Sli question

[muddmonky]

ok i read the stikies and got most of the info. since it depends mostly on screen size and resolution from what everyone says, but there's some other factors also im guessing. every sight says it all depends on your games and computer setup also.

so what exactly do you look at in a game or in the resolution settings to determine if a sli is better than 1 card for you.

is there a general FPS on a game to need it or a general resolution that it needs to top to make it worth it?

im looking at 1 or 2 gtx 295 compaired to say 1 gtx 480 (im guessing to be there newest/best model so far)

the only reason i chose nvidia is because i know a lot of ppl with them so iv been looking more into them than ati. im not nocking ati i just dont know enough about them to spend the extra cash since i dont have anyone that has one and can tell me more about them.




p.s.

i play wow, lotro, and once i build this dam thing modern warfare 2 or dirt 2 that game looks cool.

 

[Rustyy117]

No point in investing in old tech. now (AKA GTX295) So if your only interested in nVidia I would suggest a GTX470 (or 2). A GTX470 will also be almost as fast as a GTX295 and has newer features like DX11.

There is alot to consider with mulit GPU setups, I guess the main thing is to make sure your PC is up to the job, with regards to the power supply, and also the CPU. As you need to check that your PSU can provide enough power and that your CPU will not bottleneck two cards.

Multi GPU configurations tend to shine at high resolutions and with lots of eye candy. So if your running at 1280 x 1024 then there isn't much point in multi GPU's, Also if your gaming at a lower resolution then a single half decent card will be enough for smooth game play in todays games.

 

[muddmonky]

as for a processor i was looking at the AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 140w off newegg but now if the 295 is considered old maby i should look into the new 6 cores. (how fast technology gets upgraded still blows my mind lol)

but my biggest thing is that i cant stand even the slightest lag or twitchyness i love to play on high but will sacrafice some graphics for perfection in lag and responsiveness.

 

[Rustyy117]

I'd say the core i7 9xx series is your best bet for multiple high end GPU's, however you'll still need to overclock to completely eliminate any CPU bottleneck.

A single GTX470 will max out almost every game at fairly high resolutions, the only two i think it will have a problem with is Crysis and metro 2033 maxed out.

Personally I like to have a minimum of 50 FPS in any game, a single GTX470 will easily max out the games you listed with perfectly playable framerates.

 

[borisof007]

omgitzfatal is correct. A single GTX 470 should easily handle any game you throw at it. Keep in mind though muddmonky that if you pick an AMD CPU, you're bound to an AMD compatible motherboard which I believe will not support SLi setups (someone correct me here if I'm wrong)

Nice thing about the x58 chipset from Intel is that it supports both SLi and Crossfire setups. This way, in the future, you can add another card to your setup and not have to worry about compatibility issues. Also, a Core i7 is going to be better : )

 

[muddmonky]

cool thanks for the info gives me a few things to think about.

i wish intel/amd and nvidia/ati where more one or the other not this ford vs chevy stuff lol.