Gfx Card or Cards

[jarheaded]

whats better 1 high end or 2 mid ranged cards

currently 8500gt
2x2gigs ddr2 6400 800mhz ram will be going with 2x2gigs ddr2 pc 8500 1066mhz
amd 2x 5200+ and might upgrade to the 6 core 1090 for 200$

mobo supports better ram and processor.. amd2+ or amd3 socket.
GA-MA770-DS3
was thinking about a 560 ti for around 260$..

but was looking and saw a 460 for 150$ and thought i could get 2 and sli them

have a 650watt power supply

so my Question is whats better and whats going to show the best improvement overall.. a single card 560 ti vs 2 460's in sli and when i buy the card(s) will i need the bridge? and how does it work.. single card user looking into sli..

 

[Mario27]

Ati Cards owns all i have an pci expres ati 4890 1 gig atm i can play all games on full screen evrything on high no lag im plenning on buying an higher one soon

 

[lepton17]

A single high-end GPU is generally better and WoW doesn't support multi GPU set-ups (if that's what you wanted it for).

Your current CPU will probably bottleneck a 460/560.

 

[jarheaded]

im planning on playing rift and wow at the same time bot while i play and i figured my cpu need to be upgraded so the 1090 will be next on the list after the gfx and ram

currently cant play on maxed i get a shuttering effect like a stutter step or lag or something in wow or any other game

and ati and intel suck and freeze for me all the time my pc since i have had a amd just runs for me alot smoother

had a intel p4 that locked up on me every day for 8 weeks straight at school so you can tell me they are great but i tested it out... i was just doing flash development..

 

[lepton17]

Your motherboard also only has one PCI-e slot and you'll probably need a new PSU if you wanted to go for a dual GPU set-up.

 

[jarheaded]

Your motherboard also only has one PCI-e slot and you'll probably need a new PSU if you wanted to go for a dual GPU set-up.

no it has 5 1 16x 4 1x and 650 watt isnt enough for 2 gfx ?

 

[fpsware]

Actually, WoW does support multi-GPU's (SLI). It has done so for over a year. But that aside, WoW is a very CPU intensive game. A higher CPU would be more advantageous.

The SLI bridge usually comes with the motherboard not the video card(s).

 

[jarheaded]

Actually, WoW does support multi-GPU's (SLI). It has done so for over a year. But that aside, WoW is a very CPU intensive game. A higher CPU would be more advantageous.

i agreed ... and said will be upgrading to a amd 6x 1090t black edition..

 

[fpsware]

i agreed ... and said will be upgrading to a amd 6x 1090t black edition..

I must have missed that sorry.

 

[lepton17]

no it has 5 1 16x 4 1x and 650 watt isnt enough for 2 gfx ?

What brand PSU? The wattage is largely irrelevant if it's a cheap, unbranded PSU. And you're still going to need a new motherboard since it only has one slot for GPU.

Good to know WoW finally supports SLI though!

 

[jarheaded]

im being told..since i have only 1 16x pci-e slot i cant sli and no bridge.. and then i would need a 800watt/sli cert. psu. My current gfx isn't made for gaming, that's why i see horrible fps and graphic quality.. my options are single card with upgrading everything across the board... ram,cpu,and gfx. then when i need more gfx power to update my motherboard.

 

[Gigglebyte]

Most AMD Graphics Cards comes with an Crossfire Bridge. Not sure about nVIDIA. Haven't bought from them in a while.

If you are interested in running two games at once: It's going to be a strain on your system. No if or butts.
WoW is a CPU intensive game (as stated). If you were willing to upgrade a Graphics Card, then you will bottle neck your CPU. (You didn't state which CPU you were getting/have in the first post).

Right now, I'm running a pretty good set up. I can run two wows at once. But I get noticeable frame drop. But I'm running max. What I suggest is if you run Rift + WoW get a mid/high range card. A single should do it. 5850+ or nvidia equivalent. And lower WoW to basic graphics and set Rift to Mid/High.

Of course, you will need to upgrade your CPU. A decent one like an AMD Phenom II X4 should do it.

For PSU, you need to look at what you need. Some companies show how much you need for SLI/Crossfire.

My setup:

AMD Phenom II x3 720BE. (x4 with core unlocker)
5850 HD
8GB DDR3 Ram
650Watt