580GTX add 3GB's with an existing 1.5GB

[giovanni86]

I know that having two cards that are the same you can sli, but since i have the 580GTX 1.5GB's can i Sli it with a 3GB one or would i be better off just getting the 1.5GB, there both the same price?

 

[Sumukh_Bhagat]

Don't go for SLI. Save money now and get a better Single GPU in future, GTX 580 is enough to handle games out now.
Wait for the GTX 700 & Radeon 8000 series. They'll be out early next year.

 

[Herr_Koos]

To my understanding, if you pair a card with more VRAM with a card with less VRAM, it will only use an amount equal to the VRAM on the lesser card; i.e. 1.5 out of the 3GB will be wasted on the second card.

 

[giovanni86]

Don't go for SLI. Save money now and get a better Single GPU in future, GTX 580 is enough to handle games out now.
Wait for the GTX 700 & Radeon 8000 series. They'll be out early next year.

I understand the concern with the 700 series being possibly only 3-6 months away. They would in fact still be using the Keplar Architecture with possibly a increase of 20-30% and thats just from what i've seen from older generations of GPU's(480<580) using the same Architecture with optimizations of course. I was hoping to wait for maxwell to come out in 2014, it seemed like a much more value orientated decision by combining another 580 to last me till then, but i will keep that in mind. Thanks for the reply.

 

[giovanni86]

To my understanding, if you pair a card with more VRAM with a card with less VRAM, it will only use an amount equal to the VRAM on the lesser card; i.e. 1.5 out of the 3GB will be wasted on the second card.

Thats what i read on another forum. I figured i mind as well just get something equal to what i have. Single 580 on BF3 maxed performs at 50 dropping some times lower in certain scenarios. While using fraps it cripples my frames below 30 which is why i wanted to sli. Thanks for the reply!

 

[giovanni86]

Best answer selected by giovanni86.

 

[Sumukh_Bhagat]

There aren't any benchmarks of gtx 580 SLI (There are the old ones which are useless now). So you will not be able to know the exact performance of the SLI Setup.

And GTX 580 is a very good GPU, you'll max out games till next year. So better not get a Sli and GTX 600 series.

The thing you must know is SLI will give Twice the Heat but will not give twice performance.