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    What would you rather have?

    Discussion in 'Gaming (Software and Graphics Cards)' started by Clutch, Oct 20, 2009.

  1. Clutch

    Clutch cute and cuddly boys

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    Would you rather have a 1 really powerful graphics card or SLI/Crossfire 2 mediocre graphics cards?

    Personally I would get 1 powerful card
     
    Clutch, Oct 20, 2009
    #1
  2. BobXX

    BobXX Newbie

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    Depends on what you classify as "powerful" and "mediocre".

    Personally, I would rather have a single 9800m over dual 8700m's, but dual 9800m's over a single GTX280m.
     
    BobXX, Oct 20, 2009
    #2
  3. Hep!

    Hep! sees beauty in everything

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    Generally speaking, I'd rather have a single powerful card.
     
    Hep!, Oct 20, 2009
    #3
  4. MrDJ

    MrDJ Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    single for me also.
     
    MrDJ, Oct 20, 2009
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  5. v_c

    v_c Notebook Evangelist

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    One card. I would be factoring in pricing, driver performance, battery life etc.
     
    v_c, Oct 20, 2009
    #5
  6. masterchef341

    masterchef341 The guy from The Notebook

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    "rather have"

    versus

    "would pick"

    those might be two very different things.
     
    masterchef341, Oct 20, 2009
    #6
  7. joshthor

    joshthor 100% Crazy Sauce

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    single card.
     
    joshthor, Oct 20, 2009
    #7
  8. masterchef341

    masterchef341 The guy from The Notebook

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    i would almost certainly pick a single card, but if i was offered it, (in a desktop) with at no cost difference, i may very well prefer to have two cards
     
    masterchef341, Oct 20, 2009
    #8
  9. Signal2Noise

    Signal2Noise Über-geek.

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    For me it would depend on heat output b/w the two. But I'd likely opt for SLI/xFire if the price is right.
     
    Signal2Noise, Oct 20, 2009
    #9
  10. sean473

    sean473 Notebook Prophet

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    SLI or Crossfire with 2 GREAT CARDS!!!!!
     
    sean473, Oct 20, 2009
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  11. Apollo13

    Apollo13 100% 16:10 Screens

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    Quite true. I'd rather have a single powerful card, but depending on the price I may go with two less powerful ones instead. I voted for the single card.
     
    Apollo13, Oct 20, 2009
    #11
  12. LaptopNut

    LaptopNut Notebook Virtuoso

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    I wouldn't got for anything mediocre no matter how many there were. Its either one powerful GPU or two powerful ones in SLI.

    There is no such thing as casual gaming :p
     
    LaptopNut, Oct 20, 2009
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  13. MAG

    MAG Notebook Deity

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    I think a single powerful card is always a better solution. Not many games support SLi or Crossfire anyway.
     
    MAG, Oct 20, 2009
    #13
  14. crash

    crash NBR Assassin

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    Single powerful card for me.
     
    crash, Oct 20, 2009
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  15. xTank Jones16x

    xTank Jones16x PC Elitist

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    Gah! That's what I get for not reading before I vote!

    After voting THEN reading, I wanted to change my vote. Lol :rolleyes:
     
    xTank Jones16x, Oct 20, 2009
    #15
  16. LaptopNut

    LaptopNut Notebook Virtuoso

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    According to some who use SLI, they say that is no longer the case and say that many games support SLI now. Apparently things have changed.
     
    LaptopNut, Oct 20, 2009
    #16
  17. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    A single powerful card would be more desirable for performance seekers due to the linear performance curve. Some games don't use dual cards, in which case dual card setups only achieve half of their rated performance.

    On the other hand, sometimes two lower-end cards are desirable though mainly in a desktop setting. For example, in my desktop I use dual HD 4670s. Together they are about as powerful as a single HD 4850, so why didn't I get the 4850? The HD 4670 does not need an auxiliary power connector like the HD 4850 and therefore less cables, and the HD 4670s are also quieter and produce minimal heat. ;)
     
    Charles P. Jefferies, Oct 20, 2009
    #17
  18. mtness

    mtness loitering

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    Single card please.
     
    mtness, Oct 20, 2009
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  19. me12345

    me12345 Notebook Evangelist

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    Interesting. Thanks for your post. :)
     
    me12345, Oct 21, 2009
    #19
  20. Red_Dragon

    Red_Dragon Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Id rather just go with a single 6870 :D
     
    Red_Dragon, Oct 21, 2009
    #20
  21. Amnesiac

    Amnesiac 404

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    Single card. Crossfire and SLI can sometimes be difficult to set up properly or maintain, and are more prone to problems than single cards.
     
    Amnesiac, Oct 21, 2009
    #21
  22. italian.madness

    italian.madness Notebook Consultant

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    IMO it really depends on the comparison between performance.
    As someone said, At the moment I would not change my SLI set up for the most powerful single card out there.(280) But If I had a SLI less powerful than 8800gtx/9800gt I would probably go for a single 280.
    when gt3xx would be out I would then probably change my mind though.
     
    italian.madness, Oct 21, 2009
    #22
  23. jeffreyac

    jeffreyac Notebook Evangelist

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    Sorry - I, too, misread the idea at first. I was thinking SLI with TWO powerful cards... :)
     
    jeffreyac, Oct 21, 2009
    #23
  24. tyrael

    tyrael Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'd rather have 1 powerful single card since crossfire or sli need a motherboard with 2 or more PCI-ex slot which cost more money
     
    tyrael, Oct 21, 2009
    #24
  25. Clutch

    Clutch cute and cuddly boys

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    Do you think crossfire/sli is worth it for the performance gains?

    Personally I would rather to have another HDD or a real sound card.
     
    Clutch, Oct 21, 2009
    #25
  26. bsdowling

    bsdowling Notebook Consultant

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    If you are refering to laptop's then Sli is going to be the best option as you will see in all the top end model's. You simply can't get a single card that will be nearly as powerful as most Sli setup's in laptop's largely due to heat output. I never have issue's with my setup and find performance in game's great.
     
    bsdowling, Oct 21, 2009
    #26
  27. Levenly

    Levenly Grappling Deity

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    it is comparing a good card with two poorer performing cards...

    there is no reason to SLI a 128bit card yet have a more powerful 256bit card.

    comparing a 8800m gtx versus two 8700m, i would take the 8800m gtx.
     
    Levenly, Oct 21, 2009
    #27
  28. LaptopNut

    LaptopNut Notebook Virtuoso

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    If you are a gamer then that extra 20 fps for example will be well worth it.
     
    LaptopNut, Oct 21, 2009
    #28
  29. Phinagle

    Phinagle Notebook Prophet

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    A single powerful internal mobile card with a Lucid Hydra 200 chip so I can get 100% CF/SLI scaling with the external desktop GPU connected to my notebook through an XGP port with the bandwidth to support it....and a mobile CPU that won't bottleneck it all.
     
    Phinagle, Oct 21, 2009
    #29
  30. apple314159

    apple314159 Notebook Consultant

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    I was too excited about the poll to bother reading what it was really about. After reading, I would rather have one card. Less hassle.

    The next poll should be: How many people voted before reading, and want to change their answer?
     
    apple314159, Oct 22, 2009
    #30
  31. sean473

    sean473 Notebook Prophet

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    LOL. 10 Char.
     
    sean473, Oct 22, 2009
    #31
  32. Consecrated

    Consecrated Notebook Evangelist

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    Single card
     
    Consecrated, Oct 22, 2009
    #32