Is it worth it to swap 2 GTX 275s for GTX 580

[Woofmeister]

I just bit the bullet on a new Dell 3011 to replace my aging 24-inch monitor. I'm thinking that my 2 GTX 275s in SLI may not be up to the challenge of running at 2560 x 1600. The question is, will a single GTX 580 deliver better performance than my current SLI setup at that resolution?

I haven't seen any reviews that make the comparison. I'm mostly playing FPS games, if it makes any difference.

And yes, I could always go with a cheaper card and buy two right now, but I've always gone with the top NVIDIA card plus a second one a few months later for SLI as an upgrade path.

Thoughts?

 

[Puffnstuff]

Take a look at the benches available at numerous reputable sites to get an idea of where the 580 is at that resolution. No doubt about the 580 being more powerful but at high res it takes two in sli to keep the fps up.

 

[toyota]

two gtx275 cards would be basically equal to a gtx580. at 2560 though the extra vram of the gtx580 is needed for games like Metro2033.

 

[amenx]

I've seen people going from 5870 CF to a single 580 and they seem to think it was a worthwhile decision. I think at that res (2560x1600) the vid mem will be crucial to get the best gaming experience but you're limited to 896mb in SLI vs 1536mb for the 580. The SLI'd 275 may churn out good FPS at that res, but I doubt you'll get as smooth gameplay as the 580. This has been the observation of Kyle Bennet in his review of the 580 vs the 5970 and were the same views as the 5870CF dude who went to the 580 (at guru3d). Plus DX11 is a bonus.

 

[jacktesterson]

I think the 580 will be better, but NOT A LOT better.

If you can do it without spending more than $100, I'd easily do it.

 

[Arkadrel]

Itd be a side grade at best... so no.

 

[exar333]

I just bit the bullet on a new Dell 3011 to replace my aging 24-inch monitor. I'm thinking that my 2 GTX 275s in SLI may not be up to the challenge of running at 2560 x 1600. The question is, will a single GTX 580 deliver better performance than my current SLI setup at that resolution?

I haven't seen any reviews that make the comparison. I'm mostly playing FPS games, if it makes any difference.

And yes, I could always go with a cheaper card and buy two right now, but I've always gone with the top NVIDIA card plus a second one a few months later for SLI as an upgrade path.

Thoughts?

If you unload your GTX 275s for a decent price, it will be an OK updgrade. Personally, going for a SLI GTX 560/570 or CF 6950/5970 (when they are out) would probably be more of an upgrade.

 

[Vette73]

How about 2 GTX460 (1gig models) in SLI? They perform better then 2 GTX285 in SLI. Also performs better then a single 580 at 1920X1200.

 

[toyota]

How about 2 GTX460 (1gig models) in SLI? They perform better then 2 GTX285 in SLI. Also performs better then a single 580 at 1920X1200.

at 2560, 1gb of vram would not be enough for some games. and although a much better bang for buck, and I doubt gtx460 sli consistently outperforms a gtx580.

 

[Vette73]

at 2560, 1gb of vram would not be enough for some games. and although a much better bang for buck, and I doubt gtx460 sli consistently outperforms a gtx580.

GTX460 in sli performs better then a single gtx580 per Anandtech review at 1920X1200
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4008/nvidias-geforce-gtx-580/14

They did not have the 460sli in the higher res.
That and 460sli will perform better then 2 275's with 896mb.

 

[JAG87]

at 2560, 1gb of vram would not be enough for some games. and although a much better bang for buck, and I doubt gtx460 sli consistently outperforms a gtx580.

He's right. The VRAM on the 580 will help a lot at his resolution.

And even in non-vram bottleneck situations, he should see quite an improvement, along with having DX11 and a slew of other features that Fermi offers over GT200. Overall it's a worthwhile upgrade if he sells his old cards.

 

[darckhart]

OP says what he does is grab the top card, and then sli it later. the only prob i see with this at the new res is that the need for the sli will come MUCH sooner rather than later.

regardless, once the monitor is purchased and put in the system, fps games with all eye candy and AA will mean the gtx275 sli is not going to cut it.

 

[Vette73]

Just remembered. I thought the GTX570 is coming out in the next couple weeks? Maybe wait for that?
I think it will have 1.3gig of memory if rumor is right.

Supposed to perform like the current 480 but run cooler and less power.

 

[Rifter]

I would wait for a month or so if i was you, the 570 should be out then and the new ATI 69xx series should be out. Its not like your 2 275's are slow you can afford to wait a bit and see what the new ATI cards offer and how they are priced.

Edited to add, arnt the 69xx series supposed to have 2GB vram? that would be much better at high res and ATI seems to lead in the res above 1080p in most benchmarks.

 

[Woofmeister]

Good advice all thanks. Sounds like I should wait for the higher VRAM cards at this point since extra RAM is so crucial at that resolution.

 

[tweakboy]

Wait a bit my friend, you have a good setup right now. Man even with a 8800 GT you can get away with playing all these games @ 1920 AF 16x high detail BlackOps and its smooth. soo I cant imagine what 2 x 275 would do,, nor a 480 or 580. but seriously wait it out dont jump on the 580 yet. Let prices come down let some action take place then maybe you can pull the trigger and sell your 2 x 275's on ebay.. good luck,,

 

[RaistlinZ]

Could you sell one of your 275's and just keep the other one as a PhysX card?

 

[SniperWulf]

Actually, I think you will be surprised at how well the 275s will do on a 30". They hold their own decently well. Either way, I would definately hold out a bit before I bought anything

 

[Woofmeister]

Could you sell one of your 275's and just keep the other one as a PhysX card?

I thought of that but 275 for PhysX is overkill I think.

 

[Rifter]

I thought of that but 275 for PhysX is overkill I think.

not if you are going to go with something crazy like a 580 for a main GPU it isnt

 

[Attic]

at 2560, 1gb of vram would not be enough for some games. and although a much better bang for buck, and I doubt gtx460 sli consistently outperforms a gtx580.

This.

HardOcp recently did a review of the 5970 vs the 580 and the 1gb Vram limit per gpu on hte 5970 made the 580 the undoubted choice for gaming at 2560x1600. Single GPU solution also didn't have any pitfuls of inconsistent performance that dual GPU's/cards suffer from.


Do the upgrade, 100%.

 

[SHAQ]

I would do it. If you OC it to 900 core it will be noticeably faster than your current setup. I thought about selling my 470's and getting one although it would be slower and much quieter, but I would miss out on SLI AA so I decided against it.

 

[Woofmeister]

Just to report back. Got my Dell U3011 up and running today. (jaw dropping) I just finished a round of Battlefield Bad Company 2 and I got a very nice playable frame rate in the 40s and 50s FPS at 2560x1600. I did have to turn down some eye candy, but I'm still really enjoying the huge views.

I'm definitely going to wait and recharge the wallet before making my gfx upgrade.

 

[EliteRetard]

I cant find a wallet recharging station here, where do you go to get yours juiced up?

 

[Jdawg84]

I'd add a 3rd 275 for TRI