2 amd/ati cards compared to a single gtx 580

[leea123]

Hi all i was just thinking about what two amd/ati cards u could run togeather that would be better than a single gtx 580 . I really not sure myself but i thought u guys would have a good idea . what i am thikning is , could u possibly get two cards that are less expensive than one 580 and they would perform better for games ?

 

[Gorman]

There are several combinations that might fit the bill, it would be a close thing on the price though.

You are always better off going for the single highest spec card you can afford over SLI / Crossfire as you will avoid any of the "quirks" associated with the technology.

 

[Randomthom]

Tom's Hardware have a great article up about SLI vs XFire at the moment, you can view it here. I can summarise, Crossfire has a slight edge in most games, particularly at higher resolutions.

Hope that article helps you!

 

[Gorman]

I can summarise, Crossfire has a slight edge in most games, particularly at higher resolutions.

Although this article glosses over the reality of owning a dual gpu setup quite badly.

There will be more driver issues / game compatability issues / maintainance and stability issues over a single card setup, guaranteed.

Expect to be in the mindset of "wow this game is awesome, well it will be once they patch it so i can use both cards".

 

[Randomthom]

Gorman is most likely correct, I'm no authority on dual-GPU setups having never personally owned one, I just stumbled upon that article a few short hours prior to reading the post and though it might be worth linking in here!

The general consensus appears to be to get the best single card you can afford and only go to dual-GPU if you know it'll work with what you want or if you're too flush with cash to care!

 

[MickyG]

The general consensus appears to be to get the best single card you can afford and only go to dual-GPU if you know it'll work with what you want or if you're too flush with cash to care!

If your the latter of the two (too flush with cash to care) I'm more than willing to take some off your hands

G