SLI vs Upgrading CPU | Which should I choose?

[InfiniteZz]

So I've been thinking about SLI'Ing my 760, but my friend says it would be more efficient to just upgrade my CPU instead.
My question is, what should I do? Upgrade my cpu, or go for the SLI
My current processor is an i5- 4440 3.1GHz

 

[CTurbo]

What motherboard and psu are you using? I would not recommend SLIing two 2GB GTX760s, but upgrading your cpu would not hardly help at all.

I recommend just upgrading your 760 to a single 970.

 

[InfiniteZz]

What motherboard and psu are you using? I would not recommend SLIing two 2GB GTX760s, but upgrading your cpu would not hardly help at all.

I recommend just upgrading your 760 to a single 970.

I have a Rosewill RBR1000, and an ASUS Z97-A

 

[affinitydesigns]

As CTurbo asked, we'll need to know more about your system before we can really tell. Are there any games you're trying to run in particular?

 

[CTurbo]

If you have a 4GB 760, and can find another for cheap, it would be a fun option, but there is no doubt a single 970 would be a much better solution.

 

[hermantset]

I was in a similar position a while ago and I decided to do both. I upgraded to a 4790K from a 4670 and the difference wasn't noticeable at all and I also had to get a new CPU cooler as my 4790K was running quite warm with the stock cooler. Then I SLI-ed my 770 and I also ran into more problems with not having enough power, the added heat, and performance issues like stuttering. There was a significant increase in the ambient temperature in my room as well as the case and all the internals, which worried me a lot since my GPU's were hitting 83-85 C (depends on your environment). It was overall a terrible experience to SLI for me personally, but I'm sure there are others who have had better experiences. I would recommend going with what CTurbo suggested and upgrading your 760 to a 970 and you will see a significant improvement with performance, noise, and heat. I recently upgraded to a single 980 Ti and I'm definitely better off.

 

[affinitydesigns]

Let me ask a more broad question.

What do you want your PC to be able to do?
Which applications are you running?
What is running less than optimally?
What games are you playing?

 

[InfiniteZz]

Let me ask a more broad question.

What do you want your PC to be able to do?
Which applications are you running?
What is running less than optimally?
What games are you playing?

My desire for SLI was spurred on from buying a new PSU. I originally had a 530w Raidmax PSU which had a negative impact on my GPU at the time.
A couple of games, such as Fallout 4, The Witcher 3, and Battlefield 4 are not running as well as I want it to.

As I read through each post though, I've been swaying more towards upgrading my GPU entirely, but I would need a bit more input before I make a decision.

 

[affinitydesigns]

It depends on your proficiency, long term plans, and budget. SLI can cause more issues and will have more incompatibilities spurred on which will cause you to have to troubleshoot and mess with things. Some people like this, some hate it. If you don't plan on upgrading the rest of your components for a long time, SLI might not be the worst option, but you'll get better performance from one 970 than the two 760s. If you plan on keeping your current hardware, I'd grab a 970 and possibly SLI that down the road. SLI might be a bit more cost efficient upfront, but you will be pulling more power from the wall, you will probably need to reconfigure your airflow if it's not on point which could lead to additional costs in fans, pwm hubs, cables, etc. There's obviously pros and cons to both, but when I make decisions like this, I try to think big picture and what will be best overall.

One last thing to note, if you had power issues previously, which raidmax are notorious for, there is a possibility your current 760 will not function as long as you hope and your SLI dream could go up in smoke. PSUs are never an area to skimp, so you might want to invest in a new graphics option just to be more safe in the future and start anew.