SLI, Crossfire, or single card?

[Caliaton]

Hi everyone, I recently started considering getting an SLI/Xfire setup with either 670's or 7970's, but beforehand I only had my mind set on a single card (which would be a 7970 ghz). I really want to have two cards that are nearly as powerful as the single card by themselves, but i have a couple problems and worries with it:

1. I have heard that both can have a lot more problems than a single card, such as microstutter, bad scaling, etc.

2. They will cost me more money than a single 7970 ghz, of course, and will end up making me downgrade my processor from a i7 3770k to an i5 3570k, my mobo from an extreme 6 to an extreme 4, my cooling from liquid to air, and my case.

3. I'm afraid that these downgrades will bottleneck the 670's/7970's

So overall i'm not sure what to do in this situation, my other option is to wait for the 700 series to drop and probably pick up a 780 or then have the other cards i stated previously for cheaper. Everyone please tell me what you think I should do here as i'm pretty lost. :S

 

[bystander]

Tell us your monitor setup. That matters more than about anything for what to choose.

 

[Caliaton]

Tell us your monitor setup. That matters more than about anything for what to choose.

I'm starting with a 1080p monitor @ 60hz I beleive. I could definately see myself expanding to three when i get the money.

 

[bystander]

I think you should stick with 1 card for now, and consider adding more later. However, if you are seriously considering it, I'd go with the 670 instead of 7970, as SLI is much better atm. You might want to be prepared and get a 4gb version too.

 

[Greatatlantic]

In general, the answer will 95% of the time be "single card" solution unless you are desperate for more performance. Single card solutions such as the GeForce Titan and GTX 690 are exceptions since they are priced so ridiculously high to begin with. I'd suggest you start with something like a 7950 (which is a beast of a card) and see how well it performs for the games you want to play at your resolution. If you ever do upgrade your monitor to multiple-monitors, then you can worry about getting more performance if you aren't happy with a that.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

1. I have heard that both can have a lot more problems than a single card, such as microstutter, bad scaling, etc.

Ya ever see that State farm commercial where the girl "read it on the internet so it must be true" ? I have never seen microstutter on an SLI system except w/ budget level cards. Two 560's toasted the 580 by 40% and yet were $100 cheaper. As you can see here, two 650 Ti Boosts beat out both the 680 and 7970 Ghz Edition

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_650_Ti_Boost_SLI/22.html

$134 for a 2GB factory OC'd 650 Ti Boost means a $268 investment that beats the 7970 Ghz Edition cost $450 !!!! And they can be run on a 600 watt PSU, tjp Id feel more comfy w/ a 750 watter if overclocking. here's techpoerups conclusion:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_650_Ti_Boost_SLI/23.html

After running the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost SLI through our test suite, I have to admit that I'm impressed. The duo delivered performance easily matching and often exceeding much more expensive single-card options such as the GeForce GTX 680 and Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition, and they don't cost as much ..... Unlike AMD, NVIDIA does a good job of maintaining its SLI profiles, so you should be able to play new games without a long wait for multi-GPU support.

With a combined price of $340, the graphics cards cost much less than the HD 7970 GHz Edition ($430) and the GTX 680 ($440) while still delivering comparable performance. Power draw and noise levels are slightly higher, but that's the price you'll have to pay to save over 100 bucks. This setup also makes upgrading your aging rig to play the latest and most demanding titles without breaking the bank an option.

2. They will cost me more money than a single 7970 ghz, of course, and will end up making me downgrade my processor from a i7 3770k to an i5 3570k, my mobo from an extreme 6 to an extreme 4, my cooling from liquid to air, and my case.

No, as you can see above, ya just saved $182. However, if this is a gaming box, you won't benefit from a 3770k, so ya just saved another $100 if gaming is your goal. With this kinda build, I just don't see the extreme MoBos. I'd go this route:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1270852

3. I'm afraid that these downgrades will bottleneck the 670's/7970's

If ya have the bucks to go for the 670's by all means..... make sure it's a 8 phase model
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121707

You can save $100 by forgoing the 3770k for the 3570k .... and another $100 each by replacing the 670's with the new 760's

You can also pick a nice case / PSU combo ... Corsair 500R w/ TX750 ($168)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1278880

or 500R w/ HX850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1278901 ($208)

BTW, I'd drop the CF idea ...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-card-benchmarking-frame-rate,3466.html
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6857/amd-stuttering-issues-driver-roadmap-fraps/6
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Frame-Rating-Part-3-First-Results-New-GPU-Performance-Tools?page=2#comments

 

[Caliaton]

1. I have heard that both can have a lot more problems than a single card, such as microstutter, bad scaling, etc.

Ya ever see that State farm commercial where the girl "read it on the internet so it must be true" ? I have never seen microstutter on an SLI system except w/ budget level cards. Two 560's toasted the 580 by 40% and yet were $100 cheaper. As you can see here, two 650 Ti Boosts beat out both the 680 and 7970 Ghz Edition

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_650_Ti_Boost_SLI/22.html

$134 for a 2GB factory OC'd 650 Ti Boost means a $268 investment that beats the 7970 Ghz Edition cost $450 !!!! And they can be run on a 600 watt PSU, tjp Id feel more comfy w/ a 750 watter if overclocking. here's techpoerups conclusion:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_650_Ti_Boost_SLI/23.html

After running the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost SLI through our test suite, I have to admit that I'm impressed. The duo delivered performance easily matching and often exceeding much more expensive single-card options such as the GeForce GTX 680 and Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition, and they don't cost as much ..... Unlike AMD, NVIDIA does a good job of maintaining its SLI profiles, so you should be able to play new games without a long wait for multi-GPU support.

With a combined price of $340, the graphics cards cost much less than the HD 7970 GHz Edition ($430) and the GTX 680 ($440) while still delivering comparable performance. Power draw and noise levels are slightly higher, but that's the price you'll have to pay to save over 100 bucks. This setup also makes upgrading your aging rig to play the latest and most demanding titles without breaking the bank an option.

2. They will cost me more money than a single 7970 ghz, of course, and will end up making me downgrade my processor from a i7 3770k to an i5 3570k, my mobo from an extreme 6 to an extreme 4, my cooling from liquid to air, and my case.

No, as you can see above, ya just saved $182. However, if this is a gaming box, you won't benefit from a 3770k, so ya just saved another $100 if gaming is your goal. With this kinda build, I just don't see the extreme MoBos. I'd go this route:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1270852

3. I'm afraid that these downgrades will bottleneck the 670's/7970's

If ya have the bucks to go for the 670's by all means..... make sure it's a 8 phase model
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127685
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121707

You can save $100 by forgoing the 3770k for the 3570k .... and another $100 each by replacing the 670's with the new 760's

You can also pick a nice case / PSU combo ... Corsair 500R w/ TX750 ($168)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1278880

or 500R w/ HX850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1278901 ($208)

BTW, I'd drop the CF idea ...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-card-benchmarking-frame-rate,3466.html
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6857/amd-stuttering-issues-driver-roadmap-fraps/6
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Frame-Rating-Part-3-First-Results-New-GPU-Performance-Tools?page=2#comments

Thanks for all the good suggestions on how to shave a few bucks in order to get two 670's, but i think i might just go with a single card for now, because like bystander said, I can always choose to go sli or crossfire if I really need it, and for now I only need a gpu that can pump out 60 fps, because thats all my current monitor will register anyway. Thanks though