Widescreen Gaming Forum

I recently bought a second HD5850 to run Eyefinity in crossfire, but it turned out that it had severe problems with stuttering and low framerates.
I read that nvidia vision surround is much better, so I'm looking into buying two Gainward GTX 460 2gb golden sample to run 2D vision on my setup, I figure 2gb of memory is good to have. I'm not 100% sure yet, since Zotac GTX470 1280mb has the same price here in Sweden and is therefore a nice contender.

So, before I make another bad buy and end up with a system that can't run 2D vision properly, I ask here. Does nvidia 2D surround suffer stuttering or any other faults while running SLI? Is the framerate fluid?

I'm aware of that the answer is obvious for most of you and I'm sorry if it has already been answered. I've read tons of reviews and forum posts without finding a proper answer.

Stuttering and low framerates can happen for a LOT of different reasons - which depend on the user's system and the games in question.

Anyway...
No, there are no known stuttering issues caused by Nv Surround. Since this solution lies entirely on SLI, so does general support and performance - but again, cases of stuttering caused by SLI are rare at best.

Actually, if this thread's lack of success is any indication, Nv Surround is just pretty damn reliable :lol:

Read this:

http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/NVIDIA_GTX460_in_Surround:_1GB_vs._2GB_-_Featured_Review

And decide whether you want to risk that 1.25GB setup. ;)

It depends how far you push settings, really. Also, Surround isn't really SLI, it's a weird kind of hybrid from what I can work out.

Paradigm Shifter:
I've read your article and it is really thanks to it I'm considering GTX460 2gb over GTX470.
I have to ask you, how is gaming in general with your 460 2gb? Is it able to get playable framerates with not maybe maxed settings? I'm talking about responsive and fast FPS gaming. I mainly play BC2, MW2, MoH and black ops.
What I'm thinking on is that will I get better framerates with the GTX470 if I don't crank AA and AF up above the the memory limit? Gaming for me is mostly about a smooth framerate, not so much graphics.
Im the other hand, I've heard that you can easily overclock any 460 to 800mhz to get the same performance as with 470, do you think this is viable in SLI (thinking on heat). If I am able to get the same performance as 470 with overclocked 460 it would be the best choice thanks to the amount of memory.

I don't play any of those FPS so I can't comment on those, but Counterstrike: Source and Team Fortress 2 run very well on 460s. The 460s have enough 'grunt' for high framerates at high resolutions if you don't push them too far. If you're more worried about raw fps, and are prepared to sacrifice graphics for it, I'm really not sure which is the better option, but I'd still probably go for the 460s given their overclocking headroom and the fact that they run cooler than 470s as long as they've got room to breathe (ie: aren't crammed in back-to-back)...