Sli or not?

[Rollo]

The only SLI setup thats under what you said is dual 6600GTs, which aint worth it much.

I wouldn get an X850XT (ati)

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-483&depa=1

They are rather expnsive/ But worth it IMO

Also, an XL qill get you about 80FPS in HL2 with Max Quality, 1600x1200 res, and 4xAA and 8xAF

so an XL is pretty sweet also

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20041222/vga_charts-09.html

HL2, Doom3, Far cry and a few other games benchmarked, with pretty much all newer cards (check that link, it'll help getting a video card)

No way! Hate Bot says SLI is no good and that you should buy an ATI card??!?!?! Who'd believe this turn of events?

Well, I have a 6600GT SLI Hate Bot, and a X800XT PE, and I'm ONLY using the 6600 GT SLI?

Point being that 6600GT SLI provides a very decent gaming experience, as noted here on H, and that if it didn't I'd walk upstairs and use the X800XT PE.

I did just install Reader Rabbit, Sesame St, Curious George, Veggie Tales, and The Land Before Time on that computer for my five year old to play on the XT PE though- I'm sure it will give him as good of service as it did me and jam the 256 colors onto the screen with a vengeance!

BTW- link to the profiler:

http://www.3dchipset.com/utilities/nvidia/sli/index.php

 

[jacuzz1]

No way! Hate Bot says SLI is no good and that you should buy an ATI card??!?!?! Who'd believe this turn of events?

Well, I have a 6600GT SLI Hate Bot, and a X800XT PE, and I'm ONLY using the 6600 GT SLI?

Point being that 6600GT SLI provides a very decent gaming experience, as noted here on H, and that if it didn't I'd walk upstairs and use the X800XT PE.

I did just install Reader Rabbit, Sesame St, Curious George, Veggie Tales, and The Land Before Time on that computer for my five year old to play on the XT PE though- I'm sure it will give him as good of service as it did me and jam the 256 colors onto the screen with a vengeance!

BTW- link to the profiler:

http://www.3dchipset.com/utilities/nvidia/sli/index.php

Roflmao ...............priceless

 

[Inglix_the_Mad]

I would get an SLI ready right, stick with BFG cards, but remember that you should only pair them with BFG cards.

A64 939
Asus or MSI SLI board
1-2g of *quality* memory (Mushkin, Kingston, et al, stay away from bargain bin stuff)
74g raptors or some NCQ capable HDD
Use the onboard sound
600w or better power supply Enermax as a starter point
1 BFG PCI-E (6600-6800)

Granted ATI has finally wised up and gone to a dual slot cooler. I may actually be able to use one at home in the summer now

 

[Hate_Bot]

Im just curious rollo, why you choise the 6600GT sli setup? Because in most (if not all) the benchmarks Ive seen, an X800XT-PE beats an X800XT-PE.

http://www20.graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20041222/vga_charts-09.html

Even in the Doom3 section, the XT-PE wins.

If you are saving money, it makes sense. But you already HAVE an X800XT-PE, so Im confused.

And yes I have recently changed my opinion, 2 Ultras or GTs are amazing, and a gret buy if you can afford it, But fact of the matter is, I cant, Even getting an XL seems more worthwile to me (Considering they are cheaper then 2 6600GTs, plus you dont need an SLI mobo),,,

Just confusled

 

[fallguy]

The X800XT is faster most of the time than 2x6600GT's in any sort of high res, with AA/AF. There is no denying that. 2x6600GT's may be better suited for him, because he seems to like low res gaming, and only plays FPS's, or so he has said.

I wonder how many more times we have to hear about how he gave his kid the X800XT. I think this is the 17th time Ive read it now.

Dont take too much stock into what he says, he leans heavily to one side. Its fairly obvious which side that is.

kenham40, if you only have $700, I would get the fastest single card. Correct me if I am wrong, but the guy you are building it for doesnt see to computer hardware adept just yet? No offense intended, but if he cant build one, it just may be the case. SLI right now doesnt work 100%, and needs help getting it to work. Perhaps he is a fast learnner.. and wont have a problem with it.

With only $700 to spend, he has only two SLI choices. 2x6600GT's, or perhaps 2x6800NU's. Both of which are going to lose to a 6800U, or X850XT/PE at a high res, with AA/AF. Personally, I would rather crank up the details, and enjoy a bigger, better looking picture. If hes going to game at 1024x768, then 2x6600GT's may be better for him.

Also, dont listen to ignorance about X850XT or PE's being hard to find. They are easy to find, and cheaper than 6800U's.

 

[Rollo]

The X800XT is faster most of the time than 2x6600GT's in any sort of high res, with AA/AF. There is no denying that. 2x6600GT's may be better suited for him, because he seems to like low res gaming, and only plays FPS's, or so he has said.

Ackmed- you shouldn't diss my X800XT PE by calling it a X800XT, it sports those extra 20MHz by default.

While there's no doubt the X800XT PE is a faster gaming solution than the 6600GT SLI rig, I bought it because:
1. I buy a new motherboard every year, and SLI seemed like the way forward.
2. An A8N/3800+ retail combo with a 535W PSU isn't cheap, and at the time 6800GTs more than doubled the cost of the project
3. I wanted to try SLI, and I suffer no financial loss by gaming at this level should I decide to upgrade to GTs later. (i.e. when I bought this stuff, GTs were $450 and up, if you could find them.
4. This site said 6600GT SLI offers better gaming performance than a 6800GT, and I've already had one of those

I wonder how many more times we have to hear about how he gave his kid the X800XT. I think this is the 17th time Ive read it now.

I wonder how many times we have to hear from you why no one should ever buy a nVidia card because ATI is the only way to go?

Dont take too much stock into what he says, he leans heavily to one side. Its fairly obvious which side that is.

Really? Want me to start linking your posts from Rage, nVnews, AT, etc. that show which side you lean to? If having a preference at a point in time is reason to disregard someone's posts, I guess they should ignore us both?

kenham40, if you only have $700, I would get the fastest single card. Correct me if I am wrong, but the guy you are building it for doesnt see to computer hardware adept just yet? No offense intended, but if he cant build one, it just may be the case. SLI right now doesnt work 100%, and needs help getting it to work. Perhaps he is a fast learnner.. and wont have a problem with it.

A monkey could create profiles with that tool I linked to, and only one thing is sure:
If you buy ATI these days, you close the door on SLI performance and get nothing in return.

With only $700 to spend, he has only two SLI choices. 2x6600GT's, or perhaps 2x6800NU's. Both of which are going to lose to a 6800U, or X850XT/PE at a high res, with AA/AF. Personally, I would rather crank up the details, and enjoy a bigger, better looking picture. If hes going to game at 1024x768, then 2x6600GT's may be better for him.

Ackmed, Ackmed, Ackmed.
What you conveniently leave out of your skewed little scenario is that the 6600GT SLI can play 12X10 2X8X on any game out there and costs ~$380.. 6800Us and X850s cost >$500, so it's not like you're getting all that 16X12 performance free now is it?

What do you do at ATI, anyway?

 

[ThomasE66]

There is no doubt that the X800XT PE is a better gaming solution? I guess that's why my 6600GT SLI setup beats quite a few X800XT PE scores

http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1027246498&postcount=1000


Yes, you'll get a bit faster performance at 1600 if you're using AA and Aniso. Since I prever 1280x1024 anyways (the sweet spot for dual 6600GT's), that is a non-issue. Also, I upgrade about every six months, so by then there will be even better SLI solutions should I stick with that route.

I don't 'lean' either way. I own Intel and AMD, ATI and Nvidia. Right now my main rig is an SLI setup. That doesn't mean I might not go with the next gen ATI solution if it tickles my fancy.

I get such a chuckle out of people who treat their technology choices like it's a religion

 

[Hate_Bot]

You guys all talk about how you upgrade every six months/year. Some of us dont have the money o just "Ohh, Im board, I know! Ill go buy 2 6800Ultras for over a thousand dollars, then buy the mmost expensive SLI board I can"

Some of us need to have our computers last 1, 2 or (in the case of me) 3 years. And 2 6600GTs will not last 3 years, the 128mb of memory and 8 pipelines would bite us in the ass when new games (Like the Unreal 3 engine games) come out.

 

[ThomasE66]

You guys all talk about how you upgrade every six months/year. Some of us dont have the money o just "Ohh, Im board, I know! Ill go buy 2 6800Ultras for over a thousand dollars, then buy the mmost expensive SLI board I can"

Some of us need to have our computers last 1, 2 or (in the case of me) 3 years. And 2 6600GTs will not last 3 years, the 128mb of memory and 8 pipelines would bite us in the ass when new games (Like the Unreal 3 engine games) come out.

You missed my point. I didn't say everyone should upgrade as often as I do. My point was that people make their choices based on what's right for them, and it's idiotic to trash or flame people over hardware zealotry

 

[Rollo]

You missed my point. I didn't say everyone should upgrade as often as I do. My point was that people make their choices based on what's right for them, and it's idiotic to trash or flame people over hardware zealotry

Word.

 

[R!P13y]

Sli is so cool it is like the most highest end thing you can run for computers now...but there is so many problems with it...like it has problems with most games and hard to configure the res. just right... I would not go Sli tell it gets better drivers or something better to make it more backward forward compatiable... Just go with 6seriesNV or X800 Series ati....but if you have the money GO ALL THE WAY and GET SLI

 

[Rollo]

You guys all talk about how you upgrade every six months/year. Some of us dont have the money o just "Ohh, Im board, I know! Ill go buy 2 6800Ultras for over a thousand dollars, then buy the mmost expensive SLI board I can"

Some of us need to have our computers last 1, 2 or (in the case of me) 3 years. And 2 6600GTs will not last 3 years, the 128mb of memory and 8 pipelines would bite us in the ass when new games (Like the Unreal 3 engine games) come out.

You don't have a point though either, because no video card last three years anyway. If you think that buying a X800XL is going to get you usable UE3 performance I have some old computer parts to sell you at very high prices.

If you think ATI anything that out right now will get you UE3 performance, you're likely mistaken.

Tim Sweeney is a big SM3/nV40 cheerleader, UE is TWIMTBP. Hit nVidia's website if you'd like to see his testimonial about how he's using the SM3 feature set to code it.

You won't find him on ATIs site saying he's retro-coding it to DX9b, I assure you. R520 for that game if you want ATI.

 

[fallguy]

I wonder how many times we have to hear from you why no one should ever buy a nVidia card because ATI is the only way to go?

I never said no one should buy an NV card. In fact, Ive recommended one many times. To my brother just the other day in fact. Hes got a 9600 Pro AIW, and wants better frames. I told him to get a standalone tuner, and a 6600GT.

Really? Want me to start linking your posts from Rage, nVnews, AT, etc. that show which side you lean to? If having a preference at a point in time is reason to disregard someone's posts, I guess they should ignore us both?

Feel free. Everyone has a preference, yours is just to the extreme.

A monkey could create profiles with that tool I linked to, and only one thing is sure:
If you buy ATI these days, you close the door on SLI performance and get nothing in return.

The fact is, someone new to PC gaming (no idea if he is) would rather just have a game work, out of the box. Without having to worry about a profile, and the different types of SLI. SLI is not for the newbie. I also said if hes a faster learner, then it may work for him.

Ackmed, Ackmed, Ackmed.
What you conveniently leave out of your skewed little scenario is that the 6600GT SLI can play 12X10 2X8X on any game out there and costs ~$380.. 6800Us and X850s cost >$500, so it's not like you're getting all that 16X12 performance free now is it?

What do you do at ATI, anyway?

I never said the performance was free. I also said if he is going to game at a low res, then 2x6600GT's may be a better choice for him.

The fact is, SLI is not for everyone, and is not ideal in every situation. The sooner you realize this, the better. For you it seems like a prefect fit, because you game at a lower res. And playing with new tech is fun, and you seem able, and enjoy making profiles and finding which version of SLI works better. I would enjoy it as well. If I came upon a great deal on 2x6600GT's I would nab them, just to try it. Alread have the SLI board.

This review shows SLI has problems, and doesnt give the great boost in every game. Depending on which SLI you choose, graphical effects can be present.

 

[gordon151]

Ackmed- you shouldn't diss my X800XT PE by calling it a X800XT, it sports those extra 20MHz by default.

While there's no doubt the X800XT PE is a faster gaming solution than the 6600GT SLI rig, I bought it because:
1. I buy a new motherboard every year, and SLI seemed like the way forward.
2. An A8N/3800+ retail combo with a 535W PSU isn't cheap, and at the time 6800GTs more than doubled the cost of the project
3. I wanted to try SLI, and I suffer no financial loss by gaming at this level should I decide to upgrade to GTs later. (i.e. when I bought this stuff, GTs were $450 and up, if you could find them.
4. This site said 6600GT SLI offers better gaming performance than a 6800GT, and I've already had one of those

Still, you just spent considerably more money just to use something thats worse than what you're replacing it with. I mean, I do impulse buys that are sometimes pointless, but damn. Have fun anyway.

 

[jacuzz1]

I fail to see why purchasing an sli board mandates you buy two cards. Choosin an sli board now is only a slight premium and affords you more choice. IF you go single , go Ultra for one you can double up and two ATIhas discontinued the x850XT

 

[Hate_Bot]

Since when did ATI discontinue the X850XT? They discontinued th X800XT, not the X850XT.

 

[jacuzz1]

Since when did ATI discontinue the X850XT? They discontinued th X800XT, not the X850XT.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=869545

Quote from JaiQwan in the thread: "Edit: I just got off the phone with ATI, and the X850 XT & PE has been discontinued ATI is no longer offering that card and the site should have been updated to reflect this, or better yet there should be no ads or promos for the X850 XT & PE, and the guy I talked to had no clue as to why, also i BROKE DOWN and I bit, yuppers I took the offer with a 20% discount for the X800 XL PCie for a total of $254 and change. -Preorder that is- Oh Hum ?"