Can single 4gb gpu be better that dual-sli with 4gb each?

Hey all,

I'm helping a friend with a computer build and I have a quick question. I understand that they say it's better to buy a nice single gpu instead of two lesser cards in dual sli....but here's the situation.

Right now, the computer is an i7-4790, 8GB of RAM and a NVIDIA EVGA Geforce 760 4GB GPU. It runs everything just fine. However, he wanted to beef up the GPU again.

So, the evga 4gb 760 was $319, which is a decent price. We were thinking about simply spending another $319 and having dual sli 760s. Then we got ton thinking about getting a better single card for around the price of both gpus ($740). When shopping at the local microcenter, all the gpus around the $700 mark still only had 4gb, or some even only had 3gb.

How is it possible that a more expensive 4gb could out perform 2 decent 760s in sli. Now, if the $700 gpu had 6gb or more, that would be an easy choice. ...


So, in this case, would dual 760s be the best bet?

Thanks!

Oh, here's a link to our local inventory http://www.microcenter.com/search/s...966938&NTX=&NTT=&NTK=all&page=1&sortby=rating


Thanks in advance!

A couple of questions first:

What is the resolution of the monitor(s)?

What are the rest of the system specs?

Generally, a single card solution is usually the best route to go.

The reason the sli option isn't always going to be better is because sli scaling isn't a fixed amount. It varies from game to game, and sometimes doesn't work at all. The games it won't work with aren't always going to be the same as crossfire, but for example I disable my second card for planetside 2 because if I leave it active both cards load and I get no extra fps, so I'm just burning power and making heat.

So a 780 is going to have a better worst case performance level than sli 760s, with less potential issues. That's why the best single card is usually recommended.

There are going to be pros and cons to both options in your situation so there isn't going to be a single best answer. For me personally, I wouldn't do dual cards unless I was water cooling them, it's amazing how much hotter and louder that top card gets when you add a second one below it.

Also be aware and keep in mind that memory amount does not add in SLI. If you were to get a second 4gb 760, you would still have 4gb of graphics memory available, not 8.

It's running on win7 professional and a ASUS Maximus VI motherboard.

I'm running it all on a 46" 1080p LCD TV.

So, it seems like I'd be better off with a $600-ish single card than 2x760s. What's the best card that fits that price range at the above link from microcenter? I'll pick it up Tuesday.

I guess I just always thought that a $350 4gb going was The same as a $600 4gb gpu.... I thought "memory was memory..." I'm learning.

I prefer nvidia, evga.... But you guys tell ME!

Thanks.

A single 780 would work just fine. For 1080p you don't need more than 3gb of vram.

WarWolf said:

Also be aware and keep in mind that memory amount does not add in SLI. If you were to get a second 4gb 760, you would still have 4gb of graphics memory available, not 8.

Click to expand...

But 4 is better than 2, when you're looking at SLI.

Janus67 said:

A single 780 would work just fine. For 1080p you don't need more than 3gb of vram.

Click to expand...

This +1.

Compared to SLI 760 4GB GPUs:
Less heat, less power draw, wider memory bus, cheaper.

get the 780, I use 760's in sli and the 770's stomp me.

Great, thanks, Guys.

So, if the 780s are better then the 770s, then Swap to a 780 and pay the difference...


Now, the question is, which version? Here are my choices (I'd still prefer EVGA if that brand still excels at this level): http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.aspx?ntt=nvidia+780


Thanks!

KillerQ said:

Great, thanks, Guys.

So, if the 780s are better then the 770s, then Swap to a 780 and pay the difference...


Now, the question is, which version? Here are my choices (I'd still prefer EVGA if that brand still excels at this level): http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.aspx?ntt=nvidia+780


Thanks!

Click to expand...

This one: http://www.microcenter.com/product/...CX_Cooler_3072MB_GDDR5_PCIe_x16_30_Video_Card

Wow! I am sooooo happy with this swap! Thank you for all the tips. The 780 rocks! Attached a benchmark screenshot for a quick reference!!

ATMINSIDE said:

This one: http://www.microcenter.com/product/...CX_Cooler_3072MB_GDDR5_PCIe_x16_30_Video_Card

Click to expand...

Glad you like it!