Don't understand the people SLI'ing 690's, not to mention a single 690 can run games just fine, two of them together will run into massive VRAM confinements before the cores become an issue. Unlike the 4GB 680 I picked up, which will run into core issues before the VRAM is anywhere close to be filled (and can just be remedied by adding more core power - as in another 4GB 680), the dual 690's will have to be swapped out completely at that stage as you can't upgrade VRAM no matter how many cards you have!
Of course - if you only play a select few games, I'm sure that's not an issue, but my Skyrim can reach 2.6GB VRAM usage on its own,that's almost 3GB of memory usage just on the GPU!
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Just because it doesn't conform to your uses, doesn't mean everyone use their computers the same way you do. Keep an open mind.
I understand that, hence the statement at the end, you do bite sometimes don't you
I'm merely stating facts. The facts are that in the case of SLI 690, you will run short on VRAM before core power (unless of course the drivers are particularly bad). Something that cannot be upgraded and therefore requiring you to swap out both cards.
Digital Rumination
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Digital Rumination
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Digital Rumination
Plays: Sylvanas EU - Fierae (Druid) | HotS | EVE | PUBG
Played: Rift | Guild Wars 2 | SW:TOR | BF4 | Smite | LoL | Skyrim
Ryzen 1920X - 32GB - 980Ti SLI - PCIE NVMe 1GB SSD - Enthoo Primo - Full WC - 4K
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Graphics card: EVGA 560 ti 2gb
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It all depends on what the main card has. If you have 2GB VRAM 680s, then you'll get a total of 2GB of VRAM, even if you have 3 680s backing it up. If it has 4GB, then you'll have 4GB.
Same thing with the 690s however instead of it being all the VRAM on the PCB itself, it's only the amount they give per 680 chip on the PCB, thus if a 690 is listed as 4GB, you should do some digging, it is probably 2GB per chip, thus effectively 2GB of VRAM total.
Yes, it is very shady and I don't like it.
Digital Rumination
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Played: Rift | Guild Wars 2 | SW:TOR | BF4 | Smite | LoL | Skyrim
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I think you're misunderstanding me. I never said that everyone who buys a 690 fits into the category of more money than sense, just that it's a card that's more likely to attract some people who want what they perceive as the best without doing a lot of research when compared to its lower-end brothers. Of course it's a great card, and there are plenty of people who buy it as an informed purchase. I'm not making sweeping statements that everyone, or even most, who buy a 690 are ignorant, just that it can be an attractive option for some who are. Just clarifying my point, sorry for this last off-topic post.