I'm thinking of going with a 2nd GTX 280

T

TheMolecularMan

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I game on 19x12, I already have one GTX 280, and I can always put together a DX11 build when prices come down a bit more. Think I can do Supersampling AA with COD:MW2 ??

I still need a videocard in the 3rd PCI-E slot for PhysX?

And would upping my
 
If you can afford it, I'd say it's worth it. I definitely got a big improvement out of adding a 2nd 285 to my setup. You'll be faster than a 5970...and you don't need to worry at all about settings in games, just max everything out, and you can add tons of AA.
 
gtx280... not gtx285.

The reviews have only tested the faster GTX285 in SLI.

EDIT: against old drivers from ATi.
 
Abit667 said:
If you can afford it, I'd say it's worth it. I definitely got a big improvement out of adding a 2nd 285 to my setup. You'll be faster than a 5970...and you don't need to worry at all about settings in games, just max everything out, and you can add tons of AA.
Click to expand...

280's in sli are faster than a 5970? Isn't the 5970 basically a 5870x2? Isn't the 5870 on its own faster than the 295, which is just 275's in sli? I'm just confused a bit here, I wasn't aware the 5970 had such a performance hit from the scalability.
 
I have SLI 280s and don't use it in SLI to play since I am using triple monitors most of the time. I can play with SS on with everything on AND physx enables. Using 19by1080
 
saedrin said:
280's in sli are faster than a 5970? Isn't the 5970 basically a 5870x2? Isn't the 5870 on its own faster than the 295, which is just 275's in sli? I'm just confused a bit here, I wasn't aware the 5970 had such a performance hit from the scalability.
Click to expand...

Yeah expect that, I guess...

The 5870 "alone" isn't faster than the GTX 295. There's almost no difference in performance even between the GTX 295 and the 5970.

Take a look at these benchies: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5970,2474-6.html

So I'm expecting Fermi to "GF M8" the 5xxx series.
 
and due to far higher clock speeds, and headroom the GTX275 in SLI outperforms the GTX295.
GTX285 in SLI is around 5-10% better again.
 
with prices right now, I doubt it will cost more. I am more than happy with my gtx 285s in SLi, go for it.
 
The OP seems to be unaware that after ATIs 58xx series every other card on the market has become a piece of junk with outdated technology that is not worth crap.
You need to sell everything you have and get an ATI card right now!
/end sarcasm

Yes, the SLI should work great for you. You want to have nice air flow in that case though.
The used market is a great place to get awesome deals now.
I got my 295 by trading my previous 280 and then the guy sold it for about $150...that is a good deal indeed.

Regards
 
shaolin95 said:
Yes, the SLI should work great for you. You want to have nice air flow in that case though.
The used market is a great place to get awesome deals now.
I got my 295 by trading my previous 280 and then the guy sold it for about $150...that is a good deal indeed.
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That's the way I'd do it as well. You shouldn't be paying more than $175 for a GTX280, and should probably be paying $150. Otherwise just sell the GTX280 and buy a 5870 if you can find one. I'm serious here, it completely trumps anything offered by NVIDIA.
 
if you can get a gtx280 for less than $200 usd i'd say go for it. i pushed one of my i7 920 builds to 3.8ghz with stock clocked 280's and found warhead incredibly fluid with all enthusiast settings at 19x12. otherwise, i'd make due with the single 280 and wait for 58xx series cards to normalize in price or for fermi to release. mw2 is still based on the same engine as cod4 so i expect further driver updates will even out performance for users of either gpu makers.
 
I had GTX280s running in SLI driving a 30" 2650x1600 Dell. It was butter!! Awsome and faster than the current 5870 I have.

I also had a 3rd Video Card, a 9800GT running my 2 side monitors and Physx.

Get the 2nd GTX 280. All that bulls*#t about dual gpu, is just that. SLI worked really well.
 
I'm in the same boat, with the prices on GTX285s being so damn low (used) now that people are selling them for about $250CAD. I run a 30" so it wouldn't be a bad choice =) for you though, I'd say wait since 1920x1200 should be fine for a single GTX280 for a while still
 
i wanted to get an sli/dualgpu setup but micro stuttering scares me, just reading about it
 
I have been thinking of doing this myself (hackable drivers are available now :D) a second GTX280 would pretty well max out my current screen, then I could upgrade to my eyefinity setup this spring (I think I want thin bezel monitors)
 
mike87 said:
i wanted to get an sli/dualgpu setup but micro stuttering scares me, just reading about it
Click to expand...

its much less noticeable with gt200 or r700 based hardware. its even less present at 19x12 than at 25x16. users with 19x12 monitors will generally find very pleasant experiences going dual gpu at the $200 per card price point.
 
Mr. K6 said:
That's the way I'd do it as well. You shouldn't be paying more than $175 for a GTX280, and should probably be paying $150. Otherwise just sell the GTX280 and buy a 5870 if you can find one. I'm serious here, it completely trumps anything offered by NVIDIA.
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Really? So it does 3D Vision, CUDA and Physx! Wow I am getting one. ;)
Seriously, the 295 beats it most of the time so, nope it does not.

A 280 SLI would be just as powerful as a 295 if not more (at least when at stock speed of course)
 
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TeeJay said:
Yeah expect that, I guess...

The 5870 "alone" isn't faster than the GTX 295. There's almost no difference in performance even between the GTX 295 and the 5970.

Take a look at these benchies: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5970,2474-6.html

So I'm expecting Fermi to "GF M8" the 5xxx series.
Click to expand...


Whaaaaaaaaaaaat? No difference between the 295 and the 5970?!?!
even with the 5970's "crippled" stock speeds it's still 19 FPS faster than a 295 at 2560 resolution.
http://guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-5970-review-test/12..if you bump up the 5970 to a stable O/C (which the chipset is designed for) 32 FPS faster than a 295...http://guru3d.com/article/overclock-radeon-5970-guide/5
..this is with all settings maxed out.

In Far Cry2 it's 23 FPS faster at stock speeds, and 35 FPS with the O/C

The 295 is older tech and it's still ~$510...ATI is already GG'ing nVidia...My money is on the new "6000" series AMD being out riiiiiiiiiight around that Fermi release...but Fermi might have a magical wooden screw that allows for a nice overclock...might

Look at this statement by [H] regarding performance on Crysis Warhead: "What is even more impressive is how much it is beating the GeForce GTX 295, which is also a dual-GPU video card. "
Need For Speed Shift: "The GeForce GTX 295 averages around 50 FPS the ATI Radeon HD 5970 is averaging around 102 FPS! "


:D
 
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I just replaced my 2-EVGA GTX 280 FTW with 2- Sapphire 5870s. The 280s worked great with my Dell 30 inch monitor. Wow amazing how the price drops. Paid $535.00 a year ago and now they're worth $150.00 each. Oh well I still really enjoyed them. Usually pass them along to friends but maybe $150 each is better then nothing. Have to sleep on that. Sometimes hate the hassle when shipping electronics and they don't work when buyer receives them because of shipping. Well anyway 2- 280's should work fine until spring.
 
Abit667 said:
If you can afford it, I'd say it's worth it. I definitely got a big improvement out of adding a 2nd 285 to my setup. You'll be faster than a 5970...and you don't need to worry at all about settings in games, just max everything out, and you can add tons of AA.
Click to expand...
what are you on crack or something gtx 285 sli is slower about 20 percent than 5970. god so much misinformation in this thread
 
I picked up a 2nd GTX280 a few weeks ago from the DC FS forum for $155; best upgrade for the price I've done in a while. GTX280s have really nice price/performance ratio since the 285s came out and their 90% as fast as 285s. I have both of my OC'd to 285 speeds though, so they're gonna perform identical to stock 285s. Although 285s are gonng OC much higher than these can, it's still a great deal to upgrade if you already have one. I say do it, you'll be able to play pretty much anything maxed butter smooth. I guarantee it will be a faster setup than a 5870 too in 90% of games.
 
Abit667 said:
If you can afford it, I'd say it's worth it. I definitely got a big improvement out of adding a 2nd 285 to my setup. You'll be faster than a 5970...and you don't need to worry at all about settings in games, just max everything out, and you can add tons of AA.
Click to expand...

What kind of drugs have you been smoking. The 5970 performs better than xfired 5850s and a bit less than 2 5870's. Seeing as 2 5850's outperform 2 285's in SLI by a generous margin, a single 5970 will outperform 2 285's substantially
 
risqu3 said:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/09/22/amds_ati_radeon_hd_5870_video_card_review/9

5870 is about 30-40% faster then a gtx285

so a gtx285 sli will about match or beat a 5970 but cost more then a 59070 as well..
Click to expand...

why is there so many trolls in this thread?
what does the 3D vantage shows? NOTHING

if you want to show something rather important, please take a note on this first.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5970,2474-7.html

people need some "fan" control these days, seriously...
 
Abit667 said:
If you can afford it, I'd say it's worth it. I definitely got a big improvement out of adding a 2nd 285 to my setup. You'll be faster than a 5970...and you don't need to worry at all about settings in games, just max everything out, and you can add tons of AA.
Click to expand...

A single 5870 comes close to 285 SLI in some games so no chance it will be faster than a 5970 barring Crossfire scaling issues of course.
 
I wonder what the OP must be thinking seeing all these polar opposite type of replies. his head must be spinning
 
TechloGoblin said:
Whaaaaaaaaaaaat? No difference between the 295 and the 5970?!?!
even with the 5970's "crippled" stock speeds it's still 19 FPS faster than a 295 at 2560 resolution.
http://guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-5970-review-test/12..if you bump up the 5970 to a stable O/C (which the chipset is designed for) 32 FPS faster than a 295...http://guru3d.com/article/overclock-radeon-5970-guide/5
..this is with all settings maxed out.

In Far Cry2 it's 23 FPS faster at stock speeds, and 35 FPS with the O/C

The 295 is older tech and it's still ~$510...ATI is already GG'ing nVidia...My money is on the new "6000" series AMD being out riiiiiiiiiight around that Fermi release...but Fermi might have a magical wooden screw that allows for a nice overclock...might

Look at this statement by [H] regarding performance on Crysis Warhead: "What is even more impressive is how much it is beating the GeForce GTX 295, which is also a dual-GPU video card. "
Need For Speed Shift: "The GeForce GTX 295 averages around 50 FPS the ATI Radeon HD 5970 is averaging around 102 FPS! "


:D
Click to expand...
Duh, it better be freaking faster after 10 months of dominance! Newflash....
Oh and it is always nice to compare an OC card to stock one to show how much better it is...how about OCing the 295 as well...I am sure the ratio would be the same as when stock but I guess they were trying to make a point...whatever that is...
 
shaolin95 said:
Duh, it better be freaking faster after 10 months of dominance! Newflash....
Oh and it is always nice to compare an OC card to stock one to show how much better it is...how about OCing the 295 as well...I am sure the ratio would be the same as when stock but I guess they were trying to make a point...whatever that is...
Click to expand...

:confused: Then why was the person I WAS REPLYING TO saying that there was almost no difference...Do any of those LINKS show NO DIFFERENCE? You better send TooJay a copy of your NEWSFLASH!

Perhaps it's hard to get your nVidia laced mind around the fact that the 5970 is DOWNCLOCKED FROM THE FACTORY. They are providing tools which can be used on a STOCK CARD. Also, you seem to have blinders in your eyes regarding the STOCK for STOCK numbers I listed. If 23 FPS+ isn't good enough advantage for you a little tweaky tweaky can get you to 35 FPS better than a 295....smooooooooking!

$90 more for 10+ month newer tech AND in some cases DOUBLE the frame rates???? I think we'll be seeing nVidia asking ATI for lunch money on the amount they will have to discount the "10 month old tech".
 
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Quite obvious that the 5970 is going to be faster than a GTX 280 SLI set up...by a lot, especially when were talking high resolution AA/AF settings. Benches and reviews has shown this consistently thus far. The 5970 is the current performance king of champions.

That said, if the op already has a gtx 280, and a sli motherboard...another gtx 280 might be a better decision if he can get it for pretty cheap. Spend say $200 to run another gtx280 vs. spending a whopping $630 for a 5970. GTX280 sli is overkill for 95% of the games out there any ways.
 
PS3 said:
Quite obvious that the 5970 is going to be faster than a GTX 280 SLI set up...by a lot, especially when were talking high resolution AA/AF settings. Benches and reviews has shown this consistently thus far. The 5970 is the current performance king of champions.

That said, if the op already has a gtx 280, and a sli motherboard...another gtx 280 might be a better decision if he can get it for pretty cheap. Spend say $200 to run another gtx280 vs. spending a whopping $630 for a 5970. GTX280 sli is overkill for 95% of the games out there any ways.
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No doubt the 5970 is faster than a gtx 280 sli setup in most situations.... but it also doesn't change the playable game settings in most situations. Running 2560x1600 at 45 fps or 40 fps doesn't change the game a ton.

Get a gtx 280, I am running an SLI setup and my PC has handled everything I have thrown at it with ease. Until a game (other than crysis) can bring it to its knees I see absolutely no reason to upgrade (other than having the latest tech)
 
TechloGoblin said:
:confused: Then why was the person I WAS REPLYING TO saying that there was almost no difference...Do any of those LINKS show NO DIFFERENCE? You better send TooJay a copy of your NEWSFLASH!
Click to expand...
I don't care who he is nor what he believes.
The 5970 is faster of course, nothing to argue there.

Perhaps it's hard to get your nVidia laced mind around the fact that the 5970 is DOWNCLOCKED FROM THE FACTORY. They are providing tools which can be used on a STOCK CARD. Also, you seem to have blinders in your eyes regarding the STOCK for STOCK numbers I listed. If 23 FPS+ isn't good enough advantage for you a little tweaky tweaky can get you to 35 FPS better than a 295....smooooooooking!
Click to expand...
The 295 is also downclocked for no reason and can be OCed just fine past 285 speeds.
You missed the point kiddo. Please show me where I said the 295 was as fast and that OCing the 5970 was the way to make is faster....
I said this"..I am sure the ratio would be the same as when stock but I guess they were trying to make a point...whatever that is."
Is that hard to understand? Let me explain.
The advantage that the 5970 has stock against the 295 stock, is more than likely going to remain at the same ratio or proportion if both are overclocked so it is lame to OC one of the cards then say yeah now it is 35fps faster wow...no shit, for real?!
I can draw some stick figures if that helps.

$90 more for 10+ month newer tech AND in some cases DOUBLE the frame rates???? I think we'll be seeing nVidia asking ATI for lunch money on the amount they will have to discount the "10 month old tech".
Click to expand...
Again, failure, I have never said we should pay retail price for a 295 with new cards coming out.
There is a little thing called the used market...I paid $300 for mine and it kicks ass....try 3D Vision on of this days on a 60" DLP then have a laugh at the multi monitor flat worlds. :D

Regards
 
shaolin95 said:
Really? So it does 3D Vision, CUDA and Physx! Wow I am getting one. ;)
Seriously, the 295 beats it most of the time so, nope it does not.

A 280 SLI would be just as powerful as a 295 if not more (at least when at stock speed of course)
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lol @ comments like these

How do you know, do you have a 5870? See, I've owned both, and the 5870 is an all around superior product and offers much faster, more consistent performance. Now if you want to go sulk because I'm killing your high off of getting a new GTX295, don't waste thread space doing it.
 
shaolin95 said:
I don't care who he is nor what he believes.
The 5970 is faster of course, nothing to argue there.

Regards
Click to expand...

Thank You! That was the whole point of my reply to him to which I included documentation in the form of links which further backed my point. We will not even mention the fact that I provided STOCK numbers, but you chose to only look at the fact that I included O/C numbers. I see you have a 295...I would want it to be better than it is as well...I don't fault you but don't fault me for pointing out cold hard facts.

I was once again pointing out "real" numbers..you know APPLES TO APPLES retail numbers...You bought a 295(with 7-10 month old tech) for $300 used..I can buy a 5970 for $400 in 2010 when ATI once again trumps nVidia...NEWSFLASH

Warmest Wishes
 
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Mr. K6 said:
lol @ comments like these

How do you know, do you have a 5870? See, I've owned both, and the 5870 is an all around superior product and offers much faster, more consistent performance. Now if you want to go sulk because I'm killing your high off of getting a new GTX295, don't waste thread space doing it.
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Yes, and all the reviews completely prove how much faster it is. :rolleyes:
Oh and research before you make a fool of yourself, I got my 295 about 1 month ago. ;)
 
shaolin95 said:
I don't care who he is nor what he believes.
The 5970 is faster of course, nothing to argue there.


The 295 is also downclocked for no reason and can be OCed just fine past 285 speeds.
You missed the point kiddo. Please show me where I said the 295 was as fast and that OCing the 5970 was the way to make is faster....
I said this"..I am sure the ratio would be the same as when stock but I guess they were trying to make a point...whatever that is."
Is that hard to understand? Let me explain.
The advantage that the 5970 has stock against the 295 stock, is more than likely going to remain at the same ratio or proportion if both are overclocked so it is lame to OC one of the cards then say yeah now it is 35fps faster wow...no shit, for real?!
I can draw some stick figures if that helps.


Again, failure, I have never said we should pay retail price for a 295 with new cards coming out.
There is a little thing called the used market...I paid $300 for mine and it kicks ass....try 3D Vision on of this days on a 60" DLP then have a laugh at the multi monitor flat worlds. :D

Regards
Click to expand...

actually, GTX 295 still not even worth 300 dollar. and its even a second hand one..

I have upgrade my GTX 295 to 5870, I have to say this is a superior upgrade. No matter what the review site shows you the fps, the game smoothness is entirely different.. try it yourself before you makes more troll up...

and no, GTX 280 SLI is not a good choice... definitely..

either wait for "Fermi" if it ever comes out, or just grab a 5870 instead..
 
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