Which is better...GTX 260 x 2 in SLI or GTX 285 for gaming rig?

[oneof10]

I am building a new gaming machine:



Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready
CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core
Processor Model BX80601920

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA
3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Saitek PZ30AU Black USB Wired Standard Eclipse Keyboard

ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD
Monitor

Logitech MX518 2-Tone 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB or PS/2 Wired Optical
Gaming-Grade Mouse

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model
GH22LS30



Wondering if it would be better fps with two GTX 260 (SLI) or one GTX 285.
Thanks.

 

[oneof10]

Also, I would like to stay nvidia and might oc but never done it b4.

 

[blackwidow_rsa]

the sli'd 260s would have better fps in games that support sli but the 285 would do better in games that scale bad or dont support sli. check if the games you play support sli or not.

 

[Helloworld_98]

well 2 GTX 260's is equivalent to a GTX 295, it's kinda obvious now isn't it?

However the 4870 X2 is about GTX 285 pricing right now so it might be a better idea to get that.

 

[oneof10]

the sli'd 260s would have better fps in games that support sli but the 285 would do better in games that scale bad or dont support sli. check if the games you play support sli or not.

Good point. Thanks.

 

[oneof10]

I want to stay nvidia. what about the 2 x 260's vs. 285?

 

[megamanx00]

As long as they are the 260 core 216s. Even if a game doesn't support SLI overclocked a single 260 216 can rival a 280 at stock speeds, and you can dedicate the second card for physx. Personally I would get a 4870X2 or even a 4850X2 if I had that kind of money, but since you want to stick with nVidia stick with the 260 sp 216

 

[oneof10]

Is ATI that much better? My preference is solely b/c I have often had driver problems with my current (but very old) video card ATI 9800 AGP. I would reconsider if it is significantly better for games.

 

[caniba]

It is personal preference.

 

[blackwidow_rsa]

driver stability is mixed these days. both manufacturers might have a buggy driver release or might be buggy on a certain pc config. for me personally, nvidias drivers are excellent but alot of people would say the same for ati. i'd go for the sli'd 260s though, even if the game doesnt support sli, you still have relatively good performance with one 260. one 260 core216 is equal to a hd4870

 

[oneof10]

that is good to hear I am not alone. I've owned both cards (ATI/Nvidia) and I agree it is personal preference. But I have been out of the loop so long I didn't know if there really was an advantage one over the other for gaming at this point in time.