What's better, two cards in CF, or one higher-end card?

[TyAaron]

Just out of curiosity, what would run better/fast/higher settings/more FPS, two of these

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150599

or one of these

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150605

Only one monitor. No eyefinity.

 

[lycros]

The 7870 for sure.

 

[polishboy1098]

Well the two 7770's would be faster but the 7870 is a better option since it has an upgrade path (CF) unlike the 7770's because you've already crossfired them

 

[lycros]

I'm not even sure the 7770s would be faster and if it is, not by much. Also you won't have to deal with xfire driver issues, extra heat/noise.

You could save a few and get http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161410 The his iceq x cooler is one of the best cooling and noise wise.

 

[Deemo13]

The 7870 would be the better choice imo. Less power and heat and less issues as well as more compatability.

 

[fastreaction]

If a game does not support crossfire. You are ****. You get what I mean =P

 

[mesab66]

As the others said.......
If X-F (or SLI) does not significantly improve enough of your current gameplay over any single-card equivalent - for the same purchase price! - then go for the single card with all it's power/expansion/etc advantages.
As fastreaction said - not all games (near future included) scale well (i.e. gameplay improves) with multiple cards.

 

[El Tigre]

It's generally not the best idea to CF/SLI low end cards as you will be yearning for more in the future. Also lower end cards tend to suffer from micro-stuttering more frequently then higher end GPU's. With the options you presented us, I would suggest the single more powerful card as you can add another for even more graphics punch in the future.

 

[nafoni]

Always go single-card if possible.

Why?
-Lower power consumption
-Easier to upgrade (it's hard to sell 2 old low-end cards, and if you absolutely want to you can add another card in the future, since you already haven't used CF/SLI)
-Less problems
-Not all games utilize CF/SLI 100%
-You can get a lower-W PSU -> saves you $
-Less stuttering with single-card
and so on

Go single card

 

[Kamen_BG]

The HD 7870 is better by FAR.But since you've got 300$ to spend why dont you just buy a HD 7950?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127667

 

[verbalizer]

Always go single-card if possible.

Why?
-Lower power consumption
-Easier to upgrade (it's hard to sell 2 old low-end cards, and if you absolutely want to you can add another card in the future, since you already haven't used CF/SLI)
-Less problems
-Not all games utilize CF/SLI 100%
-You can get a lower-W PSU -> saves you $
-Less stuttering with single-card
and so on

Go single card

+1000
I have nothing to add, this answer covers what I was going to say.

 

[Deemo13]

Always go single-card if possible.

Why?
-Lower power consumption
-Easier to upgrade (it's hard to sell 2 old low-end cards, and if you absolutely want to you can add another card in the future, since you already haven't used CF/SLI)
-Less problems
-Not all games utilize CF/SLI 100%
-You can get a lower-W PSU -> saves you $
-Less stuttering with single-card
and so on

Go single card

Kinda sums up why single card is better than dual cards completely.