Some points:
1) I have a 27" Dell U2711 capable of 2560x1440. I play most games at 1920x1080. There are almost NO games that are best played at higher than 1920x1080 because:
a) The textures are not greater than 1920x1080 anyway
b) The game interface may not be scalable and looks too small
c) The game looks THE SAME but the performance is lower on 2560x1440
I think I have maybe two games running at 2560x1440. One is Lego Harry Potter 1-4 and I play at this resolution because I have no control over Anti-Aliasing. Performance on my machine is a solid 60FPS on both resolutions (VSYNC is enabled). It simply looks better on 2560x1440.
However, if I had control over AA, it would likely look THE SAME on both resolutions so I'd still go with 1920x1080 to lower graphics card fan noise.
2) Graphics card fan noise:
Most of your computer noise comes from your single graphics card. With two cards, your system would be very, very noisy even in idle mode. The extra heat and CPU usage in games would also drive up the other fans.
INSANE NOISE LEVELS!!!
3) Show me a game that would benefit from a second graphics card?
The lowly GTX560Ti can basically max out most games out there. Like I said, use 1920x1080 for most resolutions. Run at 60FPS, VSYNC'ed. Even if a game COULD benefit from a second card, the difference would be very, very, very small and definitely not worth the extra noise.
4) QUAD SLI issues:
You should investigate potential issues, as well as look at benchmarks.
*Look at benchmarks at 1920x1080. You only need 60FPS. It's ridiculous to add a card that takes you from 90FPS to 150FPS if you only play 60FPS.
5) NEWER CARDS!
I'm personally planning to replace my HD5870 (still a fast card) with an NVidia 600 series. If you actually CAN make use of a faster graphics subsystem, I recommend waiting for a new NVidia 6xx, and NOT getting a second card.
Reasons to get a NEWER CARD:
- Quieter due to usage of 28nm transistor die (current 40nm).
- Quieter (probably) due to slight improvement of power management (was a HUGE jump from 400 to 500 series.
- Tesselation will likely be improved (but not really utilized for a long while).
- Overall Graphics performance is significantly better (they've said this).
**There's probably a SWEET SPOT for price and noise to create a 2xSLI setup. SLI can be slightly cheaper AND quieter than a single dual-graphics card. The difficulties in creating a top-end card drive the price high and splitting the graphics between two cards is much better for noise (two sets of heatsinks and fans).
***I'm betting that you could purchase TWO NEW NVIDIA 600 SERIES cards for the same price as adding a second card in your new system, but get better performance, much lower noise and improvements that can't be utilized fully yet (improved tesselation, for example).
Not only that, but you then sell your current graphics card as well before the 600 series catches on and get some money back.
(occasionally you can sell graphics cards for MORE money if you wait, but I wouldn't gamble on that. usually they're sold for people who want a SECOND card and who are also ignorant of the fact that they're getting ripped off. For example, HD5870's are selling for about $400. You could buy two NVidia cards for the same price and still beat the 2xHD5870 setup).
Summary:
- Wait for the NVidia 600 series to be released.
- Also, wait until there are new games that require that level of graphics processing power.
- Also, consider phasing out PC gaming when the next XBox is released.
(It depends on whether the next XBox supports Keyboard/Mouse on most games, and also if companies stop making PC games. I'm talking about phasing out over a period of years, but this is possibly my last gaming PC. I suspect I'll buy one more graphics card in a year or two, and wait until the next XBox has been out a year to see what's up.)
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