Graphics advice needed please :)

[NaomiRE]

Okay I've got the following options on graphics cards -

512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 9800 GT PCI-E
896MB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260
1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 280
Dual 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 9800 GT PCI-E
Dual 896MB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260
Dual 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 280

I'm leaning towards the dual cards if I'm honest - high end graphics are a must for me and despite a few who say single cards are better the majority of feedback I've got has been that dual cards would suit me more. I'm still open to suggestions on this of course!

Any system I have will be used for graphic design, gaming and running MMORPGs and 3D environments for long periods of time (as well as a lot of multitasking), hence why I want my graphics to really shine. I want to maintain speed at the same time though and I don't really know much about how different cards will affect fps and latency etc so I'm needing help with it. I know that the 1GB dual NVidia 280's will require a 1200watt power supply as opposed to a 1000watt, so obviously the choice of graphics has a knock on effect on price elsewhere etc.

I've had major graphics cards issues on my last system so I'm being extra-cautious when it comes to choosing the next one. I'm very much about performance so as I've said high-end graphics and speed are right up there for me.

Can anyone offer some advice as to which of the above might suit me best?

 

[lunarwolf]

1000w psw is more than enough for any dual set up you listed, 1200 is complete overkill. unless you plan 3way sli and tons of HDDs etc...
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp will help estimate how much watt you will need - don't believe nvidia's slizone hype, it's a marketing ploy. i have seen reviews with ati4870x2 running on 500w psu

anyway what resolution/size monitor are you using and motherboard? that will determine what gpu setup you need.