SNB 2600K, which Video Card? SLI?

neepster

Junior Member
Apr 28, 2011
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All,

I'm planning on building a Sandybridge 2600K and will be playing a fair number of FPS type games (as well as Civ5). My FPS games are things like Borderlands, Oblivion, Fallout3, Battlefield 2 and Bad company 2, MW2, etc.

I want to spend about $500+/-$50 on video card(s) for this box and I want the stuff I play to be GLASS SMOOTH at max everything. Note that I have only 1 monitor (24" Viewsonic at 1920x1080).

Wondering if it makes more sense to do SLI with 2 GTX 560 Ti or get something like a EVGA SuperClocked 015-P3-1582-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB?

A bit worried about this 'microstuttering' stuff I've heard people talking about with SLI.

Incidentally I'm not a big fan of ATI/AMD since I had bad experiences with their drivers in the past, but...

Any recommendations?
 

happy medium

Lifer
Jun 8, 2003
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Mopetar

Diamond Member
Jan 31, 2011
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I'd go with a 580 just because a single card solution is easier to deal with and if you want to tack on more performance down the road, you always have the option of adding another card.

If you want the most bang for you buck, unlock and crossfire a pair of 6950's. Even without unlocking them, they'll still outperform a single 580. Tri-fire has been showing good performance so it does leave an upgrade path.

Either way, you'll get good performance.
 

alcoholbob

Diamond Member
May 24, 2005
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All the games you listed are last gen or even two generations behind. Even a 6970 or GTX 570 would max all of those games.
 

neepster

Junior Member
Apr 28, 2011
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Thanks for all the input and the welcome. After some further thought, I think I'm gonna go with the 580, both to reduce my power bill (figured the SLI configuration would cost me $200/year more in power) and to allow for the possibility of a 580 SLI later.

Thanks!
 

alcoholbob

Diamond Member
May 24, 2005
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If you really want power savings you should just drop $300 or $400 on a cheap laptop or one of those little dell boxes with laptop components as a backup...

A high end gaming PC for a few hours a day is going to cost you > $500 a year in power bills, more if you are one of those hardcore gaming types...

I have a laptop I hook up to the monitor if I'm just doing productivity work or just surfing. Otherwise it's kind of like driving a Ferrari to the supermarket and day-to-day stuff, you are burning fuel at an insane rate...
 

tweakboy

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2010
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www.hammiestudios.com
If it was me, definitely SLI GTX560 Ti than a 580. Much better performance: check this review

http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-560-ti-sli-review/9

I use GTX285 SLI and don't have any micro-stuttering issues.

NICE findings.

For less dollars you can SLI 560 and that rig will scream!! especially if you have overclocked properly,, like my sig says.. gl

580 is 500 dollars,, no need for that right now,, CPU are ahead of games right now, so it will fly, things will be fast. gg
 

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
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A high end gaming PC for a few hours a day is going to cost you > $500 a year in power bills, more if you are one of those hardcore gaming types...


thats 60 dollars per month..

2 dollars per day.. roughly $0.12 / KWHR.

ummm

your very close in your estimate... lol...
 

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
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Some places are more expensive than $0.12...lol...

yeah i know... but i was actually suprised how close you got to the average.. lol..
You almost nailed it for me in Los Angeles.

oh if it means anything my system's watercooling alone probably draws more then what most people who replied here would have during a idle session on there entire system. lol..

6 pumps @ 18-20W each with close to 14 fans... adds up for just idling.
 
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Gulkorr

Member
Feb 13, 2009
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I would say get the 560ti's they would crush anything out there, but if you wanna go a step further, you could get 2 570's

Tweakboy is right, i have a core i7@4ghz and 470's in sli and they steam-roll anything no slowdowns or anything. and i am on a single 24" 1920x1080P
 

neepster

Junior Member
Apr 28, 2011
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So none of you notice any microstuttering with your SLI set ups? Was that something that only existed for the first few gens of SLI?

Thanks for all the good inputs.
 

Gulkorr

Member
Feb 13, 2009
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i do in bfbc2 a little only when a tank is close to me and i am in a tank.other then that its smooth as slik. this is my sli setup to. and it was easy as 1-2-3. other then i feel like i am running a nukeclear power planet lol.
 

SickBeast

Lifer
Jul 21, 2000
14,377
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81
My GTX 460s that cost a total of $220 can dance with a GTX 580 provided that you don't game at 2560x1600. They consume less power at idle and they enable multi monitor gaming as well.
 

alcoholbob

Diamond Member
May 24, 2005
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So none of you notice any microstuttering with your SLI set ups? Was that something that only existed for the first few gens of SLI?

Thanks for all the good inputs.

The thing is, let's say 30fps on SLI is not as smooth as 30fps single card.

Well the settings that would lead to 30fps on SLI would result in probably 17 fps on a single card...so in other words, it would still be more playable, since 16-17 on a single card would be a continuous stutter fest.
 

SickBeast

Lifer
Jul 21, 2000
14,377
19
81
Here are the pros and cons as I see them:

GTX 460 SLI advantages:

- $200 to $300 cheaper
- considerably lower idle temperatures and power consumption
- multi monitor gaming support

GTX 580 advantages:

- no microstuttering
- no SLI profiles needed
- slightly less power consumption and heat under full load
- does not require an additional PCI-E slot
- gives you the option for GTX 580 SLI if you want something uber high-end

I personally find the GTX 460 SLI setup far more attractive, everything considered.
 
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nOOky

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2004
3,222
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Probably at your 1080p resolution a single GTX580 would be more than enough to give you a great gameplay experience. In your case I'd skip SLI and choose a single card.
 

Madcatatlas

Golden Member
Feb 22, 2010
1,155
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=

For 500$ the best setup you can get is two 6950s unlocked as 6970s.
Crossfire also has superior scaling for 2 and 3 cards, i havent seen too many 4 card reviews to make an "educated" statement about that.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-555-_-Product

this card from MSI for example at 250 after rebates.



Check this topic for 6950s unlock rate:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1572460


Make sure they are referance designs. I have no clue if the card i linked is referance or not.

Shop around btw, you may find even cheaper 6950s, making them an even better buy.
 

tijag

Member
Apr 7, 2005
83
1
71
For performance I second Madcat.

2x 6950's will crush a 580, especially when unlocked.

Unless you A) are vehmently opposed to Crossfire/SLI and B) you need CUDA/PhysX, then the CF 6950's are a much much better value.

If I was going to drop that much money on my videocards, there's no way I would get 1 580 instead of 2 6950's.
 

tijag

Member
Apr 7, 2005
83
1
71
I would say get the 560ti's they would crush anything out there, but if you wanna go a step further, you could get 2 570's

Tweakboy is right, i have a core i7@4ghz and 470's in sli and they steam-roll anything no slowdowns or anything. and i am on a single 24" 1920x1080P

I'm certainly not trying to troll you or this thread, but why do people seem to give the size of the monitor when they are saying the resolution games run at. Whether your monitor is 19" or 27", if the resolution is 1920x1080p then the videocard will perform identically.
 
May 13, 2009
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Glass smooth?, then you don't want to sli cards , I'd go for a gtx580 lightning or a Gigabyte gtx580 Super Overclock @ 855 core and triple fan design.

Personally, I'd get the Gigabyte SOC @ 855 core, thats some serious performance.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-379-_-Product

edit: and welcome to our forums bud.:thumbsup:
855mhz on the core seems average? I would think most could do that with a slight voltage bump. If 855 is a good overclock mine must be a golden chip.