Conclusions
We can summarize our results with the help of one of our infamous price-performance scatter plots. The plot below was created via the same formula used in our recent GPU value roundup, though updated with more configs and current pricing. As ever, the best combinations of price and performance will gravitate toward the upper left corner of the plot, while the worst will be closer to the lower right.

One impression hasn't changed since our value roundup: the latest GeForces tend to be better values at present than AMD's 5000-series Radeons. That's a clear reversal of fortunes since the GeForce GTX 400 series' somewhat underwhelming debut, when the GTX 480 was really no faster than the Radeon HD 5870. The Fermi architecture still quite new, and Nvidia has extracted enough additional performance through driver tuning to put the GTX 470 on equal footing with the 5870—and the GTX 480 well ahead. That's true across a range of games, not just those where the GeForces have an apparent advantage, like Metro 2033 and Borderlands. The addition of the cheaper and more architecturally efficient GeForce GTX 460 has further solidified Nvidia's value leadership.

As for the question of the hour, yes, a multi-GPU solution can provide better value than a higher-end single card. Dual GeForce GTX 460s of either flavor, 768MB or 1GB, will set you back less cash and deliver higher frame rates than the GeForce GTX 480 AMP!, as the scatter plot shows. In fact, the 460 SLI options are among the best values we tested. Also, we learned on the previous page that these SLI rigs have comparable power draw to a GTX 480, and their noise levels can be similar with the right cooling solution.

The GTX 460 SLI setups have exceptional performance, too. They should run most games competently at four megapixels with robust image quality settings, and they'll likely handle a six-megapixel array of three 1080p monitors quite nicely, too—which a lone GTX 480 can't do, with its limit of two simultaneous display outputs. One caveat: I'm concerned about the 768MB cards running out of video memory at higher resolutions in some cases, as they did in DiRT 2's DX11 mode at 2560x1600. If I were spending the money, I'd spring for the 1GB cards.

Among the Radeons, the multi-GPU value question is murkier. Going with a couple of Radeon HD 5830s in CrossFire instead of a 5870 will net you superior performance for a little more money, but it will come with substantially higher power draw and a bit more noise. Dual Radeon HD 5770s in CrossFire will get you near-5870 frame rates for less dough, but a lone GeForce GTX 470 would probably be a smarter choice. The GTX 470 is better in terms of performance, price, power consumption, noise levels, and expansion space occupied. The only drawback to that plan: any of these Radeons will drive three displays at once via Eyefinity, and the GTX 470 tops out at two.

Strangely enough, one of the best values in the Radeon camp is our three-way Radeon HD 5770 team, which performs quite well overall in spite of a few obvious stumbles in certain games. The three-way 5770 setup lands on our price-performance scatter plot in a position clearly preferable to the GTX 480 AMP!, though it's not in quite as nice a place as the GTX 460 SLI options. This trio's acoustics and power consumption are reasonable given its performance, also. I'm not sure I'd want to deal with the hassle of a six-slot solution that doesn't always perform as well as it should, but there is a case to be made for it, nonetheless.