8800GT SLI - what do I run it on? 650i? 680i LT? Other?

[miteethor]

I'm pretty sure I want the 8800GT in SLI - what is the best mobo chipset for this? Is the PCIE 2.0 a problem?

 

[taltamir]

pcie2 means double the bandwidth then pcie1.1... it will work on pcie1.1 boards at the slower speed.. that extra speed will provide 0 benefit on a single card... but should provide some FPS boost on sli. The exact amounts are unknown to me as of yet.

 

[JustaGeek]

I would recommend ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131153

I like my P5N-E SLI, but it has only 2 x 8x PCIe lanes (or 1 x full 16x PCIe).

The MB in the link has a full 2 x 16x PCIe slots.

But it is a relatively complicated chipset that requires a lot of manual tuning. So is 680i.

Just be ready...

 

[JimiP]

Originally posted by: JustaGeek
I would recommend ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131153

I like my P5N-E SLI, but it has only 2 x 8x PCIe lanes (or 1 x full 16x PCIe).

The MB in the link has a full 2 x 16x PCIe slots.

But it is a relatively complicated chipset that requires a lot of manual tuning. So is 680i.

Just be ready...

NVIDIA's 650i chipset does not support full x16 SLI. However, the 680i chipset does. That being the difference between the two. At least for the most part.

However, the real question is if you will ever notice the difference between 8x SLI or x16 SLI? I believe that you will not notice the difference. That only in a synthetic benchmark will you notice the difference in numbers. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[JustaGeek]

Originally posted by: JimiP

Originally posted by: JustaGeek
I would recommend ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131153

I like my P5N-E SLI, but it has only 2 x 8x PCIe lanes (or 1 x full 16x PCIe).

The MB in the link has a full 2 x 16x PCIe slots.

But it is a relatively complicated chipset that requires a lot of manual tuning. So is 680i.

Just be ready...

NVIDIA's 650i chipset does not support full x16 SLI. However, the 680i chipset does. That being the difference between the two. At least for the most part.

However, the real question is if you will ever notice the difference between 8x SLI or x16 SLI? I believe that you will not notice the difference. That only in a synthetic benchmark will you notice the difference in numbers. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes, it does, on the motherboard mentioned above:

Model
Brand ASUS
Model P5N32-E SLI Plus
Supported CPU
CPU Socket Type LGA 775
CPU Type Quad-core / Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo / Pentium
FSB 1333/1066MHz
Supported CPU Technologies Intel Quad-CPU Ready
Chipsets
North Bridge NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI
South Bridge NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI
Memory
Number of Memory Slots 4×240pin
Memory Standard DDR2 800
Maximum Memory Supported 8GB
Expansion Slots
PCI Express x16 2 x PCIe x16 support SLI @ x16, x16(blue)
1 x PCIe x16 @ x8 for GPU Physics card (white)
PCI Express x1 1
PCI Slots 2
Storage Devices
PATA 1 x ATA100 2 Dev. Max
SATA 3Gb/s 6
SATA RAID NV RAID 0/1/0+1/5 JBOD
Onboard Video
Onboard Video Chipset None
Onboard Audio
Audio Chipset ADI AD1988B
Audio Channels 8 Channels
Onboard LAN
LAN Chipset Marvell
Second LAN Chipset Marvell
Max LAN Speed Dual 10/100/1000Mbps
Rear Panel Ports
PS/2 2
USB 4 x USB 2.0
IEEE 1394 1 x IEEE 1394a
S/PDIF Out 1x Optical, 1x Coaxial
Audio Ports 6 Ports by SupremeFX Audio Card
Onboard USB
Onboard USB 3 x USB 2.0 connectors supports 6 ports
Onboard 1394
Onboard 1394 1x 1394a
Physical Spec
Form Factor ATX
Dimensions 12.0" x 9.6"
Features
Power Pin 24 Pin
Packaging
Package Contents P5N32-E SLI Plus
Driver Disk
User Manual
Rear I/O Panel Shield
IDE/PATA Cable
FDD Cable
4 x SATA Cable
2 x 4-pin to SATA Power Cable
SLI Bridge
USB Bracket
IEEE 1394 Bracket
SupremeFX Audio Card
Manufacturer Warranty
Parts 1 year limited
Labor 1 year limited

 

[Cookie Monster]

That motherboard is a hybrid 650i by Asus where it supports full 2x PCI-e x16 lanes.

 

[TC91]

i have the 680i LT sli board, and i think its pretty good, but i am using a dual core and i heard the nvidia boards dont oc quad cores all too well fsb wise. the 680i LT does have the 2 full 16x lanes, and costs a little less than the full fledged 680i. the the p5n32-e sli plus that JustaGeek suggested is also a good board also with 2 16x lanes; i considered it when i was building my system, but decided to go for the 680i LT since it had a mail in rebate to make it 30bucks cheaper and it also does have the 680i moniker too which i would prefer (e.g. a ferrari vs a bmw kind of thing). the p5n32-e sli plus, however is not any ordinary 650i board, its the best of the 650i boards and i would say about on par with the 680i LT. i personally prefer the 680i LT, but i would get whichever one is cheaper at the moment.

 

[aka1nas]

If you can hold out, I would wait for the nforce 7 series to come out. Otherwise, I would get a 680i or the Asus hybrid board mentioned. If you're doing SLI from the get go, there's not much sense in skimping $30-$50 on the motherboard and ending up with x8/x8 SLI.

Keep in mind that it was just announced that the 680i(and I would presume 650i also) will not support 45nm quads after all, so if you want a upgrade path you should wait.