However, when it comes down to value for money, two HD 5750 cards look like a much better deal than a factory overclocked Gainward GTX 460 GS-GLH. In fact, two HD 5750s will set you back around €200, while the overclocked GTX 460 costs some 15% more. On the other hand, the cheapest reference GTX 460 cards are available for around €180, but they would not be able to match the GS-GHL card in terms of performance as it is clocked at 800MHz, or some 18 percent over the reference clock.

While it might seem like an odd comparison, it proves an interesting point. In some scenarios you are better off with two cheaper cards rather than a single pricey card. In fact, this fact could work against Nvidia, as the GTX 460 has made the GTX 480 quite pointless for gamers. Two GTX 460 cards cost quite a bit less than a GTX 480, yet they deliver more performance. Two mainstream cards in CrossFireX make sense for users on a budget, as they will be able to easily upgrade if there is need for more performance at some point. It’s worth noting that graphics card prices tend to tumble as soon as new architectures are introduced, so bargain hunters could wait for a few months and score a second card at ridiculously low prices.

Both ATI and Nvidia have managed to vastly improve scaling in multi-GPU configurations, and they are becoming more tempting with every driver update.