4870x2 or 9800GTX+ tri-sli???

Going to buy either of these (for an i7 set up) as soon as I get some feedback from Tom's.
Done some research which shows that the 9800GTX+ in tri-sli is absolutely amazing, and such good value for money. I know the 4850 in trifire, but prefer games that 9800 does better on.
What do you guys think - AM PLAYING AT 720P (i.e. on TV) so don't have to worry about high resolutions.
Please help.

Guys I know this, but there are many games today that require similar power to be pushed to their limits. I wont get to alter this system much, so when the big games of this and next year come out, these cards have to be able to stand up to the challenge.
Suppose we were trying to make this most mental lawnmower for the money, either a 4870x2 or three 9800gtx+? Whats it going to be and why?

just fear that quad sli/quad fire drivers are no good. 3x4870 dont scale as good...

it really is pointless to get either of those setups for such a low resolution. a 4850 1GB or a 4870 would be plenty.

Well, I'd rather go with the 4870X2 myself so that another one could be added down the line. If you aren't going to upgrade it at all later then the tri-sli 9800GTX+ setup would probably be better for you. I think that two 260 sp 216s would be a better option though but it's up to you. The 295 is also an attractive option untill you consider nVidias lackluster support of their previous dual GPU cards.

Both the X2 and tri-sli setups would be almost pointless at that resolution. The multi-gpu setups excel at the higher resolutions. You would want the go with a 1gb 4870 or a Gtx280/285 if your really worried about future games. I personally am going to get an X2 but i play at 1900x1200.