560Ti vs 550Ti x 2 SLI

[wayneepalmer]

I'm trying to sneak a GPU upgrade past the wife so my budget is pretty limited.

These days it seems I could get either option at Newegg for about the same price.

Which is preferable?

 

[amirp]

560ti hands down is the better option, and I am sure everybody here will agree, it should have better or similar performance than two 550ti's and none of the issues (like micro-stuttering).

reading this article will show the problems with dual graphics setups with low-mid range cards: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html

here is a quote from the conclusions; "Cards like the GeForce GTX 550 Ti seem to be wasted on a SLI setup for this reason alone, achieving decent frame rates in the charts and nasty micro-stuttering in the real world."

 

[wayneepalmer]

Hmmm .... I learn something new every day, thanks amirp.

 

[HMRkingpin]

If you want to risk buying used ( I haven't been burned yet doing so ), You might be able to score two 560's for the price of one. Maybe even a 570 for the price of a 560ti.

 

[purple stain]

Always buy the more powerful single card.When you feel you'd like more performance just add another GTX560ti when you have the money.

 

[amirp]

yea I am pretty angry that I bought a 6850 myself with the idea that I would be crossfiring it soon... it's a good card, but the article shows that when crossfired there will be problems with microstuttering.... something none of the tom's monthly "best graphics cards of the month" recommendations, or any other benchmarks on the net had stated beforehand....kinda misleading, what I have learned is that average fps tells only half the story for the play-ability of a game. Minimum fps, and the variance (fluctuations) in the fps are equally important. Low minimums and large fluctuations make a game frustrating to play.

Lesson... always buy the more powerful single card you can afford.

 

[yeti186]

yea I am pretty angry that I bought a 6850 myself with the idea that I would be crossfiring it soon... it's a good card, but the article shows that when crossfired there will be problems with microstuttering.... something none of the tom's monthly "best graphics cards of the month" recommendations, or any other benchmarks on the net had stated beforehand....kinda misleading, what I have learned is that average fps tells only half the story for the play-ability of a game. Minimum fps, and the variance (fluctuations) in the fps are equally important. Low minimums and large fluctuations make a game frustrating to play.

Lesson... always buy the more powerful single card you can afford.

from my old 9800gt the 550ti was a big step up for me. the first thing i realised was i should have gone for a 460 or 480 and now to find out that micro stuttering is a real issue with crossfire... man, pretty shattered

i just wanna add. with battlefield 3 coming out very soon i just wanna know i can comfortably run it!

 

[wayneepalmer]

Best answer selected by wayneepalmer.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey