Depending on this setup, do I want to get myself into sli?

[computerbuildin]

So many people say SLi is a mess, drivers and all and something always fails. I currently have a single EVGA GTX 560 SC, with 2 Asus VH236H 23" monitors. They are both running off DVI. My later plan is to buy a 2nd card that is exactly the same. Im going to put them in dual sli. And add a 3rd monitor, same exact model. If it makes a difference there would be 2 monitors plugged into the primary card, and the 3rd monitor into the secondary card, all 3 monitors off of DVI. Im going to make a single resolution, to span across all 3 monitors and play games in surround. So, is there anybody who wants to persuade me out of this, or tell me that its still a good idea, whatever comments I can get on this. Because I see so many mixed comments, im wondering if I should go sli, or get something like a GTX 660 FTW, my other planned card if this wont work out. It does turn out though the GTX 560's performance in sli is crazy.

 

[Tweak155]

Bad idea. I can't see 2x560 running 3 monitors very well, especially not for very long.

I'd recommend starting off with at least a single 3gb card (7950 / 7970).

I'd Recommend the Nvidia 670 or 680 4gb but their bus is too limited to take advantage of the 4gb.

 

[notty22]

If you know, going in the limitations and whether the return on the cost of a another gtx560 is worth it, VS upgrading to one card that alone can run surround.

With the resolution, you need to drop certain settings and probably NO AA in most games. This fellow did it with gtx 260SLI.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1q-ktiY3fE

So it's doable. In both cases, to maintain good fps , with surround resolutions , you have to drop settings.
With SLI, it's goods to have the open slot between dual slot cards, to keep things running coolish. Your set in the PSU area, it seems.

gtx 590 dual gpu card.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhHaGxseOEw

​

Nvidia GTX260 Surround Warcraft.wmv - YouTube

 

[computerbuildin]

Yeah, I completely forgot, ive seen someone do it with dual sli gtx 460's too. Im not sure how high the settings were, but they were pretty good. If in my case I wanted max settings surround on 3 monitors, should I sli, or get one of these. And on another note, if I cant have full ultra, then oh well, ill drop some settings. However keep games like BF3 and power hungry games out of mind, im talking would something like world of warcraft or around there in graphics run on ultra with 1 of these or sli.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130812
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130834
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150588
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130817

 

[notty22]

I like the Asus cards. Keep in mind, what inputs you will have to use. Save some headaches. With Nvidia , identical monitors is the way to go. They have to be same AR, resolution and refresh regardless.

 

[computerbuildin]

Also an odd question, why are all the nvidia cards saying the memory clock is like 6000+MHz yet the amd cards are about 1000 mhz? And dont worry about the monitors, they are going to be exactly identical.

 

[Tweak155]

The 660ti 3gb might not be a bad choice. Didn't even realize they had that. But if you can get a 256bit version instead of 192bit, you'd be better off.

 

[computerbuildin]

What exactly do you think would be good enough in memory size? it sounds like I should stick to trying to find 3GB cards here, but if that 192-bit passes as good enough for 3 monitors on ultra, then whatever works.

 

[Tweak155]

What exactly do you think would be good enough in memory size? it sounds like I should stick to trying to find 3GB cards here, but if that 192-bit passes as good enough for 3 monitors on ultra, then whatever works.

I think if I was in the same situation, I'd be concerned 256bit would be too low. No way I'd shoot for 192 bit.

It really helps set the "limit" of how much VRam you can address. With that resolution, you'll be hitting the 2gb mark pretty easy, and likely the 3gb mark in the near future.

 

[notty22]

It's not representative of final performance to look at a specific hardware spec. and conclude that alone makes a certain gpu superior.
In the last generation of cards, GTX 5xx had 384 bus and Gddr5 memory VS AMD's best model's, 69xx, 256mb bus and GDDR5. Did that mean, Fermi, had xx%(memory bandwidth increase) faster gaming performance. NO, it did not.

 

[computerbuildin]

Mmmm, yeah this does put me in a weird situation, because of how many cards im limited to. In this 256-bit case, id want to go with the 384- bit XFX I linked. Id hate to go with an amd one though because ive never owned anything amd-graphics card related in my life, and I dont even know if that card could do triple monitor, with a single resolution setup. Im at a dead end here for cards. I will take an amd card though, but it has to be able to do surround gaming, on 3 23" monitors

 

[notty22]

The AMD cards can do that. One monitor has to use a display port dongle. Staying at 1080p allows you to use display port to vga/ or hdmi passive? I believe to go display port to DVI requires a active display port adapter. Read actual eyefinity reviews and follow their recommendations, is all I can suggest.

You can also buy a Saphire Flex edition eyefinity card. That would allow you to use, the unique DVI dongle included to run , 3 DVI' monitors.

 

[BrightCandle]

As much as I might complain about some of the problems with SLI in general it is worth having. But its only really worth it if you can't get 2x performance on a single card, which you can. At some point in the future you will find yourself only able to game on one card, and having to accept that the game may never get SLI support. If that is an OK trade off then you'll be happy enough with SLI to make it worth the while. It wont always work, it will rarely hit 2x performance and there are moments of stutter that are pretty annoying. I also don't think you'll get the great multi monitor performance you are perhaps looking for as even my machine struggles on many games at 5760x1200.

But overall if you know what you are getting into it can bring a lot of performance at a lower price.

 

[Tweak155]

It's not representative of final performance to look at a specific hardware spec. and conclude that alone makes a certain gpu superior.
In the last generation of cards, GTX 5xx had 384 bus and Gddr5 memory VS AMD's best model's, 69xx, 256mb bus and GDDR5. Did that mean, Fermi, had xx%(memory bandwidth increase) faster gaming performance. NO, it did not.

I agree. But just taking into consideration NVidia that is where my opinion comes from. They seem to need a higher bus than AMD counterparts.

Either way, I'm sure 2gb would be enough for a while on the NVidia side, but that isn't a cheap investment to only last you a year or 2.

Personal preference, not really so much a requirement. I just think the 560ti still fetches a fair price so the OP is better off selling and investing in a single card solution that will match his possible sli config. The overall money spent will be within ~$100 or less of each option.

 

[MrK6]

Multi-GPU is really only an option when there's no way else to get the performance you want/need. I think SLI/CF of mid-range cards is a novice's trap and I'm glad to see others advising against it. You really want to best single GPU you can buy, and really should only consider SLI/CF of "flagship tier" cards. I would say sell your GTX 560Ti and put the money towards the best GPU you can afford. The minimum would be a 7870, but a 7950 (or if you can find a GTX 670 for a similar price) would be better. Since you want to go multi-monitor, memory-bandwidth (which is a product of bus width and clockspeed) is very important, so don't get something like a GTX 660Ti.

 

[computerbuildin]

Forget everything, im editing this reply. Im raising my budget here and I looked around, and this looks like the card couldn't be better for me. 4GB, with 256-bit, and the clocks are great. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130824
Not only that, to me the card looks amazing, I love the looks of it.