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SLI overkill for gaming at 1920x1080?

sparky05084

sparky05084

sparky05084

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Joined
4 Sep 2011
Posts
596
Hey all. Not long now and want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a merry Christmas and all the very best for 2012.

Ok, I've been mulling over this for ages now and to say I'm struggling (even with all the advice) to make a decision and stick to it is somewhat of an understatement.

I wish to buy the 24" BenQ XL2410T LED monitor and game at the above resolution.

Would I be better investing in a single GPU setup with more on board memory like this for example:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-147-EA

or going SLI straight away with a setup like this or similar:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-129-MS

I'm wondering if SLI would be a wasted venture as I will only be using one monitor and won't be using 3D. Personally I think it's too gimmiky but that's just me.

It's hard to decide what to go for and yes, everyone has different opinions and experiences of different brands/models.

Deals come and go and one minute you are set on a card and the next thing your like "oh, perhpas this is the better deal".

A head explosion is imminent. Please help me fellow overclockers. Thanks.
 
I'm with you on this one, it's just not worth it imho for what you are planning.

I game at 1920 x 1200 and one GTX 580 can handle Battlefield 3 on all Ultra settings with my trusty old Q9550 at 3.8GHz quite comfortably. If there is anything more graphically demanding at the moment I don't have it. I don't think there is any point going SLI or more than reference graphics RAM unless you are going to much higher resolutions or multi-monitor setups.

When we start to see much higher resolution monitors in 2012 (along the lines of Apple's retina display) then that is likely to change but as always new kit will be expensive.

As to brands and models let your wallet decide. Just go for the best you can/will afford. One thing with buying the best, you don't need to change it as often and with VAT at 20% that's a decent saving.
 
Thanks for the quick reply. Interestingly I saw that card come up a few times and noticed it's on offer. However, I see that it has 1.5Gb memory and Read somwhere that BF3 uses at least this.

So, the question is would I be better going higher on the memory (obviously would have to be willing to spend more) to make it more future proof?

What resolution are you at Thezakarum and what is your experience using SLI?
 
sparky05084 said:
Thanks for the quick reply. Interestingly I saw that card come up a few times and noticed it's on offer. However, I see that it has 1.5Gb memory and Read somwhere that BF3 uses at least this.
Click to expand...
As I mentioned earlier I game at a higher resolution than Full HD and my graphics memory usage does not reach 1.4Gb on full Ultra settings (everything maxed - motion blur disabled). That's with Firefox left on and this tip from rjkoneill:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=20506997&postcount=18

Hope this helps.
 
I've had this card for a while now (the MSI twin frozr 580) and tend to agree with what other folks say (IE. at that resolution, it's fine). And again, as per Darkman, I play BF3 with most of the significant settings at max and it provides a good gaming experience. I also suspect it will be more than adequate for at least the next 12 months or so, what with the bulk of games being console ports these days (though I accept there are obvious exceptions EG. Metro 2033). And lets face t, there is always something more powerful (graphics card wise) on the horizon and by the end of next year, the new Nvidia cards should be well and truly settled in (should you wish by then to upgrade of course).

Have a good Christmas.
 
Well my first 470 I've had since launch, at the time of upgrading it made more sense to get another cheaper 470 doubling the horsepower I had at the time than get a 580. :)

Once I SLI'ed I immediately felt microstutter even though my average fps skyrocketed, I overclocked them as much as I could but theres still slight microstutter there. :confused:

Some games work great with sli but others I can still feel microstutter, although it probably depends on the person too, if you can feel it or not.

Thats why I'm waiting for a more powerfull single card solution at the moment. :D

But at the moment I'm playing Battlefield 3 on all ultra settings with 4x msaa and high post, having 1.28Gb memory doesn't seem to effect performance at all (constant 60fps) and with the new beta drivers, 290.53, its gotten a lot smoother. :D
 
Darkman said:
I game at 1920 x 1200 and one GTX 580 can handle Battlefield 3 on all Ultra settings with my trusty old Q9550 at 3.8GHz quite comfortably
Click to expand...

My Q9550 + 3x 4870's in CF struggles in some areas, not sure if it's the GPU's or the CPU's. Thats at ultra with 4xAA.
Most of the time it's very good frame rates 50+ average.

I'm planning ivy upgrade next year, so will see how that goes first. If there's no real signs of improvement i'll get the GPU upgraded around next summer.

Still it's 1 game that really eats up my system, every single other thing it's perfect.

Ask yourself if the money wouldn't be best spent else where before you dive in!
 
Thanks guys for your input. I appreciate people who add their own experiences as well. I've recieved a 5% off voucher from OcUK so I'm back to the age old scenario of wait or pull the trigger :)
 
Depends what kind of experience you value more. Although, if you have a 120hz monitor purely for the refresh rate then you might want to actually have more than 60-70fps in the games to take real advantage of it.

I don't think its overkill :D
If in BF3 you are getting a minimum of 121fps @ 1080 with Ultra settings in a 64 man server during heavily populated fire fights with all vehicles, then any more power is overkill IMO. ;)
 
If you are not interested in 3D or running games at 120hz then the monitor you have chosen is a waste of time and money - get an Asus VE278Q and put some change in your pocket too. You will need SLI if you want to run 120hz gaming to get enough fps.

My advice is get a 60hz screen and get a really good single card, which will allow you to lock 60fps and be really smooth anyway.

Just so you know 120hz screen and the ability to lock 120fps gives an unreal level of smoothness which is hard to describe, but is highly desirable once you have seen it lol.
 
It's upto you man. But if I were you I would probably pull the trigger. :p

Its not often a Twin FrozR card gets weekly deal, plus you have a code for 5% off.

Deffo time to buy in my mind. :)
 
I would wait before spending £480 on a GTX 580 3GB. It seems possible the 7970s will sell for £440, and that's a better buy in that price range. A GTX 580 is only worth it if you're getting it for sub £400. Wait till Jan anyway, I'd say. It's only 1-2 weeks away. And deliveries won't start before 28th so you won't be getting your thing until after the 28th.
 
From what I've seen Radeon 6970's are around 570 performance, so maby with that you'll be able to get slightly better performance than a 580 if the 6970 is overclocked? The 6970 is at a nice price too... hmm decisions. :p
 
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