SLI or Crossfire

N

NoobToast

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 29, 2007
Messages
247
Im doing a full upgrade(mobo, CPU, RAM, GPU and probably PSU) And i want to do SLI or Crossfire, but i dont know what do to, is there any difference between the two?
 
SLI is for Nvidia cards, Crossfire is for ATI cards. They both scale similarly. If you're not getting a large monitor, SLI and Crossfire are pretty much a waste.
 
First up, what resolution monitor are you using? If it's below 1920x1200 (a 24" LCD) there is no reason to go with SLI or CrossfireX. You will be much better served with a single high end card.

EDIT: 32" HDTV. OK. Is it 720P or 1080P?

Assuming your monitor is high enough resolution that SLI/CrossfireX makes sense, what's your budget? If you go with SLI or CrossfireX plan to spend /at least/ $500 on the 2 GPUs alone, scaling up to $1000-1200 for 3 8800 GTXs in Tri-SLI or 4 Radeon HD 3870s in Quad CrossfireX.

SLI is Nvidia's multi-GPU solution. Crossfire (the current revision of which is referred to as CrossfireX) is ATI's multi-GPU solution.

SLI capable motherboards will only do SLI. CrossfireX boards will only do CrossfireX. They are not interchangeable.
 
NoobToast said:
720p
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720p is 1280x720. There is absolute no reason to consider SLI or CrossfireX at that resolution.

The best setup for you is going to be an 8800 GT or 8800 GTS 512MB (the newer G92 based cards) on the Nvidia side, or a Radeon HD 3870 on the ATI side. The 8800 GT is slightly faster than 3870 but costs about the same, so I'd recommend it at the $250 mark.

However, the 8800 GTs with the stock cooler run fairly hot, which leads people to purchase aftermarket coolers for them. That adds around $40-50 to the price once you get the heatsink and the fan. With that in mind I'd recommend you get the 8800 GTS 512MB instead, which comes with a much more efficient and quieter dual slot cooler from the factory. The 8800 GTS 512MB is also about 15% faster than the 8800 GT 512MB.

Make sure you get the 512MB 8800 GTS (based on the G92 core) as there are several variations of the card all called "8800 GTS".
 
NoobToast said:
720p

i was thinking two SAPPHIRE 100206L Radeon HD 2600PRO
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It looks like that resolution is low enough for even 1 card.....but.....here's my take. Ive had SLi for a good long while. I think its very excellent for gaming and allows you to up the resolution and graphics settings just about as high as the people who made the game expected.
At 720 you can probably use a single 8800 GT 512 or a 8800 GTS 512 but, if you buy an SLi motherboard, you can add another card if you plan to upgrade the monitor or the games begin to bog down the single card.
Nvidia chipsets are the only ones that support SLi and some of the boards can be a little flaky.....do your research.
Bottom line, either dual card combo gives you extra horsepower, you need to decide if you need it, you dont have to run two cards on a crossfire or SLi board, but it gives you room to expand.
You also need a stout power supply to run multiple GPUs, do your research there too and make sure they have enough connectors.
The 8800s do run a bit hot.....but if you configure RivaTuner correctly, it is not a problem and you do not need any fancy aftermarket coolers.
 
At that resolution, depending on what you're playing, a Radeon HD 3850 should be good. It'll be around $150-160. Most will overclock to 3870 speeds. Look for a 3850 with a larger aftermarket heatsink on it, as that'll improve the chances of overclocking well.
 
NoobToast said:
what about the 8600's are those good for gaming??
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The short answer would be "no, not at all."

Again, exactly what games are you wanting to play? Chances are the absolute least you'll be able to get away with would be the Radeon HD 3850 at $150ish.
 
Yep. Because of UT3 and The Orange Box you're going to want at least the Radeon HD 3850.

Also, I second lloose -- don't get the Rosewill. Pick up the Corsair 550VX for $70 AR -- I think it's at Buy.com or zipzoomfly.com. It's a far better supply, much higher quality.
 
I second going with a corsiar powersupply.

If your budget is pretty low, you don't want SLI/Crossfire. Its really only a good solution when you want the best possible graphics today, and a single card wont do. There really is no point in running SLI/Crossfire on an 80.00 graphics card, as you would probably get better performace on a 160.00 graphics card.

Go with at least a 3850. If you can spend a bit more, the 3870 is a great choice, or if you are willing to spend around 220-250, you can get an 8800GT which is an awesome card, and recommended by tons of people on this forum.
 
I think ill get an Crossfire board, but not utilize the Crossfire feature right away, ill probably get a single 3850, and get another one if needed.

Thanks for the help, very much appreciated.
 
It's never a good thing to buy a motherboard based on the availability/performance of a single card that's out right now. Buy a motherboard for the motherboards features, and for the system you prefer (Crossfire or SLI), not cause "you can get a 3850 for $150" (even though the cheapest I see is $170, and thats for 256MB.. ew), because soon enough, those cards are going to be left behind or the competition will have something cheaper.
 
What about the 9600 GT. It comes out in about a month ( I think). If I remember the price is about 170 or so, and the performance is somewhat close to 8800GT.

It sounds like one of the better options in the price range the OP is looking for.
 
i dont plan on doing this upgrade within the next week, my PC is greatly in need of an upgrade, so i want to do it right. Ill deffinatly look into the 9600
 
KK didnt want to make a new thread, so i figured id dig though the forum and find my old thread.

This is a non SLI/Crossfire related quesiton, i just need opinions on what GPU is the best deal and is decent.

VisionTek 900203 Radeon HD 3850 256MB
MSI RX2600XT Diamond Radeon HD 2600XT 256MB
XFX PVT84JUDD3 GeForce 8600GT XXX 256MB
If I havent pulled the trigger by the time the 9600s come out, ill probably go with one of those.

Im leaning towards the 3850 as it seems to be the best bang for your buck. All the reviews seem to be towards the positive side and its not too expensive.

As ive stated a few times before, im not looking to play anything too intense, Source based games, and WoW, StarCraft 2(maybe).
 
Do NOT get an 8600, ugh, horrible gaming card.

3850 is your best match, do it, also do you have an overall budget for this computer?

Intel's P35 paired with a C2D proc would be a much better fit right now imo.
 
Im looking to do an upgrade of about 300-350(hence the reason i didnt go with a 8800) but in this upgrade im looking to upgrade the Mobo, CPU, 2GB RAM, and GPU. I am hoping to get the RAM, possibly Mobo and possibly CPU from a friend, but nothing is set in stone.
 
NoobToast said:
Im looking to do an upgrade of about 300-350(hence the reason i didnt go with a 8800) but in this upgrade im looking to upgrade the Mobo, CPU, 2GB RAM, and GPU. I am hoping to get the RAM, possibly Mobo and possibly CPU from a friend, but nothing is set in stone.
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Wow, if you can do it that cheap, I applaud you, try and shop around for the cheapest places in that case, and of course, realize that even if it's cheaper in price at one place, the added cost of shipping from a different place instead of multiple items at one place might negate the price difference or even be more expensive overall.
 
$300 will do CPU/Motherboard/RAM or CPU/GPU, but it won't do all four. Not without getting great deals on everything. Used. Then you're still without a case, PSU, drives. It's not going to happen.
 
im upgrading not building an entirely new system, but ive come to accept that doing all that for 300-350 is pretty slim.
 
NoobToast said:
im upgrading not building an entirely new system, but ive come to accept that doing all that for 300-350 is pretty slim.
Click to expand...

NoobToast said:
Im doing a full upgrade(mobo, CPU, RAM, GPU and probably PSU) And i want to do SLI or Crossfire, but i dont know what do to, is there any difference between the two?
Click to expand...

Mobo, CPU, RAM, GPU and PSU, IS a whole new system, besides case, optical drive and hard drive, nothing would remain the same...

But yeah, 300-350 would be amazing. My GPU, Case, and CPU, alone, each separately cost 300~; and I have a pretty moderate rig compared to some.

Hmm...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116037 Intel E2140, 76$ - Please say you're overclocking! :D
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211188 4GB DDR2-800, 88 (-20 MIR to 68)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128084 Gigabyte GA-P35-S3G 80$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171028 Cooler Master 460W PSU 40$ - I don't generally like spending so little on PSU's, because a bad PSU can ruin everything in an instant, so I read some reviews that said it was cool and I have a lower wattage model powering my parents computers which are E4300/945P based, of course that's onboard graphics, but I haven't seen any hickups.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129101 VisionTek 3850 256MB 170$

That's 454 -20MIR to 434, and has 4GB of ram, you could go with the 2GB you listed earlier and save another 42$ off list to 414 but if you don't mind dealing with an MIR, 4GB of RAM has it's perks.

What OS? I'm guessing just XP x86 (32-bit) and in that case go with the 2GB, but if you plan to go Vista ever or have Vista in the plan (x64 64-bit specifically), go with the 4GB, you won't regret it.
 
It can be done, buy open box



edit: no psu in there, but maybe you don't need one. What psu do you have now?
 
oh, i was thinking of a whole new system including EVERYTHING it takes to build one.

EDIT: but how dependable are the open box ones, are those the ones that were sent back from prevous buyers, or the ones that they open to take a picture of???
 
skadebo said:
It can be done, buy open box



edit: no psu in there, but maybe you don't need one. What psu do you have now?
Click to expand...

Open box is a horrible idea. No warranties (through NewEgg -- through manufacturers, sure), pieces and parts can be missing... Eh. Would not go this route.
 
Motherboard-- ECS KA3 MVP (V1.0A) 89.99 (20 dollar mail in rebate)
Processor-- AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 2.1 (mdl#) ADO4000DDBOX ($) 59.99
Video Card-- VisionTek 900203 Radeon HD 3850 256MB 169.99
RAM-- mushkin (mdl#) 996527 ($) 45.99

^^Theres what i came up with
All that for 342

Not sure about the ECS Mobo(should i go crossfire, still havent desided), reviews are mixed, is that CPU ok? BTW, i forgot that i had a 550W PSU sitting in my closet, so im set as far as the PSU goes.
 
Friends don't let friends buy ECS.

Come up with another $20-30 and build Intel, you will /not/ regret it.
 
NoobToast said:
Motherboard-- ECS KA3 MVP (V1.0A) 89.99 (20 dollar mail in rebate)
Processor-- AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 2.1 (mdl#) ADO4000DDBOX ($) 59.99
Video Card-- VisionTek 900203 Radeon HD 3850 256MB 169.99
RAM-- mushkin (mdl#) 996527 ($) 45.99

^^Theres what i came up with
All that for 342

Not sure about the ECS Mobo(should i go crossfire, still havent desided), reviews are mixed, is that CPU ok? BTW, i forgot that i had a 550W PSU sitting in my closet, so im set as far as the PSU goes.
Click to expand...

If you have a PSU, then my build comes down to 374 with 2GB ram vs. 414-20MIR=384 4GB ram, and would be much more future proof and overclock a lot better than the AM2 system you're building. The Gigabyte mobo I listed would be a LOT better than the ECS one.
 
what about a micro atx, or would that 3850 just demolish the poor mobo in size...

OMG there is too much to choose from, SLI or Crossfire or neither, Intel or AMD, ATI or Nvidea...
 
NoobToast said:
what about a micro atx, or would that 3850 just demolish the poor mobo in size...
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You'll miss full ATX if you try to expand at all, cooling is better on full ATX, and so is overclocking. They're just more fully featured because they have more room to put stuff on the board.

Size isn't so much an issue if you have a case that can hold ATX, it'll hold a MicroATX, it'll just look... stupid and small though. And the 3850 isn't super long if I remember correctly... but make sure you have enough horizontal clearance for it.
 
If i was to go with the cpu that optional suggested, what could i overclock it to, some reviews said that they got it up to 3.0, could i do that with the Mushkin RAM and the Mobo you suggested?

also, what about this mobo GIGABYTE GA-P31-S3G LGA 775 Intel P31
 
You really want a P35, not a P31. There's a new Gigabyte P35 board on the low end for like, $75, 80. Go with that. $10 more well spent.

Yes, the E2xxx series are usually good to 3Ghz or a little above, and DDR2-800 is enough to get them there.
 
Sr7 said:
It's never a good thing to buy a motherboard based on the availability/performance of a single card that's out right now. Buy a motherboard for the motherboards features, and for the system you prefer (Crossfire or SLI), not cause "you can get a 3850 for $150" (even though the cheapest I see is $170, and thats for 256MB.. ew), because soon enough, those cards are going to be left behind or the competition will have something cheaper.
Click to expand...


Well, not $150 but $151.99...


http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0277104
 
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