Single or dual gpu solution

[Riddleofsteel]

I've heard on numerous occasions that a single gpu card is going to play games more smoothly than a card with 2 gpus on it (both cards are powerful). Is it a perception thing, or is it a fact?

Second question, is a 5970 overkill for 1920x1200? Thank you.

 

[defaultluser]

I've heard on numerous occasions that a single gpu card is going to play games more smoothly than a card with 2 gpus on it (both cards are powerful). Is it a perception thing, or is it a fact?

Yes, it is. Rendering a video game on two cards is a balancing act that is never quite there - it's harder to time and balance two cards to make it feel like only one card is rendering.

Also, if the game is not supported by CrossFire/SLI, you could get less performance than a faster single card.

Second question, is a 5970 overkill for 1920x1200? Thank you.

For today, yes. The harshest game out there is Metro 2033, and that's playable maxed-out on a 5870 or GTX 480 at 1920x1200.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/04/05/metro_2033_directx_11_gameplay_performance_iq/4

But for tomorrow? Who knows...