Best option for 780 Sli Motherboard.

[Mystikk]

I'm about to build my first gaming computer and i'm planning on using an XFX 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI Intel Motherboard. I'm on a budget and I was wondering if I should get one nVidia 8800 GTX card with the possibility of adding more in the future; Or buying 3 lesser priced nvidia cards and just using those.

 

[imported_Scoop]

You can only use Tri-SLI with GTX and Ultra cards. And saying you're on a budget and thinking about GTX and nForce 780i is kind of messed up...

 

[Red Storm]

Asking about Tri-SLI and saying you're on a budget is like shopping for a Ferrari and saying you're on a budget.

It would help us to know how much you're looking to spend on a card, or better yet, at what resolutions do you game at?

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: Scoop
You can only use Tri-SLI with GTX and Ultra cards. And saying you're on a budget and thinking about GTX and nForce 780i is kind of messed up...

Haha so true....

But ya only the GTX and Ultra support Tri-SLI (need 2 SLI bridges per card), so that puts you into the realm of insane costs from the start. A better alternative if you want to go multi-GPU is 2x G92 GT or 2x G92 GTS for about the same price as it costs for a single new 8800GTX. Nearly identical performance at worst and almost 2x performance in games that scale well.

If you're not sold on NV solutions you could also go with a different chipset and an 3870X2 with potential Quad-CrossFire when they work out the driver.

 

[djnsmith7]

Being on a budget, buying a 780i board & wanting to do Tri-SLI really don't even belong in the same conversation together...

First, I would determine what a realistic preliminary budget is (ie, $1500 - $2000)...After you come up with that number (as magical as it may be), I would carefully select the board...I've read a lot of great reviews about the EVGA 780i board & the Striker II (I'm doing my install this week)...(Striker II is a very expensive board...If I had a lower budget, I would easily have gone with the EVGA board)...

Next, you'd want to determine which graphics cards you want to end up with in SLI...Right now, you can only choose between the 8800GTX & 8800 Ultra...If the 9800GTX gets released, that'll be an option too...

Make sure you plan well ahead for all of your components, not just those mentioned above...You need a damn powerful power supply & a large enough case to house everything, along with adequate cooling...Start there & see how far you get...

To be continued...

 

[krnmastersgt]

I've had nothing but problems from EVGA and flawless performance from XFX, but thats just my luck I suppose. And to quell any ideas people may have the 780i boards from EVGA and XFX are identical nVidia designs, although currently both are working on their own 780i boards.

 

[Syntax Error]

That sort of setup is for those who have no budget, especially with three GTXs. :Q

 

[djnsmith7]

Originally posted by: Syntax Error
That sort of setup is for those who have no budget, especially with three GTXs. :Q

Well, yes & no, I suppose...The way I look at it is, if you spend the money over time vs in one shot, it seems like it's not as bad...At least that's how I try to work with large dollar amounts on items that aren't exactly "needed"...lol

You could buy 1 GTX now, another one in 2 months & so on...To be optimistic, there are workarounds to get what you want if you're willing to work & wait for it...