SLI or Single Video Card?

[Soltekert]

Is it better to run 2 cheaper video cards (like 9800 GT's) in SLI or have one good card? Building a new gaming pc and like to run WoW maxed out. Thanks.

[Midknyte]

Go with a single card. If a game doesn't support SLI, you will only get the performance of one card. Even if the 2 lower cards are cheaper, you'd still have to get a higher wattage (i.e. more expensive) power supply. You would also need to buy a motherboard that supports SLI, which would also add to the cost.

[Soltekert]

Thanks Midknyte. What would you recommend in the $200 - $300 range?

[Midknyte]

I recommend you bookmark this site: http://www.tomshardware.com/us/

THG has monthly roundups of Best Graphics Cards For The Money. Here's the link to the June edition:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-price,2323.html

Best PCIe Card For ~$220: Radeon HD 4850 X2 1 GB

The closest Nvidia card in that range would be the GTX280, but it's a tough price range.

[Soltekert]

I went with the 4870 x2 2GB's RAM. About $120 more but should be awesome. Thanks for your advise.

[BipolarBill]

Hey MK, what would you recommend for 1920x1200 gaming with at least 4x AA that won't suck my PSU dry, destroy my hearing or turn my room into a sauna?

I'm looking that the 4870 and I wonder if the GTX 260 might be less demanding. It's unfortunate that both take up 2 slots, but I guess that's the fare if I want single-card big-screen gaming...

[Midknyte]

Make sure to get the GTX 260 216 and not the older version. The GTX 260 216 is a faster card than the 4870. The plain 260 is on par with the 4870, if not slightly slower. You'll definitely want to compare pricing first, since they'll charge more for the 216.

The 4870 would draw more power than the GTX 260 or the 260 216.