GTX 590 vs. GTX 570 SLI vs. GTX 580 + GT 430

Nogram

Junior Member
Apr 22, 2011
14
0
0
Situation:

1. AMD / ATI, have used them for years and it is time for a change.

2. Going to be running 3 x 30" monitors. Mostly for Excel / Access / Web / Watching Video. Some gaming (but when I do game I like to to look good).

3. When gaming it will only be on one (middle Monitor).

4. In order of importance...

Noise > Ease of use > Performance > Price

5. I THINK that noise and performance should be fairly equivalent across all solutions, so I am not including them in the pro's & cons.

6. Motherboard - P8P67 Deluxe

Options:

1. GTX 590 - $750

- plug all three into one card

Pros:
- seems like the easiest solution

Cons:
- Hard to find


2. GTX 570 SLI - $700

- Plug two monitors into one card, and third monitor into second card.

Pros:
- Easy to find

Cons:
- Takes up lots of MB space (not that I would use it for something else, just limits airflow).
-

3. GTX 580 + Other - $650

- Plug two monitors into GTX 580 and a side monitor into the other card.

Pros:
- Don't lose performance on non-sli games.
- Easy to find

Cons:
- Takes up lots of MB space (not that I would use it for something else, just limits airflow). (Would likely get the Asus Direct CU model with the triple slot cooler.)


Ok here is the main question.

In all scenarios if I want to go from doing some 'work' to playing a game, on the center monitor. The situation becomes a bit more complicated (I THINK).

GTX 590 - I would go into the windows display manager and tell it to stop extending the windows desktop to the side monitors. This should ensure max horsepower to the center monitor.

GTX 570 SLI - I would have to enable SLI (Does this require a reboot?), to the main monitor (have the two side monitors on a separate card), and this should black out the side monitors with all the juice going to the main monitor.

GTX 580 - I THINK this is similar to the 590 where you would disable the extending of the windows desktop to the side monitors.

(Again I am not sure exactly how this would work, but this is what I am thinking).

Now the last thing...would a scenario with 6950's in Crossfire be identical to the situation with the GTX 570's in SLI (Does turning on Crossfire require a reboot?)? I am a bit leary of the 6950's due to noise but the Asus Direct CU models seem to be pretty quiet. The challenge would be fitting two of them onto a ASUS P8P67 Deluxe motherboard in a Corsair 600T Case.

Thanks for the advice.

Nogram
 

dust

Golden Member
Oct 13, 2008
1,328
2
71
U can turn Crossfire on/off at any time except while running any 3D application. Probably the same is with SLI.

If you're going to use only one monitor of the three for gaming, I'd recommend SLI 570/ CF 6950.

Edit: For using all three monitors for gaming, definitely cf 6950.
 

Arkadrel

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2010
3,681
2
0
2. GTX 570 SLI - $700

Is the best option, more value than 590, and sooo much more performance than a single 580 for not much more cost.


Alternative with equal ish performance:
6950 2GB reference versions + flash to 6970's. - $480


If you want to spend 220$ extra for the same performance, but to have Nvidia, thats op to you.
But its a option worth mentioning.
 

Skurge

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2009
5,195
1
71
Some gaming?

I say get the 580+other. It will be the most silent, but the slowest.

If gaming is important, Then 570 SLI.

Above poster, he did mention he wanted a change from AMD.