help me on comp builing

[emeraldice]

sorry but do u know anything...? [he's refering to me]

firstly SLI runs in PCI Express, not AGP.. And there is no special kind of SLI card, u just buy 2 pci-e cards which are cheaper than AGP cards.

Dude, ignore that emerald dudes post, don't let it confuse your decision. ur setup is GREAT, but why do u need 2 dvd dual layer burners???

Somebody clear this up. Don't you need a special SLI card(s) to run SLI? Cauze if you can't really shove 2 cards in there, plug the moniter into ONE (defeats the purpose of sli) and expect it to work?

I never said that SLI works in AGP, but it does prove at least part of my point. Why are you buying 2 non-SLIed AGP cards, and plugging them into AGP ports that you said don't support SLI and expecting expect them to work with no hassles?

Somebody clear this up.

 

[Capricorn]

That's a heck of a nice system. I run Doom 3 and HL2 in high settings on a setup that's not nearly that good (see sig). I can't imagine you'll have any problems.

My thoughts already echoed by others is power supply and cooling. Here's a picture of a 6800 GT SLI setup samelessly referenced from hexus.net. Note the cable that connects the two cards. That's part of the magic that makes them work together. (Read the first of two articles at Hexus.)

With each of those cards pulling in excess of 100 Watts each, power should be a concern. Also, you've got top-shelf parts elsewhere, so don't skimp on the power supply. A poor or over-taxed power supply can show up looking like a lot of other problems like bad memory or graphics. Go with a good brand like Antec TruePower, PC Power & Cooling, others that people are suggesting here.

Also, those video cards generate a lot of heat, so plan on cooling them accordingly. A side fan blowing directly on them comes to mind.

 

[Capricorn]

As to whether SLI capable cards are "special," I would guess that they aren't all that special. They do need the interGPU connector. If you look at this picture of the eVGA 6800 GT from NewEgg, you'll see the litte connector just above the heatsink on the top of the card. A good many of the PCI-E 6600 GTs and 6800 GTs have this. I can't say if all do. (If someone wants to send me a PCI-E motherboard and a couple of 6800 GTs in order for me to check this out, let me know.)

 

[Sport1031]

Because there is so much confusion on the SLI subject, let me clear it up for everyone. In order to have S a working SLI system, you need an SLI compatable motherboard. It will have the chipset "nForce4 SLI". Example: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-524&depa=1 . Notice the 2 PCI-Express slots here: http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.../13-131-524-05.jpg&CurImage=13-131-524-02.jpg . SLI only works with PCI-Express. The 2 cards must be both SLI compatible. It will say so on the box. Most 6600GTs, and 6800 series cards the support PCI-E interface will be SLI compatible. They must be the same model. You put both of them in the seperate PCI-E slots and connect them at the top connectors with the SLI bridge (included with SLI compatible motherboards.) See here: http://pantherproducts.co.uk/Articles/images/SLI bridge.jpg . It may look different, depending on which motherboard you have. Plug the monitor into one of them (not sure which one, or even if it matters). If they have power connectors, connect a power calbe to each one. That is how SLI works.

 

[aspire]

hi

SLI is basically taking any two pci-e graphics cards. Exact same card same company and chipset and using a bridge between the two cards. Not hard to do at all. As to my knowledge i believe that all pci-e graphics cards have this feature

 

[lordjames]

arent these the pci-e 6800gt?

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-130-215&depa=1

 

[Sport1031]

arent these the pci-e 6800gt?

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-130-215&depa=1

yes they are and they will work in SLI if you have a SLI compatable motherboard. At the top of this thread you said that the card was AGP 8X. If you want SLI you must get PCI-E. That is what the picture on the previous post is. The motherboard you have listed at the top is not SLI compatable, even though it has 2 PCI-E slots (kinda weird). If you want a DFI SLI motherboard here is one. I would suggest this one because ASUS is very trustworthy and I havnt heard much about DFI.

 

[lordjames]

yah im getting the dfi one people are telling me to get it and im geting the pci-e cards

 

[emeraldice]

the one sport1031 suggested is pretty good

 

[Sport1031]

If you going with DFI you must get this motherboard here if you want SLI.