Poll: video cards and gaming to sli or not?

[mavkiel]

I am eventually going to buy a new computer, mainly for use in gaming, and I was wondering if I should go with a sli setup or a single good graphics card. I am currently using a tv as my computer monitor. So its a fairly large screen.

Also, do you guys recommend any shops for computers? I'd build it myself, but frankly, I suck at stuff like that, would rather pay a premium, get it all built for me, and covered under a warranty. Budget wise, 7k would be the highest I could go. Anything more then that I would force myself to learn how to build a computer

Game wise, I tend to play either mmo's or games like new vegas/skyrim (with graphic mods etc)

 

[ZCAB]

Concerning building your own PC: if you have someone to advise you on whether your chosen parts are compatible and you have all the smaller requirements like tools and cables, and if you have another computer ready to Google instructions, building your own PC is a piece of cake.
Second: you're generally much better off buying a single card, and upgrading it somewhere down the line with the money you save by not going SLi \ Xfire.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well SLI/CrossFire is a great concept for later upgrades as cards get cheap quick and 1-2 years down the line you can theoretically double your graphics performance with very little money.

Problem is this would require game devs to keep to these standards, which they do not, so you will sadly find yourself with very little improvement in very few games and in the end it is actually better to just buy the next card when that time comes.

 

[Greyhamster]

Buy a single card to start with. Years on, buy another single card, unless you can pick up the same card as you already have for very cheap. two cards have a lot of problems.

Also, screen size is irrelevant, resolution matter. So if your large screen is an HD screen, you'd be fine with a single graphics card (And if you have the money you could buy something high end like a 7970 or NVIDIA equilevant

Captcha: These parts. See, the escapist is agreeing with me!

 

[Strelok]

Well SLI/CrossFire is a great concept for later upgrades as cards get cheap quick and 1-2 years down the line you can theoretically double your graphics performance with very little money.

Problem is this would require game devs to keep to these standards, which they do not, so you will sadly find yourself with very little improvement in very few games and in the end it is actually better to just buy the next card when that time comes.

This is way off, it takes some time for developers to get to making the SLi profile for some games, but when it's done, the game plays great. Take for example Alan Wake, was unplayable before the SLi profile was completed, there is a huge list of updated SLi profiles with every Nvidia beta reelase. This can also be faked if you use another profile and adapt it to the new game, this method is particularly useful when dealing with lazy developers, but then again lazy developers usually equals lazy game, so why go through the trouble.

 

[sneakypenguin]

Budget wise, 7k would be the highest I could go. Anything more then that I would force myself to learn how to build a computer

Game wise, I tend to play either mmo's or games like new vegas/skyrim (with graphic mods etc)

Is that in dollars cause holy crap you could build a triple monitor sli'd titans i7 huge ssd and have have enough money to buy a 2nd one.

For playing mmos etc just a single card setup is plenty, SLI can get wonky with micro stuttering and games just not meant for it. I'd only SLI down the road for a cheap upgrade. IE two years ago buy a 560ti and buy one for 90 bucks off ebay now.

Personally i'd just go with a high end card every 2-4 years like nvidias _70 or _80 or amd equivalent

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Go for a single, high-end card. If 7K is the highest you can go then you could easily get the highest of the highest end graphics cards (the GTX Titan), but don't SLI it yet. I've had my computer for one and a half years now, it's got SLI GTX 560 tis. Sure I get better performance, but I wished I would have just gone with a 580 or a 6970 at the time instead.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

I am currently using a tv as my computer monitor. So its a fairly large screen.

What resolution is it? Most TVs are only 1080p, and just about any mid-range card should be at least serviceable for that resolution. I'd get a 770 just in case next generation's requirements surprise us, but I reckon that the 760 or 750 will probably be fine (whenever they're out).

Also, do you guys recommend any shops for computers? Budget wise, 7k would be the highest I could go.

Where are you from? Assuming you're from Europe, America or Australia 7k will get you a truly mighty PC capable of running anything at 2000 FPS forever. It'll also eat all your electricity.

 

[mavkiel]

United states, on a side note I totally forgot about all the issues sli setups can have. Resolution is only 1080p, but I have thought of actually getting a computer monitor capable of more.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

United states, on a side note I totally forgot about all the issues sli setups can have. Resolution is only 1080p, but I have thought of actually getting a computer monitor capable of more.

Well if you're gonna get a larger monitor, be wary that you will most likely get motion sickness or just feel bad after playing games with low FOV for a long period of time if you're sitting close. If you're able to spend 7k then you might as well go all the way and get a triple-monitor setup with three 1080p monitors.

 

[Doom972]

No game is designed around the concept of using multiple GPUs, so it's entirely optional. It also won't help much in the long run, since a single GPU from the next series could outperform two of the previous one.
Another thing to take into consideration is the extra power and cooling (=more power) your PC will require.

As for the large monitor - it doesn't matter. Unless you bury your face in the screen, a 1920x1080 resolution (and maybe even less than that) will still look good. I'm also pretty sure that most TVs won't go higher than 1080p anyway.


I use one card and I recommend doing the same.