[halp!] SLI gtx 460, worth it?

[ruuBEN]

So here's the deal.

Two 4GB 1600 Kingston sticks of ram
AMD 955 Black 3.2 ghz processor, quad core (phenom II x4)
GTX 460

With these specs, I roughly got 950 to 1000 FPS on a video card stress test, in counter-strike source with max graphics I had 230 to 300 FPS depending on what I'm doing, and in WoW with max graphics (minus shadows and liquid, I put those to medium/the middle option), I would have anywhere between 30 and 60 FPS in org, depending on the time if day and if I'm loading everything.

I understand I cannot tell the difference over 60 frames per second in any video game to the human eye- but I can totally tell if my screen cuts off/glitches as it loads (screen tearing.) I can totally tell when I lag down to a certain frame rate when I'm around water (Now I go to about 37 FPS constant around any source of water in WoW.)

My question: Is getting a second GTX 460 worth it when I do SLI?
-Will I notice a drastic increase in FPS?
-Will I want this for MoP?
-etcetc

Who can halp!?

[Deleted]

I still run my 460's in SLI and the day i got my second card i was like 0.0 immense power for little cards so answer to your question is yes tho WoW is pretty shitty at using SLI but i assume your not just playing WoW
460's in SLI run along side the 580 and better in some games.

[ruuBEN]

So, I'm wondering if anyone can still halp or give some sort of advice.

As Stravs said, is SLI really crappy on WoW? Why? What's crappy about it?

[Deleted]

WoW is more CPU dependant than GFX power even with 1 card WoW will only use around 40% of your GFX card its the same with 2 cards.
So if its only for wow that you want another 460 for i wouldnt bother your not going to see any gains.
So its down to you mate if its only wow your playing then no if not yes 460's in sli are great.

[vesseblah]

-Will I notice a drastic increase in FPS?

-Will I want this for MoP?

No.

Certain things like big cities and raids in WoW are limited mainly by the processor. i5-2500 would give 20fps more, while adding 2nd GTX460 would only allow you to turn multisampling higher in graphics settings but no other gain in those low fps areas.

[Deleted]

Basically what vesseblah said.

Adding another GPU in your setup would only increase the maximum fps, not the minimum (with only a slight impact on the average fps). The 460 is also getting fairly old and not a card I would SLI personally. If you play other games and want a cheap way to increase your rigs performance then it is certainly viable as you can find a GTX 460 for around $120.

Just make sure your motherboard supports it and that you have a PSU capable of powering both cards.

[Deleted]

Basically what vesseblah said.

Adding another GPU in your setup would only increase the maximum fps, not the minimum (with only a slight impact on the average fps). The 460 is also getting fairly old and not a card I would SLI personally. If you play other games and want a cheap way to increase your rigs performance then it is certainly viable as you can find a GTX 460 for around $120.

Just make sure your motherboard supports it and that you have a PSU capable of powering both cards.

Old? not really 2 460's in sli equal and better in most games a gtx 580 at a fraction of the cost.He already has 1 so why not get another?
Like i said if its for wow only then no if hes playing other games like BF3 example then yes.They are incredible cards for the money.
And yea he would see bigger gains in wow by upgrading his CPU

[Deleted]

A fraction of the cost? Huh?

I can pick up a GTX 580 for around 3500 SEK. At the same time I can pick up 2 GTX 460 for around 1600 SEK. By getting the 580 I circumvent the issues with SLI, which is driver support, micro-stuttering (which I believe is worse on the mid- and low-section cards) and scaling issues, not to mention space required, power draw and heat generated.

And in computer terms, the GTX 460 is actually fairly old as it was released in March/April in 2010. Seeing as how the 6XX series equivalent is incoming any week now, it's nearing 2 generations old as well. A lot has happened during that time fortunately.

I'm not saying it's a bad card, it's a perfectly viable budget pick even today, but you can't neglect the above.

And the reason he shouldn't get a 2nd is because he mentioned only WoW, and adding another GTX 460 for WoW alone would be a waste of money. If he plays other games, it's perfectly viable (which I also mentioned).

[Wries]

As Stravs said, is SLI really crappy on WoW? Why? What's crappy about it?

It's not crappy it just doesn't add much as the game doesn't require much GPU power. It'd be 1920x1080 and outdoors with a lot of water and high resolution textures (new zones) when it would make a marginal difference. That said, WoW has a SLI profile and it's working well.

If you want a higher framerate in orgrimmar and raids, you should upgrade to a sandy bridge or ivy bridge processor.