Any help is appreciated!

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Anytime between now and before new years? Or maybe it's better to wait until after the new year? BUDGET RANGE: not strict. about $2000-$2300

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Music, Work

PARTS NOT REQUIRED:
keyboard
mouse
speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Cheaper the better haha COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Sydney, Australia

PARTS PREFERENCES: not fussy, needs to be reliable!

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'm going for a 3 monitor setup. I like a quiet system. Hope this system will last me a few years.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CPU:
Intel i7 860 2.80Ghz

CPU COOLER:
CoolerMaster Hyper TX3

PSU:
Corsair TX650W

MOBO:
Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R

GPU:
Sapphire Ati Radeon 5870

RAM:
G.Skill 4GB DDR3 PC3-12800 1600Mhz 7-7-7-24 Ripjaws

CASE:
CoolerMaster HAF 922

HDD:
Western Digitl Caviar Black 640GB 7200rpm 32MB Cache

MONITOR:
Asus MS226H (3 of these)

DVD BURNER:
No idea which one is good on the market. SATA. Don't need Blu-ray.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is what I have come up with so far, I have a few questions:
1. I really like the look of the ASUS MS226H, however I am not sure if that would be a good choice for a 3 monitor setup?
2. With the 5870, I read that it can do 3 monitors but how do I connect 3 monitors to the card?
3. Will the 5870 fit in the HAF 922?

Thanks for your help.

You'll need at one native display port monitor for the eyefinity setup, the others can be dvi and hdmi. My guess is that it would fit, however I have no first hand experience. Since you might crossfire, play it safe and get this PSU

Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC

and this MOBO
GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD4 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel

as well as this HDD
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal

The Caviar has more cache because it has more platters (which is a bad thing) - the Spinpoint has 1 500GB platter with 16mb cache, while the WD has two 320GB platters with 16mb each, so it works out to be the same.

Maybe drop down to a 5850? or to this PSU for non-crossfire
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7

and this non-crossfire Mobo
ASRock P55 Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel

Also, I don't believe that those motherboards use displayport so you'll be limited to just two of them, that is unless you buy an expensive active converter.

hahah looks like everyone says hyper 212 plus is the way to go. i just checked up a few places. and they dont have a hyper 212 plus. its called a "hyper 212 universal". is that the same?

jbakerlent: should i drop down to Corsair CMPSU-550VX? since i wont be crossfiring for some time. will it suffice?

also, anyone got advice for the dvd burner?

also, anyone who has done a 3 monitor setup and have advice on monitors?

jbakerlent: damn that is a good article by anandtech. i get how it works now. so it really doesnt matter what monitors i use, they just need a display port, dvi and hdmi.

hmm i think i'll stick with my monitor choice. they look slick. although they cant flip to a vertical stance.