Which is better

[badoosh]

Which is better to buy and why?

2x 5870's

or

1x 5970

 

[MasterYster]

the 5970, you can eventually get another or even completely overhaul the GPU, but the 5870 is better if you aren't looking for any long term upgrades

 

[Maziar]

2 HD 5870s perform better than 1 HD 5970.a 5970 performs like 2 5850's in CF.
But 1 5970 requires only one PCI-E slot,runs cooler and has less power consumption than 2 5870's and also the performance difference isn't worth the money,so IMO getting a 5970 would be a wiser choice but for pure performance,2 5870's perform better

 

[shubham1401]

Go for single 5970 for all the reasons okini mentioned.

BTW Such powerful cards also require an equally powerful CPU and PSU (And Other components too!)