Is adding a second 560 TI in SLI my best bet?

[MMOer]

I’m currently running an EVGA 560ti SC (900/1800 factory clocks) with a 2500k, 8G RAM, Gigabyte z68 mobo, PC Power & Cooling Silencer PSU (either 610 or 750, can’t remember of the top of my head) & was looking to add a second card for SLI. I typically play on a 26” 1920 x 1200 monitor and primarily play MMOs (WoW, Guild Wars 2, Rift, and soon to be re-released FFXIV: ARR, for which a benchmark should be available in a week or so).

Given my original card was the ‘maximum graphics edition’ that came with Crysis 2, its hard to find the card (01G-P3-1563-AR) in stock, if it is, its still around the $250 that I paid over a year ago.

While looking for possible alternatives, I found what appear to be great closeout deals at a local store on some Zotac cards:
http://www.zotacusa.com/geforce-gtx-560-ti-zt-50306-10m.html for $130 after MIR

Then I saw:
http://www.zotacusa.com/geforce-gtx-570-zt-50206-10m.html A 570 for $150 after MIR
They also have another 570 for $219 (currently on Newegg for $419, but reviews show a recent sale was right around $200).
http://www.zotacusa.com/geforce-gtx-570-zt-50203-10m.html

There aren’t a lot of reviews on the cards out there, most seem positive. Are the low prices a warning? Or simply a result of the cards being old with inventory built up?

Given that I don’t play the most demanding games, I’d think that 560 Tis in SLI would be all I need, but would it be foolish to pass up on the 570s at $150?

 

[maustin325]

Definitely dont get the 570, if i were you i'd just keep an eye on ebay, you can get some good deals if your patient. I got a GTX 680 Sig 2 for $350, i upgraded from the 560ti. I'd take that $200 you're going to spend, sell you 560 for like $100-120 and save for a bit, then try to get a 670 or 680. That is what i would do.

 

[ubercake]

Two 560 TIs would put you at performance just over a GTX 680. Definitely good. It would be good if you don't want to shell out another $70 to get a GTX 670.

On the other hand, the GTX 670 is really a great deal and I've seen them around $320 lately. They perform almost as well as a GTX 680.

It just depends on how much you have to work with. If you have $250 in the budget to get an additional 560 TI for SLI, do that. This will give you performance just over a GTX 680 (pretty awesome).

Two 570s would be even better, but that's going to run you $300.

If you have more, get the 670 and you could always SLI that at a later date (which would be even better in the future). This is probably the best option, because it offers the future upgrade, but it will run you $320+.

 

[MMOer]

Two 560 TIs would put you at performance just over a GTX 680. Definitely good. It would be good if you don't want to shell out another $70 to get a GTX 670.

It just depends on how much you have to work with. If you have $250 in the budget to get an additional 560 TI for SLI, do that. This will give you performance just over a GTX 680 (pretty awesome).

Would there be an issue pairing that $130 reference Zotac 560 ti with my OC EVGA (I'd assume i'd just OC the zotac, or downclock my other if necessary)? If not, that's the direction I'd like to go, as I don't foresee my games changing much for the next 2+ years.

However, if I needed to pair it up with a similar OC'd card that goes for $225-$250, I'd rather pony up the extra money for the SLI 570s or a 670.

 

[maustin325]

i would find out what your power supply is before i buy another 560ti. If it's not over 700w you probably dont have the juice.

 

[ubercake]

Would there be an issue pairing that $130 reference Zotac 560 ti with my OC EVGA (I'd assume i'd just OC the zotac, or downclock my other if necessary)? If not, that's the direction I'd like to go, as I don't foresee my games changing much for the next 2+ years.

However, if I needed to pair it up with a similar OC'd card that goes for $225-$250, I'd rather pony up the extra money for the SLI 570s or a 670.

Sure. You can mix an OC'd card with a standard clock card. The criteria are listed here on Nvidia's SLI site:

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/sli/faq#c16

That would be a good lower-cost option for you. You'd have GTX 680+ speed for $130!

What kind of power supply do you have? Make/Model?

 

[MMOer]

Thank you both- I'll double check the wattage, its PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 or 750.

 

[MMOer]

Sorry, was way off on my PSU, it was cooler master in this build, 700W:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171032

 

[ubercake]

You're fine with that PSU. It has a combined output of 624W on the 12V rail. Your video cards, when running at stock clocks require 170W each. So if you buy that second standard edition 560 ti, the other card will downclock to match. That PSU can easily meet the demands of the 2 560tis and any modern processor along with fans and disks. You may run into issues if you start overclocking the processor though.

 

[MMOer]

Best answer selected by MMOer.