Upgrade to Geforce GTX 260 192 Cores?

[esquire468]

My local Micro Center has XFX Geforce GTX 260 192 Cores marked down to clearance at $107. I know the newer 216 core is better, but at that price I am tempted to pick up 1 maybe 2. I currently own a XFX 9800 GT running on an Intel E7400 C2D with 2 GB DDR2 800 on an ASUS P5N-D (750i chipset) which supports SLI at PCI-e 2.0 16x. My PSU is a modular Xigmatek 750W. My monitor is an ASUS 24" supporting 1920x1200 resolution.

Anyone have any thoughts on these cards? Should I limit myself to one or get greedy with 2?

 

[mcnuggetofdeath]

Do it. SLI those two and you've got a cheap beast of a machine. Try overclocking your CPU too. I saw some pretty big jumps on the way from 2.8 to 4GHz. Not sure you'll hit that, but any jump is a good one.

 

[uncfan_2563]

get 3, keep 2 and send ur new bestfriend (me) one.

on a serious note, like everyone said, SLI 2 of them, that should give you some pretty awesome performance.

 

[roush2fast]

Man I would jump on that and go SLI for sure. Pick one up for me and I will pay pal you . lol

 

[esquire468]

GET 3!

Well my motherboard would have to be replaced and I assume I would have to get a larger PSU. What size PSU would you need for 3 of these? I thought I heard that the 192 core version of the 260 uses more power than the 216. Is that true?

Also, how much of a difference in performance is there between a 192 and 216 core?

I ordered 2 of these, and am going to the store to pick them up tomorrow. Inventory shows 3 in stock, leaving 1 left. There was 5 originally, but someone else must have picked one up. If I can pick it up and can't use it, I'll let you guys know.

 

[gkay09]

Stick with 2...Its is more than enough for your resolution...
Though that Xig 750W might not be the best but it should be suffice for GTX 260 SLI...
And get 2GB more RAM...

 

[megamanx00]

Get two, SLI them, and be friggin happy . Your current PSU should be fine for having two 260s on your setup.

 

[mcnuggetofdeath]

I think your right in that the 192 SP version pulls more power. From what I can recall offhand, Nvidia moved to a smaller die size (65 to 55nm I think) when they added more SPs