AT recommends eschewing SLI

[vanvock]

Originally posted by: lifeblood
I am the perfect candidate for SLI. I can spend $250 on a video card now without my wife getting too upset, then sneak another $200 by her in a year. If I tried to spend $350 - $400 at once, she would kick me and my PC out the door.

On the imaginary front, assume that nvidia comes out tomorow with a way to use a video card for physics like ATI is claiming. At that point SLI would be useful as you could upgrade to a newer video card later while leaving the old one in place to act as the physics engine.

I feel your pain brother.

 

[kpb]

Originally posted by: lifeblood
On the imaginary front, assume that nvidia comes out tomorow with a way to use a video card for physics like ATI is claiming. At that point SLI would be useful as you could upgrade to a newer video card later while leaving the old one in place to act as the physics engine.

This really wouldn't even be sli since you could and probably would be easiest to setup one card just acting as the physics processor and the other as the regular video card. In this setup it should be pretty easy to allow you to mix cards too. Of corse it would prevent using real sli in almost all mb's since you would only have 2 16x slots and probably require running you "video card" in x8 mode. Sounds like an interesting possibility to sell additional video cards or to make use of your older cards.

Obviously there are some benifits to a specialized card for physics processing but the competition in graphics cards and the simularities in types of designs might make it a viable secondary market for video cards.

 

[Doom Machine]

the medical books say we can only see up to 60 fps at 75-80mhz

i hate how quickly new generation of cards become so stressed by recent games, i got a 6800gt, bought last year when they first game out and already there are games that bring it to its knees at 1024 resolution without AA and using newer Athlon 4000. i bet even the 7800gtx barely gets 60fps with the newer gen of games like oblivion comming out. seems to me that for $500 a card should get at least 60fps with all games comming out within 2 years

 

[vanvock]

Originally posted by: Doom Machine
the medical books say we can only see up to 60 fps at 75-80mhz

i hate how quickly new generation of cards become so stressed by recent games, i got a 6800gt, bought last year when they first game out and already there are games that bring it to its knees at 1024 resolution without AA and using newer Athlon 4000. i bet even the 7800gtx barely gets 60fps with the newer gen of games like oblivion comming out. seems to me that for $500 a card should get at least 60fps with all games comming out within 2 years

I hear ya, but it's sooooo much more profitable to sell us new stuff every 6 months. What a bunch of suckers we are.

 

[BFG10K]

Only in the lower resolution settings for SS2

Actually all of them except one where the GS SLI wins by 1 FPS, a lead it would likely lose again if the resolution would continue higher anyway. Overall the 7800GTX is the faster card.

The x1800XT is noisier then the 6800GS under load,

It is less noisy then every single current gen ATi part including its direct competitor

One yes but not two combined which is what we're discussing with SLI.

Here is another noise chart btw, amazing how slightly altered testing methodology can produce a staggering difference in results.

That chart is useless unless it also includes 6800 GS SLI under identical conditions. After all, you could have totally different room accoustics, different atmospheric conditions, different noise cancellation/amplification, different case accoustics, different internal hardware components, etc. The actual dB numbers are meaningless unless they are used for relative comparison to the other cards under identical conditions. You can't just mix and match dB numbers from across the different tests.

The nonsense about the 5800U is assinine

It merely shows your flaw in assuming anything based on mobile technology is quiet. One 6800 GS is quiet but two of them match a X1800 XT under load and are noiser when idle.

but for the typical user as of now a 6800GS SLI setup is ~$50 less then a single GTX and ~$200 less then a 1800xt.

For just the cards but that's ignoring the potential hidden costs from motherboard, power supply and additional case cooling requirements.

 

[BFG10K]

That isn't entirely fair considering Rollo's well known for changing vid cards more often than some of you guys change underwear

That isn't the issue, the issue was Rollo's antics when he purchased the card and his troll threads where he claimed the card was equal to ATi hardware because resolutions above 1024x768, AA, AF and shaders weren't needed. He also claimed noise wasn't an issue which means he's either deaf or was lying.

On top of this he blasted ATi for the R4xx series and claimed he was being ripped off by them selling him the same hardware, even while he was opening his wallet for his third 5800U purchase.

Then by his own admission he later ended up purchasing 14 NV4x cards. Remember, this is the same guy that refused to pay for the "same" technology from ATi because he was being "ripped off". :roll:

"Fair" and "balanced" indeed.

 

[hop1hop2]

stfu all this thing pwns

 

[BenSkywalker]

That chart is useless unless it also includes 6800 GS SLI under identical conditions.

I was pointing out how the relative standings change.

One yes but not two combined which is what we're discussing with SLI.

Under load SLId 6800GSs are quieter.

It merely shows your flaw in assuming anything based on mobile technology is quiet.

The 5800U wasn't remotely based on mobile technology, what makes you think it was?

For just the cards but that's ignoring the potential hidden costs from motherboard, power supply and additional case cooling requirements.

The SLI mobo premium is as small as $9- although it can go as high as $40, the PSU requirements go up a whopping 24Watts compared to the 1800xt and 33Watts compared to the 7800GTX- this is nothing like the 6800U in SLI which was a +100Watt and change demand. Take away the typical SLI premium which would be $20- if you have a PSU that can handle the GTX or 1800XT I would wager heavily it can handle the 6800GS SLI setup without problem.

 

[sbuckler]

Originally posted by: Rollo
Actions do speak louder than words- I have a 6600GT SLI set, a 6800GT SLI set, and a 7800GTX SLI set, and used to have a 6800NU SLI set.

When I say all levels of SLI are worthwhile, I'm one of very few people who has used them all and speak from experience!

The "action" was to buy one card, then another say a year later when the performance was no longer good enough not to buy two at once. I suspect for most of those cases you bought both cards at the same time. I can't believe you ever did for your own machine which is bound to have had two cards SLi'd the moment SLi was available. Perhaps you did for one of your *lesser* machines?

 

[BFG10K]

I was pointing out how the relative standings change.

But they didn't change - the cards that are present on both graphs are pretty much in the same slots on both charts.

However comparing the dB ratings across the charts is useless for the exact reasons I outlined above and this why I really have no idea why you linked the other chart given it doesn't even include the 6800 GS.

Under load SLId 6800GSs are quieter.

A difference of 0.3 dB is only detectable by instruments thus for all intents and purposes load noise is the same. The difference under idle is 3.1 dB which could be another matter.

The 5800U wasn't remotely based on mobile technology, what makes you think it was?

With the GeForce FX, NVIDIA borrowed some of their mobile technology to help minimize the amount of noise their cooling system would produce.

Click.

The SLI mobo premium is as small as $9-

Premium over what? An nForce 4 Ultra perhaps. It should be quite a bit higher than the likes of 4x though.

 

[RussianSensation]

Yes they bring a good point. 6months-1 year ago I would highlight points #1 and #3 in favour of SLI, and say everything else against it. But with today's market prices, I can think how point #2 now makes SLI a reasonable alternative:

1) you have enough money to buy high-end SLI every generation or money is not an issue for you
2) if you plan to spend $600-700 or so and are looking at X1800XT or 512mb 7800GTX, then say going with 2x 7800GT for same price makes SLI more viable or for instance when market comes up with 6800GS that overclock well and together cost about $450 but are often faster than 1 7800GTX.
7800GT SLI performance - will 1 7800GTX 512m for $699 beat these 2 cards at $330 (market price)?
TechReport = 2x 6800GS vs. 7800 series
Firingsquad 6800GS SLI performance
3) if you can get 2 cards at a discount, then SLI could be worth it

Otherwise it probably makes sense for most to stick with a $300-$350 high end card and not go SLI. I also forgot that SLI boards are more expensive (but prices seem to have come down a lot to $120 levels) and SLI requires a more expensive power supply (but users with high-end systems probably already have those).

 

[BenSkywalker]

But they didn't change - the cards that are present on both graphs are pretty much in the same slots on both charts.

Except that isn't what is happening. In one of the charts as an example the 7800GT produces less noise then either the x1800xt or x1800xl while in the other it is louder. This is the same site using the same tools to measure noise.

With the GeForce FX, NVIDIA borrowed some of their mobile technology to help minimize the amount of noise their cooling system would produce.

Because Anand states that clock throttling is mobile tech..... huh?

Premium over what? An nForce 4 Ultra perhaps. It should be quite a bit higher than the likes of 4x though.

A Gigabyte GA-K8N-SLI board is $84.50 shipped at the Egg right now- what do you mean by a 4x?

 

[xtknight]

The nForce 4 4x=specialized 'standard' version that supports Socket 754 I think. Not sure why they call it the 4x.

 

[BFG10K]

In one of the charts as an example the 7800GT produces less noise then either the x1800xt or x1800xl while in the other it is louder

If you read the latest review you'll see they've been having problems with the motherboard fan so this time they didn't even put up numbers. This is yet another reason why comparing the results across charts is useless.

Because Anand states that clock throttling is mobile tech..... huh?

The text in that quote is Anand's word, not mine.

what do you mean by a 4x?

The cheaper nForce 4 variants, non-SLI and non-Ultra. Typically they don't have as many onboard features but are also substantially cheaper than either SLI or Ultra.

 

[BFG10K]

The nForce 4 4x=specialized 'standard' version that supports Socket 754 I think.

There are versions that support socket 939 just like regular nForce 4 boards.

 

[BenSkywalker]

The cheaper nForce 4 variants, non-SLI and non-Ultra. Typically they don't have as many onboard features but are also substantially cheaper than either SLI or Ultra.

The Gigabyte 4x board is $74.50 shipped from NewEgg right now, that is socket 754 missing a lot of features along with SLI but it a whole $10 cheaper then the SLI socket 939 offering 🙂

 

[VERTIGGO]

Originally posted by: addinator
just don't do like i did... and buy 2x 6800ultras a month before the 7800 series came out... 🙁

i feel your pain bro, my ASUS x8 ripped me off, because I just wanted the best, but I got it the same time you did😱

 

[imported_Sincity]

Originally posted by: lifeblood
I am the perfect candidate for SLI. I can spend $250 on a video card now without my wife getting too upset, then sneak another $200 by her in a year. If I tried to spend $350 - $400 at once, she would kick me and my PC out the door.

Agreed :thumbsup: