Thinking of going SLI or... not..

[dangel]

I've got the upgrade itch once more and I'm not convinced the 6x0 series has enough to draw me to it - is it worth me going SLI for the very first time? Is it worth it? Anything I should be aware of?

I'd be adding another 580, sticking a waterblock on it and integrating into my setup (below) - I think the cooling is adequate (120.3 rad).

Other options are:
- dual 670's, new blocks (sell 580)
- wait to see if new cards appear this autumn (nobody seems to know)
- spend the money on handbags and shoes for the wife

Traditionally i've always gone for the fastest single card solution and been worried about SLI.

None of this is rational, logical or otherwise sensible - it's about toys.

[Phage]

I hated my CF experience. Too hot, noisy and crash-prone.

But, if you really, really have that itch get two 670s.

[dangel]

Is it like that in NVIDIA land though? I hear good things generally with great scaling..

[kalniel]

Is it like that in NVIDIA land though? I hear good things generally with great scaling..

Scaling is great with well known titles (for both makes now), but compatibility issues are more pronounced - you sort of have to wait for double confirmation now - firstly that a driver has been optimised for the game for the base card, then for a second confirmation that an SLI/CF profile has been optimised for the game, and these almost always lag the first stage and require more stability patching later. You also have the hit and miss microstutter - it's not a cert. on dual cards, but there's just a bit of a niggle that it might rear its head, and it's hardly ever tested for by reviewers.

[dangel]

Scaling is great with well known titles (for both makes now), but compatibility issues are more pronounced - you sort of have to wait for double confirmation now - firstly that a driver has been optimised for the game for the base card, then for a second confirmation that an SLI/CF profile has been optimised for the game, and these almost always lag the first stage and require more stability patching later. You also have the hit and miss microstutter - it's not a cert. on dual cards, but there's just a bit of a niggle that it might rear its head, and it's hardly ever tested for by reviewers.

Ah I see - i'd heard about profiles but not really read into it and I didn't realise such specific profiles were needed per game (or have I got that wrong?) . Microstutter does worry me but again i've no experience with this either. I've never even used a system with SLI / CF so i've no idea what to expect

[kalniel]

Ah I see - i'd heard about profiles but not really read into it and I didn't realise such specific profiles were needed per game (or have I got that wrong?) . Microstutter does worry me but again i've no experience with this either. I've never even used a system with SLI / CF so i've no idea what to expect

There's a generic profile that might work with games straight away, but per-game profiles are increasingly being used even for single cards (they just don't tell you about it*), so to iron out bugs and get the performance you need a profile, it's just additional work for SLI/CF so the optimisations lag a bit.

*AMD are getting a bit better at telling you, but it's still not obvious. An example from me: Diablo 3 has a slightly interesting rendering scheme a bit like deferred rendering, which makes it a little trickier for nVidia or AMD user to force AA etc. via the control panel. Catalyst 12.6 WHQL does not address this, but Catalyst 12.7 beta claims to (and improve performance). However you can download the additional profiles (CAP) from 12.7 separately from AMD. I added them to my 12.6 driver install and voila I have the performance increase and can use my high fidelity AA with negative LOD clamp from CCC on Diablo 3. Come 12.7 WHQL I wouldn't need to run the profile as it'll be built in. I run a single 7870.

[KeyboardDemon]

I've had my HD6990 since it came out in April 2011 and have had issues with Crysis 2 and a few minor problems with Metro 2033. GTA IV ran really well on it, so did Oblivion, Assassin's Creed (1, 2 & Brotherhood), Batman (Arkham Asylum & City), BF3 and MW3 to name a few titles I've played on it. Crysis 2 gave me the most headaches but this has been well documented as having had issues on both platforms. Just Cause 2 was a bit laggy in places but as I was getting well over 60fps simply turning on VSync made the game play a lot smoother. I have not done any overclocking with my GPU though so that might be where the problems start for some people.

In my opinion I say try it, I think the 2x670 route would be the better option and sell your 580 while you can still get a good price for it.

[dangel]

Some good food for thought there guys - cheers. Crysis 2 caused me some headaches too (the default voltage on my 580 was too low to play it with stability[!]).

Hmm, well two 670's and blocks will run into some serious cash (well over 700) although i'd recoup maybe 250ish I'd guess. I'd guess i'd spend 250+ on a 580+block though so it's not world's apart. I notice there is a 670 based on a 680 board which would make blocks easier to source too (not worried about card length anyway).

[PmanUk]

Some good food for thought there guys - cheers. Crysis 2 caused me some headaches too (the default voltage on my 580 was too low to play it with stability[!]).

Hmm, well two 670's and blocks will run into some serious cash (well over 700) although i'd recoup maybe 250ish I'd guess. I'd guess i'd spend 250+ on a 580+block though so it's not world's apart. I notice there is a 670 based on a 680 board which would make blocks easier to source too (not worried about card length anyway).

My 2 cents

I had a pair of 580s on full EK waterblocks and loved them, then I have upgraded to a pair of 670's and there is a very healthy performance increase, circa 30%

I brought the EVGA FTW cards as they use the full 680 PCB and the full EK blocks fit on them perfectly.

This is the best route to do it, although a pair of cards will cost around £640 + around £75 per block and £12 for a SLI connector kit.

So around £800 for the setup.

But well worth it and they are monster cards with huge overhead on them.

Plus EVGA even confirmated that as long as you dont physically damage them with the instalation then they will not void your warranty for removing the HS to put a block on

No other card maker does that

[dangel]

Really? Wow. That's good to know - i've er.. very carefully reassembled them in the past for RMAs and I know it's a gamble. Lots of careful peeling and hairdryers if you get my drift..

Yes the FTW cards were the ones I was thinking of anyway. Crikey, how the heck do I get this one past the wife?
"yes darling I need to spend 800 quid on graphic cards"

Interesting that two people have come out in favour of going 670's versus adding a 580 though - didn't expect that. Is SLI better on the new series in any way?

[PmanUk]

To be honest, if your going to muck about with the loop anyway I would plump for the upgrade to prevent me having to do it again in the near future.

The 6 series cards def handle Dx11 games better as there is a massive 40% increase in FPS in Metro 2033 580 SLI vs 670 SLI

I wouldnt recommend going 680 SLI as the £120 premium per card isnt worth it vs the FTW EVGA cards, especially as I have been able to clock mine past stock 680 speeds with some room to spare as well.

My system I have had up to 17k in P in 3dmark11 if that means anything to you vs 12.5k on 580's

Besides you can recoup a little case with the 580 which must be worth a couple of hundred 2nd hand

If your going to get hung for a lamb might as well be a sheep

P.s As for the wife, Duck and run my son Duck and run!!

[dangel]

lol - makes a lot of sense thanks for that!

I agree - the 680 wasn't in the picture for me at all (even for a one card solution and that's odd for me).

Can I ask what sort of cooling loop you run - esp. rad wise?

Otherwise.. it looks like i'm going sheep farming

[PmanUk]

lol - makes a lot of sense thanks for that!

I agree - the 680 wasn't in the picture for me at all (even for a one card solution and that's odd for me).

Can I ask what sort of cooling loop you run - esp. rad wise?

Otherwise.. it looks like i'm going sheep farming

I have a 800D with a EK Coolstream 360 on the top and a pair of singles, one on the back and one on the bottom. Loop goes something like this

Res > Triple > Cpu > Single > GPU 1 > GPU 2 > Single > Res

I have an EK res in the front bays with a D5 pump in it

My GPU's get to around 51 on full load clocked up, they do have some good head room in them, I did get a wobbly card when I first got them, but I returned it to EVGA directly and I got a replacement on my door 3 days after it left my house. I put that down to how tight it must be to get the factory clocks on the FTW cards.

But the 2 I have now are monsters and have a perm 20% clock on them now

[dangel]

Heck of a loop!

Did you add the single's as a result of something or just in case?

Just hunting around for a supplier-who-is-not-scan. Any block preference? I never see much of a difference tbh.

[PmanUk]

The singles were added as there was space and I thought it would be rude not too

I prefer these blocks : http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=WC-212-EK

I used the same design of blocks on my 580's and was very happy, and am very happy with these ones too

[dangel]

Yeah I like EK stuff too - current block is one of theirs too. Thanks! Did you buy a special connector between the two cards (for water that is) - is that what you meant by SLI kit? Or did you just use hose/connectors?

EDIT: I see there are bridge kits - a whole array of them. Any idea what i'd actually need to bond the cards together on my board?

http://uk.asus.com/Motherboards/Inte.../P8Z68_DELUXE/


(sorry for so many q's but it's useful to share the knowledge!)