SLI vs single card question

[Macgruber]

sli 2 good cards or get 1 beast card?


whats your pick for nvidia and amd?

whats the best card you can get under 200$ and what about 300$?

you think two decent 150$ cards will outrun 1 boss 300$ ?

 

[Jimzz]

Single card IMO. Some games dont work as well with CF/SLI but all games will work with just 1 card.

7850, 7870, and 7950 are good AMD

For Nivida 660ti is a decent card.

 

[Daedalus685]

I'd only SLI/crossfire when the performance you want is drastically out of your price range otherwise or does not exist in the first place.

Personally, the two $150 cards would have to out perform the single card by more than 25% for me to consider them at the same price.

 

[GprophetB]

A single Titan 780TI, Or buy my GTX 680 4gb FTW+ once i get a titan.

 

[Dankk]

I'd rather have a single, powerful card than dealing with the issues of SLI/Crossfire.

 

[scannall]

Going with the others on this. A single card is the way to go. No Crossfire/SLI headaches.

 

[moonbogg]

At this price point only a single card makes sense.

 

[dagamer34]

Not only does a single card make far more sense, but it's also better to replace one card with another card, rather than adding a card to get better performance in the future. Unless you have unlimited amount of money to spend, your dollar will go far further with periodic card changes as well.

SLI/CrossFire is really only necessary if you want to game at 2560x1600 at max settings on brand new games, and even then it can struggle.

 

[RussianSensation]

A single Titan 780TI, Or buy my GTX 680 4gb FTW+ once i get a titan.

You are selling GTX680 4GB for under $300 soon?

whats the best card you can get under 200$ and what about 300$?

1Ghz HD7870 under $200
HD7950 V2 under $300. With overclocking, HD7950 screams.

Under $300 for dual-GPUs, HD7850 1GB CFX is the best option but I wouldn't recommend it due to 1GB VRAM bottleneck on a $300 setup. Not worth it.

 

[Macgruber]

damn XFX is back around? :S i used to hate them

so how do i compare stream

Stream Processors2048 Stream Processors - ati
CUDA Cores1344 - nvidia

how would i compare them aside from memory bandwidth, pixels, and all the other stats on cards

ive never been a big ati fan, but if they are the ones making the boss cards like Intel is making i7's i have to switch over

 

[moonbogg]

damn XFX is back around? :S i used to hate them

so how do i compare stream

Stream Processors2048 Stream Processors - ati
CUDA Cores1344 - nvidia

how would i compare them aside from memory bandwidth, pixels, and all the other stats on cards

ive never been a big ati fan, but if they are the ones making the boss cards like Intel is making i7's i have to switch over

Are you actually buying a card or are you just srewing with the idea in your head? If you are actually buying a card, try to buy a 7950 or a GTX 670 (maybe used or discounted).

 

[notty22]

Today, for 180.00 dollars after rebate you could get this gtx 660.

Since others post cherry picking 1 day deals as model representative, I figure I would offer up this as a option. But I will tell you that most gtx 660's are 200-210 AR currently.



ZOTAC ZT-60901-10M GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Limited Supplies! $224.99
Your Price: $199.99
With Promo Code

EMCYTZT2918

$179.99 After $20.00 MIR

edit: Here is C3 MP beta results, the 660 2gb is quite faster than the next new Nvidia card down, the gtx 650ti.

Also, it's probably very playable at higher fps with a couple dropped option settings.

 

[Macgruber]

edit - ehh , no rush , its a 20$ mail in rebate :/ was still nice you linked me that card apparently it has 1000 more cuda cores than mine lol

 

[RussianSensation]

edit - ehh , no rush , its a 20$ mail in rebate :/ was still nice you linked me that card apparently it has 1000 more cuda cores than mine lol

You don't need to compare them on paper theoretically. It's only going to confuse you. Just use this chart or check for benchmarks of the game(s) you want to play. Keep in mind the charts notty22 linked have an 800mhz HD7950. For $280-290 you can get 925mhz versions (HD7950 V2 editions) that are 1% behind a GTX670 and they already ship with free coupon for Crysis 3. So it's like buying a GTX670 level of performance for $280 - the price of Crysis 3.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_7950_X2_Boost/28.html

 

[Macgruber]

You don't need to compare them on paper theoretically. It's only going to confuse you. Just use this chart or check for benchmarks of the game(s) you want to play. Keep in mind the charts notty22 linked have an 800mhz HD7950. For $280-290 you can get 925mhz versions (HD7950 V2 editions) that are 1% behind a GTX670 and they already ship with free coupon for Crysis 3. So it's like buying a GTX670 level of performance for $280 - the price of Crysis 3.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_7950_X2_Boost/28.html

i hear you, i just wanted to have an idea when trying to compare cards by core/memory/shader/bandwidth

i dont like making blind purchases
i can compare ati vs ati and nvidia vs ati, but i dont like using benchmark tests to compare the two seperate
seems like im going to have to spend 200$ to get a decent card, or 300$ for a really good one

i payed 150$ for mine about 7months ago when it was "good" and now its outperformed 10x by the cards now for 150$ so i want to buy a card that will be relevant in my pc for a while

 

[RussianSensation]

i dont like making blind purchases
i can compare ati vs ati and nvidia vs ati, but i dont like using benchmark tests to compare the two seperate

Actually this is a very dangerous practice comparing theoreticals alone without understanding the architectures. I'll show you why:

HD6970 vs. HD7970.
Both have 32 ROPs, the latter only has a 5% GPU clock speed advantage.

Theoretical pixel fillrates:
HD6970 = 28160 MPixels/sec
HD7970 = 29600 MPixels/sec (+5%)

In the real world, HD7970 has 51% more pixel fillrate due to how the architecture is improved.

Let's say if you wanted to compare their Shader performance:

HD6970 = 2703.36 GFLOPS
HD7950 925mhz = 3315.2 GFLOPS (+23%)
HD7970 = 3788.8 GFLOPS (+40%)

Real world:

HD7950 V2 is 58% faster
HD7970 is 65% faster

HD7950 V2 is 67% faster
HD7970 is 78% faster

Don't make things more difficult. Just look at gaming benchmarks.

 

[moonbogg]

ofc you tell me ot buy the top cards made by both leading nvidia and ati, yet you cant even provide me your opinion on which one is bettero rwhy lol.

7950 is considered the best value right now and if you like Nvidia then the 670 is a good choice. If you go below those cards, you might end up wishing you had more performance. I am speaking from experience as I have two 670's and I have read many benchmarks. The only way to judge what card is right for you is to look at the features, benchmarks and the price of each.
I consider the 670 better for ME because I enjoy 3D and I like having physx. What is better for you can only be decided by you.
Also, I did not suggest the top cards.

 

[Macgruber]

Actually this is a very dangerous practice comparing theoreticals alone without understanding the architectures. I'll show you why:

HD6970 vs. HD7970.
Both have 32 ROPs, the latter only has a 5% GPU clock speed advantage.

Theoretical pixel fillrates:
HD6970 = 28160 MPixels/sec
HD7970 = 29600 MPixels/sec (+5%)

In the real world, HD7970 has 51% more pixel fillrate due to how the architecture is improved.

Let's say if you wanted to compare their Shader performance:

HD6970 = 2703.36 GFLOPS
HD7950 925mhz = 3315.2 GFLOPS (+23%)
HD7970 = 3788.8 GFLOPS (+40%)

Real world:

HD7950 V2 is 58% faster
HD7970 is 65% faster

HD7950 V2 is 67% faster
HD7970 is 78% faster

Don't make things more difficult. Just look at gaming benchmarks.

where can i find more info like this? is it generated by what cards you pick or just premade?

 

[RussianSensation]

where can i find more info like this? is it generated by what cards you pick or just premade?

No I just pulled real world gaming examples I was aware that do not align with theoretical specs to show you that if you start comparing specs on paper, it may lead you to misleading conclusions. You can browse various GPU specs here. There is little point in comparing AMD vs. NV cards on paper for you. HD7970GE has superior shading power and memory bandwidth but in the real world it doesn't have major advantage over GTX680 relative to the specs (unless the games use DirectCompute where GCN's architecture comes into play in games like Sleeping Dogs, Dirt Showdown, Sniper Elite V2, Hitman Absolution). Your best bet is to compare cards in benchmarks based on their prices. Also, if overclocking matters to you, this is something you may want to look at. Generally speaking, on the hardware side, HD7000 series is more powerful than GTX600 but the biggest differences show up only when you start comparing them on price at which point NV's cards get blow away in price/performance at current market rates. In the sub-$300 range, NV has nothing that can touch an HD7950 OC.

The 3 cards that are in the $300-range (with GTX670 on sale for $299 sometimes) are all compared in this review head-to-head max overclocked. This is from the summer before AMD's drivers boosted performance in Battlefield 3 20-25% and average performance went up 7% for the entire HD7000 line after Catalyst 12.11 was introduced late last year.

Just check recent reviews to see what's what for GTX660Ti/7950/GTX670:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_7950_X2_Boost/
http://www.legionhardware.com/artic...hz_edition_7950_iceq_xsup2_boost_clock,1.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/GTX_670_FTW_Signature_2/
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/his-iceq-x2-7970-7950-7850.html

Best Graphics Nvidia vs. AMD Current-Gen Comparison
http://www.techspot.com/review/603-best-graphics-cards/

If you want to spend less, you are looking at HD7850-7870-GTX660:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/02/11/galaxy_gtx_660_gc_video_card_review/1

HD7950 is the only sub-$300 card that can overclock to beat GTX680/HD7970GE. GTX660Ti/HD7870 cannot do this. Part of that is because HD7950 retains the full 32 ROPs, 384-bit memory bus of the HD7970. This is why if you overclock the 7950, it basically surpasses flagships.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_7950_X2_Boost/31.html

If overclocking is not for you, try to find a GTX670 for $299, or maybe grab a GTX660Ti and add a 2nd one later down the line when prices drop. Also keep in mind HD7800/7900 series have free game bundles including Crysis 3/Bioshock Infinite (HD7900 series) and Bioshock/Tomb Raider (HD7800 series) while NV cards have a free to play game credits bundle for Hawken, World of Tanks and Planetside 2.

 

[Eureka]

Before RussianSensation implodes from comparing AMD and Nvidia cards all day, are you actually going to buy a card? What are you going to do with it (what games, what monitor(s))?

You said you bought a card from last gen? What card do you have? You should realize that unless you're willing to go all the way to get a top end card (7950/670), the difference isn't massive going from last gen to this gen. A higher end card last gen is a mid-range card now (570 ~ 6970 ~ 7870 ~ 660), being slightly generous. The difference won't be "10x", and unless you're actually needing the upgrade, you may not even see the difference going from say, a 6950 to a 7950.

 

[Macgruber]

TY so much for that site, good to compare with on all the other stats

i was focusing too much on the cuda cores and the other one trying to compare them which is almost impossible eh

you think that radeon 7770 or 7750 are complete trash?

i dont want to make the same mistake of paying 150$ for a card thats "decent" right now and becomes trash in few months like i did with the gtx 550 ti, it WAS good.. now its terrible

 

[Macgruber]

Before RussianSensation implodes from comparing AMD and Nvidia cards all day, are you actually going to buy a card? What are you going to do with it (what games, what monitor(s))?

You said you bought a card from last gen? What card do you have? You should realize that unless you're willing to go all the way to get a top end card (7950/670), the difference isn't massive going from last gen to this gen. A higher end card last gen is a mid-range card now (570 ~ 6970 ~ 7870 ~ 660), being slightly generous. The difference won't be "10x", and unless you're actually needing the upgrade, you may not even see the difference going from say, a 6950 to a 7950.

please read my previous posts before you make

i've spent over $1000 on buying and returning comp stuff this month, im all eyes and ears to information, but i dont like $0.02 from negative unconstructive criticism

thinks ive bought this month
Coolermaster 932
corsair h100
razer blackwidow
gskill trident x
thermtaltake level 10 gt lcs
the list goes on
so yeah if you have links or information, feel free to post, but if youre going to question how i spend my money or if i spend my money.. feel free to post what college you earned a degree at, what company you work for, and your credit score
dont come questioning how or if ill spend my money when youre not the one spending it.





thanks for the links russian, ignore that dbag troll please

 

[Macgruber]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500277

for that price, is there an ATI that poops on that card? or is it good for the price, or is it not worth the 2gb vs 1gb version of the card and save $130?

im on evga gtf 550 ti OC version and obviously anything is an upgrade, but i need something that will last more than a year

 

[moonbogg]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500277

for that price, is there an ATI that poops on that card? or is it good for the price, or is it not worth the 2gb vs 1gb version of the card and save $130?

im on evga gtf 550 ti OC version and obviously anything is an upgrade, but i need something that will last more than a year

Hey Gruber, I'm not sure if you are going to be buying a card or not (I doubt you'll buy one since you're just trolling hard) but incase you do I think the EVGA 670 FTW would make you very happy. It has a nice extended PCB like the 680 and it comes with a nice sticker. I got two of those and they are great.

 

[Eureka]

please read my previous posts before you make

i've spent over $1000 on buying and returning comp stuff this month, im all eyes and ears to information, but i dont like $0.02 from negative unconstructive criticism

thinks ive bought this month
Coolermaster 932
corsair h100
razer blackwidow
gskill trident x
thermtaltake level 10 gt lcs
the list goes on
so yeah if you have links or information, feel free to post, but if youre going to question how i spend my money or if i spend my money.. feel free to post what college you earned a degree at, what company you work for, and your credit score
dont come questioning how or if ill spend my money when youre not the one spending it.





thanks for the links russian, ignore that dbag troll please

I asked you what you are going to do with the card, and what your setup is. I think it would be helpful for us to know to recommend you a card. We can list cards all day for you, but until you tell us we're just reading off a list. I didn't give you any unconstructive criticism, I gave you the truth, that there is no 10x jump. Where did I troll you?

For example, if you tell us you have a 720p monitor and you're going to play SC2 and nothing else, there is no reason to upgrade from a 550 Ti.

Because once again, you just ignored all of Russian's talk about 7950s and 670s, and listed a 650 Ti, which is barely an upgrade over a 550 Ti (you might as well keep it in that situation).

What does last more than a year mean to you? My 4890, from 3 years ago, is still running to this day, and I paid $180 back then for it. Price means nothing compared to actual use, and you need to get over that.