GTX 460 sli or Single GTX480

[555BUK]

1x GTX 480 now, and then another in 6 months timw when they are cheap as chips. This is from a person who owns 2x ASUS GTX 460's....

 

[Magnum_Force]

I've got 2x GTX 465, and would recommend getting a GTX 480 and overclocking it.

Multi gpu still isn't up to snuff when it comes to lower frame rates, the input lag is atrocious at circa 30 fps (yes Crysis, I'm looking at you).

30 fps with a single card is so much smoother.

 

[Rroff]

Only ever had input lag problems at low framerates with SLI when using Vsync in certain games. Personally I don't use vsync when possible anyhow.

 

[An Exception]

I've got 2x GTX 465, and would recommend getting a GTX 480 and overclocking it.

Multi gpu still isn't up to snuff when it comes to lower frame rates, the input lag is atrocious at circa 30 fps (yes Crysis, I'm looking at you).

30 fps with a single card is so much smoother.

+1

 

[JeffyB]

Go single card. I used to run crossfire 5770's performance was great and I had very few issues. Since I moved to a single 5870 games are smoother with much more consistent feamerates especially minimums. The 460 benchmarks may have higher fps but what's the use if it's not smooth due to unequal frame output and minimum fps can go as low as a single 460. Get the 480, less hassle and will be a better experience.

 

[RandomNoob]

Single card 480 is the better choice.

 

[Neil79]

Single card 480 is the better choice.

^

 

[xtremedetailz]

im going to go 460 sli, just sold my 480 and i have seen many benchmarks and there is only 1 or 2 where the 480 is in front and its by a very small amount.

The rest the 460's are in front.

 

[Mr. May]

the only thing is yer he can go 480 sli in the future but can his psu ? as in sli these suck a lot of power and with an i7 a 1000w psu is recommended to be on the safe side

 

[Divide by Zero]

I used to buy mid / low end stuff or the higher end stuff when it went end of range and cheap... but it worked out really expensive as you needed to change it really fast and it is worthless when you sell it on. As someone once said, 'it is really expensive to try and save money'.

Now I buy towards the top end as soon as it comes out, that way when the next top end stuff comes out you can still sell on what you have and it is still worth something. True, it's not worth anywhere near as much as when you bought it, but it is a lot better than it being worth nothing.

In point, I sold and got £50 for 2x 7800 GTXs this year, but I got £300 for the GTX 295 I bought for £400 on release date (which was actually cheaper than my 1st 7800 GTX, which was £420)

It's horses for corses really and there are arguements for both sides, but I like the high frame rate and enjoy upgrading.

 

[An Exception]

im going to go 460 sli, just sold my 480 and i have seen many benchmarks and there is only 1 or 2 where the 480 is in front and its by a very small amount.

The rest the 460's are in front.

Umm 460's are not going to give you any more performance than your 480.
It's not as simple as comparing FPS, you need to look in to perceived FPS that micro-stutter brings.

If I were you I would hold off the downgrade and wait for a 6800 series card.

 

[An Exception]

Now I buy towards the top end as soon as it comes out, that way when the next top end stuff comes out you can still sell on what you have and it is still worth something. True, it's not worth anywhere near as much as when you bought it, but it is a lot better than it being worth nothing.

Actually with Nvidia last gen and Ati's current gen, you could have actually made a profit!

 

[xtremedetailz]

Umm 460's are not going to give you any more performance than your 480.
It's not as simple as comparing FPS, you need to look in to perceived FPS that micro-stutter brings.

If I were you I would hold off the downgrade and wait for a 6800 series card.

How is it a downgrade ? And yes they do give more performance, they also have better sound output.
I am thinking these are the replacement for the 8800GT's which were so popular as they were awesome bank for buck.
The only thing it limits is upgradability but who wants 2 x 480's as they consume too much power.

 

[Razor Time]

The only thing it limits is upgradability but who wants 2 x 480's as they consume too much power.

It also gives awesome performance. Some people do not care about power usage only graphical performance.

 

[Scougar]

*SNIP*
In point, I sold and got £50 for 2x 7800 GTXs this year, but I got £300 for the GTX 295 I bought for £400 on release date (which was actually cheaper than my 1st 7800 GTX, which was £420) *SNIP*

But you have to understand that the 7800's were VASTLY out of date compared to the 295. It isn't a fair comparison you've made.

To the OP> If you are not on a tight budget, i'd get the fastest single card. Otherwise maximise your pennies with the 460's, (or consider something like a 5850/5870 instead).

EDIT: Didn't notice you were running 5770 crossfire. You sure you want to jump ship? It's similar performance level really (maybe marginally better.) I would defo get the 480 though if you were upgrading.

 

[JeffyB]

How is it a downgrade ? And yes they do give more performance, they also have better sound output.

460's may give higher fps on paper but in reality multi gpu setups are not as smooth as a single card due to the unequal frame output and overhead. Also in games that don't impliment sli/crossfire well you'll drop to the performance of a single 460 or worse as in this example 0 fps pauses for 10 seconds.

In this game, we actually ran into a little snag. As you can see by the graph, the game stopped responding twice for about ten seconds when we were using our pair of GeForce GTX 460s in SLI. First, the game’s picture froze while the audio continued. After a few seconds, the screen went completely black. A few seconds later, it came back up and everything was just fine. This happened at seemingly random intervals every time we tested this game with the GTX 460s in SLI. It did not happen with a single GTX 460, nor did it happen with the GTX 480 or GTX 470. We also tested at 2X AA and still encountered the issue, so we do not think it is memory capacity issue but rather possibly a bug with SLI in this game.

On the up side as you say you will be able to use hd lossless audio over hdmi. If you have weighed up the pro's and cons and are aware multi gpu setups are much more than just the benchmark numbers and you more than likely will experience some form of issue then be happy with your choice. I'd still go for the single card though.

 

[xtremedetailz]

460's may give higher fps on paper but in reality multi gpu setups are not as smooth as a single card due to the unequal frame output and overhead. Also in games that don't impliment sli/crossfire well you'll drop to the performance of a single 460 or worse as in this example 0 fps pauses for 10 seconds.

On the up side as you say you will be able to use hd lossless audio over hdmi. If you have weighed up the pro's and cons and are aware multi gpu setups are much more than just the benchmark numbers and you more than likely will experience some form of issue then be happy with your choice. I'd still go for the single card though.

That was the only game which showed issues, all the others like BFBC2 and metro 2033 showed better minimums, maximums and averages.

 

[JeffyB]

Better on paper but when actually playing it won't be as smooth. Just because a benchmark gives a higher number does not mean it's smooth. Multi gpu setups will output the frames at unequal intervals compared to a single card. I moved from crossfired 5770's to a 5870 and although on paper they perform similarly in reality the 5870 gives a much better playing experience than the multi card setup. it's just smoother, less fps spikes and troughs. a low of say 30fps will be so much smoother on a faster single card than 2 slower cards in sli/cf. You seem to have made your mind up so go find out for yourself.

Taken from the same review, about sums it up

Raw performance numbers aside, there were some differences in the character of gameplay that I would like to address here. None of this is uncommon with SLI (or even CrossFireX), but I think it is worth repeating. Though the GTX 460 SLI setup gave us higher framerates across the board than the GTX 480, the GTX 480 in some places we experienced a more fluid gameplay quality. With SLI, there is a certain amount of overhead involved in managing the two video cards, dividing workload, and copying data between them. At the worst of times, this can result in diminished potential. It was most noticeable in Singularity, wherein there was noticeable input lag with the GTX 460 SLI setup. It wasn’t particularly severe, and it did not render that configuration unplayable, but it was there and you could "feel" it. Of course, Singularity had another performance anomaly as shown in our graph above, so it could be related. Metro 2033 and BFBC2 were affected somewhat as well, but it was less severe. Framerates are not the end all be all to performance when playing with SLI and CrossFireX, you truly have to pay attention to fluidity, responsiveness and consistency of the game as you play.

 

[Divide by Zero]

... but who wants 2 x 480's as they consume too much power.

Me, they are a bit loud, but i dont care about power. I have a 1kw PSU and no worries. It means I can max all my games and get a great FPS. I don't like running low FPS, and I consider 40fps to be too low... some people are fine with that though.

 

[Divide by Zero]

But you have to understand that the 7800's were VASTLY out of date compared to the 295. It isn't a fair comparison you've made.

If you read my post it is fair. As I said, I used to buy cheaper or old high end cards... I know comparing the price is not fair or relevant to what he is talking about anyways. But trust me, you will get a better return on the top end cards at the end of their ranges life. Who would want to buy a 2nd hand bottom of the line card at the end of it's life?

People do often end up with a budget that would mean they could buy a 2nd hand old range top of line card or new mid / low end card though - so you do get a better return on those cards.