To SLI or Just Upgrade?

[NathanStar789]

Hello,

 

I am new here to start things off, but that said I would place myself in the intermediate category for knowledge. A little Background on me, I Live Stream video games on twitch as well as do a fair bit of YouTube work. So keep in mind I am looking to upgrade to an i7 4790K soon

 

My Current Rig is a Staples bought PC, that I've given some love to . Specs are as follow:

 

• Intel i5 4660s 3.0Ghz turbo 3.2Ghz

• 12 Gigs of DDR3 Ram

• OC'D EVGA GTX 960 SC 4GB

• Thermaltake 430 watt PSU ( Would be upgraded if SLI was chosen)

Now, in the next year or so(unless I won the giveaway going on right now, the one with the Titan X ) I will be looking to up my Horsepower so I can continue to Live Stream all the top title games with butter smooth frame rates. 

 

My question is as the title states, in sense of cost, considering I already have one EVGA GTX960 4GB, Should I upgrade to a GTX970 or Pick up another GTX960? I know one 970 is better than one or even two 960's but in sense of cost because I already bought one 960, would it be better to SLI?

 

Thank you

[ilikemacandpc]

Get another 960 4GB

[Leonard]

keep quiet until the next line up.

[Bim Job]

Tres90

[Aytex]

just get a 970 or a r9 390

[BrinkGG]

Have you upgraded cooling or the motherboard at all? 

Also, if you can get close to $200 for the 960, go for it and get a 970.

[connorpiper]

Get another 4GB 960. Upgrade to a 500W-650W Gold PSU

[TheRetiredSlave]

Since going SLI would also require a PSU upgrade, I would probably upgrade to a more powerful single-GPU. The added cost of the PSU will offset the advantage of just buying a second 960.

 

Which is cheaper? A $250 GPU + a $100 PSU, or a $350 GPU by itself?

 

You would have to compare performance of the two 960s vs whatever other card you'd choose, but I believe the simplest and easiest upgrade is just to swap the GPU to a more powerful one. You can (maybe) sell the 960 for a bit of extra cash, or even just keep it as a backup in case of emergency. From my (limited) experience, two GPUs run much hotter and louder overall, because the bottom card tends to choke the airflow to the top card. 

[OAcesync]

Just get a 970 a single stronger card is better than 2 weaker cards and you have to upgrade the PSU anywaus

[Biggerboot]

If you can sell your 960 and make most of your money back then it probably pays to go for the single, better card, which is a more surfire way to get better performance. 

 

That being said, if you're happy with how your single 960 is performing right now, and are just looking at future proofing, adding another 960 may not be a bad option seeing how DX12 is going to be a lot better with scaling.  By the time you'll need the power, an sli set up will be more viable than it is now.  And the fact that you got the 4gb version gives you the edge in high res/multi monitor gaming.

 

Personally if I already have a motherboard that can do SLI, I'd wanna use it regardless.  But it comes down to how much you can get off the 960 if you sell it.

[ConnorDahne]

I like sli, but it's one of those things where most the time you don't get to drop it in and forget it like a single card.
You'll have to make sure a game has sli support, or you'll just be using one 960...
I've never thought about 960 sli before, if you do it post your results please?
That being said the 970 is about fifty to hundred dollars more than a 960, you could sell the one 960 or just save what you would've used for second card a little longer..
Then you'd have a good enough gpu for a lan/home theater rig just laying around for later lol

[arronleeds]

Sli 960 is pointless, sell it and get a 980 or 980ti.