Single slot vs dual slot

[shevanel]

I have this card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161310

and another one coming today.

however..

I just noticed this card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161317

I was wondering if there were any benefits from going with single slot designs as opposed to duals when running xfire.

I know that it might save me the use of a PCI slot or 2 but honestly, I do not use any PCI cards whatsoever.

I'm more concerned with heat.

Any info would be appreciated!

 

[pantherx12]

Dual slot is better for heat.

 

[shevanel]

So you're saying if I want more heat get dual slot?

no I'm just getting, lol. thanks for the quick response.

 

[jagd]

Second card has custom pcb and lost 1DVI output ,but still has dual slot cooler.Youll loss 2nd DVI oupput and have to use a hdmi screen/monitor (or a hdmi-->dvi converter for a dvi screen ) for multi screen setup .It will not save any pci slot sorry.
Edited : I think both cards have same cooler but custom pcb card has 2 pin fan=no fan control probably, OC potential will not be same probably .I would avoid custom pcb if fan is not controlable.

 

[ToTTenTranz]

Yap, the second card is also dual slot. The only difference stands in the back case bracket and number of outputs.

 

[Mussels]

both of those cards are dual slot designs, due to the coolers.

 

[shevanel]

i am on 45 minutes of sleep. sorry, I overlooked it.

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

[KainXS]

if you don't use more then one monitor then no, you won't need that extra dvi period and the heatsinks are almost exactly the same, one is just reversed

 

[devguy]

Longer cards need the dual brackets, even should they have single slot coolers. For example, many people have the 4870x2 and then decide they want to get a block for it (for a multitude of reasons: better cooling, less noise, etc). However, really long cards like that (especially with a big hunk of copper on them) put an extreme amount of torque on the pci slot bracket and pcie slot itself (and the connectors of the card). One solution is to buy the strong backplates if offered (like on the dual pcb GTX 295). Alternatively, one can try and make their own support coming from the 5.25" bays, just to hold the card up.

Although, the 5770 is a short enough card that it won't make a difference. A 5870 on the other hand would be a bad candidate for a single slot bracket.