Is SLI generally worth it?

[Mookeylama]

is there really that much of a boost?
was thinking of going 2 gtx 660 evga superclocked or 1 670 superclocked. but was also think of getting a 680 spuerclocked. basically what i'm considering

all EVGA superclocked...
2 660 3gbs in sli
1 670 4gb
1 680 2gb
orrr...
1 680 4gb (not superclocked)

and if i do go just 1 card, for example 670 4gb, will i have to get another 670 that is 4gb later if i decide to go SLI? or can i just get like a 2gb 670? i'm thinking of the 4gb single card now because i plan to use MANY hires texture packs in Skyrim, but i'd think 8gb down the line would be overkill.

also i'm told that SLI might not really be worth it. i read it gives a small boost (about 20%??) for double cost, takes up more space, and creates more heat and power consumption.

also that many games have trouble working with SLI, but can't you just turn 1 card off thru the drivers?

i know nothing about PCs and really won't be poking my head in the case much. someone told me if i'm not one to fiddle with the machine, then i'm not one for SLI. but i thought it was all handled from the screen?

thanks much!

 

[thently]

Ok I have every high rez pack I could find installed on skyrim at 1920x1200 ultra settings on a 670 and it is running purfectly. I can even run 3 1080p screens in surround at high settings with the same single 670. do not sli 660 the mem bandwidth will slow you down at the res that sli is good for. If you are gaming on one screen go 670 and only 2gig 4 is not needed from what I can tell. Also SLI is worth it if wanting to max 3 screens or a 30 inch screen. For one monitor 1920x1200 or lower just get 1 670 and you will never look back. All I do when I install a game is turn everything up to max and play...

Thent

 

[Traciatim]

If you have just one normal monitor (say a 1080p) it's really unlikely that you are going to see a huge benefit from SLI. Just get whatever the most powerful single video card you can that will fit in to your budget. You really see much more benefit when using really high AA on high resolutions (especially multi-monitor setups).

 

[ram1009]

If you calculate the $ per frame improvement I doubt you'll be impressed.

 

[Mookeylama]

thank you much folks!
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/361165-31-please-build

now to specify a bit more on my situation, there's a thread^ i started about what i'm trying to do. the pc is going to mainly be for Home theater. i play on a Sony 55A3000 (55" hdtv, connected by HDMY cable ran thru floor, basement, and into office/pc room) so i'm not sure how that translates into "monitor". it's max res is 1080i (and 1080p). i won't even be getting a monitor for this machine, tho we have a 22" Hanspree for the DELL XPS i7 that we'll be keeping.

so the consensus is get a single 670 superclocked 2gb card? that 4gb was sounding good as i plan on getting every HD texture pack i can lol. but i can NOT add a lower memory card (2-3gb) to it later in SLI if i wanted to right? memory's have to match?

aaand i totally want to future proof this pc as best i can for like the next 4-5 years. so i'm willing to move up from 670 if need be. is the 680 that much better? think i read an article here at Tom's that the 670 performed very close to the 680 and even just a tad less than the 690. i'm thinking of just going nuts and getting the 690 if the performance ratio to cost is worth it. those IBuypower builds i show in that link above have the 690 at like $480 more than superclocked 670 so i'd like to know the performance and future-proofiness is there before shelling out.

so 670,680, or 690 single cards? and if you'd be kind enough and have the time, could ya look at those builds i posted in that link above. i'm pretty sure i have way to much harddrive and ssd than i'll ever use, and i'm not sure the mobos and cpus match up the best.

thank you much and advice GREATLY APPRECIATED!

 

[Mousemonkey]

IMHO SLi is worth it even on the mid range (more so in some respects) but then I don't really care for the opinions of those who feel that their way (or recommendation ) is the only one that matters.

 

[DarkOutlaw]

Some things play nice with SLI, some dont. Truthfully I dont think the capacity to really utilize SLI has been developed yet.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

If cost per frame is in the picture, SLI definitely has it all over the top end single card. Haven't as yet seen enough tests on the 6xx series so let's look at the 5xx series.

Guru3D uses the following games in their test suite, COD-MW, Bad Company 2, Dirt 2, Far Cry 2, Metro 2033, Dawn of Discovery, Crysis Warhead. Total fps (summing fps in each game @ 1920 x 1200) for the various options in parenthesis (single card / SL or CF) are tabulated below along with their cost in dollars per frame single card - CF or SLI:

$210.00 560 Ti - 900 Mhz (495/862) $0.42 - $0.49
$450.00 580 (616/953) $0.73 - $0.94

So in the above we see that the .....

two 560 Ti 900Mhz cards gets 862 fps in the test suite in SLI at a cost of $420 or $0.49 per frame
one 580 gets 616 fps in the test suite with a single card at a cost of $450 or $0.73 per frame.

So basically, in going with the 560's, you get 40% more fps for $30 less..... essentially the single card costs 49% more on a cost per frame basis ..... I find that damned impressive.

As far as these purported driver issues, I have to say that I have never experienced same. No doubt they exist on the day the card gets released and all the reviewers are rushing out their reviews, but within a week or so all driver bugaboos are history. I prefer to wait until the non-reference cards are released with all their improvements and by that time, the driver updates have put those problems to bed.

Micro stuttering ? .... never seen it in the $200 and above category. As far as value ...... using a 120 Hz monitor and playing Batman Arkham City, turning off one of the cards is immediately apparent. Metro 2033 goes from 26 fps to 49 fps in SLI w/ the 560's .... the single 580 stuck ya with a rather puny 33 fps. I'll take 49 fps for less money over 33 any day.

 

[Mousemonkey]

That's because you haven't read things like this (the entire article is IMO a must read on the issue).
http://techreport.com/articles.x/21516/7

SLI and crossfire ALWAYS have microstutter, without exception (which really just means they don't render their frames in consistent, even times). The question of "will the microstutter be noticeable to you?" is only answerable situation by situation, person by person.

Single card always delivers the better experience unless you need more performance than the top single card offers. Of course many people are not bothered by microstutter and the other attendant issues of an SLI/Crossfire setup.

My SLi rig is rendering frames so fast and at such high numbers that any microstutter would still be rendered faster than the eye could see! :lol:

 

[Mousemonkey]

Yeah that's when SLI/CF really shines - when it's overpowered for what it's doing

And there are some people who genuinely can't pick up on it. But it's misleading to judge multi-GPU setups purely by their average FPS.

For example, we all know that 560ti SLI is WAY faster in terms of average fps than a single 580. However, there are times when the resultant performance is not smoother, e.g.
http://techreport.com/r.x/inside-the-second/bs-99th.gif

The drawbacks for multi-GPU setups are very real. Doesn't mean some people won't like it, but it does mean that the issue isn't as simple as "more performance for less money than a single high end GPU". I'm very glad that I went with a multi-GPU setup just to try it (and wow the performance is crazy), but I probably won't go multi-GPU again after this.

That was running smooth as butter on my rig mate so as far as I'm concerned that graph is meaningless because I have played that game myself and there were no visible lags or "microstutter" of any kind.

 

[CaptainTom]

I will just give you one warning. Flickering can be a huge issue with SLI. Google it and you will find hundreds of people asking how to fix it. My brother had this problem and it made games unplayable. We tried everything:

-New/different drivers
-switching cards
-trying different SLI bridges
-switching PCIe ports
-reseating cards
-re-installing windows
-underclocking
-V-sync
-windowed mode

It didn't matter what we did, it just wouldn't work so he is selling the cards and switching to AMD. I personally love my GTX 460 SC, but I have to admit in my experience Crossfire is much more advanced and bug free than SLI. It may not be your experince, but it is me and my friends.

P.S. I have NEVER had driver issues with either nVidia or AMD cards EVER!

 

[Mookeylama]

wow. thanks everyone! great info. since i'm a noob at this stuff, it might be best for me to stick w/ a single card for now at least. i am getting a full size case so my ole shaky hands can get in there easier in the future. because after researching all this stuff it's kinda got me wanting to tinker...just not on this 1st build lol. i'll leave that up to IBuypwer or eColegepc.

so if you folks could check my last post up there, check my configurations and tweak them if need be, make sure my parts are compatible, maybe save me some dough lol. i'd really appreciate it!
i'm about ready to bite on this thing. just trying now to decide on the socket types. Z77 or X79. not sure if Sandy bridge is on it's way out.
also what GPU should i go for? superclocked EVGA 670, 680 or maaaybe even the 690?
thanks!

 

[Smeg45]

You'll never futureproof a gaming PC. A 680/7970 today will be obsolete and creaky in 2yrs. Its just the way tech is. Build a foundation system you can upgrade if required, then after an upgrade or two, build a new system. So I'd get a 7970 over a 670 or 680. Don't bother with SLI. It isn't worth it. Games are built for console first and if there are added features for PC users, great SLI support isn't a priority feature.

 

[CaptainTom]

wow. thanks everyone! great info. since i'm a noob at this stuff, it might be best for me to stick w/ a single card for now at least. i am getting a full size case so my ole shaky hands can get in there easier in the future. because after researching all this stuff it's kinda got me wanting to tinker...just not on this 1st build lol. i'll leave that up to IBuypwer or eColegepc.

so if you folks could check my last post up there, check my configurations and tweak them if need be, make sure my parts are compatible, maybe save me some dough lol. i'd really appreciate it!
i'm about ready to bite on this thing. just trying now to decide on the socket types. Z77 or X79. not sure if Sandy bridge is on it's way out.
also what GPU should i go for? superclocked EVGA 670, 680 or maaaybe even the 690?
thanks!

Best high end cards for the money are:

-HD 7870 GHz: The same strength as a GTX 580 for $220-250

-GTX 660 Ti: Stronger than a GTX 580 and only $300

-HD 7970 GHz: Trades blows with the GTX 680 for $90 less.

 

[Mookeylama]

Best answer selected by Mookeylama.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey