Dual 9800GTX or Dual 8800GT?

[Bookcase14]

Guys, which is better for the cost? SLI 9800GTX or SLI 8800GT...I know 9800 should be better but, in the tests, is it that much better to warrant the higher price? Thanks for the help.

 

[Red Storm]

Why SLI? Why not a single card solution? Both nVidia and AMD have great single card offerings.

 

[Bookcase14]

Well then. Do you recommend any single card that would outperform those? And for equal price? Thanks.

 

[Red Storm]

Well, we would need a little more information to make a proper recommendation.

What type of resolution will you be playing on? Are there any specific games you're really looking for good performance in? Also, what's your budget?

 

[SergeC]

Originally posted by: Red Storm
Well, we would need a little more information to make a proper recommendation.

What type of resolution will you be playing on? Are there any specific games you're really looking for good performance in? Also, what's your budget?

This.

 

[Bookcase14]

Ahh...well there ya go. Good point. Basically I was thinking of getting this PC (I dont want to build again): http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Gamer_Infinity_SLI/
And I was wondering if the 9800GTX was better than the 8800GT, cause if not, I would "downgrade" to a dual 8800GT and save some money. But, my price range for PC is exactly that, $1500.

EDIT: However...if I could get a better single graphics card, that would replace those two combinations, for the same price as the two cards in SLI...then I am all ears. I am looking to play games at a 1680(I thinkt hats right)x1050 resolution or a little less, and I want the games that are out now, and somewhat in the near future, to look good and have good framerates.

 

[octopus41092]

At 1680x1050 a HD4850 does very well. If you want to spend a little more go for the HD4870, which can handle everything at 1680 and most everything at 1920.

 

[Sylvanas]

Originally posted by: octopus41092
At 1680x1050 a HD4850 does very well. If you want to spend a little more go for the HD4870, which can handle everything at 1680 and most everything at 1920.

 

[Bookcase14]

Is that better than a comparable Nvidia card? Which company is putting out the better cards as of now?

Edit: It's my understanding, as well, that 2x 8800GT ( the price of which is about 325 combined) outperform the single 4870 which is more expensive (I think)...I could be wrong though. Not to mention the generally lower power consumption and lower heat outlay.

 

[Sylvanas]

Originally posted by: Bookcase14
Is that better than a comparable Nvidia card? Which company is putting out the better cards as of now?

Edit: It's my understanding, as well, that 2x 8800GT ( the price of which is about 325 combined) outperform the single 4870 which is more expensive (I think)...I could be wrong though. Not to mention the generally lower power consumption and lower heat outlay.

In some cases yes, in some cases no. The 4870 is going to be considered a better buy over a comparable SLI/CF solution every time as a single GPU in this circumstance does not suffer from some of the pitfalls of multi-GPUs. Have a look at the millions of reviews- at 1680x1050 the 4850 is the sweet spot and 1920x1200 it is the 4870.

 

[Ares202]

Originally posted by: Sylvanas

Originally posted by: Bookcase14
Is that better than a comparable Nvidia card? Which company is putting out the better cards as of now?

Edit: It's my understanding, as well, that 2x 8800GT ( the price of which is about 325 combined) outperform the single 4870 which is more expensive (I think)...I could be wrong though. Not to mention the generally lower power consumption and lower heat outlay.

In some cases yes, in some cases no. The 4870 is going to be considered a better buy over a comparable SLI/CF solution every time as a single GPU in this circumstance does not suffer from some of the pitfalls of multi-GPUs. Have a look at the millions of reviews- at 1680x1050 the 4850 is the sweet spot and 1920x1200 it is the 4870.

2x8800gt will nearly consume double the amount of power as a single 4870 if you count the higher power consumption of SLI motherboards and the dual graphics card combined, and the single 4870 is less expensive than sli 8800gt but yes that sli configuration will outperform a single 4850/4870 in most games

The more powerful graphics card will last you longer, so if you dont upgrade every year take that into consideration

 

[LOUISSSSS]

sli means double the power draw, double the heat, double the rate chances of failure or DOA, and double the cost.

i'd get a single card over sli until its more worth it.

the best/performance single card for 16x10 would be the 4870. it can handle most, if not all games up to max settings

 

[Bookcase14]

Thanks for all of the replies guys. So is the 4870 comparable to the newer Nvidia's 200 series? Just cheaper? That's my last question...I swear...

 

[secretanchitman]

forget sli, it aint worth it. just get a 4850/4870 or a gtx 260 (280 has QC issues).