Got 2 GTX 480s, should I sell one or run them both in SLI

246 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by brettjv, Jan 20, 2012

jeezuz

Discussion Starter · Jan 19, 2012

The main reason I'm asking is because my power supply is only 800 watts, and from i've gathered the 480's are power hungry beasts.

Now my main game i'm playing right now is Skyrim, and with everything maxed and all the 2k texture mods i'm still slightly below the 1532 MB Vram limit. Having the 2 cards in SLI won't do anything for that limit as far as I'm aware. So with 1 480 I get plenty of performance and there's really no need for any more.

Other games I plan on playing include the usual list like BF3 and the new Counter strike when that comes out. I would also like to be set for a couple of years.

So would the performance gain from SLI be worth the power supply upgrade hassle? Would I need water cooling to keep them cool? Also If i were to sell one in craigslist, what price can I expect to get for a somewhat quick sale?

The models are: Gigabyte GTX 480 1536 at stock settings, and a PNY 480 with an upgraded firmware that ups the Core speed by 50 mhz and memory by 100 mhz.

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pioneerisloud

· #2 · Jan 19, 2012

You've got a really nice 800w unit. It should handle the SLI fine. Why not throw the second card in, and try it out? See if the gain really is worth it, and see what the temps are like.

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AMC

· #3 · Jan 19, 2012

The 480 is a powerful card. 2 are really nice. Your power supply is fine. If you run Furmark and Prime95 then you will reach the limit of the power supply. For gaming at stock clocks, you will be fine.

They are about $200.

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jeezuz

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jan 19, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by pioneerisloud

You've got a really nice 800w unit. It should handle the SLI fine. Why not throw the second card in, and try it out? See if the gain really is worth it, and see what the temps are like.

OK got my SLI cable on the way from amazon. Was not really sure about that PSU since I read a real long thread about a guy with a 750 PSU asking about SLI. Most of the recommendations said no, but I had no idea mine was a good brand.

Yeah the temps with one card are way better than my old 295 so If i get back to those levels again i know I won't need to be concerned. Thanks both for the replys.

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brettjv

· #5 · Jan 20, 2012

One thing to add ... with an 800W PSU, I would leave the voltage on the cards at stock (or even lower if possible). You can OC 'em, but don't crank the voltage as well. 480's can get into a CRAZY power draw mode when you really push them with clocks and volts.

Save the power for the CPU, which you'll want to get running as fast as possible. 2x480's are very data-hungry

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