Upgrade from X2 560 SLI?

[Z1NONLY]

I am building another rig from the AMD parts I recently upgraded from. The only part I need at this point is a video card.

I can't decide if I want to hand the SLI setup down to this rig and upgrade my current rig to a nice single card, or just get a budget card for the rig I'm building.

From the benchmarks I have found, two 560's in SLI is a pretty strong setup, but I can't play BF3 on ultra everything the way I can with Crysis 2.

The second rig is basically just an "extra" rig. So I don't even "need" to buy anything. (It can just sit there and collect dust, and I can contue on with my i7/SLI rig)

My question is, how much money do I need to shell out for a nice single card that will make a noticable difference?

Or, if the answer to that question is "too much", What's the cheapest card I could get for the AMD rig that would be considered acceptable for most games.

 

[Z1NONLY]

1680 X 1050 is the resolution I'm working with.

 

[geofelt]

I figure you can get $100-$120 on ebay for a GTX560(non ti).

A GTX670 will not beat your cards in benchmarks, but you should get smoother gameplay.
You should find one for $350.
The 7950 might be less, but for BF3, nvidia is supposed to be stronger.

It will cost you net $150-$200 to make the change.
If your old motherboard/cpu did not have integrated graphics, then $30 or so for that on your old pc.

But, if you have no need for your old parts, why not sell the parts separately on ebay to generate more funds?

Worth is something only YOU can determine.
But, since you are doing OK with sli, I might save up for next spring when updated versions of cards come out.
On the other hand, if you have the funds, and don't mind spending it, why not go ahead with a GTX670, or even a GTX680.

 

[Z1NONLY]

I just did some contract work outside of my regular job and it paid pretty well.

I have been looking for a good enough card (to make games playable on lower settings) for the other rig, but when I got that check, I started thinking of moving the SLI to the other rig and upgrading this one with a single card.

If I could see a noticeable improvement, I would pull the trigger on a high-end single card.

Maybe move one card to the other rig and sell the other. I don't think I could get much for 560 when they keep going on sale for ~120 bucks new though.

I will probably just wait for a sale on another 560 and put a single in the other rig.

I'm curios about a high end single, but ~$350 is a good chunk of change to satisfy curiosity.

Parting out the other rig is something I had not considered, but it's just a video card shy of being "complete".

 

[geofelt]

Few people will want exactly what your "complete" rig has.
A complete rig gets discounted heavily.

But, if you have decent parts, there is a market.
On ebay, search for the parts in used condition. Then filter by completed auctions.
In green, you will see the prices actually paid in a free market.

A while back, I decided I did not need the hyperthreading of my 2600K.
I sold it for about what it cost me for a 3570K.

 

[Z1NONLY]

Best answer selected by Z1NONLY.