New Card setup

[J9Darkwing]

Hello all!
I just purchased a BFG GTX 280 from Tigerdirect and it should be arriving tomorrow (4/8/09). I currently have two BFG 8800GT installed but because I use 3x 22" monitors I don't run the cards in SLI. When it's all working right, like in Crysis, I use the center screen for the main game and the two side monitors as peripheral view using softTH. I run all three at 1680x1050 and it works pretty good but I have to turn all my settings down to low or medium.
My thinking is that when the new card gets here I'll run it in my top slot and use one of the 8800GT cards to run my side monitors until I can get another GTX 280.
Any thoughts on the best configuration? Is there any reason I should put the SLI connector between these two cards even though they are not going to be running in SLI?
Any installation tips? ie, uninstall the 8800s and their drivers, install 280 and drivers, then reinstall 8800s or just throw the 280 in there and install drivers?

Edit: I just realized that on top of two PCIE x16 slots my motherboard has an 8x slot too. Now, I've already promised my little brother my extra 8800GT but he has two 7800GTX cards and I can get one of them. How bout: 1x GTX 280 in the top x16 slot, 1x 8800GT in the bottom x16 slot and a 7800GTX in the x8 slot? Think that will benefit me anything?

 

[lavaheadache]

did you know that when you use softth only the primary card does the rendering? I don't understand why you are using 3 cards to power 3 monitors

 

[J9Darkwing]

Originally posted by: lavaheadache
did you know that when you use softth only the primary card does the rendering? I don't understand why you are using 3 cards to power 3 monitors

My intention was to use 2 cards to power 3 monitors, the third card was a last minute 'aha' thing and I was curious if it would benefit me anything... which is why I asked.
The reason why I posted here was to get advice on how to setup things so I can get the most from the stuff I have. Any suggestions?

I notice from your setup that you have something similar to what I'm trying to do. Do you have the 'sli' connector between your 280 and 8800GS?

 

[lopri]

Let the GTX 280 use the full x16 bandwidth. (i.e. leave the second x16 slot empty) Use the bottom x16 slot for a 8800 GT to drive two 2D monitors. On your board, the bottom x16 slot is electrically x8 (and PCIE Gen 1.0) but it will have no issue working with a 8800 GT.

Install the cards one by one. Install the GTX, then install the drivers, then shut down the system and install the GT. Under same OS you only need one set of drivers so the 2nd card should be automatically recognized. You may be prompted for a reboot, though.

Edit: Oh and no SLI bridge.

 

[lavaheadache]

no sli connector as it would do nothing. I use softth aswell. For all intentional purposes the second card does nothing except display the picture. What is important is that you have a very strong primary card and your motherboard has good pci-e bandwidth cause the primary card moves all the data from it's frame buffer over to the sister card. this is bandwidth sensitive so make sure your not at pci-e 1 x or anything on your second card. I'm a huge fan of SoftTH and have only been dabbling with it for a few months. GOOGLE is your friend :Q

 

[J9Darkwing]

Just a little confusion here. . .
Lopri, your first line is in direct conflict with your second. You state that I should leave the second x16 slot empty to allow the full x16 bandwidth on the first slot. Your very next sentence says to put the 8800 into the bottom x16 slot which, technically, is the second x16 slot. You also said that my bottom x16 slot is actually a x8 electrically. According to asus my board has:
2 x PCI Express x16 slot, support NVIDIA® SLI? technology, at full x16, x16 speed (blue)
1 x PCI Express x16, at x8 speed (white)
But what I'm gathering is that you think I should put the 280 in the top x16 slot and the 8800 in the bottom x16 slot and leave the x8 slot empty. Right?

Lavaheadache if the Asus Website is right and I have true 16x + 16x then from what you said I should be setup pretty good.

 

[lopri]

Sorry I confused P5N32-E SLI with P5N32-E SLI *Plus*. P5N32-E SLI is 680i (yours) and P5N32-E SLI Plus is indeed 650i. You're correct in that the blue slots on your board are electrically x16. You should be able to use either one, or both together without being reduced to x8. And both the blue slots are attached to north bridge. The white slot is x8 (electrically) and attached to south bridge.

 

[lavaheadache]

Originally posted by: J9Darkwing
Just a little confusion here. . .
Lopri, your first line is in direct conflict with your second. You state that I should leave the second x16 slot empty to allow the full x16 bandwidth on the first slot. Your very next sentence says to put the 8800 into the bottom x16 slot which, technically, is the second x16 slot. You also said that my bottom x16 slot is actually a x8 electrically. According to asus my board has:
2 x PCI Express x16 slot, support NVIDIA® SLI? technology, at full x16, x16 speed (blue)
1 x PCI Express x16, at x8 speed (white)
But what I'm gathering is that you think I should put the 280 in the top x16 slot and the 8800 in the bottom x16 slot and leave the x8 slot empty. Right?

Lavaheadache if the Asus Website is right and I have true 16x + 16x then from what you said I should be setup pretty good.

yup, bandwidth is what you need, not sure exactly where the make or break point is but I'm sure even 8x pci-e lanes would be enough.

Have fun with that GTX280

 

[james1701]

If you can get all three in there, why not use the third one as a physx card? You can do that with the drivers now. That way is you get a new game that supports it, you are in.

 

[J9Darkwing]

So maybe this setup:
The 280 in the top x16 slot running the center monitor, the 8800GT in the bottom x16 slot doing nothing more than the physics, and the 7800GTX in the x8 slot supporting the other two monitors? Sounds good in theory. Thoughts?

 

[bryanW1995]

don't use the 7800gtx, but otherwise that looks pretty good.

 

[james1701]

I don't think the 7800 could do much for peripheral view in Crysis, it would slow you down too much.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

No reason to stick a 7800 in there. Just use the 8800GT to drive the monitors as well as use it for PhysX.

 

[lavaheadache]

people... the 7800 gtx cannot do Physx. Also he is using softth, in which only the primary card does the rendering. stop giving him advice about something you don't know squat about. There is no reason to put that 7800 in there unless he is running 5 or more monitors. Unless ofcourse having more things in your computer is the cool thing to do... If that is the case then I'm gonna stick my old pci voodoo 3 in my computer and use it for a second physx card

 

[Denithor]

First, why not use SLI on multiple monitors? You DO (I hope) know that as of the 180.xx drivers nVidia allows SLI to be run across multiple monitors, right?



Second, two 8800GT in SLI is going to whoop a single GTX 280 in 99% of games - especially at 1680x1050. That's going to be a step down in performance until you get the second GTX 280 to go in there.

Finally, adding an ancient 7800GTX will do nothing for you except increase your power draw and generate extra heat. But if you like paying extra on your power bill go ahead and add it.

Get that second GTX on the way and give both 8800GT cards to your bro, then eBay the 7800GTXs to recover some of the cost. Both of you will be happier.

EDIT: WTH was I thinking? And you, too? If you can, cancel that GTX 280 and buy a pair of GTX 275s instead. Those have the same shaders as GTX 280 and higher clockspeed to boot. At a lower price, unless you got a steal on that 280.

 

[J9Darkwing]

Denithor, I got the GTX280 in a day early (thanks tigerdirect) and put it in last night. Now, I can play Crysis in DX10 with everything on 'very high' and get 25-40 fps where before I could get that same performance in DX9 with setting on 'high' with the 8800GT cards in SLI. I would get 40-50 fps on Mass Effect with the 8800SLI and now with the 280 installed it's slamming 60fps. So from where I sit the GTX 280 is trouncing the 8800GT SLI.
Also, I noticed that if I go ahead and use the physics on the 280 instead of parsing it out to the 8800 I seem to get 2-3 more fps. I didn't think that would be the case. I figured using the 8800GT to do the physics I would get a 5-10 fps jump rather than making the 280 do all the work.
I removed the 'video' drivers, removed the 8800GT cards, installed the 280 then installed it's drivers. Once that was done I dropped the 8800GT in the bottom slot and turned it on. Other than that I did no configuration, overclocking, nothing so there may be some tweaks that need to be done.
Lavaheadache. . . your words are sinking in. No worries though because regardless of what they say, I already knew the 7800 wouldn't do physics.

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: J9Darkwing
Denithor, I got the GTX280 in a day early (thanks tigerdirect) and put it in last night. Now, I can play Crysis in DX10 with everything on 'very high' and get 25-40 fps where before I could get that same performance in DX9 with setting on 'high' with the 8800GT cards in SLI. I would get 40-50 fps on Mass Effect with the 8800SLI and now with the 280 installed it's slamming 60fps. So from where I sit the GTX 280 is trouncing the 8800GT SLI.
Also, I noticed that if I go ahead and use the physics on the 280 instead of parsing it out to the 8800 I seem to get 2-3 more fps. I didn't think that would be the case. I figured using the 8800GT to do the physics I would get a 5-10 fps jump rather than making the 280 do all the work.
I removed the 'video' drivers, removed the 8800GT cards, installed the 280 then installed it's drivers. Once that was done I dropped the 8800GT in the bottom slot and turned it on. Other than that I did no configuration, overclocking, nothing so there may be some tweaks that need to be done.
Lavaheadache. . . your words are sinking in. No worries though because regardless of what they say, I already knew the 7800 wouldn't do physics.

nVidia must have really improved the drivers for that card since launch. Back then (the link I posted above) the SLI 8800GT would consistently beat the single GTX by 10-30% in everything.

 

[J9Darkwing]

That's a good point Denithor. In my research on the 280 before I bought it I read that the new drivers had work wonders for it but, like you said, the original drivers weren't doing the card justice.
I bought F.E.A.R. 2 last night and with a res of 1680x1050 and everything maxed out it was smooth as glass. My Fraps wasn't working with the game and I didn't feel like messing with getting it working so I can't tell you what the fps were but it was awesome.
I've never been so happy with a video card purchase. . .

 

[J9Darkwing]

Got the fraps working last night. Slamming 60 FPS on F.E.A.R. 2. If I were to turn off v-sync I'm sure it would be higher but 60 is fine for me. Tis awesome. Thanks your your help and advice guys.

 

[aka1nas]

Originally posted by: james1701
If you can get all three in there, why not use the third one as a physx card? You can do that with the drivers now. That way is you get a new game that supports it, you are in.

He can use the 2nd as a dedicated PhysX card still, it's more or less sitting idle with softth.

 

[Denithor]

There aren't enough PhysX games right now - just give both 8800GTs to your brother so he can enjoy some gaming goodness also.

Then turn things up a notch with a second GTX later - but I wouldn't do this until you feel slowed down in games and/or move to a larger/higher resolution monitor.