2 mid-range cards or 1 high-end card?

[drunkenmunky]

I'm new to Sli/Crossfire and I was going to treat myself to a single GTX 580 but have since been looking at getting 2 mid range cards instead if it means saving money and still getting the same (or better) performance.

A few questions before I make a purchase.

1. Do games benefit from Crossfire/Sli other than FPS?

2. Would I notice a graphical difference in Sli/Crossfire over a single card? (Is a single GTX 580 capable of producing better graphics than 2 x 6950's?)

3. Which are the best 2 mid-range cards on the market at the moment for SLi or Crossfire that will be capable of running maximum/ultra settings in games, specifically Battlefield 3?

 

[robin66]

1: yes

2: Frame rate increase yes, but I don't think there are any games that can bring a GTX 580 to it's knees, unless ofc you are running multi monitors and silly resolutions.

3: I'd say these: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-150-EA&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1010

 

[reflux]

Always better to go for one single high performance card (if there is one available) than two lesser cards. A single card will run cooler, probably use less power and create less heat, and you won't have any of the headaches of multi-gpu drivers (e.g. lack of optimisation).

A GTX580 is sufficient at 1920x1200, but if you're running higher than that, CrossFire or SLi might be a good option.

 

[SeeKified]

Personally I think this usually boils down to budget at time of purchase as two cards lets you split the cost over a period of time. I went crossfire 5850s because they were madly reduced on OCUK when I was upgrading.

I'd also like to point out that BF3 does bring any single-GPU card to its knees.

 

[harmony]

I don't think there are any games that can bring a GTX 580 to it's knees, unless ofc you are running multi monitors and silly resolutions.

Then you must regard 1920x1080 as a silly resolution.

 

[Surveyor]

1: yes

2: Frame rate increase yes, but I don't think there are any games that can bring a GTX 580 to it's knees, unless ofc you are running multi monitors and silly resolutions.

3: I'd say these: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-150-EA&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1010

Err,

1) No

2) No

3) I would classify the HD 6950 as mid-range

 

[Flakey]

Always better to go for one single high performance card (if there is one available) than two lesser cards. A single card will run cooler, probably use less power and create less heat, and you won't have any of the headaches of multi-gpu drivers (e.g. lack of optimisation).

A GTX580 is sufficient at 1920x1200, but if you're running higher than that, CrossFire or SLi might be a good option.

This basically.

Less power consumption and heat paired with less driver issues, unless you play some computer breaking game at a silly resolution the extra few frames aren't worth it in my opinion.

Take it coming from someone who's had SLI in the past and is currently using crossfire.

 

[robin66]

I guess I didn't word my post to well above so lets try again.

Nobody really knows how well BF3 will play on a single gtx 580, other than the developers right now. Yes it will give a single gtx 580 a hard time. But I shouldn't think it will be unplayable on a single card.

Both SLI and a single card have there pro's and con's. SLI would make you more future proof for up and coming games like BF3 for sure.

You will get a bit more heat and noise with SLI, but as long as you have good cooling in your case that should lessen it a bit.

so once again...

1: yes more fps = better image quality, which should have been obvious.

2: yes you would notice a graphical difference using SLI over a single card using both SLI or Crossfire. Again more fps will allow you to use better image quality if needed.

3: It all depends if you prefer AMD or Nvidia and how much you are willing to spend. Something like this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-150-EA&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1010 or this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-147-OK&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1752

No one knows your budget, so you could buy two GTX 580's even, then you should be able to play everything you can through at your system.

 

[drunkenmunky]

Thanks for the replies. I'm currently running a resolution of 1680x1050 but will be upgrading to a 24" monitor soon at 1920x1200.
I think I've decided on a single card as it will be cheaper to run and create less heat as reflux has said.

 

[robin66]

I think it's a good choice to pick a single powerful card for now.

Then if you decided to upgrade to SLI in the future, you can then do so.

I just noticed you new sig, and that power supply might be pushing it a bit for two cards in SLI. So that might need to be upgraded also, if you were to choose SLI.

 

[SheepBeast]

drunkenmunky, i think your sig is too big (max 4 lines IIRC?)

 

[drunkenmunky]

drunkenmunky, i think your sig is too big (max 4 lines IIRC?)

Thanks, it's just something I did quickly without thinking about it. I thought it looked a bit big. Changed it now.