Is it better to get one powerful graphics card or two sli video cards?

I've been doing some research and looking at some benchmarks and I think I need some other peoples opinions to help me make a decision.

Is it better to get one powerful graphics card or two sli video cards?
For me, it is NEVER WORTH it to buy two video cards for SLI than buying a single, but more powerful video card.





First, not every game supports SLI, this means that certain games will not use one of the two video cards being used in SLI.





http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/12/02/v...


(A very good example of a game not supporting SLI correctly results in a single card configuration being faster.)





Second, the general performance increase when using two video cards seems to be negligible, especially, when considering the price of those two cards can buy you a MUCH more powerful video card that can outperform those two cards combined.





Dual X1900XTX : 99.8 FPS


Dual 7600GS : 55.0 FPS





Single 8800GTS : 94.6 FPS


Single X1900XTX : 75.4 FPS


Single 7600GS : 28 FPS





Price of two X1900XTX = 400$


Price of two 7600GS = 200$


Prince of ONE 8800GTS = 300$





If you'd notice this chart, a single X1900XTX still outperforms a dual 7600GS. Although by price point they're now the same, being a single X1900XTX costing 200$ and two 7600GS costing 200$ as well.





Lastly, a single 8800GTS is slightly slower than two X1900 XTX cards, but the price of a single 8800GTS? 300$. While the two X1900 XTX totals 400$.
Reply:I think it’s better to get whatever is cheaper... considering your financial situation you need to go for the special deals and improvise!!!
Reply:depends on what game you play
Reply:one because it will not put as much a load on the cpu
Reply:It really depends on the game and how its programmed. If a game is really gpu dependent 2 gpus will give you a more consistent frame rate. If its more processor dependent it may not need the power of dual gpus. I would research some benchmarks for the specific cards your looking for. Checkout http://www.anandtech.com/