Bother with SLi Scalability?

[thetonio]

Hey all,

Been reading anandtech for a few months now, but this is my first post. :beer:

I'm throwing about $2k into building a new C2D E6600 rig (who isn't?). I've been sure to check for SLi-compatible components because I wanted to reel in a eVGA 7900GT and thought it would be smart for me to leave the option open for slapping in a second card down the road when I start to notice it losing its edge in games (year or so perhaps).

So I've been waiting for nvidia's mobos to hit the marketplace. But, I realize now that DX10 is not too far off... I do not wish to "wait" for it before I build my PC, because I realize it will take some time before it truly penetrates the market, so this is my question:

Should I bother waiting and paying a premium (and constricting my options) for an SLi-capable mobo to leave room for a 2nd 7900GT in the future (~year), or will it most likely be wiser for me to ditch the 7900GT down the road and opt for a single DX10 card instead?

Thanks in advance for your help,

tony

 

[VooDooAddict]

You can go with a cheeper motherboard like the Gigabyte P965-DS3 and use the saved $$ toward a 7950GX2 if you are looking for SLI performance. That way you'll be enjoying the top end performance right now without needing to wait for an expensive NVIDIA SLI board.

As far as I know there are no previews of DX10 card performance... making choices based on the total unknown silly IMHO. The other issue that I have with the DX10s are the power concerns... we have no idea if we'll need 1K watt power supplies.

 

[LittleNemoNES]

Originally posted by: VooDooAddict
You can go with a cheeper motherboard like the Gigabyte P965-DS3 and use the saved $$ toward a 7950GX2 if you are looking for SLI performance. That way you'll be enjoying the top end performance right now without needing to wait for an expensive NVIDIA SLI board.

As far as I know there are no previews of DX10 card performance... making choices based on the total unknown silly IMHO. The other issue that I have with the DX10s are the power concerns... we have no idea if we'll need 1K watt power supplies.

true about the GX2
mobo is still a toss-up, though.

However, prices should also dictate your position. The x1900xt is going for 289 with a $100 mail in rebate @ zipzoomfly.com and other places. (I had forgotten about that!)

 

[josh6079]

Normally next gen single cards perform about the same as two last gen cards. If you want to wait for the G80 and R600, you'll have top notch DX9 performers as well as DX10 support. Granted, these cards will be elemental in the era of DX10 and once it really begins to hit there will probably be better ones out, but either G80 and R600 will support more things and probably perform up to par with the current 7900 SLI.

 

[beggerking]

DX10 won't be out until 2007 and it will take at least 6 month for its hardware/software api to mature. Most likely, G80/R600 will not offer optimal DX10 performance but mere compliance to DX10 specifications. You are looking at a 10 month frame here for a solid DX10 part. If you can wait 10 month, wait. Else, get what you need now.

 

[thetonio]

Thank you all for your replies, appreciated.

I think I kind of confused you guys, and I realize it's a tricky question as we can't know for sure if a few months into the next generation the cards will be able to whoop on a 7900GT SLi...

josh nailed it though:

Normally next gen single cards perform about the same as two last gen cards. If you want to wait for the G80 and R600, you'll have top notch DX9 performers as well as DX10 support. Granted, these cards will be elemental in the era of DX10 and once it really begins to hit there will probably be better ones out, but either G80 and R600 will support more things and probably perform up to par with the current 7900 SLI.

So, with the X1900XT so spankin' cheap, I might as well get me one of those, and open up my choices for a mobo, and down the line do a full upgrade to a DX10 card instead of pairing that one up.

Thanks again

 

[deadseasquirrel]

Nobody has asked, but what part of your $2k budget is going to the monitor? Without a good display, capable of resolutions higher than 1280x1024, SLI (and Crossfire as well) loses quite a bit of its power. In many games, SLI can provide 80-90% performance increases... just about doubling frame rates. However, that's at resolutions like 1600x1200 and 2048x1536. That % drops to 30-50% at lower resolutions, making the $ spent less worthwhile.

The second point to consider with dual-gpu solutions is the "buy one now and buy the 2nd in a year" idea. This, as Josh pointed out, usually results in spending too much on a 2nd card that might match the power of the new high-end card that has just arrives, and will likely have more features. For example, SLI 7900GTs being matched by G80 that will likely have HDR+AA and DX10 capabilities. In which case, you would want to sell off you 7900GT and buy G80 rather than ponying up for a 2nd GT.

SLI is really only worth the $ if you have a good display, running high resolutions, and buy both cards at the same time, effectively creating next-gen performance 6-9 months before it arrives.

 

[thetonio]

Just under $400 is going towards the monitor -- Dell's 2007WFP. It was painful, but I came to realize your point exactly: what's the use of a good system without a good display?

The second point to consider with dual-gpu solutions is the "buy one now and buy the 2nd in a year" idea. This, as Josh pointed out, usually results in spending too much on a 2nd card that might match the power of the new high-end card that has just arrives, and will likely have more features. For example, SLI 7900GTs being matched by G80 that will likely have HDR+AA and DX10 capabilities. In which case, you would want to sell off you 7900GT and buy G80 rather than ponying up for a 2nd GT.

SLI is really only worth the $ if you have a good display, running high resolutions, and buy both cards at the same time, effectively creating next-gen performance 6-9 months before it arrives.

Excellent, that answers my question exactly. So, being as it will be sometime until my next upgrade, the DX10 will be in full swing... That being the case, I won't bother with having an SLi-ready setup, I'll take that X1900XT offer.

Thanks all around,

tony