Windows 7: SLI Really Worth It?

I am trying to figure out if picking up another GPU to run in SLI is really going to be worth my time and/or money.
While playing video games I usually run capturing software in the background. I usually switch between Fraps and Bandicam. When I start to record in game footage my FPS will usually drop down to the low 20's. When I am not recording I average 35-55 fps. My question is, if I decide to run another card in SLI will I notice FPS improvements during normal gaming sessions and/or when I'm capturing footage.
By the way I am running at 1920x1080p resolution.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.




CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Thuban 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo Socket AM3
CPU Cooler: ZALMAN CNPS11X Extreme V-Shaped Dual Heatpipe Design w/120mm Long Life Bearing
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti 2048 MB GDDR5
PSU: Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-900 900W
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-990XA-UD3 AM3+ AMD
MEMORY: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 186
OPTICAL DRIVE: SONY Black Blu-ray Burner 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 8X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM
SSD: Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA
HDD 1: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 2TB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
HDD 2: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 1TB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
HDD 3: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
WIRELESS ADAPTER: ASUS PCE-N13 Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n
FANS: 140MM (x1), 120MM (x3), 200MM (x2)
DISPLAY: HANNSpree 42" Class LCD 1080p 120Hz HDTV

Depending on the game/SLI profile driver support - yes, you will notice a definite improvement.

There will be a few games here and there that won't benefit that much, or will cause glitches due to lack of game engine/driver support - but for those that are supported your framerate will increase and allow you to potentially run at even higher settings.

SLI (or multiple cards in general) are not glitch free and can cause headaches of their own; but when it works - it works well. If you've already got a 550ti, it would be worthwhile grabbing another one.

As for recording, you should see some improvements in certain titles. Fraps pretty much halves your framerate when recoding as is (as you've noticed) so an increased framerate will also result in smoother recording.

Thank you very much. I will most likely be picking up another 550ti now. I just hope that I notice a improvement concerning the heavy FPS drop I experience while capturing footage.

Perhaps you can find another capture program instead of FRAPS. Fraps will really drag down performance while recording. There may be better options.

I also use Bandicam but that can also slow things down during moments of capturing as well.

i suggest that you upgrade in steed i had a gtx 550ti just like you butt i have upgrade to a gtx670. it is cheaper in the long therm..

Yeah, the tech moves too fast for SLI to be an effective solution for long (let alone a cost-effective one). Your specs are pretty good already btw, normally fraps recording shouldn't lag much - then I noticed your resolution; stepping it down a bit may help, if it's an option.

Thank you for the advice but "stepping it down" is not an option. When I consider the amount of money I paid for my rig you better believe that I plan on having the most visually impressive experience that I can possibly fathom.

your good for a while if you SLI two 550 TI's you will see a good jump in frame rate and performance

I will be getting my 2nd GTX 550ti in the mail today. I will run it in SLI with my current one and share my results. I had another question though. I have a old 9800 GTX that I don't use anymore and I was wondering if it would be a waste of time to SLI my two GTX 550's while also using my old 9800 as a disignated PhyXs card. Your thoughts?