Best SLI/XF for under $600

[plantlet]

I'm building a new system for gaming in the summer. I'm 14 now but I'll be able to get a job in the summer and make $800 a month so I can finally get a good system put together. Right now it's at $1,400 with the following:

Cooler Master HAF 912 Case
Seagate Barracude 1TB 7200 RPM HDD
2x Sapphire Radeon 7950 XF
Corsair CX Series CX750 750W PSU - 62A
G.Skill Ripjaws 16GB (4x4 GB) 1600MHZ RAM
ASRock Z77 Pro4-M LGA 1155 Motherboard
Intel Core i7 2600K CPU
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler

I was wondering if theres another SLI/XF, with around the same performance for lower or the same price. My main concern is that theres only 62 amps on the +12V.

I wouldn't even need another 7950 since I only game at 1360x768, but I think I will need it for GTA IV and GTA V since there will be texture mods and ENBs like IceHancer.

 

[djangoringo]

LOL crossfire two 7950 for 1360x768, man just get a new monitor(23-24 ips monitor 1080p) when you have the money and add a 670 gtx or 7970 with a xfx 550w then...

 

[Rockdpm]

Bro GTA 4 is the worst coded game for PC.. Well probably not the worst but its down there.. GTA 4 was a big console port so it is expected to have problems on PC.. as dj said CF 7950's would do fine.. But at that resolution either a 7970 or a good 670 will be OK.. if your going to get another monitor for 1080p gaming then i suggest a SLI/CF solution

 

[plantlet]

Bro GTA 4 is the worst coded game for PC.. Well probably not the worst but its down there.. GTA 4 was a big console port so it is expected to have problems on PC.. as dj said CF 7950's would do fine.. But at that resolution either a 7970 or a good 670 will be OK.. if your going to get another monitor for 1080p gaming then i suggest a SLI/CF solution

But remember how brutal ENBs like IceHancer were. They cut your performance by like 35%. I'm sure there will be one for GTA V. Besides, 1360x768 is an HD resolution, so it's good enough for me. Why not just get two 7950s and future proof it? Or maybe just a single GTX 680 for now? I do prefer Nvidia.

 

[djangoringo]

Are you kidding me with a 660 gtx you'll get 60 fps at your resolution...
Oh and you said summer ?... just forget about numbers, models, by the time you'll get the money there will be new intel cpus+new mobos and new gpus(amd 8xxx series and more probably also from nvidia, but one thing that i recommend by then is to buy a new monitor also.

 

[plantlet]

Are you kidding me with a 660 gtx you'll get 60 fps at your resolution...
Oh and you said summer ?... just forget about numbers, models, by the time you'll get the money there will be new intel cpus+new mobos and new gpus(amd 8xxx series and more probably also from nvidia, but one thing that i recommend by then is to buy a new monitor also.

You're right... Nvidia's GTX 780 is coming out in the first quarter of 2013, and the rest of the 700 series is coming out shortly after. I don't think I would be able to afford one anyways though, especially not any new Intel CPUs. I probably wouldn't spend more than $750 on a GPU because I'll probably only make around $1,600 the whole entire summer, the rest would have to go for mobo/CPU/RAM/PSU/HDD etc.

Also why do you recommend a new monitor? Mines currently a 32". I really don't know the max resolution on it, I just run it at 1360x768 because nothing else fits the screen.

 

[Sumukh_Bhagat]

A 32" should run in 2500x1600 resolution. And getting 2x7950 is good Idea for that resolution.

Btw, what work you do in summer?

 

[plantlet]

A 32" should run in 2500x1600 resolution. And getting 2x7950 is good Idea for that resolution.

Btw, what work you do in summer?

Sorry for really late reply, but there is a pool by my house and I can be a locker attendant. I just have to sit there and make sure nobody steals from someone's locker or something. You can make like $9 or $10 an hour and work 25 hours a work maximum.

Also if it makes a difference, it's a TV, not a monitor.

 

[Earthfall5]

The graphics card landscape will be totally different in 6-8 months. While it's fun to design a computer, don't count your chickens before they hatch. I also don't see a need for SLI/XF for 720p. Heck, I'm not even comfortable with a 14 year old playing GTA, but that's neither here not there.

Looking at your build, I would move from i7 Sandy Bridge to i5 Ivy Bridge. You also don't know what kind of sales will be going on and you can save quite a bit of money by picking comparable parts that happen to be on sale. I would be sure to stay flexible. For example, on my build I got the PSU for 50% off and it turned out to be a much better part than the one I was planning (got a Seasonic X650).

Find a way to get an SSD in there as well, speeds everything up.

Now to actually answer your question, if you are just running one monitor at 720p and really want to spend $600. I'd just get a 7970. Lower power requirements, less heat, lower price and it will run Crysis 3 on max at 720p.