2 VIDEO CARDS versus only 1

[kaliko]

am considering building another desk top. don't do alot of gaming, do graphic work like rendering etc. will there be a noticable difference between having only one video card versus two? am considering ASUS EAH5970/G/2DIS/2GD5 Radeon HD 5970 2GB 512 video card. any thoughts/suggestions?

 

[Nik00117]

I'm not into that crossfire/sli stuff. Generally those setups cost such as much or more as a single card solution for the same performance.

 

[Sporego]

Nik your wrong

2X 5770 Msi Hawks Cost 359 $ (good over clcok)
And they run fast in gameing (2 gb in all)

vs

1 5870 with 2 Gb( And 2 gb is only limited edition) Norm is 1 gb
$519.99

I dont see why cheaper any better is bad

So 5770 is 100% better

 

[sniperviper21]

Nik your wrong

2X 5770 Msi Hawks Cost 359 $ (good over clcok)
And they run fast in gameing (2 gb in all)

vs

1 5870 with 2 Gb( And 2 gb is only limited edition) Norm is 1 gb
$519.99

I dont see why cheaper any better is bad

So 5770 is 100% better

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161331

5870s only cost about 390.

always buy one powerful card for now, an 3 years later if you need extra power just find a 2nd one for it.

 

[Calibound88]

Nik your wrong

2X 5770 Msi Hawks Cost 359 $ (good over clcok)
And they run fast in gameing (2 gb in all)

vs

1 5870 with 2 Gb( And 2 gb is only limited edition) Norm is 1 gb
$519.99

I dont see why cheaper any better is bad

So 5770 is 100% better

how are 2x 5770's 100% than 1x 5870.

Sure the 5770's will run well in gaming (which the OP states he uses for rendering, thus maybe more consideration for a workstation card) but the 5870 will run equally well.

2 gb cards vs 1 gb card ≠ 2 x performance

Also as stated above the 5870 is in $400 range, which is = to apprx 2 x 5770s. If the OP is serious about his work, money shouldn't be a large factor.

There is issues with efficiency and optimization of two cards rather than one powerful one.

More headroom for expansion.Sure you can tri setup in future or add an additional 5870 for a dual setup.

Maybe consider a professional card?

 

[Atomic Rooster]

am considering building another desk top. don't do alot of gaming, do graphic work like rendering etc. will there be a noticable difference between having only one video card versus two?

You will be fine with a single card solution. Running dual video cards in Crossfire will increase gaming performance, but will have little to no effect on graphics creation or rendering. The HD 5970 will be more than enough for your needs.

 

[GibsonSGKing]

Nik your wrong

2X 5770 Msi Hawks Cost 359 $ (good over clcok)
And they run fast in gameing (2 gb in all)

vs

1 5870 with 2 Gb( And 2 gb is only limited edition) Norm is 1 gb
$519.99

I dont see why cheaper any better is bad

So 5770 is 100% better

You don't know what you're talking about. You aren't going to be able to use all of that Vram anyhow if I understand CrossFireX correctly. Also, you're comparing 2 overclocked cards to a non-overclocked card. I'm sure if I could find the motivation to look up some benchmarks I could find many other things wrong with your argument as well, but I'm just going to leave it at this.

 

[Sporego]

You don't know what you're talking about. You aren't going to be able to use all of that Vram anyhow if I understand CrossFireX correctly. Also, you're comparing 2 overclocked cards to a non-overclocked card. I'm sure if I could find the motivation to look up some benchmarks I could find many other things wrong with your argument as well, but I'm just going to leave it at this.

I ment gameing wise

 

[shozzking]

putting cards into crossfire doesnt help all that much, some games dont even recognize the second card. and it only uses vram in the primary card