What CPU would be good with this GPU combo?-Please Help!

Hi, so I'm building a system with 3 GTX 280 OC editions in tri-SLI. I was trying to decide between dual and quad core, and now I'm 90% sure I want a quad core. I was initially going to get the Q9550 2.83 GHz.

But now, I feel like even if I do OC it, it will be bottlenecking the cards. So, what would be a good quad core cpu that would not bottleneck these cards? Maybe the Q9650? A QX? Or would Q9550 be fine?

I'd prefer a CPU in the couple hundreds range, not the $1000+ ones. As long as the quad core isn't bottlenecking the 3 GTX 280s, and is a great CPU all-in-all, I'm perfectly happy.

Thanks a bunch

I am sorry but you will most likely have to wait for 2 months and get the $1,000 3.2 Ghz Intel Core i7.

Get an extreme CPU ( a 9 series for sure) - the most expensive you can get.

Plus a kilowatt PSU ... at least.

Put 6 more fans in it too.

Or go cheap with more fun, risk, and argueably just as good a result.

Stick a Q6600 in a decent SLI system with water ( try for 4Ghz then) and 2 X 4870X2's with 2 X 2Gb sticks of fast ram. Might save a bucket load of cash too.

Go for 2 VRaptors in RAID0 ...

+1 Q9650 minimum!

Have you ever gamed in your life? Seriously, why don't you take a $1500 QX9770 with a GT8800, and tell me if you get even 1/5 of the fps 3 gtx 280s would give me.

Oh and btw, the Q9650 is $550.

The OP mentioned that he is doing this just because of the benchmarks in the game Crysis.
Myself I think that it is completely absurd to spend $1,000 for 2 more graphics cards just to play this one silly game with high frames per second.In most of the benchmarks on other games this will be a complete waste and show no,only slightly more or less improvement in frames per second.
I also think that after 2 or 3 weeks of playing this game that he will get bored with it and feel bad for wasting an extra $1,000.