Time for SLI or time for a new GPU?

kufan64

Distinguished
May 12, 2009
391
0
18,810
I haven't been active in the forums for a while now; but I know where to get the best information and help, so here I am again.

I custom built a gaming PC a couple of years ago (with advice and suggestions from the fine people here) and it's 'finally' started to show a little bit of age. It's nothing too drastic, I'm just not able to run Battlefield 3 or Skyrim, or any of the newest 'top-tier' graphics games on full graphical settings.

I'm thinking about putting in another GTX 275 in SLI (assuming I can find one), but at the same time I'm also interested in some of the new 5XX series cards that are out, and I'm looking for suggestions.

If you were in my position what would you spend your hard-earned money on?
also:
Does anyone know a reputable site or store where I could purchase a GTX 275?

Since I know the first response will inevitably ask; I'll just go ahead and post my full system specs below:

Intel Core i7 920
ASUS P6T Deluxe
Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333 (3x2GB)
Corsair 850TX
2x WD Caviar Black 500GB (Raid 0)
EVGA GTX 275
Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty

all in a Antec 1200 case (stock coolers and fans on everything as well)
with a Acer monitor with 1920x1200 resolution

Thanks in advance Tom's Hardware :)
 

gmcizzle

Distinguished
Mar 20, 2009
944
0
19,160
When I was using my old GTX 285 I was deciding the same thing. I ended up with getting a 500 series card because 1.) The 200 series micro-stutter badly when in SLI and 2.) DX11!

Also...i7 920/ASUS P6T/Corsair XMS3 FTW!!
 
I would suggest getting a newer model card. The overclocking of the i7 920 (D stepping) model is very easy and mine sits at 3.8G with 1.2v easily on aftermarket cooling. What is your budget for a new model card if you went that way?

Skyrim does have serious SLI issues. I was playing it last night on my 2XGTX 480's. It crashes about every hour in SLI but if you disable SLI in the driver you don't have any crashes, blanking issues or slow downs.
 

scorchedskulls41

Distinguished
Aug 1, 2011
22
0
18,520
I had almost the same exact set up as you, i7 920, 6gb corsair xms3, but i had a gtx 280. in the last few months i had the same problem as you with finally not being able to play the newest titles on max, so first I OCed my 920, then got some more ram and finally caved and bought a new GPU, first I got a 560ti but ended up feeling like i needed more power so thanks to EVGA's step up I traded it in for a 580 and couldn't be happier can play everything on max again.
 

Lonemarine117

Distinguished
Oct 25, 2011
35
0
18,540
You've got a pretty solid build still man except for your GPU. If you plan on running the 275 in sli I would probably just sell your current one on amazon or something and get a little more of a beefier card like the GTX560 mentioned above. Im running two GTX 285 in SLI and it runs mostly everything on max.
 

kufan64

Distinguished
May 12, 2009
391
0
18,810
Thanks for all the great suggestions everyone.

It seems to be a pretty general consensus that I should just go ahead and spring for a 560 or a 560Ti and I was already pretty set on OC'ing my CPU after I sprung for a nice aftermarket cooler. I guess I'll just start setting aside a little money and picking one up when I get the chance.

@gmcizzle
It's a great platform isn't it? It was a little costly to build, but here I am like 3 years after I put it together and the only thing that needs replaced (and I use that term very, very loosely) is my GPU... lol

@jtt283
I had an old graphics driver when I started playing BF3 and the game crashed like every 10 minutes, but I noticed when I installed the new "Battlefield 3 Optimized" driver from Nvidia that the game started chugging like you wouldn't believe. I turned right around and installed a different legacy driver which fixed the crashing and frame rate problems; so I think I know exactly what you're talking about.

@Lonemarine11
I can't tell whether you're suggesting I get another 275 for SLI or getting a GTX560. lol
 
Have a 560 Ti (900 MHz) box in Son No. 3's room ($430 on GFX) and a 580 box ($500 on GFX) in Son No. 2's room ...... the 560's toast the 580 in everything.

However, the new 560 Ti, coming out in 10 days at the same price as its prdecessor, it seems likely to grab a lock on the price / performance crown but it kinda leaves no niche for the existing 570.

http://www.guru3d.com/news/geforce-gtx-560-ti-448-core-gets-detailed-launches-nov-29/

The rest of the core includes 56 texture units, 40 ROP units and a 320-bit memory bus connected to 1.25GB of video buffer, just as is the case with the GeForce GTX 570.

The card's operating frequencies will also mimic those of its older brother as the GPU will work at 732MHz, while the GDDR5 video buffer is clocked at 950MHz (3.80GHz effective). Together with the increased performance offered by the new graphics core, the power consumption of the card has also grown since the GTX 560 Ti 448 uses the same 0.950V to 1.100V voltage range as the GTX 570.