2 or 3 gtx580 or 1 gtx590

[JointTech]

Ok I know this has been discussed ad nauseum but I just wanted one more "do this" before dropping the cash.
I only play 2 games. BF3 and Eve online. I want to play both across the 3 screens.

I have 3 22" Dell E2209w monitors.
Asus 3x sli mobo (tuff inside, not sure of exact model anymore)
12gigs DDR3 triple channel Ram
i7 960, no overclock
Currently have 2 EVGA GTX285 with builtin physx. (batman edition)

I can run EVE maxed out in window mode across all monitors WITHOUT sli enabled. (this is nice because I dont have to readjust all my monitors and stuff when done gaming.

With SLI enabled and using a single monitor I can max out BF3.
If you SLI across all monitors I get lagzilla in BF3.

So once and for all, if the next greatest game is not my concern and I know this is all I will play and no other hardware will be upgraded before upgrading the whole system, what would you do?

Price is not really a barrier, but im not interested in toileting cash. ;)

Been reading reviews here for years but this is my first post so be gentle.

[Arinoth]

Are you still running windowed mode when you are sli'ing across all the monitors? If so, windowed mode severely limits the amount of loading a 2nd or third card gets. This means you're essentially running one card in 3D gaming mode, and the other is either in 2D mode or is being loaded maybe 10%. This can cause quite the problem sometimes.

If this isn't the case, I'd recommend you going with 2 580 3GB as the extra vRam is and will be necessary for 3 monitor gaming (I've been 3 monitor gaming for about a year and a bit, and have run half a dozen configurations). Three cards right now could be overkill, especially if you can wait a few months for it. Aka the 580s will see a price drop whenever Kepler launches. The GTX590 is a good card, though it is slightly hard to find and only sports the standard 1.5GB per gpu on it (aka 3GB), it does not mean it shares/pools the 3GB (a very nice misconception). The GTX 580s will allow you to overclock and get better results, and if you want the extra vRAM version of the cards you can do it, the GTX 590 you're force limited to 1.5GB per gpu.

[JointTech]

thanks for the info.
I tried running BF3 in windowed and fullscreen and both ways lagged like hell.
I was thinking its my monitor configuration. Does it matter what order your monitors are in? when I switch to SLI it sets my monitors as 2-3-1 so I have to drag them around to get 1-2-3.
if I connect my monitors in the order the controller defaults to is that better?
I think Im going to go wtih the 2x580 and maybe toss in a 3rd when the prices drop.

[GT7R]

I second that, 2x 580s 3GB.

[Arinoth]

It makes absolutely no difference the order of the monitors, its just that your poor 285s just don't have enough juice for the DX11 and graphical load that BF3 has. You're also running out of vRAM on those 285s, as like I said 3 monitor gaming uses a lot of it, as well as very high AA.

[JointTech]

well that settles it. 2x 580 3gbs is what ill do.
I've always been a fan of EVGA stuff. Are they still the place to go? value, support, quality?

[Arinoth]

Just to give you an Idea, I am running BF3 on a single monitor (2560 x 1440) on 2 GTX 570 2.5GB cards and BF3 is reporting each of them are using around 1700MB each.

[rjbarker]

Yes Evga is one of the best nv Companies you can buy from....2 x GTX 580 and for heavens sake OC THAT CPU ;)

[KaptCrunch]

also the PSU don't skimp on the heart of system

since got the cash get yourself a UPS unit that filter and regulates an keep gaming when power goes out