Toms, thanks for the Data.
Lessons learned:
1) x58 MB would have been well worth it for the small price difference
2) waiting 1-2 months to upgrade my rig and get the 5970 would be well worth it.
3) If you maxed out the wattage running full load at about 600w, using 2 cards wich draw more than the 5970 alone could, then a 700w modular would be fine if one did not intend on buying a second one vid card later.
4) better case cooling is a must. Next time try an Antec nine Hundred or other case with a nice 200mm top side ehaust fan. My current overclocked rig never gets more than a few degrees over room tepm and is dead quiet running some of the fans at low speed and the top and medium.
5) For a full rig at these levels, $2500 is a bit on the low end, but $3K would have been the sweet spot. With minor alterations and 1-2 months waiting I'll end up with a nearly identical performance system for about $2K, and could easily add a 2nd Vid card, more RAM, and a better CPU next year for less than $500 more as a nice upgrade.
Personally, I'm looking much closer to $1200-1500 price points, so i can't wait to see what you can do with a small step down, that's also a highly upgradable system. I'd really love to know how a mid range box on a build like that, adding in a nice IPS display panel, would compare to a 27" iMac i7... (yea, the iMac saccrifices the upgrades, and the overclocking, but it seems a DAMNED nice price point for that much power and features, I thus far can't match it's specs on new egg for less if I'm honest and include an OS license for Windows.