Final Thoughts
As I have stated in the past, SLI is a worthwhile technology that should be mostly considered when using high-end graphics cards. This should also apply to other multi-GPU technologies such as CrossFire. Furthermore, the latest and fastest system components are also going to be required in order to reap the benefits of such an extreme graphics setup. However, there have been the odd exceptions to the rule where products like the GDDR3-equipped 7300GT can become quite powerful in an overclocked SLI configuration.
Not so long ago a keen TechSpot reader pointed out that after rebate it was possible to purchase two BFG 3D Fuzion GeForce 7600GS (256MB) cards for $60 each. Given it is quite difficult to pick up a GeForce 7600GT card for $120 the 7600GS cards in SLI did sound like a viable option. Obviously the point of this article was to try and discover if it is worth placing two GeForce 7600GS cards in SLI mode or are you best off with a single GeForce 7600GT.
Based on our results taken from five very different real-world tests, it should be clear that the GeForce 7600GS SLI cards can take the lead when running high quality settings, with a performance advantage of ~10-30% than a single overclocked 7600GT. But, in order to receive these healthy performance gains high quality settings must be used. All five games showed absolutely no performance gains with the FSAA & Anisotropic quality settings disabled. In fact without these settings enabled the GeForce 7600GT was faster in most of the tests.
While the performance gains can be strong in favor of the SLI 7600GS cards in certain scenarios, the majority of GeForce 7600GS graphics cards are priced around the $100 mark with many costing as much as $120. Needless to say at this price range the 7600GT is a much better pick any day of the week. If it was the case that the BFG 3D Fuzion GeForce 7600GS was selling again for $60 (after rebate), I might reconsider, but only at this price. Even a single 7600GS is a worthwhile investment at this price as there really is nothing else that can compete with a 7600GS in the $60 price bracket.