I recently saw there is a way to maximize armor but I didn't quite understand the formula. I am leaning toward light armors but if I can cut out some agile defenders I will

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Armor#Armor_Cap

Read this thread:
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1289727-2419-armor-6399-damage-using-smithing-alchemy-enchanting-only-33-perks-329k-backstabs-post-4/

Summary of armor with needed stat points to hit the damage cap:
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1279078-2419-armor-6399-damage-using-smithing-alchemy-enchanting-only-33-perks-329k-backstabs-post-3/page__view__findpost__p__19443428

Short version:
You can hit the armor cap with Wolf Armor and only 2 total perks between Smithing and Heavy Armor (1 in Steel Smithing and 1 in Juggernaut ). In addition to these, you will need 15 perks between Alchemy and Enchanting.
Get these perks: http://chrizel.github.com/skyrim/#t/0/4w,0,m73im8,pbs,0,0,0,0

The Alchemy and Enchanting perks will also net you 500+ damage with Daedric weaponry, 5% less with Elven (and probably Nord Hero) weaponry, and 10% less for steel.

Read that thread for details. That thread is actually three post capped threads. There is much discussion of these issues in the second thread.

If you prefer light armor, you can hit the armor cap with Elven Armor with the 15 points in Enchanting / Alchemy + 1 point in Agile Defender, 1 Point in Custom Fit, and two points in smithing (Steel and Elven).

A note on Stamina and Light Armor:
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1279078-2419-armor-6399-damage-using-smithing-alchemy-enchanting-only-33-perks-329k-backstabs-post-3/page__view__findpost__p__19431769

All your answers are in those threads, so please read them.

thanks a lot. that is much easier to understand

in fact there's no need to put any more then two perk points into heavy armor, if even that. Thanks to alchemy, enchanting, and smithing I have my perks spread all over with still 5-7 left over with nothing to do with them. I could put them into base one handed or archery but I'm already doing 250 damage.. no need to be doing 350-400 which would just about one hit most things. No need to invest many into any single tree.. in fact going all the way up to dragon armor in smithing was a waste since I don't like how it looks, but I still have to really think of places to put these perk points and I can't find any. Got conjuration to 100 and have my armor enchanted so it costs nothing to cast any spell, have no interest in any of the other schools of magic, pickpocketing, speech, etc. Maybe go up the sneak latter and max the left side out. Right side is not needed. I can pick master locks at any skill level, it's not that hard with well over 100 picks in inventory, so that was never needed. Got 80% magic resist and far past the armor cap... using conjuration now I don't have to worry about even getting hit that much... however the atronochs are fairly useless.. have to summon daedra or powerful humans with the master level spells to get usefulness out of it.

You don't need anything to reach the armor cap, just get to 100 smithing skill and upgrade, those methods are only for people who want to feel good about themselves and show off their epeen with ridiculously high numbers, but in truth anything over 567 is useless because that equals to 80% damage reduction and you can't have any more then that, same as it was in Oblivion except there was no armor rating then, there was just armor which equaled 1:1 armor/damage reduction.

So I dont need alchemy to hit the cap? what about the armor percentage perks?