Since 2008, the 4 PCs I have assembled have had 2 or 4-way SLI. That being said, I agree with you that SLI is on its decline and has started to become more of a headache than a benefit.

IMHO one nice 3440x1440p Ultrawide monitor plus a single powerful gpu is the ideal gaming setup.  Just simple, yet subtle.

I posted this in another thread, and I'm not sure if I should like to the other thread or just quote myself.  Don't want to get on the bad side of any moderators.  With that said, here is my own quote:
 
So here's my thoughts on the SLI thing.  Way back (I mean WAY back) I ran single cards and usually upgraded every 1.5-2 years.  Then when SLI started becoming a "thing" (anyone remember Dawn and Dusk?), I went with SLI GTX280's (~2008).  I then upgraded to SLI GTX465's (~2011), even adding a 3rd card somewhere down the line, before moving on to the SLI GTX 680's (~2014).  I didn't upgrade again until my most recent purchase, two christmas's ago, SLI 970's (~2015).  Every SLI setup I've had didn't decrease the time before upgrading and TBH the bump between cards probably would have been just as noticeable had I stuck to a single card for upgrades.  For the GTX 1080TI, I'm going back to a single card system.  SLI doesn't work in every game, I run at 1440p and I run 4 monitors.  So, I'd say it's overkill, especially if you plan on doing an upgrade every other year.  Just my $0.02.
 
and here is the thread I posted it on:
 
https://forums.evga.com/2-1080Tis-overkill-m2648991-p4.aspx#2657537
 
Hope I didn't ruffle any feathers.

Most setups you don't need SLi.

FattysGoneWild
SLI died a long time ago. Its just becoming more official now. All it is for e-peen bragging rights and "look at me" my numbers are huge. So damn stupid but what ever. I swear people care more about numbers and damn benchmarks then actual gaming on PC. Is PC gaming that dead right now or people just really that bored with their "monster" pc's? Maybe pissing contests are more entertaining for them then gaming. So it seems.... 

Or Finding a Cure

FattysGoneWild

bcavnaugh

FattysGoneWild
SLI died a long time ago. Its just becoming more official now. All it is for e-peen bragging rights and "look at me" my numbers are huge. So damn stupid but what ever. I swear people care more about numbers and damn benchmarks then actual gaming on PC. Is PC gaming that dead right now or people just really that bored with their "monster" pc's? Maybe pissing contests are more entertaining for them then gaming. So it seems.... 

Or Finding a Cure

Of course. But it just seems like the majority love the pissing contests and bragging rights instead though. 

True,
But I like showing up on the Hall of Fame for bragging rights so I am guilty as charged.
Oh and here as well MODS RIGS
For me this all started with can I build or assemble a better PC than my AW R4 Computer.

Brad_Hawthorne

FattysGoneWild
SLI died a long time ago. Its just becoming more official now. All it is for e-peen bragging rights and "look at me" my numbers are huge. So damn stupid but what ever. I swear people care more about numbers and damn benchmarks then actual gaming on PC. Is PC gaming that dead right now or people just really that bored with their "monster" pc's? Maybe pissing contests are more entertaining for them then gaming. So it seems.... 

Enthusiast computer building has for the last decade has been about huge ungainly system. I'm seeing more min-max mITX setups now that can blow away the performance of most full tower setups though. Seeing something like a mITX 22-core X99 Titan XP rig is much more interesting than a 200 pound box.

And so much easier to move.

It really depends on the gamer. If you are playing at 1080p then not really but if you doing 4k gaming then SLI could help or if you are doing VR. Probably by the time 4K becomes like doing 1080p now we will be talking about 8K gaming as the TV's have been shown off at CES already so it will not be long before computer monitors start becoming a thing.

FattysGoneWild
SLI died a long time ago. Its just becoming more official now. All it is for e-peen bragging rights and "look at me" my numbers are huge. So damn stupid but what ever. I swear people care more about numbers and damn benchmarks then actual gaming on PC. Is PC gaming that dead right now or people just really that bored with their "monster" pc's? Maybe pissing contests are more entertaining for them then gaming. So it seems.... 

Some of it is "look at me",  some of it is trying to scrounge out that last bit despite the instabilities of SLI.

Show me a single card that can run my set up at the same FPS that my SLI (+) system does and I'll buy it.  But until then, Im afraid I'll remain one of "those people".

I'm running my new GTX 1070 FTW2 on my new 3440 x 1440 and it is so nice. I wish manufactures would come out with MB's that support overclocking and only one GPU.

for gaming at anything under 4k  probably not. but still totally worth it for benching, folding, misc compute tasks etc. 
 
i just came from 980ti sli to 1080ti and i am really enjoying not having to mess with the SLI profiles and Windows 10 issues with SLI. That is not a bad thing just for some its not worth messing with it. others enjoy hacking SLI profiles for games that dont support OOB etc.   to each their own. 

I did SLI twice and both times it was a massive headache. Cool concept, but not always practical. Cards are getting to be really great now, but it will always have it's place since software gets more and more complex and hardware requirements continue to rise.

IMO, it's worth it. Gonna need it for 4k 144Hz too. 

Scourge78
Please forgive my ignorance, but I want to check in on this topic in September of 2020. New 30xx cards are coming out later in the month, and since SLI has been replaced by NVLink (and only on 3090's!), I was wondering if having 2+ video cards in a system conveys any benefits, or if it's better to not even bother? Also, are game devs any better about utilizing SLI/NVL than in the past?

First question is your display setup .... & does the game you want to play support SLI ?
 
Two GPU in SLI are not twice a powerful as a single GPU, diminished returns ... but hey if you want every last FPS or to set benchmark records ....
 
Best to run a powerful single GPU ---> unless your monitor(s) make the experience painful ... resolution, refresh & number of monitors
 
Some people love the bragging rights .. or run multiple GPU that are not in "SLI" .. just depends on what your doing

It comes down to your budget and your itch of trying something new. I'd tried SLI. I know the advantage and disadvantage of having one. Now, i just enjoy having a single GPU.
Like many others have in this forum.