Which do you prefer, single powerhouse card or SLI/Crossfire?

[Lathais]

It depends on the card, really. 290Xs were going on sale for $250 at several times last year, for that price it would be a great Xfire option for someone who already has one. Obviously YMMV and this really depends on what deals you can get, but it's not unheard of to score old flagship cards for really low prices.

The used market is also a good option if you are not opposed to buying used.

True, if there are sales or you go used you could have better luck. But even if, in my previous example, you found a 770 on sale or used for $150(I think that's pretty low, would probably be closer to $200), would you rather SLI 770s for $150 or sell yours for $150 and have $300 with which you could get a 390. I would estimate a 390 to be about 15% behind the dual 770s in games that properly support SLI, but in games that do not you'd still just be running a single 770 and the single 390 would be far better. The single 390 is still the better option overall IMO.

[Bigvizz]

Say I have a 970 right now. Would buying a 980 or getting another 970 be better? If I already have the PSU to power them.

Sit on your 970 till Pascal releases (that's what I'm doing), but if you have to upgrade getting another 970 would be your cheapest option.

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True, if there are sales or you go used you could have better luck. But even if, in my previous example, you found a 770 on sale or used for $150(I think that's pretty low, would probably be closer to $200), would you rather SLI 770s for $150 or sell yours for $150 and have $300 with which you could get a 390. I would estimate a 390 to be about 15% behind the dual 770s in games that properly support SLI, but in games that do not you'd still just be running a single 770 and the single 390 would be far better. The single 390 is still the better option overall IMO.

Why can't there be magical place where SLI/Crossfire work all the time.

[Schattenlied]

Lots of games don't work well with SLI and Crossfire, so... It's better to just get 1 good card.

That is until we get to a time where DX12 is in pretty much everything, and then we can dual card it up all day every day.

[endersblade]

SLI seems to have issues in a lot of games, so a single card.

This. If SLI was better supported, in theory, it would always outdo a single card. Unfortunately, it's only half-assed supported in most games, and many others don't support it at all.

[Mormolyce]

Every time I build a PC, I build it with a single card with the option to double up later on if necessary.

It's never been necessary.

[Lathais]

Why can't there be magical place where SLI/Crossfire work all the time.

Most definitely. If there were, then it might be a good option. However, if it were, you would also likely have more people looking to buy older used cards and less people selling them. Supply goes down, demand goes up, what do you think happens then? Prices go up obviously. They are more in demand so places may not offer as great sales either. So we are back in the conundrum of it costing more.