Can't decide on a GPU setup...

[Der-PC-Mann]

I've gone through several benchmarks, read an article (8 months old) on micro-stuttering with Crossfire/SLI, seen plenty of YT demonstration videos, and surfed for countless hours on Amazon.

Some setups I've had in mind are as follows:

(first one is listed on my specs as I'm a couple of days from ordering the parts, so I have some time to change my mind)

ASUS GTX 560Ti TOP 1GB DDR5 - 2-way SLI (£352)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-TI-DirectCu-TOP-Graphics/dp/B004KW5ARC/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1334419219&sr=1-2

This has some major power, and you can understand why I was going to (and may still) go for this powerful setup, easily rivaling a single GTX 580 GPU, in regards to performance. My concern is micro-stuttering, naturally, but I can't find any info or comments from people who have or haven't experience considerable micro-stuttering issues with these two cards in SLI.

MSI Twin Frozr II GTX 560Ti OC 1GB - 2-way SLI (£344)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-GTX560T...1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1334419300&sr=1-1

This was my original temptation, but it looks like these cards push out a lot of heat within the case, and although I have a very well air cooled case, I don't have a desire to stink up my case with these two cookers. The performance, however, would probably match or surpass that of the ASUS alternative, so I'm thinking ASUS for a better cooling solution, and I'm seeing a lot of reviews claiming the ASUS cards to be of high quality, which is always nice to know!

EVGA/Zotac GTX 580 1.5GB (£300-£400)
EVGA Nvidia GTX580 1536MB 384-Bit GDDR5 Graphics Card: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zotac-GTX-1...12?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1334418398&sr=1-12

I've only properly considered this today, after reading the article on micro-stuttering, as this card seems to be a very powerful card, without the worry of micro-stutter, and maybe some day I could add a 2nd. This seems to be a sensible choice and I imagine I'll get a few posters saying to go for this option, but my concern with this (aside from never being met with an 8-pin GPU power connector) is losing out on any bonuses that come with SLI (such as AA enhancements, or is this AMD only?) as well as heat/power. I'll be ordering a TX750 or TX850 enthusiast edition Corsair PSU, depending which is best to go for; 750w is £80 and the 850w is £90.

I have the funds, but I'd ideally like to avoid spending cash that really isn't needed; I want the best I can get.

I have a feeling some of you might ask:

"What will you be using the GPU(s) for?" - Primarily gaming; I don't deal with 3D modeling and the like.

"What's your budget?" - Probably £400 for the GPU(s) alone.

"Are you more concerned about now, or the future?" - Probably the future, as I don't want to be shelling out in a year's time or something; the above options appear to last me for several years while still retaining decent performance, especially the SLI setups, as hopefully they'll improve or eradicate the micro-stutter issue.

EDIT:

This will be my last big upgrade for at least a year, because I've already spent heaps and it's pretty much all built up, now.

 

[Macmaster4k2]

i personally would go with the gtx 580 because it has the 384 bit ddr5 compared to the others only having 256 bit ddr5. The card has enough power and stuff to run any modern game on full settings and down the road if you want could get the sli setup.

Though the other cards are very good picks

 

[Der-PC-Mann]

I've just been informed of an awesome card!

XFX Radeon HD6950 2GB GDDR5 (£233)
XFX Radeon HD 6950 Graphics Card 2048MB PCI Express 2.1 Mini-DisplayPort/HDMI/Dual-Link DVI (XXX Edition): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

This card is substantially cheaper than the 580, and is only just under it, but for that price, who cares?! I'm very tempted by this bad boy, but I'm aware that AMD apparently aren't the best with regards to micro-stutter, so, unless they solve or partially remedy the problem, I'd not be Crossfiring this card, anytime soon. (I know 2GB is overkill since I don't bother with HD, but I figure it could come in use in the future as games become more demanding, plus I could use higher AA and stuff)

EDIT:

Scratch that, after looking at even more benchmarks, even of the 6970, the 580 comes out on top, sometimes by a lot; I'm willing to pay extra and seems like it'll be worth it, long-term. (amazing card, though)

 

[Macmaster4k2]

I've just been informed of an awesome card!

XFX Radeon HD6950 2GB GDDR5 (£233)
XFX Radeon HD 6950 Graphics Card 2048MB PCI Express 2.1 Mini-DisplayPort/HDMI/Dual-Link DVI (XXX Edition): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

This card is substantially cheaper than the 580, and is only just under it, but for that price, who cares?! I'm very tempted by this bad boy, but I'm aware that AMD apparently aren't the best with regards to micro-stutter, so, unless they solve or partially remedy the problem, I'd not be Crossfiring this card, anytime soon. (I know 2GB is overkill since I don't bother with HD, but I figure it could come in use in the future as games become more demanding, plus I could use higher AA and stuff)

EDIT:

Scratch that, after looking at even more benchmarks, even of the 6970, the 580 comes out on top, sometimes by a lot; I'm willing to pay extra and seems like it'll be worth it, long-term. (amazing card, though)

yeah the radeon hd 6950s are awesome. i have 2 crossfired right now but the 580 has higher bus bit at 384 (i think) while the 6950s have 256 bit

 

[Der-PC-Mann]

Indeed. Hence saying the 580 is better, and after posting I continued to research, and the more benchmarks I saw, the more the 580 came out on top, so I am probably going with the ASUS 580 DirectCU II, but the Crossfire setup sounds awesome; do you get micro-stutter, and if so, how bad?