASUS VK246H Black 24" HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor

Now I don't have a real budget in mind but the already listed primary parts brings my build to about $800 give or take. I'm not concerned about high capacity drives, I'm more into faster drives than high speed, hence why I'm considering a pair of WD VelociRaptors. I would consider SSD but they are too much for their $/GB ratio.

And now I've been a little up in the air as to what kind of graphical performance I will want to find. With the DFI I could go Crossfire, but with the other 2 I could get for cheaper but only get a single video card. And I'm also a little up in air as to whether or not I should consider a more powerful CPU as well. I'm trying to build a decent mATX gaming rig with all the parts on the upper-end.

Well, tell me what you think so far. Thanks for your time.

 

[Bobnova]

Get one of these(or something like it):
http://www.orbitmicro.com/global/pe-flex16r-p-4354.html
Presto, now you can use full height GPUs without hitting the ceiling.

I have no idea how well that particular one works nor if the company is decent to deal with, it was the top result googling "right-angle PCIE".
I'm not recommending it over any other PCIe riser thingie.

CPU cooler wise, i'd get an AMD OEM HSF from any of their 125/140 watt CPUs, it's low profile and cools quite well, and it's cheap.

EDIT:
I don't that i'd use the PSU that comes with the case, i know nothing of In-Win, but it isn't Antec/Seasonic/Corsair, which throws up a flag in my book.
Seasonic makes a bunch of little PSUs that might fit.

 

[NssOne]

Hrm, I'm having a hard time tracking down an mATX specific PSU by any of those brands. Also, I am wondering if I would need a more powerful PSU for all the parts I plan on using anyways. Looks like the best alternative case for the money happens to be an Antec w/ 350W PSU http://www.amazon.com/Slimline-Micro-Pc-Case-350PS/dp/B0012QLUAK but this costs about $100 instead of only $70 for the In-Win. But I guess I shouldn't sacrifice the cost for quality.

Or it looks like I could buy the case then swap the PSU yet, but I don't know if that's worth the money because although I like the In-Win's 4 front USB ports, I can't personally justify forking over the cash then also having a worthless PSU laying around. I guess I'll just go for the Minuet case overall.

Oh yeah, and that PCI-e cable is nice, but I don't think I'll have too much fun trying to figure out how to mount the card after installing it in like that.

EDIT: I did some more digging and found out that site you linked to sell all kinds of riser cards for PCI-e http://www.orbitmicro.com/global/ad...keywords=pci+express+riser+card&Submit=Search search results, all different heights. Hrm, this may change things for me then and I could possibly go with some different mother board as well. Just gotta figure out a different plan of attack now.

OK, I think the best motherboard I could get to fit a standard high end graphics card (like Radeon HD5850) look like this one here: http://underbid.com/product/567-376...PC3-8500_-_CrossFireX_-_8110341.html?ref=base as it has PCI-e slots pretty far up on the board, then I can mount the riser card and not have to worry about the width of the graphics card so much. But then again, if I buy this case then maybe I can get some dimensions in the case and some dimensions on the card and figure it out better there.

Any thoughts on this new plan of attack?

Bah, I'm starting to think my original plan was a better idea.

 

[NssOne]

*Edited in the first post to reflect what was posted in here. Sorry.*