Should I SLI or wait for GeForce GTX 280???

[Chrisped]

Hey everyone I have a question. Should I get a second EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800 GT 512MB or should I wait for the GTX 280? This primarily involves future support for SLI drivers for the 8800 series cards. Do people think Nvidia will continue to support the 8800 with SLI drivers or will they fade support for that in the future? Newegg is selling this card currently 159.00 and with a second, frame rates and gameplay would be excellent. Any suggestions??

Thanks!

 

[Hauk]

Some will say SLI's future is dependent on Intel relations. Several threads to research regarding upcoming cpu support. Others will say SLI will always take a back seat to a single, more powerful gpu solution.

You already have an SLI board so going SLI is a cheap solution, but you must consider added heat output, power requirements, and yes, driver support. My vote goes towards a single more powerful gpu hands down.

 

[ricleo2]

I have had an SLI setup for over 3 years now. My opinion of it: not worth it. My ego sure doesn't like saying that. My next build will be a single card and will upgrade like that thereafter.

 

[Munky]

People have been asking the same question for years, and the answer is always the same - the single new card is always better than two old cards.

 

[Aberforth]

Don't go for SLi, its a big dam waste of money. PC gaming isn't like consoles where the upgrade cycle is 4 to 7 years, with PC you never know what pops up next.....so SLI is a risky investment. I am sure nRollo will disagree but then again as a NV Focus group member he disagrees a lot from the general user perspective, also he gets free stuff from nv all the time so he wouldn't know value : Performance

 

[solofly]

Originally posted by: Aberforth
Don't go for SLi, its a big dam waste of money. PC gaming isn't like consoles where the upgrade cycle is 4 to 7 years, with PC you never know what pops up next.....so SLI is a risky investment. I am sure nRollo will disagree but then again as a NV Focus group member he disagrees a lot from the general user perspective, also he gets free stuff from nv all the time so he wouldn't know value : Performance

It's very simple...

NV Focus group member = NV Salesman

And as others said, stick to a single card if you can.

 

[SKoprowski]

Stick with one card- I tried SLI with my 8800GTX and it was disappointing- I ended up selling one and kept the newest 8800GTX so I can "step-up" to a 260/280. Plus you will be saving money on motherboards too.

 

[mhouck]

WAIT. You are close enough to wait for the official benchmarks and reviews. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and its next gen stuff.

If price is any consideration though you will be paying about 3x to 4x times the 8800 GT price for either new card from what I've been reading. If you don't have that budgeted and want more performance now, get the GT.

 

[JAG87]

SLI micro stutters at any fps between 0 and 2x your refresh rate, issue that is only resolved by using vsync.

SLI is only useful to bring your fps up to par with your refresh rate, with those games that run slower than your refresh rate, and then you must vsync or frame cap (unless your game runs constantly at or above 2x your refresh rate, in which case you will not feel micro stuttering). Frame capping @ your refresh rate isn't cool because the image tears like crazy. vsync gives you maximum image quality, but in fps games it can drive you nuts.

Whatever you do, do not go SLI if a new more powerful card is available. SLI is only needed to raise your fps up to your refresh rate with those games that run particularly slow, a scenario mostly encountered with extremely high resolutions + AA.

 

[CP5670]

Considering how close the GTX 280 release is at this point, it makes sense to just wait for that. The SLI setup is unlikely to be as fast as the new top end card.

 

[Harmattan]

I'm going to be a bit contrary on this topic. I've been using SLI now since 68xx series (6800 GT > 7800 GT >7900 GTO > 8800 GTX) and my thoughts are these:

- SLI does provide significant performance gains in most games - and although it will never be 100%, most new games offer around 40-60% over a single card
- SLI is the only way to get acceptable framerates (40-45 FPS is my definition of acceptable) at 1900x1200 or above with high AA, and maxed settings in many games
- As of late, SLI is not hard to support, has solid drivers, and is not near the heat issue many say if you have decent airflow

A couple of caveats for reasons you don't want to go SLI:

- No multiple monitor support
- You are on a budget i.e. you want the best price/performance and don't have/want to upgrade to SLI-ready components (mobo, PSU)
- You play at low resolution/sessings

That said, I am just touting the benefits of SLI above. In your case, GTX 280 will be substantially better than 2x8800 GT, going from current rumors, around 25% faster. On the other hand GTX 280 is the far more expensive option vs. another 8800 GT ($650 vs. $160). The question you should ask yourself: Is $490 worth a 25% performance gain?

 

[taltamir]

from all the leaked info, the GTX 280 should be faster then any sli. Even if it isn't, you can still SLI 2 weeks from now when the 280 comes out and we have real benchmarks.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: Aberforth
Don't go for SLi, its a big dam waste of money. PC gaming isn't like consoles where the upgrade cycle is 4 to 7 years, with PC you never know what pops up next.....so SLI is a risky investment. I am sure nRollo will disagree but then again as a NV Focus group member he disagrees a lot from the general user perspective, also he gets free stuff from nv all the time so he wouldn't know value : Performance

My thoughts:
1. 11 days before rumored launch of new product is not the time to make a decision.
2. When reviews of new products come out, you can decide then what has best bang for buck. Hopefully the 4870 reported delay isn't real and you can factor that into your comparisons.
3. SLi/CF isn't a waste of money because it offers performance gains and levels of performance unattainable with single GPU. As noted recently on The Tech Report, it can also be a better value than a single high end card for some games. In general, a single GPU is to be preferred, unless one doesn't exist that offers the performance you need.

As far as your comments about ME go, I likely spend more money on computer parts than you ever will, because I have to, to do Focus Group in a fashion I feel it needs to be done.

For example, when they sent me a 780i motherboard and third 8800GTX, I had to buy a new case (NZXT Zero) a 1200W PSU, a QX6700, and a 3007 WS to do it justice.

When they sent me a 9800GX2, my first reaction was to order another from newegg for $600..

When they sent me my first 8800GTX, I immediately ordered another from newegg for $600, and a 680i motherboard/cpu/RAM.

When they sent me a 7950GX2, I immediately ordered another for $650, then an Asus A8N32 Deluxe and a FX60.

So please don't make it sound like I sit collecting parts and know nothing of value- what I spend annually on computer equipment would make most guy's wives go all Lorena Bobbit.

I do get a lot a free stuff from NVIDIA (which I very much appreciate)for review/user experience, but I spend a lot of money and time on this too. I'm a gamer who has to earn the money to buy this stuff like anyone else here and understand "value".

 

[Jax Omen]

Oooh, Rollo uses the NZXT Zero. What do you think of that case? I love mine.



I think the bigger question here is... other than Crysis, is there anything that 8800GT can't max out at 1920x1200?

 

[wbynum]

It seems like the current round of of switchover from the 8800 cards to the new generation is somewhat unique compared with past generation upgrades. With prices having dropped so much on the 8800 cards, you can get an 8800GTS 640mb SLI setup for around $200 AR + shipping. An 8800GT 512mb SLI setup runs about $270 AR + shipping. Will the new generation single GPU cards in this price range perform as good as these SLI setups?

 

[Aberforth]

Originally posted by: Jax Omen

I think the bigger question here is... other than Crysis, is there anything that 8800GT can't max out at 1920x1200?

Well, there is Flight Simulator X, but it is more CPU intensive than gpu you need 8 cores.

Vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wKe3V1l6Dk

 

[Wuzup101]

SLI does seem to be a valid option based on the fact that the card you would be looking at purchasing is already middle of the line (well at least priced that way at about $150-170 range)... and the fact that you already have a motherboard that supports sli. That being said, the time to buy is after the release of the new cards from nVidia (and after you see benchmarks).

I never understood why people would blow almost $1000 (sometimes more) on SLI/crossfired cards at the top end (paying $400+ per card). However, at the moment, a SLI/xfire setup with 2x 8800GTs or 2x 3870s doesn't seem to be a bad idea at all (as you can get a pair of them after rebate for $300 or less).

Again, it's something only you can answer. I always thought that SLI/xfire was kinda silly because of the rate at which computer gear evloves. However, in your case, it seems to be a very reasonable choice.

 

[bryanW1995]

rollo, you had me until you used "value" to refer to a $650 7950gx2