Radeon VS Geforce

[Mrvile]

I'm usually a Radeon fan, but Geforce has been making a few minor leaps in terms of software, but why Geforce has been so compelling to me lately is the SLI feature on the nForce4. Since you can't SLI two Radeon cards, I'll either have to wait months before ATI comes out with an SLI or switch to Geforce. Help?

 

[yankeesfan]

are you willing to spend almost a thousand dollars on video cards?

 

[BW86]

i'm probably going to get 2 6600gt's

 

[Pandaren]

SLI is overrated. Consider that SLI capable boards will cost more than $150. Then consider that SLI capable cards like the 6600 and PCIe versions of the 6800 run $199-$500. If you have $ to spend on that kind of system and need the speed, I guess it might be worth it. I don't think most people need it though.

SLI is interesting in that it pushes the limits of what can be achieved with today's GPUs.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Video Forum?

- M4H

 

[Mrvile]

Merc4Hire sorry for posting here.


ANYWAY yes, I am willing to spend up to 400 bucks on video alone. I'm planning on spending about a third of my budget on video. BTW, what's better, 2x 6600GTs or 2x PCX5900s?

 

[BW86]

the 5900's wont be sli capable i dont think

 

[Yolner]

Will 2x6600gt be that much faster than a single 6800gt? Maybe its a better idea to get a 6800gt and add another one later?

 

[BW86]

Originally posted by: Yolner
Maybe its a better idea to get a 6800gt and add another one later?

thats the whole point

 

[Pandaren]

I think you are better off buying a PCIe 6800GT when they come out. 16 pipes on 1 card is going to perform better than 16 pipes spread over 2 cards since there will be some driver overhead for the SLI. Then in a year, you can add a second 6800GT. With 2x 6600GT you have no easy upgrade path.

 

[Mrvile]

Yeah actually thats what I was thinking. 6600GTs are 128bit anyway, but I don't get it cuz 6600 regulars are 256. Whatever. Althought the 6800 itself is mroe expensive than 2x 6600s it is more upgradeable.

Problem is, by the time I'm ready to upgrade, won't they have the 7x00 series already and the *old* 6800s will be ob-so-leeete?

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: Mrvile
Yeah actually thats what I was thinking. 6600GTs are 128bit anyway, but I don't get it cuz 6600 regulars are 256. Whatever. Althought the 6800 itself is mroe expensive than 2x 6600s it is more upgradeable.

Problem is, by the time I'm ready to upgrade, won't they have the 7x00 series already and the *old* 6800s will be ob-so-leeete?

No, not really. Take the Radeon 9700/9800 for example, and suppose we added SLI capabilities to those. Now, you bought your first 9800 for $400 back in late 2002, and that has worked well for you until 2004, where ATI has now released the X800 XT. Now your 9800 setup is looking a little long in the tooth, but you still want high-end performance; rather than buy a whole new video card for another $400, you simply plop in a second 9800 and use SLI, and you would have X800 level performance, but it only cost you $200 for the second card, or $600 total, versus $800 for buying a seperate 9800 and X800. Now, you are missing out on Shader Model 2.0b support, and 3Dc, but take a look at everything right now, do you really need them any time in the near future? SLI is the perfect graphics upgrade solution for someone that may want to upgrade inside the normal 2 year upgrade window.

 

[SneakyStuff]

Just get 2 6600 GTs and be done with it. You'll be amazed that I can gaurentee

 

[element]

Problem is by the time you'll need the SLI won't you also want a new prcessor/mobo/memory combo?

 

[BW86]

when nforce4 sli comes out i'll probably wait a few months before purchasing it. I'll need a new processor but im going to keep my ram

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: element
Problem is by the time you'll need the SLI won't you also want a new processor/mobo/memory combo?

Processors aren't going anywhere for a while as far as gaming goes, so even once the multicores come out, there's not going to be a huge need for a processor upgrade, versus a video upgrade which will be more necessary as game makers start loading up more shaders in to their games.

 

[Mrvile]

Well my plans are roughly as goes:

MSI nf4 mobo
2x 6600GT
939 3200+
2x 512 ddr400 Kingston Valueram

^^hows that sound^^

I know you guys are gonna argue the 2x 6600 is worse but you actually get a bit more power out of SLI'd 6600GTs than a single 6800 Ultra according to anand's benchmark tests. Plus saves me 100 bucks

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: Mrvile
Well my plans are roughly as goes:

MSI nf4 mobo
2x 6600GT
939 3200+
2x 512 ddr400 Kingston Valueram

^^hows that sound^^

I know you guys are gonna argue the 2x 6600 is worse but you actually get a bit more power out of SLI'd 6600GTs than a single 6800 Ultra according to anand's benchmark tests. Plus saves me 100 bucks

I would hold off on 6600GT SLI plans until Nvidia releases everything; it could go either way at this point.