9800 GT vs GT240:
The 9800 GT will pwn a 240 gaming. If you're using one for a primary gaming card, get the 9800. However, the 240 is basically the best PhysX card on the market (due to a combination of power usage and performance), and it even beats the 9800 GT for some reason (drivers, I suspect). Getting an OCed one isn't necessary for PhysX, since it's a light enough workload and the GT 240 does well enough that any OC you can get on your own from a vanilla card should be more than enough.
Since you're running 3 x 1680 x 1050 monitors a 5870 will be a must for gaming, though that's beginning to push it (5/4 the pixels of a 30-inch monitor). I'd say you should plan to get a second relatively soon. As for the PCI-E lanes, as I said, the 790FX only has 32 lanes, so you'll end up running at x16-x8-x8 if you do 2 x 5870 + PhysX. However, since a 5870 doesn't max out the PCI-E 1.0 x16 bus (PCI-E 2.0 x8 equivalent), you won't experience bottlenecking more than about 2% at the most. Who knows, though. Also noteworthy; PhysX doesn't even really need x8 even. x4 is sufficient for it. Just saying. Maybe the 890FX chipset will get you your x16-x16-x8. It's a bit of a ways off, though. I should assume a 6-port 5870 would Crossfire with a 3-port 5870, though I suppose there's no guarantee. Also, bear in mind that if you get the 6-port version you'll need to get DisplayPort -> DVI adapters or cables of some kind.
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"If dancing is sure to result in failure then you must dance anyway."
Lo Mein said that, and I think he knows a little more about dancing than I do pal, because he invented it! Then he perfected it so that no man could best him in the club of honor.
Then he used his prize money to buy two of every whore on Earth. Then he herded them all onto a boat, then they all beat the crap out of every single one of him.
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