Radeon 4870 X2 vs. GTX 260 216 SLI

I'm looking to build a new computer and I have been trying to figure out which graphics solution to purchase. I have a 25.5" monitor at 1920 x 1200 resolution. I would love to be able to play the latest games at this resolution and at very high graphics quality. I have heard that at this resolution, most of the games are bottle-necked by the graphics card, not the processor.

I was originally going to purchase one GTX 260 with 216 shader cores for around $250 and then possible go SLI with another one if I wasn't satisfied with the games' performance. However, if I did decide to go SLI right away because of the performance problem, would I have been better off buying just one 4870 X2 for about the same price as the two 260's?

Do you think the fan noise and/or heat generated by two GTX 260's would compare to the 4870 X2? I don't want my computer to be screaming at me while I'm playing games if I can avoid it.

Lastly, would purchasing a 4870 X2 now with the possiblity of buying another a few years down the road for increased performance be a good way to help "future-proof" my PC for gaming?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

I always recommend one card over 2 in SLI or CF. So IMO you would be better off with one 4870x2.

Unless you have a X58 MB you`ll have to decide which way to go now.
Nforce motherboards only do SLI, Intel only Crossfire, but either will handle a single card.
Until you tell us your MB, we cannot really give you good advice.

I don't have a specific motherboard picked out yet. My choice of a graphics solution would be the determining factor in which direction I went with a motherboard purchase.

I would also say you will need to invest in a more powerful PSU to run 2 260's than you would to run a single X2. Am I wrong?

gtx260 in sli will perform better then the 4870x2.
http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=359910

Crysis is pro nvidia... In other games it is less clear. I would go 4870x2. One card is just less hassle, even if it is dual gpu. And you can go crossfire in a few years, if needed.

Every time I think I make up my mind about which way to go, new information and opinions come to light that cause more uncertainty to bubble to the surface. Arg.

I will be running Vista Ultimate 64 bit edition, but did not think that there would be any problems with Vista driver compatibility since it has been out for so long now.

I too tend to use my computer for more than just gaming, I just want to be sure that I have good performance that will last at least three to four years. I want to be able to play today's games at very high graphics quality and have that quality slowly slip away as newer games come out. I don't want to settle for mediocre now and have it slip to unplayable within a few years time.