To SLI or not to SLI is the question

QKSILVR73

QKSILVR73

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 15, 2006
Messages
402
I currently am running
A64 4000+
2gB Ram
1-7800GTX 256

My max monitor resolution is 1600x1200. How much would I benefit from getting another card to run SLI. IS it worth the $ for the performance.

I really only play BF2, AA and sometime soon, BF2142.

Input, thoughts.

I really don't have the cash for a 8800GTX so that's not an option. Plus the wife would kill me. HEHHE.
 
Hmm.. cpu is too slow for SLI, IMO.

Sell the 7800gtx, use the money you would have put towards the other one, and get an 8800GTS. :D
 
That really depends. I would recommend at LEAST a dual core.. e6300 or 3800+ x2 would do a lot better job.. For "optimal" you want as fast of a cpu as you can afford, really...
 
Uh no... your CPU is not too slow... what is with everyone saying the CPU's are too slow just be cause there is a faster one out there?
 
RAutrey said:
Uh no... your CPU is not too slow... what is with everyone saying the CPU's are too slow just be cause there is a faster one out there?
Click to expand...


A single core, s754, like 2.2ghz cpu is not going to be fast enough to power two 7800GTX's.
 
Astrogiblet said:
A single core, s754, like 2.2ghz cpu is not going to be fast enough to power two 7800GTX's.
Click to expand...

So your thinking a 3800+ x2 which is 2.0ghz is going to?
 
wee96 said:
So your thinking a 3800+ x2 which is 2.0ghz is going to?
Click to expand...


Provide 4ghz of information in the form of two 2.0ghz cores. A lot more information then a 4000+ can. And, like I posted above, the best CPU he can afford would be best for the setup.
 
I think it was maximum pc that hard the article out a while back where they had an fx-60 or 62 and two 7800gtx's or 7900gtx's, and they said even then their systems were bottlenecked and limited by the CPU.
 
At 1600x1200 hes fine wih his cpu. Running SLI at that res or higher with alot or all eye candy on hes GPU limited not cpu limited. Sli works in your case dude, dont listen to all the nay sayers. Lower res's like 1280 or 1024 then I would say no.
 
Savoy said:
At 1600x1200 hes fine wih his cpu. Running SLI at that res or higher with alot or all eye candy on hes GPU limited not cpu limited. Sli works in your case dude, dont listen to all the nay sayers. Lower res's like 1280 or 1024 then I would say no.
Click to expand...


Good point, I didnt think about resolution.
 
Look, I have a system my son uses to play WOW,GuildWars and Oblivion, plus occasional HL2.......Its a stock FX-53,1GB RAM and SLI'd 7800GTX......the things is solid and runs 16x12 with very nice settings just fine......that CPU will handle the SLI just fine, come on......when the 7800GTX was produced, there were no available dual core processors on the retail scene.....that upgrade will be very cheap at this point, probably 150 dollars on eBay.....you'll like it.
And by the way.....I have an FX-57 and two 7900GTX and can run anything currently at 19x12 with full settings in widescreen (except soft shadows in FEAR).....that is a single core CPU and it isnt handicapping the GPUs one little bit......
Maybe the 8800 series is more than a single core can supply, but I'm not buying this stuff about single core and bottlenecks on SLI systems.......until multithreads are common place, I dont see a dual core advantage in gaming at all.
 
Thanks for all your input. It helps. I put this system together about a year ago and the wife would kill me to upgrade my Mobo, Procesor and memory just to use SLI. Maybe next year I will upgrade again.

Thanks
 
You should however at leaset consider the suggestion of selling your current card and getting the new GTS for other reasons.
 
If other reasons include Vista, HDCP, DX10. I will wait for next year for something improved and slight price drop on Vista. I just can't see any games right now that would benefit me in the long run. Considering the games I play.
 
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