Video Card Options

[markmann79]

Hi guys! I would like to ask for an opinion from our expert guys out there, Which would be better? Having 2 graphics card using SLI/Crossfire technology or 1 stronger video card?

I have a GeForce 9800 GT 1GB graphics card and im thinking of buying another one, or maybe buy a new one like GeForce GTX 295?

Is it worth it to buy a new graphics card maybe every 2-3 years (till I have a quad graphics card, and of course this card will be much cheaper by then) or just buy the latest graphics card on that time?

 

[deadlockedworld]

Generally, 1 stronger graphic card is better than two weaker ones.

However, in your case doubling up the 9800GT would be cheaper than the [strike]GTX 285 [/strike] EDIT: 275-280 it would be roughly equivalent to. (i was looking at a biased test i think)

 

[deadlockedworld]

The idea of moving up to quad graphics cards is not a good idea though. The 9800GT will be discontinued in a few months--making this impossible. Also, running a setup like that would require a massive power supply--and not support DX 11. There is something to be said for newer technology.

I think you would get the best performance with an ATI 5850($300ish) or the upcoming 5830 ($200-250ish) which are superior to Nvidia's offerings. You could then use the 9800GT as a dedicated Physx card to support Nvidia-optimized games.