Second 460 vs. single 6950?

[KirkR]

So, I currently have an msi GTX 460 Hawk. I was wondering which configuration would show better performance:

SLI GTX 460 1GB x2
OR
Radeon 6950 1GB x1

Also, will a PCI-E x16 2.1 card work with a PCI-E x16 2.0 slot?

Thanks!
~Kirk

 

[refillable]

Comparison here: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/314?vs=331

There you can see GTX 460 SLI is faster, so when you add another GTX 460 you will get a faster performance than changing your card to a single 6950.

Just make sure you get the exact same card (to make sure that the SLI works) and also be sure that your motherboard support SLI (recommended ar 8x/8x, 16x/4x is fine, but will decrease performance).

So at the end of the words SLIing is better than changing to a single 6950. Hope this helps and as always have a good day .

 

[KirkR]

The same exact card as mine has been out of stock for months, but isn't it alright to mix and match manufacturers as long as the GPU is the same?

My motherboard will be fine, it runs x16/x16

Thanks for the speedy response!

 

[gooseta]

Agree with refillable. It's kinda obvious, 2 cards > 1 card, even though the 6950 is a bit more powerful

 

[jyjjy]

Just make sure you get the exact same card (to make sure that the SLI works) and also be sure that your motherboard support SLI (recommended ar 8x/8x, 16x/4x is fine, but will decrease performance)

You don't need the same "exact" card to SLI, just the same card. There are no 16x/4x SLI boards. Nvidia requires both slots to be x8 for certification.

@OP: SLIed GTX 460s easily beat a single HD6950 and especially so if they have a high OC like you should have with the MSI Hawk.

 

[KirkR]

Thank you all, very useful information. Looks like I'm buying a second 460.

Have a nice day everybody :3

 

[KirkR]

Best answer selected by Kirkr.

 

[jyjjy]

While you don't need the same exact model realize you WILL actually want to run the cards at the same speeds on both the gpu and memory for best results.

 

[KirkR]

I thought the faster card would automatically lower it's clock and memory speeds to match the lower card? That's what I heard at least.

I have one more question, too. I was about to order my new card, when I noticed that the memory interfaces were different.

My current card has a 256-bit memory interface, and the new EVGA card I'm buying to go with it has a 192-bit memory interface. Will the two cards still be compatible?

If so, will I encounter many issues or decreases in performance?

 

[n-dru]

Not much of a generational difference between then 460 and the 6950, so SLI is your best bet.