Two video cards in PC?

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musicis

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Oct 19, 2009
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Trying to figure out if SLI is the way to go. Is two Nvidia GTX 260 better then one 285 or 295?? Building an i7 system. Play all games. The graphics card investment i don't know what to do. Thanks for any suggestions in advance
 
260 SLI is better then a 285, and a 295 would most likely beat it. Have you looked into either a 5850 or 5870? 5850 is faster then a 285 and is cheaper at the same time. Maybe worth looking into.
 
It has its pros and cons. 295GTX > SLI GTX 260 > GTX 285. Or get a crossfire board and get a 5870 and add another later when the price drops, that will last for some time.
The 285 is way overpriced; the 295 is expensive too but offers the best performance. With the heat output and power consumption of the 295, the 5870 is a much better option despite performing slightly less at high res in most games, but it is also cheaper and is only a single gpu so you don't have to worry about any of the cons of multi-gpu unless you add another.
 
musicis, please take note of the rules you agreed to when you registered.

SHOUTING IN THREAD TITLES is not allowed, mkay? You'll just tick off the admin/mod who had to correct it.
 
ivandurago said:
If you are picking up an i7 you are going to want a 5870, or two...
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Nonsense... :rolleyes:
Please ignore the constant "attack" of ati fan boys wanting everyone asking for a card to buy a new ATI even when the OP is considering some specific ones...
In any case, in this case it depends on your resolution...at 1920x1200 teh GTX285 still works superb. I do recommend looking into the used market though...you can get extremely nice prices. I got my GTX295 for $350 and have seen some at $300.
If you must buy now and want to keep for the long run, I would try to get the 295 or 285 respectively, although the sli 260 is very good too.
 
Honestly I'd wait until the MSI Big Bang comes out before I would pull the trigger on a build that does not have Hydra.
 
OP "The graphics card investment i don't know what to do. Thanks for any suggestions in advance"

My last 3 cards prior to the 4890 have been Nvidia. ATI is clearly better for price/performance right now, not even mentioning if he wants it for the long run, no Nvidia cards will support DX11 currently.

If you are really adamant about sticking with Nvidia and looking at the high-end market, I'd suggest waiting for the new ones.

trudude said:
Honestly I'd wait until the MSI Big Bang comes out before I would pull the trigger on a build that does not have Hydra.
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That is very true too, main reason I am holding out, even over the next gen Nvidia.
 
trudude said:
Honestly I'd wait until the MSI Big Bang comes out before I would pull the trigger on a build that does not have Hydra.
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What the hell is that?? Never heard of it.

The other two replies suggest waiting. I have no problem with that. But lets face it folks.....In six months to a year your stuff is outdated.

On another note guys! I am also torn on the monitor issue. The LG L227WTG or the 120hz Samsung 2233rz. I hope to hear from those that have these monitors. YES....CRT is the way to go but not this time. These LCD's is what i am looking at.
 
5870 no doubt. Nvidia isn't on their game right now. This isn't fanboi-ism, but price/performance and features of the 5870 just make it superior to all other single gpu cards (and dual gpu cards imo).
 
Shadowssong said:
5870 no doubt. Nvidia isn't on their game right now. This isn't fanboi-ism, but price/performance and features of the 5870 just make it superior to all other single gpu cards (and dual gpu cards imo).
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what about the buggy drivers from ati? I have a few friends complaining about that with there xp 64 bit os.
 
XP 64bit!? Who even uses that? The OS itself is not very popular, unlike the 64bit versions of Vista.

However, 64bit XP is just 64bit Server 2003.

EDIT: Sorry for the tone, I guess it's late here.
 
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musicis said:
On another note guys! I am also torn on the monitor issue. The LG L227WTG or the 120hz Samsung 2233rz. I hope to hear from those that have these monitors. YES....CRT is the way to go but not this time. These LCD's is what i am looking at.
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Considering that the machine you are building now most likely is going to be a monster regardless of which of the debated graphics solutions you end up with.

Both of the monitors you are looking at are 1680*1050 resolution, wouldn't it be worth considering full HD 22"s (like Samsung P2270) or 23"s (like Samsung P2370) to up resolution just a bit to 1920*1080 and get a little more use oft of the GPU(s)?

Regarding GPU's, at you current planned gaming resolution I'd go for a single HD5870 (eventhough I'm partial to nVidia) and forget all about multi GPU's for now. IMO it's overkill, then again overkill is fun...
 
shaolin95 said:
Nonsense... :rolleyes:
Please ignore the constant "attack" of ati fan boys wanting everyone asking for a card to buy a new ATI even when the OP is considering some specific ones...
In any case, in this case it depends on your resolution...at 1920x1200 teh GTX285 still works superb. I do recommend looking into the used market though...you can get extremely nice prices. I got my GTX295 for $350 and have seen some at $300.
If you must buy now and want to keep for the long run, I would try to get the 295 or 285 respectively, although the sli 260 is very good too.
Click to expand...

Damn ATI fanboys suggesting faster cards based on newer technology, how dare they? :rolleyes: Get a 5870.
 
musicis said:
what about the buggy drivers from ati? I have a few friends complaining about that with there xp 64 bit os.
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XP 64??

That's almost as bad as complaining about buggy drivers for OS X.

Hands down if you want price/performance the 5850/5870 are the cards to look at. Especially the 5850 since it's cheaper than the GTX 285 and performs better than it.
 
I have basically always went back and forth with Ati and Nvidia and never had a driver issue with either one. I would suggest a 5870 unless you fold because AFAIK Nvidia is still better at that.
 
XP 64 had terrible driver support, PERIOD. No matter what hardware you're using.
That is an outdated and dead OS.

Windows 7 is THE OS to use now and in the near future.
And the driver support for Win7 is looking very solid from both ATI and Nvidia.
I'm running video cards from both companies in my rig, so I can say that from actual experience.
 
shaolin95 said:
Nonsense. :rolleyes:

Please ignore the constant "attack" of ati fan boys wanting everyone asking for a card to buy a new ATI even when the OP is considering some specific ones.
Click to expand...
If you listen to this person, you will spend more money and get inferior performance. Instead of going with ATI, buy a used card? Wow.

It's really not about getting the "latest and greatest" ATI card. The problem is that the older, slower technology from NVIDIA is still at higher price points. They are staying so high because people are still buying them. Ask any rational poster here; NVIDIA's prices should be much lower. Read the reviews, it's no secret. :)
 
get 260 core 216 sli its > 5870 > 5850, with combine price of $300. best bang for bucks
 
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