So a few different paths to go down...

[dtayl173]

I need to get a new GPU for my machine. currently has a GTX295 in it. 750 watt psu(will upgrade if need be).

I want to know if i should get the "GTX 570 1.5gb SLI" vs "GTX 580 1.5gb SLI" or the "GTX 580 3gb SLI"

As of now I have this monitor -

http://www.asus.com/Display/LCD_Monitors/VS248H/

and plan on sticking with it for a good few years. I plan to do some heavy gaming and want to max out games like BF3 and Metro 2033.

i hear the 580 3gb ones come in handy in huger screens like 30 inches. so will the 580 1.5gb models do it for me? or can I get away with the 570 1.5 gb SLI???
Yes i do plan on overclocking the cards. And I plan on buying one now and getting the second one to SLI it later.

sorry if this is a really noobish thread and i sounds silly.....but i couldn't find specifically what i wanted to know....

Right now I am leaning towards the GTX 580 3gb

[profJim]

Re: So a few different paths to go down...

What brand/model is your motherboard and cpu? How much memory does your system have.
The best review sites sometimes include benchmarks and quality of play results with very high resolution monitors and/or multi-monitor setups.
TechPowerUp and HardOCP are two of the better sites.

Keep in mind that it's best for your psu to run at 80% (or lower) of rated continuous power output at 40 -50^O (C) with a high end gaming system.
You should upgrade to a higher power 80+Plus gold or platinum psu, because with your overclocked SLI setup, you will save a significant amount of money over time on your electrical bills.

Your current 750 watt psu is probably OK for an overclocked, high end single card setup.

[dtayl173]

Re: So a few different paths to go down...

What brand/model is your motherboard and cpu? How much memory does your system have.
The best review sites sometimes include benchmarks and quality of play results with very high resolution monitors and/or multi-monitor setups.
TechPowerUp and HardOCP are two of the better sites.

Keep in mind that it's best for your psu to run at 80% (or lower) of rated continuous power output at 40 -50^O (C) with a high end gaming system.
You should upgrade to a higher power 80+Plus gold or platinum psu, because with your overclocked SLI setup, you will save a significant amount of money over time on your electrical bills.

Your current 750 watt psu is probably OK for an overclocked, high end single card setup.

Gigabyte EX58-UD3R
i7 920
woops just realised my PSU is the "coolermaster UCP ultimate 700w PSU" one not a 750w.... :S. what would you reccomend for when I setup the SLI?

[fate]

Re: So a few different paths to go down...

between the 3Gb and 1.5Gb, the prices aren't really different yet the performances are totally different. grab the 3Gb dude!

[wazza300]

Re: So a few different paths to go down...

It's a 24" hd monitor? I think one 580 3gb or two 570 1.5gb will be more than enough to run anygame,metro 2033 in dx11 mode is a real card killer even in sli,anything above 60fps is a waste imo plus don't forget the extra heat with an sli setup

[dtayl173]

Re: So a few different paths to go down...

between the 3Gb and 1.5Gb, the prices aren't really different yet the performances are totally different. grab the 3Gb dude!

how much of a difference are we talking??

[profJim]

Re: So a few different paths to go down...

If you are in the U.K., check out Scan.co.uk: NVIDIA GTX: 570, 580 and 590 Video Cards.
An interesting comparison: Introduction - AMD 6970/6950 CFX and NVIDIA 580/570 SLI Review | [H]ard|OCP
note: HardOCP is using a 1200 watt psu in their comparison tests.

[wazza300]

Re: So a few different paths to go down...

Reading that review on hardocp,the 6970 xfire looks good value/performance for money

[profJim]

6990590

[dtayl173]

Re: So a few different paths to go down...

Sorry to bring thisback up..... but I have been too busy with daily things to keep up with this. I did some readings and found people saying things like the CF 6970 are better than the 580 SLI , but I am wondering if they are talking about the 1.5gb 580's or the 3gb 580's......

THoughts anyone?

[wazza300]

Re: So a few different paths to go down...

The ATI cards have 2gb of memory so they will probably be better than 1.5gb 580? Can't say about the 3gb model though,one thing the ATI's will have though is a lot less power consumption than the NVIDIA cards

[dtayl173]

Re: So a few different paths to go down...

So I took the plunge and went in for the 580 3GB. should arrive next week :).

[profJim]

Re: So a few different paths to go down...

Good luck with your new 580 3GB card, let us know how it works out.

[Psycho101]

Re: So a few different paths to go down...

You won't be seeing any performance advantage over the 1.5G cards at 1920x1080 (the resolution of your monitor).

3GB cards are handy if running a pair in nVidia Surround, a large display in 3D Vision, 3D Vision Surround (3D AND three monitors), forcing Sparse Grid Supersampling at high resolutions or a Fallout 3 fan (or similar) that uses a lot of fan made/community texture addons.

VRAM simply buffes information being worked on by the GPU's, if the amount of memory is sufficient, adding more will do nothing.

You may infact find that you'll see a very very small performance decrease compared to an equally clocked 1.5GB card. The 3GB versions have higher VRAM latency timings to cope with having twice the VRAM connected to the bus.