Single vs Dual GPU

[Redjo]

Hi awesome people ! 

 

Will i have more performance with Dual GPU and what are the pluses and minuses between using Single GPU and Dual GPU

[Firearm2112]

Dual GPUs use more power. You will have a performance increase using two GPUs, but only if they are more powerful then a single GPU option. I recommend that you get the single most powerful GPU you can afford rather then two lesser powerful ones

[Guest]

Go with the fastest single card option unless it's a 980, in which case get 2 970's or 2 290x's.

 

Most games and applications support SLI and Crossfire well, but not all. 

 

What cards are you looking at?

[Unhelpful]

Hi awesome people ! 

 

Will i have more performance with Dual GPU and what are the pluses and minuses between using Single GPU and Dual GPU

Advantage(s) that I can think of atm:

• Performance in most games

 

Disadvantage(s) that I can think of atm:

• Heat
• Cost
• Diminishing returns with more cards, although this is in reference to dual cards
• In the past crossfire had issues with borderless windowed mode, I am not sure whether or not it still does.
• Not all games support SLI/Crossfire, although nowadays it is hard to find games that don't to some degree.
• More power draw.

[ANewFace]

Well there are only 2 dual GPU cards that a current, and if you are saying 1 card, vs 2 cards. Depends on what cards. 

[cloclo8003]

Single GPU. You can add more cards later on and apparently some games don't support well multi GPUs, so in some games you won't get more performance

[minibois]

Hi awesome people ! 

 

Will i have more performance with Dual GPU and what are the pluses and minuses between using Single GPU and Dual GPU

Depends on what GPU.

 

Pro:

-possibly more performance

Con:

-more heat

-more power

-VRAM doesn't stack

-not every game supports it

 

What GPU were you thinking of SLI'ing? (Or CF'ing)

[c0d0ps]

Hi awesome people ! 

 

Will i have more performance with Dual GPU and what are the pluses and minuses between using Single GPU and Dual GPU

Get the strongest single gpu out there and then go dual gpu. <= General rule

 

There is some exceptions to this for example gtx 970 vs gtx 980 when the performance difference isn't much more, you should keep in mind that dual gpu aka sli (for nvidia) or crossfire (for amd) might be the better choice.

But we'll need to go a bit more in depth to explain this :-)

[jslane21]

Different strokes for different folks, I would rather get 1 single card that is better than the 2 dual gpus

[Redjo]

Well if i go for single i will choose :

GIGABYTE GTX 980 G1 4GB ( or something like this )

 

If i go for dual Gpu i will choose : 

Gtx 970

 

My main idea is that should i buy 2x 970 for almost same price of 1x 980

Because 980 here is something like 1300/1500BGN and 2x 970 will cost almost the same price 

[Unhelpful]

Well if i go for single i will choose :

GIGABYTE GTX 980 G1 4GB ( or something like this )

 

If i go for dual Gpu i will choose : 

Gtx 970

 

My main idea is that should i buy 2x 970 for almost same price of 1x 980

Because 980 here is something like 1300/1500BGN and 2x 970 will cost almost the same price 

Honestly I would go dual 970 or 290 over a single 980. The 980 isn't too dramatically different from a single 970, it is better but not like 60% better. What resolution are you playing at / what is your use case? If it is single 1080p monitor then a single 970 is fine.

[sgloux3470]

Dual GPU can let you get high end performance for less money with two cheaper cards. For example, Dual 280's will be very close to beating a 980/780Ti while being quite a bit cheaper.  My 270X crossfire build cost me $500 when I bought the cards, but performed on par with the (at the time non-existent 290x) which launched at $550.  Many people will disagree, but in my opinion dual GPU is a great way to take a middle range budget and stretch it into high end performance.  It's also the only way to truly get the best possible performance which is desirable at super high resolution gaming.  The increase in performance between GPU's has been particularly mediocre in the last few years, which means that stuff like 7970CF that was built 3 years ago is still outperforming even top of the line single GPU rigs.  

 

 

There are some disadvantages to multiple GPU's though.  You're beholden on game devs and engines to support it properly, which isn't always the case.  For example before I swapped out my 270xCF for the 980 I currently have, I couldn't use crossfire in Company of Heroes 2, Far Cry 4 or Lords of the Fallen.  Temperatures are higher and overclocking is more of a pain in the ass as I had all sorts of issues with cards getting stuck in 2D mode.  They also typically require larger power supplies, in the 750W-850W range.  And with SLI there's the added hurdle of motherboard compatibility.  

 

 

Personally it had its ups and downs but I expect I'll end up with a second 980 in my rig in the not to distant future when I can afford it.  I think buying 2 mid range cards is way more cost effective than a single top of the line GPU, particularly back in the 7xx series where Nvidia was way overpriced. (The 9xx series is far more reasonable, although the 980 is still a bit pricey.)

 

In your case, I would go with SLI 970's over a single 980.  You'll get more mileage out of it.

[Redjo]

What perfomance Dual GPU will increase ?

For example: 

• With single Gpu i have 100fps. Will i have 150 or 200 with dual Gpu ? ( I will use 100% 1920 x 1080 144hz 1ms monitor if possible with G-syng ) 

[Tacitus]

In my eyes, the best value almost always is two of the second-highest card. I'd take two 970s over 1 980 any day, or two 290s over one 290x etc.

 

Which cards are you considering?

[Redjo]

In my eyes, the best value almost always is two of the second-highest card. I'd take two 970s over 1 980 any day, or two 290s over one 290x etc.

 

Which cards are you considering?

What perfomance Dual GPU will increase ?

For example: 

• With single Gpu i have 100fps. Will i have 150 or 200 with dual Gpu ? ( I will use 100% 1920 x 1080 144hz 1ms monitor if possible with G-syng ) 

 

Bonus questions:

What is crossfire ?

How does SLI work ?