2x 260GTX Vs. 1x 285 GTX

[Leinahtan]

I noticed the EVGA GeForce Cards were on sale, with 2 260GTX costing exactly the same as a single 285 GTX. Is there some major performance difference between a single 285GTX and a 260? And would 2 260's overcome the single 285?

 

[mi5jason]

get 4 285 GTX it will be faster

 

[hundredislandsboy]

Two GTX 260's will only be faster than one GTX 285 if you are going to game on a resolution of 2560 x 1600. So unless you have a 27 or 30 inch monitor, I would go for one card. The difference is less heat, less fan noise, less hassle when you get SLI stutter. I know this from going to a dual 9800 GT in SLI config, then getting tired of heat, SLI stutter, and noise issues, and moving to one GTX 260 which after a little OC gets better 3dMark06 benchmark scores.

 

[sefit]

SLI GTX 260 is definitely faster about quite big margin than GTX 285. SLI GTX 260 is almost so fast as GTX 295 in some titles they are equal…check last tom’s hardware GPU performance chart 2009.Of course I hope that we are talking about GTX 260(216) made on 55nm technology….

SLI GTX 260 is absolutely fine for 1920*1200, no overkill at all. 2560*1600 is killer res and you need to feed it with high-end triple SLI/CF if you would run everything maxed out. More heat, more power consumption and sometimes problems with SLI support…yes, but if the price of 2 GTX 260 is really same as one GTX 285 I would go for it. BTW your rig specs?

 

[emyyhh]

I'd go for 2 x GTX260's. Like sefit said, SLI 260's are fine for 1900x1200 resolution with all eye candy on full. I also think you pay a major premium for 128mb extra vram and 24 more shaders.

 

[masteryoda34]

If you can handle the heat, power, and space requirements of SLI, then 2x GTX 260 would be the way to go.

 

[outlw6669]

If your system can handle it, a pair of GTX 260's will be faster.

 

[jednx01]

2 gtx 260's will be much faster......

 

[BruceOTB]

285 will be much safer. xP

 

[Leinahtan]

I'm planning on building it from the ground up, using a Duo 2 Core E8500 Wolfsdale CPU paired with whatever MB I find that's capable of using SLI/X48 Intel Chipset. I picked up the Rampage II and the new i7 chip earlier (the lowest of the 3), but I figured I'd return it and pick the Duo up since it would be better at running games (and cheaper). I'm not exactly trying to break benchmark tests. As for hard drives, Im considering purchasing a 64 or 32 Gig Solid State Hard Drive just for the OS and a 1TB for the remaining programs (Games, Math, etc.). I intend to relocate the "My Documents" folder to the D: Drive to avoid wear and tear on the Solid State, which alongside its low capacity/high cost, is its only other defect.

As for Operating System, I've decided to use the Windows 7 Release Candidate because its currently "free" and that Windows 7 is much better than Windows Vista supposedly in almost every way (plus the retail 7 will be out soon for a quick easy upgrade to retail).

As for Memory, Im thinking either 4Gig to 12Gigs of DDR2 or DDR3 memory, as both are relatively cheap now. 8 Gigs seems to be the sweet spot, 12 overkill, and 4 might be just the right minimum.

As for cooling solutions, I think a nice case with a few additional 120mm fans, along with the fans being plugged into the MB instead of the PSU would be the best solution should help with the cooling solution. Overclocking the CPU slightly but not too much is likely. Water Cooling is out of the question unless I can afford a decent solution that will not add 100's to the overall project. Otherwise, its going to be an airhockey desktop ;p.

Im guessing a 750 PSU would be about right (2 Video Cards, etc.). Hoping to find a modular version to help cut down on the mass amount of cables.

The budget is marked at about 1000-1200$, and since I found 260 GTX's (the 216 ones) to be 150$ each with the sale, I'd figured 2 in SLI would be better than the 300$ 285 GTX.

300 (video Card)
200 (Cpu)
150 (MB)
50-150 (Memory)
100-300 (HD)
120 (Case)
100 (PSU)
100 (tax... joy)

If anyone has any last minute recommendations to work alongside the 2 260 GTX's, let me know. Im heading down tomorrow to pick up the cards and any other parts I find on sale.

 

[Leinahtan]

somehow "edit" doesnt work.
Forgot to mention, the Monitor is 1920x1200.