tri-sli 260

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veedubfreak

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I'll be switching over to x58 in the next couple weeks, as soon as i can get ahold of the mounting bracket for my swiftech gtz. I currently run 2 GTX260s and can get a third one with the same waterblock as i have on mine for a pretty good deal. Wondering if tri260 is worth doing.
Ideas?
 
it all depends on what resolution you run your games at. if you are running anything less that 1920x1080 then don't bother.
 
I game at 1920x1200.
Mainly i'm wondering if tri-sli 260 scales on x58 as well as the 280s seem to be doing.
 
veedubfreak said:
I game at 1920x1200.
Mainly i'm wondering if tri-sli 260 scales on x58 as well as the 280s seem to be doing.
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I don't see any reason it wouldn't. Especially at 1920x1200. It might have problems at 2560x1600 from the "only" 896MB V.RAM. But hell, 280s have problem with only 1GB of ram there, but it's only on Crysis at ultra max settings.
 
just playing the devils advocate here but what are you playing that two GTX260 don't max out at 2.3mp? and while the i7 does have some benefits at tri sli (the only place it does) there is still a strong point of diminishing returns adding the third card.

but to answer your question (or give my two cents) I can't see why tri GTX280 would scale any better then tri GTX260.
 
The main reason i asked this is that i can get my hands on a 260 with the xspc waterblock for an excellent price, and after i rebuild this next time with i7, i'm probably not going to touch the machine for a good year or 2 if i can get away with it.
 
well if you dont change your monitor in the next year or 2, i would say,. not worth it.
 
I'd move up to 2x 280's in SLI before going tri-sli on 260's, but then again I wouldn't go tri-SLI to begin with :p
 
I suggest you are gonna ask yourself if you really need it.

Probably the gain is minimal. You might want to save the money or spend it on something else.

For example: do you already have a X-Fi? If not: get that, since there is also a gain in framerate with a X-Fi. Not that much if you look at average framerate, but a lot more if you look on the lower number of framedrops and that those that remain are less deep.
 
Bigbacon said:
it all depends on what resolution you run your games at. if you are running anything less that 1920x1080 then don't bother.
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False.

I play at 1440x900 with SLI and see 15-20FPS more with SLI on. When your talking going from 20 to 40 FPS, that' significant.
 
If your not running 2560x1600 or higher I say it's not worth it. At 1920x1200 two SLI'd GTX 260 is going to provide you with all the performance you need for a while in the latest games and by the time it's not enough adding a third in Tri-SLI isn't going to make that big of difference because the increase in performance from tri-SLI isn't the same as it was going to two-way SLI.
 
bigdogchris said:
False.

I play at 1440x900 with SLI and see 15-20FPS more with SLI on. When your talking going from 20 to 40 FPS, that' significant.
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so you are actually claiming to nearly double your framerate with sli at 1440x900? that sure goes against every single review or benchmark i have seen. in fact you are just as likely to lose performance at 1440x900 in some games then to gain anything at all. I see you have no info on your pc in your sig...
 
burningrave101 said:
If your not running 2560x1600 or higher I say it's not worth it. At 1920x1200 two SLI'd GTX 260 is going to provide you with all the performance you need for a while in the latest games and by the time it's not enough adding a third in Tri-SLI isn't going to make that big of difference because the increase in performance from tri-SLI isn't the same as it was going to two-way SLI.
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quoted for truth
 
Xpletive said:
quoted for truth
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This statement has to come with a qualifier, and that qualifier is "for todays games". I can assure you, in the 09 game season three GTX 260's in SLI will show significant gain over two, and two will show significant gain over one. Now of course you can argue about the scalibillity of SLI and Crossfire until the cows come home, and these 09 games might scale very poorly under one version or another. But I think its safe to assume SLI and crossfire will continue to see 50-70% returns across all games released, with a few non-blockbuster new titles seeing the 30's. That may or may not be worth it for you.
 
MrWizard6600 said:
This statement has to come with a qualifier, and that qualifier is "for todays games". I can assure you, in the 09 game season three GTX 260's in SLI will show significant gain over two, and two will show significant gain over one. Now of course you can argue about the scalibillity of SLI and Crossfire until the cows come home, and these 09 games might scale very poorly under one version or another. But I think its safe to assume SLI and crossfire will continue to see 50-70% returns across all games released, with a few non-blockbuster new titles seeing the 30's. That may or may not be worth it for you.
Click to expand...

Non-blockbuster games rarely have the graphical requirements of the blockbuster games. From what I've seen SLI/Crossfire will only get better and better. The number of people using 24" LCDs and 1080p TVs is skyrocketing and companies are noticing this.
 
novadude said:
I'd move up to 2x 280's in SLI before going tri-sli on 260's, but then again I wouldn't go tri-SLI to begin with :p
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THIS

More future-proofed than three cards due to driver support. Equivalence to e-peen with respect to Tri-SLI 260s is debatable, but this is the superior configuration due to lesser power consumption, better case airflow, increased VRAM, and perhaps higher overclock potential.
 
skadebo said:
THIS

More future-proofed than three cards due to driver support. Equivalence to e-peen with respect to Tri-SLI 260s is debatable, but this is the superior configuration due to lesser power consumption, better case airflow, increased VRAM, and perhaps higher overclock potential.
Click to expand...

Moving up to 280s would also require me to change waterblocks.
 
veedubfreak said:
Moving up to 280s would also require me to change waterblocks.
Click to expand...

Like most threads, about 1/2 the responses your going to get aren't going to read the OP.

Realistically, you won't see much difference out of a third 260, probably some extra AA. If you've got the money to burn and you want the "e-peen" feeling you get with having a tri-SLI setup (and that's not necessarly a bad thing) then go for it.
 
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