SLI a waste of $?

[beedubaya]

Does everybody really think SLI is the future? From the way its going, it looks like SLI means just as much to the future of gaming as Shader Model 3.0.

 

[gaara]

Does everybody really think SLI is the future? From the way its going, it looks like SLI means just as much to the future of gaming as Shader Model 3.0.

No...until game instruction sets are actually written to send multiple threads to the core as that is the whole purpose of multiple cores, SLI has absolutely no future as the current method of SLI rendering has been designed very poorly

If you're naive enough to think SLI is the future you might as well stop producing more powerful cards and just keep adding more and more existing cards to your PC to DOUBLE your performance

 

[lazerman]

Well if they keep it up, they will take those dual gpu cards, and put them in SLI x4. So 8 gpu's in total, that would pwn!!1!1!!one!11!!!11!!

 

[gaara]

Not really...even if you look at the upgradability of SLI it's greatly exagerated

Imagine if SLI had been introduced doing GeForce 5 era and nvidia had stopped producing any newer GPUs and simply suggested that you continue adding cards as needed...by today's standards, what would be the better alternative? 8 FX5900 Ultra cards in SLI or a single 7800GTX...many would argue that the FX5900 configuration is superior, however if you start to factor in other things such as power use and outdated instruction sets the 7800 clearly becomes the better option, despite being less powerful

 

[HAVOC]

I've heard & read that "CROSSFIRE" is compatible with every game. Were as SLI needs Profiles for each game. Now, since CROSSFIRE isn't really out yet, this is "He said, She said." I'll really believe it when I see it.

But, I think (Dual Card) solutions aren't exactly useless. Yes, you can get by with (1) highend card. But, with games getting more and more demanding, I think it's nice to have (2) cards.

Gamers who want to run:
1.) Highest Screen Resolutions
2.) Highest Game Video Settings
No loss of performance.

Also, with the combination or the soon to be PPU, Higher end CPU and audio 64MB XRAM like X-fi offers... Games will now kneel before you and say, "Your my daddy."

This is all in theory... LOL

 

[Nubius]

it's just insane to think that games will need yet another processor...a processor solely for physics....INSANE I TELL YOU.

That going to be a seperate card in a PCI-E 1x slot or what, or is there even any info on them yet.

still, I'd rather go with a Dual GPU if they just HAVE to double something up...much better solution that SLI IMO....

 

[FghtinIrshNvrDi]

I thought I saw this physics card have it's own internal port up by the CPU in a picture. Maybe I'm hallucinating, but if I remember right, there was a cartridge looking thing north of the CPU.

Ryan

 

[TheOtis]

I'm not sure if I like SLI yet or not, not that ive done it yet, even though I have an SLI bored. I got mine for the same price as the single VGA. But I also wanted it because when the 7800gts come down in price, I can run two of them, and theyll be able to last longer without me needing to upgrade to a brand new card and fork out more cash. But from reading your guys responses it sounds like SLI could go somewhere after more things are done with it, in the futuure, not in the present.

 

[erth]

Well check this out. Not sure if yall have seen this but, here it is. They dont have SLI bridges on them but, its still crazy.

http://www.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20051004/index.html

 

[TheOtis]

haha ya i saw that a couple weeks ago. Its insane. I would never do it though. Didnt it say something about something being slower? I mean 4 video cards for one game, come on. No game for a very long time would ever be able to NEED 4 7800GTXs. Or even GT's.