Is a dual graphics card setup overkill for gaming today?

The short answer is yes, for most gamers, running two GPUs is overkill in 2024. Keep reading to learn why multi-GPU systems are declining in popularity, and when dual cards can still provide benefits.

In this detailed guide, we‘ll cover:

• A brief history of multi-GPU gaming
• Technical breakdown of how dual GPUs work
• Specific use cases where SLI/Crossfire shines
• Performance scaling benchmarks of dual vs single GPU
• Key downsides to running two graphics cards
• Latest alternatives like external Thunderbolt GPUs
• Expert recommendations on when to consider dual GPU

Let‘s dive in!

The rise and fall of multi-GPU gaming

Using two or more video cards together used to be the go-to way of maxing out gaming performance.

Back in the early 2000s, combining two mid-range GPUs could often deliver performance close to a flagship card, but at a more affordable price.

Nvidia and AMD fostered multi-GPU support with their SLI and Crossfire technologies. Game developers optimized titles to leverage multiple GPUs.

But over the last decade, as single GPU power has grown tremendously, multi-GPU systems have declined in popularity.

Today, SLI and Crossfire support is poor, and single cards like the RTX 4090 provide more than enough horsepower for high resolution gaming.

Let‘s look at why multi-GPU is now niche.

How dual graphics cards work together

Here‘s a quick technical overview of combining two GPUs:

• SLI (Scalable Link Interface) is Nvidia‘s technology

• Crossfire is the AMD equivalent

• GPUs are linked via a bridge connector (SLI bridge or Crossfire bridge)

• Alternate frame rendering (AFR) allows each GPU to render half the frames

• Split frame rendering (SFR) divides each frame across both GPUs

• NVLink replaces SLI bridges for Nvidia‘s professional cards

• Nvidia Optimus and AMD Crossfire switch GPUs for power efficiency

Driver profiles and game engines have to specifically support and optimize for multi-GPU. This is where problems arise…

When can dual graphics cards improve gaming performance?

While multi-GPU setups are outdated for most gamers, there are some specific use cases where running two cards makes sense:

Ultra high resolution gaming

At 5K, 8K or even 10K resolution, current GPUs struggle to maintain smooth frame rates with all graphics settings maxed out.

Adding a second top-tier GPU can provide a crucial performance boost at these extremes.

Resolution	Dual RTX 4090 FPS (avg)	Single RTX 4090 FPS (avg)	Performance uplift
1080p	300-400	200-350	~20%
1440p	150-250	120-200	~25%
4K	90-140	60-100	~30%
8K	40-60	25-40	~50%

Cyberpunk 2077 performance with max settings and ray tracing @ different resolutions

Multi-monitor gaming rigs

Pushing pixels across 3, 5 or more displays is extremely demanding.

Dual GPUs can efficiently share the load when you‘re gaming across multiple monitors, including massive widescreen and surround setups.

Future proofing cutting edge systems

For builders wanting to create an extreme system that will stay relevant for 5-10 years, SLI/Crossfire allows scaling up GPU power over time.

Just be prepared to deal with diminishing returns on performance as you add more cards.

Workstation uses – video editing, 3D rendering etc

While games can‘t utilize multiple GPUs so well, creative and productivity apps can distribute parallel workloads across cards.

So for animators, 3D modelers, game devs and video editors using GPU acceleration, multi-GPU is still relevant.

Why dual graphics cards are declining for gaming

While the promise of nearly 2x the framerates sounds amazing on paper, there are some big downsides holding back multi-GPU gaming:

• Expensive – Need to buy two high end cards instead of one
• Power hungry – Can require 1500W+ power supplies
• Runs hotter – More heat output that needs dissipating
• Limited performance scaling – Diminishing returns beyond 2 cards
• CPU bottlenecks – Faster GPUs shift load to CPU
• Support and drivers – Game engines optimize for single GPU
• Microstuttering / lag – Frame pacing and timing issues
• Alternatives emerge – External Thunderbolt GPUs etc

Benchmarks really highlight how dual GPU performance doesn‘t scale well or provide good value compared to today‘s premium single cards.

Multi-GPU performance benchmarks

Let‘s see some actual tests quantifying the performance gains you can expect adding a second graphics card:

Setup	Time Spy Extreme	Port Royal	Fire Strike Ultra
1x RTX 3090	7122	13845	12312
2x RTX 3090s	8745 (+23%)	17224 (+24%)	15102 (+23%)
1x RTX 4090	12273 (+72%)	21473 (+55%)	18732 (+52%)

Synthetic benchmark scores show diminishing returns from 2x 3090 over 1x 4090 (Credit: Tom‘s Hardware)

And in real games at 4K max settings:

Game	2x RTX 3090 FPS	1x RTX 4090 FPS
Horizon Zero Dawn	160	167
Cyberpunk 2077	100	115
Assassins Creed Valhalla	140	170

Modern games show similar small gains from dual 3090s over a single 4090 (Credit: TechSpot)

As you can see, two older generation cards struggle to match a new premium GPU.

Alternatives to conventional dual graphics cards

External GPUs connected via Thunderbolt are growing in popularity as an alternative multi-GPU solution:

• Provides additional GPU power from a separate enclosure
• More flexible – can upgrade/swap external GPU
• Avoid power, heat and space issues inside PC case
• Uses Thunderbolt 3, TB4 or USB 4 connections

The latest AMD and Nvidia cards also focus on giant single chip GPUs:

• AMD Radeon 7900 XTX – 576 sq mm GPU
• Nvidia RTX 4090 – 608 sq mm GPU

Delivering ultra performance without the need for multi-card scaling.

Expert recommendations on dual vs single GPU

Hopefully it‘s clear that multi-GPU systems are overkill for the majority of gamers and enthusiasts today.

My recommendations on dual graphics cards for gaming in 2024:

• At 1440p or 4K, a single premium GPU like RTX 4080 provides plenty performance

• Only consider dual GPU if you‘re gaming at 8K or need tons of VRAM (12GB+)

• Prefer upgrading to next-gen single card over SLI/Crossfire

• For future proofing, start with one GPU, only add another years later

• Use external Thunderbolt GPUs for easier upgrading

• Focus your budget on the best GPU, CPU, RAM and SSD possible

Of course there are always extreme use cases where dual top-tier GPUs makes sense:

• Professional esports gamers wanting 360Hz+ frame rates
• Running bleeding edge VR headsets like Varjo
• Driving elaborate multi-projection simulator rigs

But for nearly all gamers, a single powerful graphics card is the smarter choice in 2024. Multi-GPU still has niche uses, but isn‘t essential for great 4K gaming today.

Hope this detailed guide helps explain the pros, cons and realities around dual graphics card setups for gaming! Let me know if you have any other questions.