8800 GTS 320 SLI VS 8800 GTX

[mcrooster]

So im building a new PC finally!
Problem is i cant find enough info to make a decision on graphics.
Im gaming, watching movies and going on the net (big supprise).
The parts i already have -

Lian-li PC-A70B (on order)
Enermax 720W Sli PSU
Asustek M2N32-SLI Premium nForce 590 SLI Motherboard
AMD X2 6000+
4 x 1GB Corsair XMS2 6400 CAS 4 DDR2-800 Memory Kit's (2 x 2GB Kits)
6 x Western Digital 320GB Drives in Raid 5
1 x 150GB WD Raptor (system disk)
Onkyo Wavio SE-200 Sound Card
Viewsonic VX2835WM 27.5" LCD Monitor 1920 x 1200 3ms

what im having trouble with is deciding on a graphics soloution
2 x Asus 8800 GTS 320M Price $920 NZD
1 x Asus 8800 GTX 768M Price $925 NZD
or the third cheaper option is to get an 8800 GTS 640M $585 NZD and stay with it until the price drops and/or it wont play the latest games, then i will buy a second one.
Failing all that i just go the really expensive path and get an 8800 ULTRA $1270 NZD :-S

Does anybody know how 2 x 320M 8800's would stack up against a GTX or an Ultra, i have heard that given the size of the monitor i am better to go with 2 cards especially at 1920 x 1200. Anyway look forward to your comments and before someone says it, NO! i cant afford 2 8800 ultra's :-(

 

[MarcVenice]

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...8-roundup_9.html#sect1

the 8800gts 320mb seems to hold up pretty well at 1920*1200. My suggestion would be 1 single gtx. It's not twice as fast as the gts, but SLI doesn't mean twice the gpu power either. The gtx also has 768mb versus the 320mb you will be stuck at with the 8800gts.

Another otpion would be 1 single 8800gts 320mb, and upgrade later on to something better when you really need it, coz the 8800gts 320mb is allready a very fast card.

 

[JAG87]

1x GTX is best.

2x GTS 320 means more heat, more power, SLI troubles, and only 320mb of frame buffer. not to mention 2 cards will completly own all your expansion slots.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

I would take the single GTS 320 for now. Use it until you run into a game that you can't play at the settings you want, and THEN look for an upgrade. At that time, the choices may vary a bit more and you could consider another GTS 320 or a GTX or even the newer generation card which would blow away both of those other choices.

 

[RussianSensation]

I'd either get 8800GTX now or get 8800GTS 320mb and upgrade in 6 months to GF9 from its sale + savings you get by not getting an 8800GTX now. But I wouldn't get SLI because the cards are still limited by 320mb of ram.

Here is an example:

Ouch

 

[mcrooster]

ok thanks, so i think im better to get just 1 8800 gts 640 or 1 x 8800 gtx, i guess im impatient i know i should just wait for the new series of cards but i have fell into this trap of waiting for the next generation to come out then by the time im ready to buy (when the price has come down a bit) theres already another new generation on the way.
Example:
The AMD X2 6000+ was $799.00 NZD about 3 months ago, now its $245.00 NZD and due for another price drop on the 13th, but the new chips are due out shortly, however if i dont upgrade now then ill be waiting another 6 - 9 months for the price to drop enough to upgrade to the latest.
i guess everyone is faced with the same problem when they upgrade, trying to get value for money in a gaming rig is easier said than done, and even harder is future-proofing.
Thanks for those links, made for some interesting reading.
Ill keep you all posted on what i end up getting.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

That's true about the waiting game. I look at it a little differently though. *Some* things are worth waiting for.

For example, right now the GTX is overpriced. Not because there isn't a competitor. Obviously, it is the best in its class. However, it came out over 9 months ago. And the price has dropped maybe 10%. With new cards coming soon, it is worth waiting for them because the price-to-performance ratio is going to change VASTLY. One also has to consider the lackluster DX10 performance of existing cards. Will the new gen be better? One can only hope.

CPUs are a little different. Sometimes a new chip results in needing a new socket or complete platform overhaul (i.e DDR3), and that will affect your waiting game as support for that platform trickles to the market. And, unlike GPUs, you can *usually* take the absolute low-end CPU in its class and overclock it to equal the top-end chip. Try doing that with an 8600gt. ANd, I'm mostly a gamer. So waiting for that new CPU to drop in price isn't something I worry about too much.

I'm planning on building in November for several reasons. But, if I were building TODAY and couldn't wait for the fun new stuff, I would get a GTS 320 for $260AR because it would hold its resale value better than most of the other options, then buy the new gen when it comes out and sell the GTS.

 

[xenophile]

You're talking about the "expensive" path and I mean, look at all of the other hardware you've got going on in there. If you're dropping that much cash on a system why not just go for the best? I think you'd sell yourself short heading for the SLI GTS option. Go with the GTX then grab another one when the price drops (which couldn't be THAT long).

 

[n7]

SLI.
Just don't do it.

8800 GTX or HD 2900 XT 512 MB/8800 GTS 640 MB.

Or if you just want a card to tide you over nicely till the new nV cards just before Christmas, then the 8800 GTS 320 MB.

 

[woolfe9999]

This article is probably your best source of info:

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2926&p=1

Although the author seems to feel that 320mb is fine up to 1920 rez, there's clearly a larger dropoff in the 320mb card going from 1600-1920 rez than there is with the 640 mb gts, or the gtx. Also, you might want to consider that future game titles could make the performance difference owing to memory size even greater.

At 1600 rez or lower, I think the 320 mb gts is excellent bang for the buck, though I'd wait on getting a second card for SLI until the price comes down.

At >1920 rez, you don't want the 320 mb card. It's going to be gimp on many titles, especially with AA.

At 1920 rez, it's really a coin toss. The benefit of more memory is there. It isn't small, but it isn't huge either.

Personally, I would get either 1 GTS 320 or 1 GTX, and look to add a second after the GF9's come out and the price drops way down, but that's just me.

- woolfe

 

[mcrooster]

You're right, the rest of the gear is expensive but its taken me nearly 3 years to get in a position to afford a new computer, so i dont like throwing my money away, that said i dont mind spending it if im happy with what im buying, i guess just short of the 8800 Ultra im always gonna feel like i could have done better, that said an Ultra is 2 & 1/2 weeks wages for me.... I think ill just get a GeForce 2 GTS Pro, that card will own all lol but seriously i might just wait until crisis comes out and see some benchmarks before i make up my mind, it seems to be what everyone else is doing.