IS THE GTX 580 OVERKILL FOR ONE MONITOR!?!?

[Geeksire]

Hello everybody! I have a really dumb question that I have been brooding about.

Is having two SLI GTX 580's overkill for just one monitor that runs at 1920 X 1080, and wouldn't it be all right to have this two GTX's for 5 years until my graphics fall under low settings?

How do you all switch between graphic cards: do you get the latest one and once it falls under low settings you buy new ones, or do you buy the ones that are the best priced graphic cards so when new graphics come out, you buy the latest ones?

Please help. I am guessing if you were to have two GTX's that it would last me for about 5 years and when it hits low settings I'm going to switch to the most recent one.

 

[Supernova1138]

Two 580s will last you quite a long time with a single monitor at 1080p. Right now the only two games that really benefit from that kind of GPU horsepower at your resolution would be Crysis 2 with DX11 and Metro 2033. They definitely won't fall below minimum system requirements for any game within 5 years, even if we get a new console generation in that timeframe. For a 5 year timeframe, the biggest concern would probably be one or possibly both of the cards dying before 5 years is up, or perhaps hitting a CPU bottleneck with future titles, if you are using an older or slower CPU, and your motherboard's upgrade options become limited.

 

[deicidechaos]

I probably buy every 1.5 to two years. Im not really one to go after a card for power I tend to go for features. IMHO I don't see the point in buying some crazy as power house of a card then only to have a new range of cards released only a few months after with all new features. Like buying a mean as DX10 that plays games at 100+ FPS only to have a new range of DX11 released a little while after. Sure you can play those games no worries but your going to miss out on those new features and visual updates .
IMO id buy a single gtx580 then save the money from the second card to purchase the high end card of the next series. That way you can play all the games they way there meant to be played

 

[Geeksire]

I'm really confused then. How should I approach this when buying graphic cards for the years to come because I know some new graphic cards are going to come out in December and January.

Can anybody else ask me what they do to keep up to date with the graphic cards features, and what do you do with the graphic cards that you replace? Do you sell them?

Thanks!!!

 

[ilysaml]

Geeksire, listen there is no card lasting for 5 years like supernova said, Metro 2033 is a demanding game, and metro 2034 is on the way 2012.... so all what i'm saying there is no future proof card "when i say future proof in other threads" i mean the Vram, as the most upcoming games will be a Vram hungry.
you'll be fine with a single GTX 580 for a long time as long as you don't have too much insane about FPS, any game will be still playable on max settings.
you're right, people here in the forum and i'm one of them are enthusiasts, they always looking for the power of technology, no one is gonna predict what will happen in the gaming industry...
just grab the GTX 580 now and enjoy gaming at high res without worrying about the future needs.

if you want to wait, new AMD 7K series is supposed to come on Xmas with 1 GHz GPU frequency, NEW XDR2 rambus technology which is said to be twice faster than GDDR5 memory, besides the 28nm process which means less power consumption and less heat.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

Geeksire, listen there is no card lasting for 5 years like supernova said, Metro 2033 is a demanding game, and metro 2034 is on the way 2012.... so all what i'm saying there is no future proof card "when i say future proof in other threads" i mean the Vram, as the most upcoming games will be a Vram hungry.
you'll be fine with a single GTX 580 for a long time as long as you don't have too much insane about FPS, any game will be still playable on max settings.
you're right, people here in the forum and i'm one of them are enthusiasts, they always looking for the power of technology, no one is gonna predict what will happen in the gaming industry...
just grab the GTX 580 now and enjoy gaming at high res without worrying about the future needs.

if you want to wait, new AMD 7K series is supposed to come on Xmas with 1 GHz GPU frequency, NEW XDR2 rambus technology which is said to be twice faster than GDDR5 memory, besides the 28nm process which means less power consumption and less heat.

+1 if you can wait, if you cant then i suggest the gtx 570 for price point. It will be less of a hit for your wallet if you end up deciding to upgrade next year, and will play with an OC where the stock 580 is.

 

[Geeksire]

I see then. What is the cost of getting the new AMD 7k series? Will it be an insane price of $700?

And since you were saying to get just one GTX 580 should I just get then Crossfire ATI 6950's?

Or I can actually wait until December and January and see how the prices are.

In conclusion, I never was responded in how you guys deal with your graphic cards? Do you sell them, keep them, or just throw them away? Thanks!

P.S: My friend is those annoying swavy geek guys who always say, "Any graphic card you buy (the latest ones) are only going to last you two years." Which really ticks me off at times. We all have our differences : D

 

[cheebamaster]

Yeah but your friend is just jealous tbh

Honestly, at this point you should just wait for the new Radeon cards to come out and if they're a little pricey save up now! The 580's have been out for awhile now and this is always the worst time of the year to do upgrades since new parts are coming out so soon.

A couple months ago I bought 2x 580's and I'll be upgrading to the new radeon 7000 series and just selling these on craigslist. If you really need an upgrade, go for something cheap and when the new cards come out sell it and replace

 

[megamanx00]

I'd say the 8800GTX was such a beast of a card that it lasted 5 years especially if you had two of them (though one of them is dead or dying by now most likely ). I'd say that the GTX 580 is kind of in the same boat when it's way more than enough for just about any game (save Crysis 2 with DX11 at max) and two of them should keep you well above medium for some time.

When I bought my first 5870 it was overkill for my resolution (1680x1050 and even overkill for 1080p at the time). It was a huge upgrade from the two 3850s in CF I had at the time that were struggling more often than not. I got a second one when I bought Gothic 4 to smooth it out (it just wasn't coded well in my opinion). That was way overkill till I played Crysis 2 and then it was just enough ^_^. Anyway, I'll probably keep these cards for a year or two till they start having a hard time on medium and I'll be looking to get a single GPU that's twice as fast as both my current GPUs put together.

The AMD 7k series has been pushed back to pretty much a paper launch and small quantities this year. That's still better than nVidia's late Q1 though. I say you get just one GTX580 for now and be happy with it. When the new cards come out and the 580 drops in price get a second one to run in SLI. That should keep you gaming for some time to come.

 

[Geeksire]

All right thanks for the comments. I will just wait for December and January to see the prices of the graphic cards, and if I see that the GTX 580 goes down in price I'll buy it.

But I was wondering, if I was to buy one GTX 580 and later in life newer graphic cards come out with better features, can I be able to cross them in SLI as long as they are Nvidia?

Or should I just Crossfire 6950 or 70's.

Or just stick to one GTX 580 and see if it goes cheaper in price as time goes on?

Thanks!!!

 

[thesnappyfingers]

P.S: My friend is those annoying swavy geek guys who always say, "Any graphic card you buy (the latest ones) are only going to last you two years." Which really ticks me off at times. We all have our differences : D

Its the nature of this type of technology. Just buy the GTX 580 play at max setting for a while, then either SLI the card latter down the road. or play at medium settings for a while. Then repeat that same process over and over and over....

 

[FlintIronStagg]

All right thanks for the comments. I will just wait for December and January to see the prices of the graphic cards, and if I see that the GTX 580 goes down in price I'll buy it.

But I was wondering, if I was to buy one GTX 580 and later in life newer graphic cards come out with better features, can I be able to cross them in SLI as long as they are Nvidia?

Or should I just Crossfire 6950 or 70's. Thanks!

You have to have the same chip series to be able to sli or xfire, so most likely no. You will need to have the same chip as the 580 and they will be a totally different process and series. You would need another 580 or a card with the same chip

 

[Geeksire]

How can you find out the "chip" name, and I came across this article talking about the AMD 7xxx Series.

http://www.geeks3d.com/20110907/amd-radeon-hd-7900-possible-specifications-xdr2-memory-amd-graphics-core-next/

Should I just go for the AMD 7xxx Series and Crossfire them!?

Thanks!

 

[FlintIronStagg]

How can you find out the "chip" name, and I came across this article talking about the AMD 7xxx Series.

http://www.geeks3d.com/20110907/amd-radeon-hd-7900-possible-specifications-xdr2-memory-amd-graphics-core-next/

Should I just go for the AMD 7xxx Series and Crossfire them!?

Thanks!

If you can wait, then wait. The new series of cards are a different process so they will have better performance with lower power consumption and better cooling.

 

[Geeksire]

I CAN WAIT!!!! When the time comes on December and January, will...you...help...me...choose an awesome card for one monitor?

 

[FlintIronStagg]

yes we can, just make yourself a thread with your new question when the time comes and we will be glad to help you

 

[Geeksire]

Best answer selected by Geeksire.