Should I add a third GTX 580 (1.5)? 2 in SLI is amazing, but..,

[mattdallastx]

I'm at that point where Im seriously thinking about adding a third GTX 580 to my rig. I've heard that three cards in SLI can have compatability issues with current games. So far, I've had no problems with my dual card setup, and want to keep it this way. Anyone else have a 3X 580 setup? I play SC2, Battlefield 3, Skyrim, DAO,


____________________
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(2) Western Digital Caviar Blue 500gb - striped RAID
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[Denithor]

What resolution do you run on your screen(s)?

 

[mattdallastx]

1980 x 1080 on my 42" ledtv. I dont use my monitor as much anymore, but when I do 1600 x 1200.

 

[bryanW1995]

NO, just NO

 

[RavenSEAL]

Hell yeah! MOAR GTX580s FTW!

 

[mattdallastx]

Ha, I pretty much joined this forum to ask about this. I keep hearing that it's a bad idea, but it's like i'm subconciously waiting for someone who has the setup to tell me it'a a good idea - so I can justify doing it (while only having one primary display).


____________________
COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Full Tower Computer Case
CORSAIR H70 Core High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition Gulftown 3.46GHz LGA 1366 Six-Core Desktop Processor
CORSAIR DOMINATOR GT 24GB (6 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) memory
CORSAIR Pro Series Gold AX1200 watt power supply SLI Certified 80 PLUS GOLD Certified
ASUS Rampage III Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
LG Black Blu-ray Drive
(2)EVGA SuperClocked 015-P3-1582-TR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB in SLI
Crucial 256gb SSD sata III 6gb/sec
Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5 gb sata III 6gb/sec
(2) Western Digital Caviar Blue 500gb - striped RAID
Microsoft Windows 7 Pro

 

[Via]

Add two more TVs while you're at it.

 

[RavenSEAL]

Ha, I pretty much joined this forum to ask about this. I keep hearing that it's a bad idea, but it's like i'm subconciously waiting for someone who has the setup to tell me it'a a good idea - so I can justify doing it (while only having one primary display).


____________________
COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Full Tower Computer Case
CORSAIR H70 Core High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition Gulftown 3.46GHz LGA 1366 Six-Core Desktop Processor
CORSAIR DOMINATOR GT 24GB (6 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) memory
CORSAIR Pro Series Gold AX1200 watt power supply SLI Certified 80 PLUS GOLD Certified
ASUS Rampage III Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
LG Black Blu-ray Drive
(2)EVGA SuperClocked 015-P3-1582-TR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB in SLI
Crucial 256gb SSD sata III 6gb/sec
Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5 gb sata III 6gb/sec
(2) Western Digital Caviar Blue 500gb - striped RAID
Microsoft Windows 7 Pro

(It's probably not a good idea)

 

[penske2298977]

I too was recently thinking of adding a 3rd 580.
I have had 580's sli'd x2 for the past 6 months and they absolutely rock (I game at 1080p).
However, the scaling across 3 gpu's and the occasional problems that might crop up gave me pause. The second reason is that I upgraded from quadfire with 5970 x 2 --- and that solution absolutely sucked. So it seems (at least to me) that sli x2 or crossfire x 2 is probably the best, most stable option for gaming (at 1080p) and going for a tri sli or tri/quadfire is probably only reasonable if you game on a multimonitor setup or game at higher than 1080p on a single monitor.

 

[CFP]

lol tri for 1080p when sli can already max out any game.

 

[ensign_lee]

you alreayd have massive overkill for one screen. Why do you want to overkill more?

 

[mattdallastx]

Thank's for the imput. I probably would have been better off going with 2 590's and leaving it be for a couple of years.

 

[mattdallastx]

you alreayd have massive overkill for one screen. Why do you want to overkill more?

Surely im not the only one who enjoys going overkill on upgrades...

 

[jacktesterson]

one gtx 580 with his cpu can max out most games at 1080p.... but 3?

#Wastingmoney

 

[RavenSEAL]

Surely im not the only one who enjoys going overkill on upgrades...

The 2nd card was an overkill, a third one simply breaks the laws of physics.

 

[Puppies04]

Instead of wasting money on a 3rd 580 which your setup won't use why not buy a second screen so the setup you already have can stretch its legs a little...

 

[Grooveriding]

Worthless unless you are a benchmarking enthusiast. Gaming for your resolution you''ve already got enough for anything.

Put aside an additional $1000 to go with that $400 and buy a 30" monitor.

 

[bryanW1995]

This. Honestly, you really should splurge for a high end 30" monitor or 3.

 

[mattdallastx]

I would love to own a 30" monitor, but I hate being confined to my computer desk. Wireless Battlefield 3 from my couch is pretty damn cool.

 

[toyota]

Thank's for the imput. I probably would have been better off going with 2 590's and leaving it be for a couple of years.

that makes no sense and 4 gpus for 1080 is beyond silly.

 

[mattdallastx]

that makes no sense and 4 gpus for 1080 is beyond silly.

It seems like some of you guys have forgot how to have fun when building a gaming rig. It took me 7 months to purchase all the parts for my pc. At the time, most of the parts were damn near top of the line. I wanted to build a crazy fast over the top pc, and I did. I had a blast doing it. Will I ever use it to it's full potential over the next 13 monts? No, but i'm ok with that. Just knowing that my pc has more balls than Rosie O'donnell makes my gaming exerience just that much better. But seriously.... who wouldn't want 2 590's???!!

 

[AdamK47]

Do it.

 

[superccs]

ask your gf.

 

[lavaheadache]

Instead of getting another card I think you should get rid of one. Multi Gpu is for people who want to trade smooth frame rates for higher frame rates. That single 580 is more than adequate at 1080p. Why on earth you want to trade a smooth frame rate for one with higher numbers is beyond me. While we are on that note, What good are the higher frame rates you are looking to achieve if you are limited to a 60 hz refresh rate?

Now if you were gaming on a 2560x1600 display I could see where SLI would make sense or even a 120 hz 1080p monitor.

Even with those factored in a single 580 does a good job.

 

[abaez]

Get a U3011 30". Would be slightly smaller than your current screen but look about 100000000x better, and you'd actually put your 580s to good use at 2560x1600.