GTX 580 - 3D Vision?

Hello all - new to the forum.

Well, it's been a while but I've decided to get back into PC gaming. I've been out of the loop for about 8 years, so I've had to do a lot of research to figure out what kind of specs are good for gaming rigs these days.

I am still deciding on a video card however, and would like the advice of the experts on this forum. Anyway, see below for the system I am currently planning on, and read on for what I am looking for.

Ideally, I would like to play some of the most demanding games out now (Crysis, BF:BC2, ARMA 2, Shogun 2, and many others) at their maximum possible settings at 1920 X 1200 resolution. AA isn't so important, but I would like to be able to go for 2x AA and max AF. Also, I'm obviously looking to be future proofed for a few years and would like to be able to max out some upcoming titles such as Skyrim, Deus Ex, and most importantly, Battlefield 3.

Also, as indicated in the thread title, I am planning on using 3D vision as well. I won't be doing any multiple monitor setups, just a single display. I'd like to try and stay at max settings in stereo 3D mode as well, but it is not absolutely essential. I'm mostly just interested in trying out the tech and I doubt I will use it all the time or anything.

So, that about does it in terms of what I want, here is what I am looking at:

Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-2600K Processor (4x 3.40GHz/8MB L3 Cache)
RAM: 8 GB [4 GB X2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module Corsair Vengeance
Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 LE
PSU: CoolerMaster RS850-AMBAJ3-US 850 Watt
HD: 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s
GPU: nVidia GTX 580

So, the GPU is where my concern lies, as the rest of the system is, I think, pretty much the best at this point? Based on benchmarks, the 580 seems plenty fast to meet my requirements, but I am concerned about 3D vision performance. Benchmarks seem to peg it at around 40 FPS for most games. Which is fine I guess, if such a figure is accurate at close to max settings. Anyone have any experience with this kind of set up?

Also, would there be any benefit to me going for a 3GB GTX 580, vs. 1.5? I will have just the single monitor, but would extra ram assist with 3D vision at all?

The other option is going SLI with two GTX 560 Ti's. This comes out around the same cost as my set up with a GTX 580 (1000 watt PSU and SLI motherboard make it a wash, even though cards are much cheaper). Based on benchmarks, this seems to provide a large performance boost over the 580, but I have concerns. Mostly compatibility with games, especially older ones. For example, I still enjoy playing Sim City 4, and I wonder if an SLI setup causes problems. I've also heard about driver issues and 'microstuttering' problems. There's also the fact that I am not the most literate person when it comes to working or trouble shooting my hardware (I'm using iBuyPower to assemble to PC). So, I'm hesitant to take this route.

A lot of questions in this post, and sorry for the length. Basically it boils down to:

1) Is the GTX 580 a good enough card to meet my requirements (max settings current and future games, 3D vision)?
2) Is it worth shelling out the extra dough for a 3GB GTX 580?
3) Is it worth considering dual 560 Ti's in SLI?
4) Is iBuyPower reputable?

WWJD?

Thanks all.

1. In 3D, it wont last you for long...
2. That 3GB should help in 3D as it is rendering the scene twice.
3. Its faster than a single 580, but then you only have 1GB memory.
4. Yes.

I also wanted to mention about the PSU. First, I would get a better brand. Corsair 750TX/HX would be most excellent for a single 580 or 2 560ti build. You do NOT need close to 1kw for 2 midrange cards (560ti).

This may not be the answer you are looking for, but 3GB GTX580 SLI. The 3GB is a huge future proof since SLI doesnt scale VRAM, which means with he 560 you may be hurting come BF3.

Even if you can only get 1 for now, do it and then get the second later.

The BF3 demo at GDC was played on a single GTX580 (not sure of which memory version) and we know how that looked. If you want to do 3D, then you will need more horsepower.

Also, Crysis2 is coming out with their DX11 and High res texture pack next week. This will be a great test for 3D gaming if you decide to test a card/setup.

1) Look at your favorite GTX 580 review and cut the FPS in half. That's what you'll get in 3D mode. You decide if it's enough for you.
2) I don't think the 3GB will be of any help. More memory helps with higher resolutions/details. Using 3D Doesn't render one big image and then split it up, it just renders it twice so each time it's only just using a smaller amount of VRAM. Gaming at 1080p (the highest available 3D screen IIRC) won't require 3GB of VRAM and the 1.5GB should be enough. I'm not sure if the 3GB would be any more future proof either. By the time Games need >1.5GB of VRAM, then 580 might be obsolete. Again, this is assuming you stay at the 1080p resolution.
The 3GB version would be most useful if you went to a Tri-Monitor gaming setup.
3) Just get the 580 and as stated above, move to 580 SLI if you have to.

Duner, as I understand how 3D is rendered. Its essentially pushing the same image twice. How does it get away with that without using more memory?

Nvidia 3D technology relies on 120Hz displays to display SEQUENTIAL images at a higher refresh rate to trick the eye into thinking there is only 1 3D image being displayed. That means the rendering pattern is 1L,1R,2L,2R,3L,3R. That means frame 1 left, frame 1 right, frame 2 left etc. The GPU only ever renders 1 image at a time, hence only uses VRAM for 1 frame at a time, it doesn't render both frames at the same time.

Thanks for the responses all. Sorry it's been so long. I know it sucks to take the time to respond and get no recognition .

Based on these posts, it seems like the 3GB 580 won't provide any noticeable performance gains based on my preferences here.

I think I have decided on going with a 570 SLI set up. This seems like it will provide a pretty significant frame rate bump and allow me to play most games at high settings in 3D, or at least really take advantage of the 120hz in 2D mode.

I am a bit concerned about the VRAM though. Is 1.2 GB vs. 1.5 GB on a 580 a significant difference? If so, I would consider getting an SLI MoBo and 1000 watt PSU and single GTX 580 with the intention of getting a second down the road when prices have dropped a bit. As much as I would like an SLI 3GB 580 set up, that is just too far outside my budget. I'm already looking at about $2,100 here, without the monitor and 3D vision kit....

One thing I'm still worried about is SLI compatibility. I've heard about microstuttering and driver issues for a lot of games. Is this still a problem? I really just want to get down and game, so I'm a bit worried that SLI may be more trouble than its worth vs. a single card solution. At this point, I'd say the choice is between 570 SLI and 590 as a single card solution, as they both offer similar performance for roughly the same cost.

So many options these days, it's very difficult to make a decisions!

Duner said:

Nvidia 3D technology relies on 120Hz displays to display SEQUENTIAL images at a higher refresh rate to trick the eye into thinking there is only 1 3D image being displayed. That means the rendering pattern is 1L,1R,2L,2R,3L,3R. That means frame 1 left, frame 1 right, frame 2 left etc. The GPU only ever renders 1 image at a time, hence only uses VRAM for 1 frame at a time, it doesn't render both frames at the same time.

Click to expand...

I know this is a very old post, but I'm still wondering if 1 image is really rendered at a time, then why gaming in 3D Vision mode has such impact on fps that it divides it by 2 ?

Running 3D is like running two separate monitors, one for each eye. But since there's only one monitor, it alternates the frames and the glasses filter the correct frame to the correct eye.

Knufire said:

Running 3D is like running two separate monitors, one for each eye. But since there's only one monitor, it alternates the frames and the glasses filter the correct frame to the correct eye.

Click to expand...

I just realized a simple logic: gaming in 3D Vision is allowed by monitors displaying at double the fps by going from 60hz to 120hz.

So although Duner was right by saying 3D Vision alternates frames for the left eye with frames for the right eye, he was wrong on the VRam usage since 3D Vision makes the graphic card render and outputs 2x more frames in the same timeframe than 2D mode, so it needs 2x the usual memory bandwidth.