SLI a waste of $?

[sk84blind84]

Ok guys i hear that no game supports the SLI technology and that getting two BFG 7800GTX's would be a complete waste of money...is this true?? is it ture that if i spend like 760 ISH...(hooked up) that i would only use 1 of the 2 cards, and never benefit from it? this is really getting on my nervs...all this stuff being spread around.....

 

[Nubius]

not all games supports sli......that doesn't mean 'no games' support SLI....that'd be kind of stupid on nvidias part trying to sell a system in which not a single game couldn't run it dont ya think.

Personally I'm against SLI...it's stupid crap that shoulda died out with voodoo and stayed dead....

I want them to improve a single card solution or at most a dual GPU card...not this 'HEY SPEND TWICE AS MUCH FOR US!' BS

 

[HAVOC]

LOL - I found a new sig for you nubius!!! This is perfect for you!

In order for SLI to work properly NVIDIA must make special drivers with profiles for each game to tell the videocards how to work together to display a game.

There are three ways SLI works:

1.) Compatibility Mode - Used in NON-SLI supporting games - Only (1) card renders and there is no performance increase.

2.) AFR - Alternating Frame Rate - Each card works independantly rendering alternating frames displayed continuously.

3.) SFR - Split Frame Rate - Each card renders in two halves then after the two halves are displayed in a single image.

In theroy SLI has the advantage of giving gamers the opportunity to run games / monitors at there highest resolutions and settings so that they will get the highest performance. This is a theroy.

The other reason is that you can buy two less expensive cards and run them in SLI to get the performance of a more expensive card a less of a price. Hence "(2) 6600GT'S in SLI would probably be like a 6800 Ultra. Saving you what? $50 to $75 may-be $100?

 

[Nubius]

lol, thats an awesome image. SLWHY indeed.

Last time I looked at benches though two 6600GTs didn't equal up to a 6800Ultra...I think they beat it in something like 3dmark05, but in real world results they didn't.

Besides, get a 6800GT and an Nvsilencer and you can get well above Ultra specs and you've just saved even more money.

 

[sk84blind84]

thats what i throught, so basically its better to get like one eVGA 7800GT and wait till the games support the Sli before i get another card?

 

[beedubaya]

From a marketting perspective, SLI is the future. Most people who get GeForce 7 series cards get two and SLI them, so Nvidia's marketting is working. SLI is also the reason neither company is making AGP video cards anymore. From a moral and technological perspective, I hate SLI and I think its just an excuse for Nvidia and ATI to make people buy two cards instead of having their employees work to make a superior 1 card solution. Its also an excuse to force people with AGP and socket 754 to build entire new rigs. It really wont suprise me if Nvidia persuades game developers to add special superior eye candy features just for SLI users, much like they did with Shader Model 3 during the flagship of the 6800 series.

 

[MrZucchiniHead]

dude sli is one of the best things to happen to computer video cards. no not all games support sli but some doo and it runs like a dream when you have it. especially with the 7800gtx. ive played sli before but only with the 6800. so im still waiting to play with the new chipset

 

[HAVOC]

Yeah and before you know it, they be offering Dual GPU cards in SLI.

4 GPU's DUAL CORE CPU'S & PPU's...

 

[tajahem]

Yeah and before you know it, they be offering Dual GPU cards in SLI.

4 GPU's DUAL CORE CPU'S & PPU's...

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20051031105139.html

 

[Riceball]

Wow, interesting article. I still think SLI is a waste of money because the benefits aren't really there. In the future, they will be but by then the prices will have dropped so there's really no reason to get SLI now, just wait until the real advantages are clear.