sli cards for an old setup, nforce 4 amd x2 3800+

[kki000]

I have an older rig that has been forced into gaming service. My main rig, a e6750 p35 with 8800gt has been forced into the htpc role that this amd pc has been doing.

Anyway, Im looking for the best sli setup for this guy,
amd x2 3800+, 2.0ghz oc to 2.5ghz, 2gb ram
its running on a asus a8n sli deluxe (nforce4)

Ive got a decent power supply, 35@12v this guy used to run 6800gt in sli
It has a 2400pro in there now which im looking to replace.

I'd like to run crysis, acreed and bioshock. resolution is maxed at 1920x1080 on my westy monitor.

Hoping to get something relatively cheap that will run those games at near its maximum quality levels. (I know crys is gonna be tough)

The question is, is sli even worth it? Am I cpu bound with the higher end cards even at 1080p rez?

Ive looked for sli benchmarks with this cpu class but I cant find any, please link if you do.

Im trying to get the maximum out of the price and get some use out of the sli funtionality that i built into this rig that long time ago.

Im thinking maybe a pair of 9600gt, which is on the high side of the price for me, or maybe 8800gs? Would i be better off with a single 8800gt and call it a day? Im finding it hard to believe that sli cant help me at all...

Anyway, TIA.

 

[lavaheadache]

hmmm. tough call.. you should be ok, just don't get pissed if your 3dmark score is low, lol because it will be compared to newer cpu setups otherwise you should still be pushing good frames on most games

 

[ajaidevsingh]

For nforce 4 8800 GT SLi is better we had a prob. with 9800 GTX SLi...!!
I would think that 9600 GT will use similar if not same SLi controller at least 8800 GT is older a little older and more powerfull!!

 

[themisfit610]

It's not gonna happen on a 3800+ X2, especially Crysis.

I had that exact same setup - 3800+ X2 (at 2.4), 2 GB, and an NF4 SLI board. I went from a 7800gt to an 8800gt in Crysis, and noticed hardly any difference. It was not playable, even at 800x600, all low.

Switching out to my Q6600 and 4GB made it perfect at 1920x1200.

You're going to be so CPU limited, it won't matter what GPU you throw at the problem.

Bioshock should be fine. I'm not sure about acreed - I don't know how CPU dependent it is.

Instead of wasting money on an SLI setup, switch out the 3800+ X2 for an overclocked E2180 if you're short on cash. Add an 8800gt and win.

~MiSfit

 

[kki000]

gotcha, i feared as much.
Again this my "backup" rig. I was hoping to do something interesting and cheap with sli if I could.

I'll try and throw the 8800gt in there from my main and see how performance is on crys. I figured it might be bad, didnt think it would be so awful..

 

[adlep]

How bout paying around $100.00 for a better AMD CPU and investing in a more powerful, single card such us the 8800 GTS?

 

[adlep]

Originally posted by: themisfit610
It's not gonna happen on a 3800+ X2, especially Crysis.

I had that exact same setup - 3800+ X2 (at 2.4), 2 GB, and an NF4 SLI board. I went from a 7800gt to an 8800gt in Crysis, and noticed hardly any difference. It was not playable, even at 800x600, all low.

Switching out to my Q6600 and 4GB made it perfect at 1920x1200.

You're going to be so CPU limited, it won't matter what GPU you throw at the problem.

Bioshock should be fine. I'm not sure about acreed - I don't know how CPU dependent it is.

Instead of wasting money on an SLI setup, switch out the 3800+ X2 for an overclocked E2180 if you're short on cash. Add an 8800gt and win.

~MiSfit

You are wrong about the CPU limit.
It is actually other way around most of the time. Take a look at the BFG10K's benchmarks and quit spreading FUD


Consider this source:
http://www.techspot.com/articl...performance/page7.html
Also, bear in mind that this is a demo. The actual version of the game utilizes 2 cores. My guess is that the actual full version of Cryis makes the CPU requirements even lower.

Edit: If that X2 3800 is AM2, then just change your CPUs:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103211

Sell your X2 3800 on FS/FT forums (you should be able to sell it for at least $30.00 shipped)so that that CPU upgrade will cost you only about $50.00 or so.
No reason to switch from AMD to Intel. Save yourself time and aggravation. You have a nice, up to date setup and replacing all the components instead of just a CPU does not make much sense.

gotcha, i feared as much.
Again this my "backup" rig. I was hoping to do something interesting and cheap with sli if I could.

I'll try and throw the 8800gt in there from my main and see how performance is on crys. I figured it might be bad, didnt think it would be so awful..

My advise is: just try it and report back your results.