GTX-580 Tri-SLI or Wait for ATi 6990 Crossfire?

[Baasha]

Guys,

I'm about to pull the trigger on getting 3 GTX-580s for my system. Currently, I'm running the GTX-295 which runs all my stuff fine but I want to do SLI and get the best graphics performance out there.

Would you recommend jumping in now or waiting for the AMD ATi 6990 and do Tri-CrossFire with that?

I haven't had an ATi card since the old X1900XTX some 4 years ago. I really like NVidia but I'm no fanboi so I can swing both ways as far as GPUs are concerned.

What are your suggestions?

Thanks.

Oh, btw, my GTX 295 is for sale ()


No FS/FT stuff please, not even the () kind...

Moderator Idontcare

 

[OCGuy]

3 GPUs dont scale very well, 4 is abysmal. Stick with 3.

I would do 3X 570s to be honest.

I would also remove your sale link before a video-mod gives you a light spanking.

 

[busydude]

Just wait for 1 more day.

Edit: 6990 is slated for release in Q1 2011.. I guess you would have to wait for some more time to get hands on Antilles.

 

[Baasha]

3 GPUs dont scale very well, 4 is abysmal. Stick with 3.

I would do 3X 570s to be honest.

I would also remove your sale link before a video-mod gives you a light spanking.

removed link.. thanks for that..

No, I want the best of the best. 580 SLI, espeically Tri-SLI demolishes everything out there right now.. my only concern is whether the 6990 is going to bend Nvidia over..

 

[Baasha]

Just wait for 1 more day.

hmmm... hmmmmmmmmmm.... hmmmmmmmm...

I shall wait then!

 

[OCGuy]

removed link.. thanks for that..

No, I want the best of the best. 580 SLI, espeically Tri-SLI demolishes everything out there right now.. my only concern is whether the 6990 is going to bend Nvidia over..

What resolution do you run?

 

[Baasha]

What resolution do you run?

2560x1600 on a Dell U3011... I have a 2nd Samsung T260 for multitasking but my core activities (gaming/video/picture editing etc.) are on the Dell.

 

[OCGuy]

2560x1600 on a Dell U3011... I have a 2nd Samsung T260 for multitasking but my core activities (gaming/video/picture editing etc.) are on the Dell.

Well lucky for you, you only have to wait hours to find out what is best for you.

 

[MentalIlness]

Yes, Wait till the new AMD cards come in a matter of hours. 580's are going to be really expensive, and I'd be willing to bet that the 6970 Crossfire is going to be pretty damn good. And cheaper. Hold off another day or two.

 

[Baasha]

sweet! Hopefully there'll be some good reviews for the 6990 soon.

 

[MentalIlness]

sweet! Hopefully there'll be some good reviews for the 6990 soon.

I thought the 6990 is the dual-gpu card. And isn't being launched till January ?

 

[biostud]

6990 will probably have the same scores as 6950 CF

 

[Arkadrel]

When you get that many high end cards... its for high res, multi screen setups when gameing.

the 69xx cards will come with 2gb of memory... that ll play a role when your gameing at the 5000x resolutions. I cant remember what advantages there are to AMD vs Nvidia with multi screen setups, but its more than just 1 card can do it vs 2 or more from nvidia.

Safer bet for that kinda gameing is amd cards currently (69xx cards still arnt out though, have to wait a day or two).

 

[WorldExclusive]

After being forced to use the 10.4 drivers until 10.9 with the 5970, I wouldn't buy another dual AMD card.
Three GTX 570s are better. The third GTX 580 will be bottlenecked.

Crossfire drivers and profiles are no good. A Hotfix Party.

 

[Wreckage]

I vote start with 2 580's and see if you even need the 3rd.

 

[Baasha]

I vote start with 2 580's and see if you even need the 3rd.

That's a good strategy. Except, what about the 6990? Isn't that supposed to be significantly better than the 580?

 

[busydude]

That's a good strategy. Except, what about the 6990? Isn't that supposed to be significantly better than the 580?

6990 is going to be released in Q1 2011... and 6970/6950 are going to be released at midnight. You can get an idea how they scale in a few hours.

 

[SolMiester]

The reviews i saw show 2 x 580 (2 GPU) better than 2 x 5970 (4 GPU)...3 GPUs and more show diminishing returns...therefore if i were you Id start with either 2 x 580 or 2 x 6970!

 

[Wreckage]

That's a good strategy. Except, what about the 6990? Isn't that supposed to be significantly better than the 580?

Well it's a dual chip card and NVIDIA is supposed to have a 595 (dual chip) out as well. But that's sometime next year.

Here's what [H] had to say about the 580 vs the 5970
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/11/14/geforce_gtx_580_vs_radeon_hd_5970_2gb_performance/3

The HD 5970 delivers faster gaming framerates compared to the GeForce GT 580. However, if you look at the actual usability of those frame the picture is a bit different. The GeForce GTX 580 allows a consistently higher level of the gameplay experience compared to the Radeon HD 5970. We were able to game at higher settings with the GTX 580 than we were with the Radeon HD 5970. The most important factor, beyond framerates, is the visual quality and experience returned by the product. The GeForce GTX 580 allows a more immersive, smoother, and consistent quality of gameplay.

 

[SlowSpyder]

A GTX580 is more powerful than a single GTX295. A 6970 will likely be as well. I would start with two of whatever it is you choose, add another if the performance isn't where you'd like it to be. Even if you want to stick with Nvidia, at the very least the GeForce prices might drop over the next few days, so wait for the AMD launch. Just my $.02.