i need help choosing which GPU (or GPUS) to buy. i am a gamer so which one perform better in todays games (BF3,Metro 2033,Crysis 2 etc.) Also how many watts in a power supply would i need if i bought one of them
I would personally go with two 680's but it will draw more power. Depending on what you're going to do, I presume OC both cards and your CPU/RAM I would leave a bit of headroom and get a 1000w PSU. Try to get something that's 80+ Gold so it's reliable.
This is a handy source:
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/493743.aspx
I agree with Kendon; I'm more partial to the two individual 680's. They'll consume more power (~100w more; need 750w for SLI), but they'll also have more OC headroom in addition to whatever factory OC they may or may not have. The 690's are at 915MHz/1019MHz boost core, while the DC2O's are at 1008MHz/1084MHz boost on the core. If you plan on OCing the CPU and both GPU's, I'd go for at least an 850w for higher.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/3zcwK.gif[/img]
I would probably go with the GTX 690. The dual 680s will perform better, but it's only going to be a difference of around 3 frames per second. Plus if you went with a GTX 690, you would have much more room to drop another in later on to run quad SLI if you wanted to.
If you're not going to ever drop a second GTX 690 in though, then I would personally go for whatever is the cheaper option because they both perform almost identically.
I say go with the two GTX 680's. I have one right now, its the EVGA GTX 680 Signature 2 and this thing flies. I have it stably OC'd to 1215gpu/1750mem and it rarely gets above 60C. Those clocks and temps are much better than you would ever see on a GTX 690 and you can get a pair of them right now for $940; They are also fairly quiet.
I also ordered a second 680 that'll be here next week, im pumped.
Actually that's a good point. Overclocks and temperatures would probably be better with two GTX 680s rather than with a single GTX 690. With that much GPU horsepower, you really don't need to overclock anyway, but if you're someone who has to have the best of the best then the GTX 680s in SLI are going to be the best option, unless you want to run quad SLI in the future without a custom water cooling loop.
Its more practical in the long run too. the faster they are the longer they will be relavent. that is, unless you plan on getting a second GTX 690 as an upgrade later on. It all depends on the money you want to spend on the GPUs and PSU.
Do you know what 200 dollar mother board could fix the 2 680 direct CUIIS in sli ive heard that they cover PCI x16 slots because of their size