Board Selection: Mesa 7i95?

Hello! First off, I am very new to LinuxCNC, so please be patient with me!

I'm building a CNC machine that will use closed-loop stepper motors and I want to also use linear encoders on all three axes to make the machine as accurate as possible. As I understand it, the 7I95 is the proper board for this, but I found an example of someone using a 7I96 + 7I85 to accomplish the same thing. I think the main difference here is price and latency, but I'm not sure if there's something I'm missing. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!

PS: The CNC will be 3 axes, with a potential 4th axis in the future, with no linear encoder

A 7I96+ 7i85 will work as will a 7I76E + 7I85

A 7I95 will work but I would not suggest it for a first time
LinuxCNC user since there is no graphic configurator
and it requires LinuxCNC 2.9

Thanks for the info! Looking at these boards it seems like the 7I76 would be overkill for me. I just need the ability to connect my linear encoders and limit switches, and since the 7I85 will give me plenty of I/O I don't see an issue here, especially since they're both ethernet enabled cards. Although, would the 7I76E need the 7I85? It seems like it has enough I/O ports on its own, but I'm guessing I'm missing something. Thanks!

Also, what is the correct way to power these boards? I know I read in another forum post that you can use 24v or 24v and 5v (which I guess you would do if you're worried about noise with the I/O?). But glancing through the manual I don't see rated amps anywhere. Thanks!

The 7I76E can use 24V or a combination of 5V and 24V
The 7I95 is 5V only (though it has 5V to24V compatible I/O)

Thanks for the info! Would the 7I76E need the 7I85 for this application? It seems like it has plenty of I/O on its own, but I'm guessing I'm missing something. Thanks!