Do I need SLI/Crossfire?

[mattchapman]

Noob question here:

I'm planning my first build and notice alot of folks asking about SLI/Crossfire enabled mobo's. I've read that today's video cards are super powerful so I'm wondering under what circumstances you would need 2 video cards.

I have a single 1920x1200 24" monitor and plan to run the latest FPS games (BCBF2, COD, etc...) at full res. Would I be needing SLI/Crossfire or would a single 5xxx/6xxx or similar do me fine??

Thanks!

 

[nalc]

At that resolution, I can't see a single high-end card struggling.

Many people with crossfire or SLI run eyefinity or nvsurround, so they're gaming at 3x the resolution. Or, some have a 30" monitor, which is again a significantly higher resolution.

However, sometimes it can make sense in terms of bang for the buck. Two midrange cards can sometimes compete with a single higher end card, but you open up issues with crossfire/sli support.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Depends more on the games, those listed don't need it, but you never know down the road, you can always buy something under $200, then add a second later.

 

[samuelmorris]

At 1920x1200 a single high-end card will do, but a crossfire/SLI system will help run the most demanding games fluidly at maximum settings. If you don't care about doing that, then SLI/CF is not for you, as it isn't a 'set up and forget' affair. You need to keep up to date with drivers, be willing to occasionally encounter a few bugs, and so on. [This applies to both SLI and crossfire, so no brand wars please]

Right now for $360 you can get two HD6850s. That's faster than any single card, even the GTX580, by a considerable margin [25% typical], cheaper [40-45%] and even more efficient, as they use less power.
This is what I usually recommend people looking for top performance at that resolution. Two 6850s at 1920x1200 can basically run anything out there care-free.

 

[mattchapman]

Thanks guys this is helpful. I'll think I'll invest in a SLI/CF mobo just in case I want to run double cards down the line.