GTX460 SLI vs GTX560Ti SLI vs GTX580

N

Namdrater

New member
Hi all

I'm upgrading my PC very soon with the specs looking like this so far:
i5 2500k 3.3GHz
2 x gskill sniper DDR3 1866
Asus P8Z68V intel chipset motherboard
OCZ 120GB SSD + 1.5TB Seagate
850w corsair psu

My concern now is what graphics card to go for. I'm big into gaming, but most likely won't be using resolutions higher than 1920x1080 anytime soon. However, I do love using at least 4x AA and maxxing out everything that I can.
My options are GTX460 SLI, GTX560 TI SLI or GTX580.

From benchmarks, reviews and comparisons I've come to the conclusion that on average GTX560 SLI > GTX460 SLI > GTX580. I should also point out that I can get the GTX460 SLI for 25% cheaper than the GTX560 SLI option. My budget isn't a massive concern, but obviously I could save quite a bit by going for GTX460 SLI and spending that on something else. I know PC's and tech gets outdated really fast and this is where my questions come in...

The GTX580 is looking the least likely for me, because it performs worse than the other setups, costs more and if I ever wanted to upgrade it, by that stage there'd be new cards out that I'd most likely be more interested in buying. I have read that single card setups are more reliable in lots of aspects, even though the SLI's are getting better in that respect. This card also has half a GB more memory than the others... will this be a major factor when playing newer games such as Battlefield 3?

The decision between the two SLI setups is what's concerning me the most. I think at this moment in time, the performance of the GTX560 SLI doesn't destroy the GTX460 SLI, but it's definitely a lot better. My worry is the future-proofness (if that's a word?) of the GTX460 setup. Is the gap between the GTX460 SLI vs GTX560 SLI going to grow as time goes on and by how much? The GTX600 series is coming out in the near future and the GTX460's might just be a bit outdated in terms of the technology available by that stage, whereas I'd maybe feel a bit more confident on keeping a GTX560 SLI setup for much longer because of it's ability to handle newer games. I know it's impossible to keep up with computer tech, but I don't want to go for the great deal option that only performs brilliantly with the current-gen games.

Please discuss and give me your thoughts. Thanks!
 
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How about a... HD 6990??

SLI not worth it IMO ammount you spend on two old cards you can buy 1 good current gen and save the rest to get a new card in 2012.
 
Wouldn't the 6990 scale better then the normal SLI/Crossfire options, due to the 6990 being a recognized pre done crossfire setup rather then putting any other 2 cards together?
 
simon said:
Wouldn't the 6990 scale better then the normal SLI/Crossfire options, due to the 6990 being a recognized pre done crossfire setup rather then putting any other 2 cards together?
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lulwut.

SLi is nice but it consumes more power and does still have problems. It is always better to use a single card if you are given a choice with similar performance and price.

The 2 460s will not outperform a single 580... that is just not going to happen.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU11/206

Two 560Ti's will though...

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And it will cost the same as a single 580, without the extra cost of a decent PSU for the OC'ed SLi, space issues and extra cooling requirement.

Edit: oh and don't forget that they're OC'ed cards, you can still OC the 580 and SLi it.
 
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I'm deciding between the SLI GTX560 Ti's and the GTX580 now. The 560's seem to have quite a performance advantage, about 30fps on average. I'm sure those 560's could also be overclocked even more. I'd almost feel silly going for the 580 looking at that - has SLI stability not improved to the stage where it just takes some effort to get it going and it's smooth rolling from there? Also, 2 years from now... running those tests on new games, using the same cards... do you think the graphs would still look the same?

What option do you think would have better resale value? I can't see myself adding another 580, because I'd probably just move on to the next-gen cards, so it'd be sell and upgrade.
 
A single 580 will be great in any game... but SLi/CF will have problems with some games especially with V-sync enabled. I really don't see you not being happy with a single gtx580, especially if you have high res and lots of AA&AF.

Two 560Ti's will perform better in games with good SLi optimisation and will have better resale value.

Two 560Ti's will run much cooler than 2 6950's (in most cases, depends on vendor) and therefore allow for easier OC.
 
I went for the 2 x GTX560Ti's. I've heard good and bad things about SLI. I've read that the drivers and stability these days with SLI is a lot better than it was about a year ago. I expect to have some problems, but I don't think it'll be anything that'll be too much trouble to sort out. The performance difference between the 560's and the single 580 is just too big a gap to ignore, plus the resale value. I couldn't see myself buying a 2nd GTX580 ever. Thanks for the help guys.
 
Namdrater said:
I went for the 2 x GTX560Ti's. I've heard good and bad things about SLI. I've read that the drivers and stability these days with SLI is a lot better than it was about a year ago. I expect to have some problems, but I don't think it'll be anything that'll be too much trouble to sort out. The performance difference between the 560's and the single 580 is just too big a gap to ignore, plus the resale value. I couldn't see myself buying a 2nd GTX580 ever. Thanks for the help guys.
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Give us some updates on your system. Please post some benches.
 
2x 570's will be bottlenecked by a 2500k
You need a 2600k that's clocked to run those in sli.
Best bang for buck at the moment would be getting 2 x msi 6950 unlock them to 6970 and crossfire.
They pawn all, inlcuding my 580GTX and they cost alot less.
 
I had 2x 460's in SLI and it flew! BUT my 580 is much better and less SLI related issues.
Best bet save a bit more and get a 580
 
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