Two 2gig 560 Ti SLi vs single 2.5gig 570 or 3gig 580

[bad_machine]

Hi guys

I'm trying to decide which cards to buy for my new 2600K Z68 build (with 16 gig of fast Corsair RAM). I've shortlisted two 2GB MSI GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr II/OC cards for SLi but opinions vary in different forums regarding the vram requirements of games in the near future.

I'll be usually gaming at 1920x1080 (on my HDTV) or 1920x1200 (on my monitor) with all quality settings maxed out. I also may buy a 3D monitor in the near future, so 3D gaming with quality settings maxed out at the resolutions mentioned is a possibility.

Some users argue that 3gig of VRAM will be essential soon, especially for 3D gaming. I'm worried that future games with maxed out settings may be bottlenecking with 2gigs of vram despite the fact I'll be having loads of system RAM.

I also don't intent to upgrade my graphics for at least another 2 to 3 years after this purchase, so any cards I buy now will have to do for a good while. Do you think that 2gig of VRAM would be enough for games coming out during the next two or three years? Would it be better to go for a single 2.5gig 570? Or a single 3gig 580?

Thanks in advance for any replies

 

[monsta]

I would go with the 2x 2GB GTX560ti SLI set up , it would be faster than a single 570 or 580 and you will have enough vram to last you 2 - 3 years depending on the resolution you decide to get after you upgrade your current monitor.

 

[bad_machine]

I would go with the 2x 2GB GTX560ti SLI set up , it would be faster than a single 570 or 580 and you will have enough vram to last you 2 - 3 years depending on the resolution you decide to get after you upgrade your current monitor.

Thanks for your input monsta. Will 2gig of VRAM be enough for single-monitor 3D gaming @1920x1080 with maxed out quality settings? A lot of people believe there should be a minimum of 3 gig for such a scenario, especially with future games. I suppose there's no easy answer, the opinions I get are so varied, it does my head in...

 

[billybobser]

buy the most expensive single gpu card you can, then if you need to upgrade later on down the line (battlefield 5), buy the same one, maybe even 2nd hand of ebay and sli.

You should only crossfire/sli if there is no single gpu that can handle it, OR if you already have one.

 

[bad_machine]

I just saw the 3GB MSI GTX 580 Lightning Xtreme Edition... It's such a beaut! For £80 on top I'm seriously tempted of ditching the idea of two 560Ti and going for a single one with the prospect of adding another one next year as billy mentioned... But by that time the 600 series will be out and I'll probably want two of those... Help me please. Am I about to make an expensive mistake?

 

[Mousemonkey]

buy the most expensive single gpu card you can, then if you need to upgrade later on down the line (battlefield 5), buy the same one, maybe even 2nd hand of ebay and sli.

You should only crossfire/sli if there is no single gpu that can handle it, OR if you already have one.

And IMO you should SLi from the get go and then sit out the next couple of releases unless they are extremely compelling.

 

[bad_machine]

What would you buy mousemonkey? Single 3GB MSI GTX 580 Lightning Xtreme Edition, or two 2GB MSI GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr II/OC? I can't afford two Lightnings...

 

[Mousemonkey]

What would you buy mousemonkey? Single 3GB MSI GTX 580 Lightning Xtreme Edition, or two 2GB MSI GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr II/OC? I can't afford two Lightnings...

I went for two GTX560Ti's, mine run @900/1800 by default.

 

[bad_machine]

It's the bloody vram I'm worried about, I know it's not an issue atm, 2gig should suffice. But with next year's games and with 1920x1080 in 3D with maxed out settings... I don't know, 3 gig vram feels better. I wish SLi could utilize both cards vram, then the decision would be much easier. I'm surprised nVidia haven't hacked this aspect yet.