2 gts 450's or a 550 ti

[opexx]

hey guys, im throwing together a quick rig for my nephew. i built him a crappy rig a while back (q8400, 4gb ram, 9600 gso) but he's been taking gaming a lot more serious than i anticipated. His birthdays coming up now so I wanna build him a new rig. I have an evga 450 laying around somewhere that i never actually used and i'm trying to decide what would be the better solution, since i'll buy a new graphics card.

so, would it be more efficient to get another 450 and run them in sli? or go ahead and get a gts 550 ti (2gb version)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130652

or two of

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130573&cm_re=gts_450-_-14-130-573-_-Product


thanks for any/all help everyone

 

[yummerzzz]

2 GTS 450's in Sli would smoke a GTX 550 ti.

 

[opexx]

even the 2gb version though? if so that makes me happier haha

 

[yummerzzz]

The gTX 550 ti 2GB would not be any better than the 1GB version, the GTX 550 ti would not be able to fully utilize 2GB of VRAM.

Though I still think you should go with a single GTX 550ti as it would be much more efficient.

 

[r3xx3r]

no, the 2x 450 would be better for performance. but they would use more power as yummerzzz said. i recommend the 2x 450

 

[geofelt]

In general, I prefer a single card where it will do the job.

In this case, since you already have one of the GTS450 cards, sli might make sense.

But, you may have to pay a bit more for a psu, a sli capable motherboard, and perhaps a better case for cooling.
With a single card, you can also recoup some costs by selling the GTS450.

Actually, I think if you went with an inexpensive H67 based itx motherboard and one good card, you might come out better and cheaper.

 

[opexx]

i already have cases, mobos, psu's, etc laying around. the only thing i actually need to purchase is a graphics card and processor at this point.

so far the build consists of

nzxt phantom case
asus x58 sabertooth
850 watt corsair psu
60gb ocz ssd
2tb wd data drive

just need to buy the graphics card and processor. ill probably just get an i7-950 and another 450 at this point. since neither space or power is a problem haha

 

[geofelt]

Looks reasonable to me.
Quality parts so far.

You will also need ram and a OS.

Since the parts you are looking for have been out for a while, look on e-bay for sales from those who are upgrading.
Just check the feedback carefully.

 

[opexx]

oh sorry i have 6gb corsair dominator as well. and i have plenty of windows 7 keys haha. also, neither the 950 or the gts 450 are out of stock on newegg, i just put my order through haha

 

[Erai]

Not to bump this post at all but along the same lines would it be appropriate for me to ask the following (oh well I'm doing it anyway...)?

x2 GTX 550 TI's in SLI Bridge
OR
x1 GTX 580 (also considering the 680 at the moment as well).

I also have two spare GTS 450's and was wondering if it's possible to bridge my GTX 550 TI with one of my GTS 450's

If I need to create a new topic just let me know and I'll happily migrate.

Thanks in advance.