SLI/Crossfire or not?

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GrogLikesBeer

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I've read most of the posts on the 1st 6 pages on this forum, and I've concluded that most of the posters are against SLI. I currently own an Alienware Aurora m9700 laptop which has SLI'd GeForce Go 7900 GS cards, and I like the performance so far. I read the 1st couple pages of the SLI sticky at the top. That had some interesting info (mainly how SLI doesn't really show gains until higher resolutions).

That brings me to my question. I'm considering building a gaming desktop and using it in my livingroom hooked up to my new Sony 60" SXRD 1080p TV. I have my laptop hooked up to it now and have seen that the resolution is limited to 1920x1080 (obviously, since that's the resolution for 1080 Hi-Def). Furthermore it's actually runnung at 1768x952 due to overscan problems.

I've decided to go Intel (I'm still not sure if I want to go quad or just C2D-I'm still reading those threads). I know that I need to decide on SLI/Crossfire before I can choose a motherboard. I was leaning towards SLI before I started reading this forum. But now I'm not sure. Knowing that my resolution is limited by my TV, I'm now leaning away from it.

Given this more specific info on what I'm doing with my system I was hoping to get some good opinions from you guys (I'm not saying that the previous opinions I've read weren't good!). You all seem very informed. Thanks for your replies. By the way, money isn't a deciding factor - if there's any bennefit, I'll pay for it. I just don't want to spend money for NO bennefit.
 
only a person who hasnt had sli would say that, and sli is worth it, if your playing on huge resolutions.. there is no way you can play 1920x1080 with only 1 of anycard....
and your 7900gs.. the day that starts loosing juice.. you could just grab another one instead of having so spend a massive amount of money for a new card
 
There are times when SLI is needed and i said that ALMOST never becuase like you said higher resolutions or if you have the money to SLI two of the fastest cards at that time.

You cant tell me that someone who only has enough money for one 8800GTX right now should buy it and then all these other expensive parts for SLI to add another one later on, only to beat by say an 8950GX2 or something to that effect.

Only in certain circumstances is SLI worth it and that is only when you want the most bleeding edge graphics at the time....any other time you should just sell your current card and get a much better one as you have to pay extra for a good SLI mobo...extra for a good case that can handle the heat, and then extra for a PSU that has enough watts to handle the cards.

You would have a very hard time convincing me that someone should build a new system based around SLI if they don't plan on going SLI instantly or very very soon after.
 
There are times when SLI is needed and i said that ALMOST never becuase like you said higher resolutions or if you have the money to SLI two of the fastest cards at that time.

You cant tell me that someone who only has enough money for one 8800GTX right now should buy it and then all these other expensive parts for SLI to add another one later on, only to beat by say an 8950GX2 or something to that effect.

Only in certain circumstances is SLI worth it and that is only when you want the most bleeding edge graphics at the time....any other time you should just sell your current card and get a much better one as you have to pay extra for a good SLI mobo...extra for a good case that can handle the heat, and then extra for a PSU that has enough watts to handle the cards.

You would have a very hard time convincing me that someone should build a new system based around SLI if they don't plan on going SLI instantly or very very soon after.


Thanks for putting some reasons for your opinion in your second reply, as that's what I'm looking for in this thread.

If I do go SLI, I will fork out ALL the money for it now (including 2 cards), not some now and some down the road. I just don't want to waste money on no gain. I'm just not sure if I will see a gain at 1920x1080 (I don't know if that is considered a super high resolution or if that is medium resolution). My laptop display is 1900x1200, and I get great frame rates with with SLI'd 7900GS's. But I don't know if I would get great rates with a single 7950GTX. They could be comparable, and I wouldn't know. This is the kind of info I would like to help me make my decision. BTW I'm using these cards as reference only since one is what I have and the other is supposed to be it's better. The card(s) I'm considering for the new system is the 8800GTX.

Again - thanks for your replies.
 
only a person who hasnt had sli would say that, and sli is worth it, if your playing on huge resolutions.. there is no way you can play 1920x1080 with only 1 of anycard....
and your 7900gs.. the day that starts loosing juice.. you could just grab another one instead of having so spend a massive amount of money for a new card

I agree....sli and crossfire are a wonderful thing at high resolution, because that is what it is for.
 
I believe yopu should buy the best card you can afford which would be a 8800GTX (or the 8900Gt if you wait a little longer) If once you have built the system and find that it is not satisfactory buy another. Everyone prefers different frame rates some people have to have the highest fps on max settings whilst others prefer (myself included max settings but mediocre frame rates I dont care about turning down the graphics settings slightly so that the game runs smoother it doesn't have to look perfect to be fun). So buy a complete system with the sli parts and just one video card if your not comfortable with the rates a week later then buy an extra card for sli. In the uk the price difference is only a few quid so If you have the money you might aswell pay for the possibility that you want better. EVGA does have a 90 day step-up program so If you want to buy the system now and then pay the difference to get the best new card on the market and keep doing that then theres an option
 
It depends on the games your wanting to play also. If you wanna play like cs 1.6, your not going to need a good card to play at 1920x1080. but if your into newer games and wanting to be able to play dx10 such as crysis at those resolutions with high settings, your probably going to need SLI to handle that.
 
I agree....sli and crossfire are a wonderful thing at high resolution, because that is what it is for.

Is 1920x1080 a high enough resolution, though?

I believe yopu should buy the best card you can afford which would be a 8800GTX (or the 8900Gt if you wait a little longer) If once you have built the system and find that it is not satisfactory buy another. Everyone prefers different frame rates some people have to have the highest fps on max settings whilst others prefer (myself included max settings but mediocre frame rates I dont care about turning down the graphics settings slightly so that the game runs smoother it doesn't have to look perfect to be fun). So buy a complete system with the sli parts and just one video card if your not comfortable with the rates a week later then buy an extra card for sli. In the uk the price difference is only a few quid so If you have the money you might aswell pay for the possibility that you want better. EVGA does have a 90 day step-up program so If you want to buy the system now and then pay the difference to get the best new card on the market and keep doing that then theres an option

I do plan on the 8800GTX. I have read that the bios on SLI boards is not as good as non-SLI boards, so would I want to buy an SLI board not knowing for sure if I want SLI? How hard is it to change mobo's if I get a non-SLI board, then decide on SLI? I'm just getting back into the PC scene now (took a detour into the console world:XBox & XBox 360) and have never built my own PC. I used to be an electrician and a service tech for the phone company, so I can use tools and my brain to solve problems. Does changing motherboard require new install of OS? If not, I would probably go non-SLI and see if it works, and change boards if I want to switch.

It depends on the games your wanting to play also. If you wanna play like cs 1.6, your not going to need a good card to play at 1920x1080. but if your into newer games and wanting to be able to play dx10 such as crysis at those resolutions with high settings, your probably going to need SLI to handle that.

Future games I'm interested in are: Hellgate: London, Shadowrun, the Conan MMO. Games I'm playing now: Titan Quest IT, DDO, Neverwinter Nights 2, Prey, Galactic Civilizations 2, GTR 2.
I like to turn on everthing I can. I know it doesn't necessarily make a game better, but that's just the kind of person I am. If it's an option, I want it on!!
 
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