6800 GS - SLI, or move up?

[imported_Septimus]

I have an eVGA 6800 GS (not the CO 'overlocked' edition, the first edition) PCI-E card. It's been great since I got it last October and I'd be fine keeping it as is for some time. Only reason I'm thinking of moving up is because I picked up a wide-screen 20" LCD and the 6800 GS occasionally can't handle higher-end games at 1680x1050.

I'm curious, though, about the feasibility of adding a second one. I have an ASUS A8N-SLI board (not deluxe or premium). I paid about $160 for this card when it first came out (Newegg special) and they tend to go on Ebay for about $120 today. I have two concerns:

- I recall reading something about the bandwidth of the x16 slots on some of the SLI boards, that there's really only one x16 path that, were you to add a second card, would be shared by both cards. Is this true, and if so, is it really a problem?

- Would I be better off simply selling my 6800 GS on Ebay for $120 and picking up a $300 card?

 

[LW07]

Yes, you'd be better off selling the 6800GS. Here's the card I would recommend to you:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130016
EVGA 7900GT

It'll be a good upgrade from the 6800GS. The 7900GT is a bit faster than a 256mb 7800GTX, just to let you know.

 

[imported_Septimus]

No concerns about putting an ATI card in an nForce motherboard?

 

[imported_Septimus]

Wow, sorry, I totally misread your post and somehow thought you had included an ATI card in there. *bangs head on desk* OK, I can see clearly now....

 

[LW07]

I edited the ATI card link out, but here it is again: Sorry for editing it out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102663
X1800XT 512mb

Again, it's a bit faster than a 7900GT.

No concerns of an ATI card in an Nforce Motherboard. I got an X1900XT running great in an Nforce Motherboard myself.

However, here's one thing that you must do. That is, you need to download Driver Cleaner, and then here's the steps for getting your computer ready for the ATI card:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=965852

To make that more clear, first you must uninstall the Nvidia display drivers by going to the control panel, as like if you were going to uninstall a game, and click on Nvidia and check to get rid of their display drivers, and only their display drivers.

Then, you must boot up in safe mode, and then use driver cleaner and clean out the "Nvidia"(by itself, this is the display drivers), and the "Nvidia WDM" drivers. Do both, because I only did the WDMs and had stuttering issues with my X1900XT until last night when I went back and got rid of the Nvidia display drivers(I had a 7800GT before I got my X1900XT), and now it's good. Clear out the Cab files like it said in the thread I linked too and when it's all said and done, restart the computer in normal mode and you're good to go!

 

[imported_Septimus]

Think I"ll stick to Nvidia - the ATI card looks huge, and just in case I do ever go SLI the 7900 looks like a good choice. Thanks!