GPU SLI/Crossfire Worth It?

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Anencephalus

Anencephalus

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I recently got the Gtx 760 and have been pondering daily on whether it was the right move. Upon buying it I debated whether to wait and save the money for a higher end GPU or SLI another 760 down the road.

What are the risks of SLI and how common? I've heard that it's dangerous as if one fails/breaks then all will fail/break. How common is this? Is it based moreso upon user error or completely random?

I have heard that many games have compatibility issues with SLI.

Would it be better to go with one card say the gtx 780 or the 970? Or to SLI two 760s which I have one of already.
 
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mangodrinker

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SLI is not always supported by games so the performance will not scale with the addition of cards and requires a larger amount of power from the Power Supply. I would always recommend buying a single, high-powered graphics card over two less powerful cards in SLI or Crossfire. That being said, a 980 would be a great upgrade for you. You can sell your 760 and use the money to help purchase one.
 
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mangodrinker

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Nice article, although I do worry that some games that the OP would like to play won't have SLI profiles. Nevertheless, it is a good value for money.
 
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DelroyMonjo

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mangodrinker, I'd venture to guess most people don't play all the games which are typically used for video game benchmarking, I don't own a single game on the list shown above, but I do use the benchmarks, like Heaven 4,0 and FutureMark Firestrike.
 
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Anencephalus

Anencephalus

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Thanks for the responses.
I play a wide range of games. I'm hoping to play a large variety with next-gen games.

Games I play: Dark Souls, Skyrim (heavily modded), Oblivion, Fallout 3, Far Cry 3, Assassin's Creed games, Shadow of Mordor, Garry's Mod, Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition, Portal 1/2, Saints Row IV, Sims 2, 3, 4, Civ 3 and 5, Team Fortress 2, Tomb Raider (the newest one), Battlefield 3.


Games I'm looking getting or am looking at getting: Assassins Creed Unity, Far Cry 4 Watch Dogs, Gauntlet, Dark Souls 2, Evolve, Batman Arkham Knight, Thief (the new one), Dying Light, Civ Beyond Earth, Rocksmith 2014, Borderlands Pre-Sequel, GTA 5 (maybe not a huge fan of GTA anymore), Dragon Age Inquisition, Witcher 3, Tom Clancy's Division, Lords of the Fallen

I'm probably missing some but that's a good list.
 
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Anencephalus

Anencephalus

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I also emulate gamecube and ps2 games. Would those not work with SLI? If so then could i simply deactivate one of the 760s?

Also can you answer my previous questions:
What are the risks of SLI and how common? I've heard that it's dangerous as if one fails/breaks then all will fail/break. How common is this? Is it based moreso upon user error or completely random?
 
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mangodrinker

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When an SLI profile is not detected, the computer will automatically only use one card. The risks of SLI are a higher wattage requirement, increased overall system heat, and stuttering in games. The stuttering in games is not found too often, but I have never heard of having both cards fail if one fails. Where did you hear this from? I am quite curious as to know.
 
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DelroyMonjo

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Given the current price of GTX760's, (around $200USD) I'd be tempted to go ahead and SLI. I was astonished at how they scaled on the chart I posted. Drawback is the power draw vs a newer 900 series card and the heat generated. Most of those games should work in SLI mode but I don't know about emulators. Don't even know what you're trying to say when "1 fails then all fail".
 
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Anencephalus

Anencephalus

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Just a friend of mine. That's why I asked though. He has little to no technological knowledge but his friend, who has built a rig before, told him.
(I've built a few rigs and probably know more but I lack knowledge in SLI)

I have been doing a bit of research and it seems going with a higher end card would be better. My only reason for SLI is money. I don't have the money to drop $600 on a 980.

My thinking atm is SLI the 760s within the next few months and having those for at least a year or two (maybe more).
Or
Not until January+ at least I sell my 760 and upgrade to a 980 and then SLI that around June+ of next year if I notice any significant shortages of my games.

If I do SLI the 760 however, would that mean I would need to add more cooling to my PC?

 
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DelroyMonjo

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If you have a top vent in your case which accepts fans it would probably be a big help. I know when I SLI'ed my GTX 460's it got pretty warm. Upper ran ~84C and lower card ran ~78C. I dropped that by ~8C by installing a top vent fan blowing outward.
 
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