Should I get a 2nd 580 or a 670?

[Gunger Plunger]

So I just got an HP ZR30W and when I play Skyrim I seem to be capped at around 30 FPS (2560x1600 on ultra settings, FXAA, and a lot of mods). My current card is an MSI GTX 580 3GB. I'm wondering if I should get another 580 (the cheapest 3GB I can find is a refurbished EVGA 03G-P3-1584-AR for $519.99 on eBay) or should I try to sell my current card and get a 4GB 670 (or maybe two of them if necessary). The cheapest 4GB 670's I have found so far are a Zotac for $419.99, a Galaxy for $439.99, and an EVGA for $464.99.

[GT7R]

520$ for a 580? Never. Just get a single 4GB 680 and you'll be good for a while. Thing is, Skyrim is known to CPU intensive so the point of the upgrade really depends on your platform.

[Bond007]

What is the rest of your computer?

[Dzzope]

look second-hand..

[Gunger Plunger]

Originally Posted by Bond007

What is the rest of your computer?

i5 2500K
Noctua NH-D14
Asus Maximus IV Extreme-Z
2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaws X
Corsair 1200AX PSU
Crucial M4 256gb

[TedShackley]

My i5 barely breaks a sweat, low 40's vs ~50 in BF3

[GeneralHining]

Think of it this way - SLI/Crossfire has a scaling ratio, which means that if you SLI two nvidia card which are both clocked at, say, 1000MHz, your total performance after that would NOT be 2000MHz. To sum it up: If you can get a better card, do that BEFORE you run two GPU's (unless you've done your homework and you know for sure that the 2 GPU's > 1 higher end GPU)
If it were me, I wouldn't even get a 670.
1 EVGA 690 will pretty much destroy most other SLI setups, plus less noise, power consumption and heat.
or
for about $600, you can go SLI MSI's 660 Ti Power Edition, which is better than a 670 or a 680 - cheaper than the 680 and 690 too.

[Dzzope]

Originally Posted by GeneralHining

If it were me, I wouldn't even get a 670.
1 EVGA 690 will pretty much destroy most other SLI setups, plus less noise, power consumption and heat.

Erm.. no.. it will beat stock 670's or less as it is 2 full 680 cores in sli on one card BUT you should be able to push 2 single 670's harder and oc them beyond the 690.
Also at $1000 it's $200 more expensive than 2 670's.. Not worth it UNLESS you just really want one or are looking at 2x680's anyway..


A 580 is a tiny bit slower than a 670, Get yourself a second-hand 580 unless you really want the power and heat benefits of kelper.

[YukonTrooper]

Since when is a 580 a tiny bit slower than a 670?

[Soultribunal]

Originally Posted by YukonTrooper

Since when is a 580 a tiny bit slower than a 670?

I was thinking the same thing since a 660TI beats the 580....

Personally speaking, I would go towards the newest cards. So, 670 would be best IMO. Sell the 580.

-ST