GTX 580 or GTX 460 SLI

[karan_kewlz]

Hi
I'm planning on buying MSI 2x GTX 460 1 GB to run them in SLI. Surfing the net, I found many forums with problems related to GTX 460 SLI. GTX 580 is new (GF110), 1.5 GB Ram, vapor chamber. GTX 460 setup beats GTX 580 only in few games with a margin of ~5 FPS.

My config is :
MSI 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard
Intel Q9550 @ 3.069 GHz
Corsair XMS 1333 + Corsair Dominator 1600 (underclocked) = 6GB
MSI GTS 250 512 MB
Coolermaster Real Power 850 W SLI Certified

Because of having SLI Motherboard (that too 790i ) I'm somewhat leaning towards the GTX 460 setup in order to justify the premium price of this motherboard (1.5 years back) though the advantages offer by GTX 580 don't go unnoticed. I plan on using my GTS 250 as additional Physx card in either setup. Also, there is net difference of 60 $ b/w GTX 580 and GTX 460 SLI in India. Keeping in view these points

Which one's BETTER

Thanks in Advance

 

[tigrc]

Why not get a GTX 570 and SLi it in the near future? If not, go for the 580, as you will be able to SLi it afterwards, whereas the 460s will not be upgradeable.

 

[karan_kewlz]

Yeah, thats right but by the time I would go for GTX 580 SLI or GTX 570 SLI something much better would be out there, so b/w GTX 580 and GTX 460 SLI from current point of view, keeping aside upgradeability, which one's better ?

 

[karan_kewlz]

Come on guys, someone ?

 

[karan_kewlz]

Some additional Details :
budget : 560 $ (Nvidia only)
Gaming : games like Crysis, Metro 2033 at full settings, watching movies (blu ray)
Resolution : 1900 x 1080 (may be 3 displays in future-at same resolution)
Overclocking : in SLI or Single : YES
Have adequate cooling

 

[tigrc]

Well, you won't need to upgrade soon. And by the time you do, the 580s will drop in price and the performance will be nearly double. If you will get the 3 monitors before the second 580, then go for the 460s, as you won't be able to use 3 monitors with a single 580.

 

[karan_kewlz]

my main concern at the moment is feasibility, i don't want to end up buying 400-500 $ graphic cards with complimentary problems

 

[tigrc]

I think you already dicided on the GTX 460s

 

[karan_kewlz]

No , I'm still confused as some say there can be problems with SLI. I want to know if there are some serious problem with GTX 460 SLI and their game support eg. Black Ops

 

[tigrc]

Not that I know of. I've heard the problems are minimal, especially on the newer games.

 

[karan_kewlz]

so, what the verdict ?

 

[tigrc]

460 SLi

 

[namelessonez]

According to TH's recent review of the 6970/ 6950, the GTX 460 in SLI performs better than the GTX 580. Check it out:

http://media.bestofmicro.com/Q/C/273108/original/BF%20BC2%201920.png

Source:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-6970-radeon-hd-6950-cayman,2818-12.html

So, from the point of view of better performance 'today', you're better of with dual 460's. However, if you're looking at SLI'ing tomorrow, you can get the 580/ 570 today and add another one later. That would give you a beast of a machine in the long run.

So it's really up to you....depends on what you're looking at. I'm more of a long-term kinda person, so given my way, I'd go with the 580/ 570 today and add another one later. Would certainly keep me going great for some time to come.

EDIT: The 580/ 570 is ahead of dual 460's by a decent margin when it comes to DX11 titles.

 

[phenom90]

if you're concern about problems with sli... which definitely will be more than using a single card config... why not getting the best price/performance gtx 570? find the cheapest gtx 570 because so far most of them are based on reference design... and i think besides the unpopular metro 2033 and maybe some other dx 11 titles... this baby can just survive anything within 1080 resolution.... at least until next year where nvidia is going to release another new microarchitecture... i'm planning on upgrading to gtx 570 despite i'm now using the a-ok gtx 460... sory for over typing...

 

[Horhe]

Why don't you get another GTS 250? A GTX580 or GTX460 SLI will surely be bottlenecked by your CPU.

 

[rofl_my_waffle]

Personally I would go for a single GTX 580. There minor artifacts and random slowdown related to SLI sometimes. The effects are minor but if the difference in speed is minor too then why not go for the more reliable single card. Not to to mention a single card would be much quieter and cooler.

Don't feel bad about having a SLI enabled motherboard but not using it. Every single motherboard these days comes with at least two PCI-E slots.

Also triple monitor gaming isn't that epic since most games don't actually support a resolution wider than 16:9 and never will to maintain game balance. Many game developers said they don't want players with eyes on the back of their heads.

 

[karan_kewlz]

really would my CPU limi a GTX 580 or GtX 460 SLI ?

Pl Reply

karan_kewlz

 

[karan_kewlz]

guys you all are making me even more puzzled, So should I finally get a GTX 580 as I might face problems with SLI ?

apologies for replying late

Thanks in advance

 

[Tamz_msc]

Since you're planning on getting 3 displays, you will have to get a SLI setup.
Now GTX 570 or GTX 580 SLI will bottleneck your CPU, so the safest option will be to get a pair of GTX 460s in SLI.They outperform a single GTX 580, and they are certainly a very good option given their price(360$ vs 530$).Though you will have to OC your CPU a bit.The problems with SLI are minimal, and there might be some games that do not scale well in SLI, but the games you've mentioned do not have any problems is SLI.
A GTX 460 SLI setup should last quite some time before requiring an upgrade, since they're already a very powerful option for the price.

 

[marraco]

If price and performance are similar (or within a 10% difference) go for the single card.

The single 580 will provide those benefits:
-Less noise.
-Less power consumption.
-Less driver problems. Many new games don’t scale well under SLI until Nvidia updates his drivers.
-Longer driver support. Nvidia will drop driver support for the 460 before than for 580.
-Better upgrade path. You will have a free PCI-E slot, ready to fill with another 580 or a PCIE SSD device.
-Better performance for old processors. SLI setups works better on upper range processors, but they lose performance against ATI on lower range processors.

 

[notty22]

I have gtx 460sli its awesome.
But if you ask me whats better, disregarding price.
The single gtx 580, its a monster.
You have all the power , all the time, windowed mode, new- old games , you don't need driver sli support.
The card itself, is engineered- top of the line. With the vapor chamber and heat plate that cools the ram vrm's.

 

[MMclachlan]

@ Tamz - Sorry but this is all wrong. Sli puts an overhead onto the subsystem, so an Sli system will be more adversely impacted by a slower CPU than a single card will be - hence why core i7 multi-card scaling>core2quad scaling. I don't think a 3Ghz Yorkie is going to bottle neck a 580 either, and if it does become a bottleneck it will be more pronounced on the Sli'd 460s for the reason already mentioned!
OP is in India, he said in the first post that there is ~$60 difference between a 580 and 2x460 - therefore it is a no-brainer to go with the 580, the benefits of this path have already been explained

 

[17seconds]

The GTX 580 will improve your minimum framerates over the GTX 460 SLI setup. This is a key consideration for overall smooth gaming.

This article covers the GTX 580 vs. GTX 460 in SLI:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/12/02/geforce_gtx_580_vs_460_1gb_sli/

Quotes:
"If you are on a budget, and want to get into the NV Surround and/or SLI game, there is no questioning that GeForce GTX 460 1GB SLI is the best value. It provides high framerates and incredible SLI scaling. We are continued to be impressed by GeForce GTX 460 1GB SLI. If you have the money though, a GeForce GTX 580 is going to offer you more and provide a better gameplay experience without the hassle of worrying about SLI being supported in new games."

"What strikes us about our gameplay experiences today is the fact that with GTX 460 1GB SLI the 1GB of RAM on the GTX 460 may be holding it back at higher resolutions with AA. In all of our gameplay testing, we were surprised how well GTX 460 1GB SLI keeps up with the more expensive GeForce GTX 580. While it comes close, and at times exceeds it in framerate, it doesn’t deliver the same gameplay experience. The GeForce GTX 580 has more RAM on board, 1.5GB to be exact, and this seems to be giving it an advantage in some DX11 games when AA is enabled at high levels."

"GeForce GTX 460 1GB SLI offers performance that competes with a single GeForce GTX 580, but ultimately is limited by its 1GB of memory per GPU at high resolutions with AA. The GeForce GTX 580 offers a smoother gameplay experience and higher playable settings. The GeForce GTX 580 may be more expensive, but that price can pay off as we move into new DX11 games pushing the boundaries of graphics card memory capacity. The fact is GeForce GTX 580 offers you more options by allowing you to install a second video card that improves performance even more."

 

[Tamz_msc]

You guys obviously have no idea about Indian prices.The difference between GTX 460 SLI and GTX 580 is much more than 60$.A pair of GTX 460s will cost 25-26K INR, while a single GTX 580 will cost over 32K, and because of their low availability, it will be a hard time finding one.So the difference is around 130 - 150$.

 

[microterf]

I'd say almost always go with the single card if performance is close, and you are fine with the price, as stated above, you don't have to worry about any of the other crap with SLI. The only exception in your case is the 3 monitors, but only you know how serious you are about getting those, and how near/far in the future that is.