SLI or New Card ?

[hellotyler]

Hello everyone,

First thread post here and I have a question for all you video card gurus out there. Right now I am working with a GTX9800+ 512MB graphics card. For just about everything I've thrown at it it's great - but I was thinking about pumping up the total power to 1GB so I could play games like Just Cause 2, Cryostasis, or GTAIV without lag. I was trying to figure out which would work better, two 512MB GTX9800+ cards in SLI or something like one brand new GTX460. Any suggestions ?

 

[SergeC]

"bumping the total power to 1GB"...oh dear. Yeah, you guys handle this one....

 

[toyota]

adding another 512mb card in sli/crossfire still leaves you with just 512mb. also you left out basically all the important stuff as for as making a video card upgrade goes. ao what does the rest of your pc look like including psu and what res do you play at?

 

[happy medium]

Hello everyone,

First thread post here and I have a question for all you video card gurus out there. Right now I am working with a GTX9800+ 512MB graphics card. For just about everything I've thrown at it it's great - but I was thinking about pumping up the total power to 1GB so I could play games like Just Cause 2, Cryostasis, or GTAIV without lag. I was trying to figure out which would work better, two 512MB GTX9800+ cards in SLI or something like one brand new GTX460. Any suggestions ?

gtx 460 1gb if you have a good cpu (core 2?).
gtx 9800 in sli will still be 512 mb of memory.

 

[hellotyler]

I guess it's clear I do not understand how SLI/CROSSFIRE works. I just got my first PC <6 months ago so please cut me a little slack. Here are my PC desktop specs. I guess new card would be the way to go.

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E7400 @ 2.80GHz
4GB GSkill DDR2 Ram
EP45-UD3P Gigabyte Mobo
Corsair 650Watt PSU
GTX9800+ 512MB Video Card
1024x768 resolution 60hz POS old monitor

 

[happy medium]

I guess it's clear I do not understand how SLI/CROSSFIRE works. I just got my first PC <6 months ago so please cut me a little slack. Here are my PC desktop specs. I guess new card would be the way to go.

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E7400 @ 2.80GHz
4GB GSkill DDR2 Ram
EP45-UD3P Gigabyte Mobo
Corsair 650Watt PSU
GTX9800+ 512MB Video Card
1024x768 resolution 60hz POS old monitor

Just a few more questions.

1. If and when are you gonna upgrade the monitor?
2. How much you wanna spend? around 200$?

If your not upgrading the monitor the 9800gtx+ will be just fine for the forseeable future. The 9800gtx+ will max just about any game at that resolution. You might want to keep your card and buy a 22" 1600x1050 monitor.

 

[hellotyler]

I wanted to upgrade it perhaps at the end of summer, saving up some money right now and checking out the different options. You nailed my price point of $200, give or take. I wasn't exactly sure what the most effective option to upgrade my PC would be but figured adding another 512MB card would be the way to go, now it's looking like perhaps a new card is the right path. Thanks for the input.

 

[toyota]

I guess it's clear I do not understand how SLI/CROSSFIRE works. I just got my first PC <6 months ago so please cut me a little slack. Here are my PC desktop specs. I guess new card would be the way to go.

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E7400 @ 2.80GHz
4GB GSkill DDR2 Ram
EP45-UD3P Gigabyte Mobo
Corsair 650Watt PSU
GTX9800+ 512MB Video Card
1024x768 resolution 60hz POS old monitor

I wanted to upgrade it perhaps at the end of summer, saving up some money right now and checking out the different options. You nailed my price point of $200, give or take. I wasn't exactly sure what the most effective option to upgrade my PC would be but figured adding another 512MB card would be the way to go, now it's looking like perhaps a new card is the right path. Thanks for the input.

your mobo doesnt even support SLI. and 1024x768??? there is ZERO reason for a gpu upgrade with that archaic resolution. I have never even heard of a 1024x768 crt monitor with only 60Hz and surely thats not an lcd? you need to forget about video cards until you get a modern monitor.

 

[hellotyler]

"The GA-EP45-UD3P boasts dual PCI Express 2.0 VGA card slots for ATI CrossFireX support with ultra smooth 3D rendering and blazingly-fast frame rates." ?? I guess I was confused by that.

As for the monitor, yes, it's an old CRT - but games look great on it. I didn't really feel a pressing need to upgrade it at this point, but I would like to play modern games without lag. What is your suggestion ?

 

[faxon]

yea your board only supports crossfire, not SLI. i would look at getting a new monitor first, and then if you can afford it, get a GTX460 afterward if your 9800GTX+ isnt fast enough for your wants. as is, that setup should still rock any game at only 1024x768

 

[hellotyler]

Quick question here - will upgrading the monitor actually improve gaming performance ? I just want to play GTAIV and a few other brand new titles without a lot of lag. If this is the case do I need to upgrade the monitor ? Or do I just need a new card ? I am a bit confused by the relationship of the monitor to the game, I figured it just wouldn't look quite as good but it would still play smoothly if I had an old monitor. Learning a lot, just read through the wikis for both SLI and Crossfire. Next up - monitor wiki.

 

[toyota]

"The GA-EP45-UD3P boasts dual PCI Express 2.0 VGA card slots for ATI CrossFireX support with ultra smooth 3D rendering and blazingly-fast frame rates." ?? I guess I was confused by that.

As for the monitor, yes, it's an old CRT - but games look great on it. I didn't really feel a pressing need to upgrade it at this point, but I would like to play modern games without lag. What is your suggestion ?

you must not get out of the house much if you are happy at 1024x768 60Hz on a crt. and still I have never heard of crt that couldnt do more than 60Hz at 1024x768. most people would puke trying to look at a 60Hz crt monitor in the first place.

now I dont see how in the heck your games could be lagging from lack of gpu power at 1024x768 with a 9800gtx+. that card isnt much slower than my gtx260 and I play games fine at nearly 3 times that resolution.

as for GTA 4 4 perhaps you didnt get the memo that its VERY cpu intensive. you need to choose your settings wisely in GTA 4 because most of them have an impact on cpu permanence. your cpu isnt slow but it isnt going to handle GTA 4 and some other cpu intensive games without some lag at times especially on higher settings.

 

[happy medium]

your mobo doesnt even support SLI. and 1024x768??? there is ZERO reason for a gpu upgrade with that archaic resolution. I have never even heard of a 1024x768 crt monitor with only 60Hz and surely thats not an lcd? you need to forget about video cards until you get a modern monitor.

Yes, his motherboard does support crossfire, and a 1024x768 crt monitor is usually a 15 or a 17 inch monitor. If it's running at 60hz, it's probrobly a 15 inch crt unless he don't know how to change the resolution?

If fact thats a kickass motherboard he has, one of the best for overclocking quad core cpu's.

Hellotyler, first thing you need to do is buy a monitor like this one with your $200.

Hanns -G, 20 inch (1600x900 res)., Hdmi,dvi,d-sub inputs for 129$. This is a great deal ,and worlds ahead of what you have now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824254049

 

[faxon]

upgrading your monitor would in no way increase your gaming performance. it would in fact make it slower all in all, which is why i also recommended looking at a GPU upgrade if you arent happy there. if your games are lagging now, its definitely not your gpu though. the reason were all recommending a monitor upgrade is because the one your using now is complete junk. the gaming experience on it (why else do we play games but for the experience?) would be horrible compared to a newer monitor with a larger screen and a higher resolution, AND it will give you a playability advantage because you will have a wider field of view (16x10 vs 4x3), and a taller field of view as well, because theres no monitors made anymore that are that short anyway

 

[toyota]

Yes, his motherboard does support crossfire, and a 1024x768 crt monitor is usually a 15 or a 17 inch monitor. If it's running at 60hz, it's probrobly a 15 inch crt unless he don't know how to change the resolution?

If fact thats a kickass motherboard he has, one of the best for overclocking quad core cpu's.

Hellotyler, first thing you need to do is buy a monitor like this one with your $200.

Hanns -G, 20 inch (1600x900 res)., Hdmi,dvi,d-sub inputs for 129$. This is a great deal ,and worlds ahead of what you have now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824254049

what are you trying to say? he is asking about sli and I said it doesnt support it. btw look at my sig...

 

[Seero]

your mobo doesnt even support SLI. and 1024x768??? there is ZERO reason for a gpu upgrade with that archaic resolution. I have never even heard of a 1024x768 crt monitor with only 60Hz and surely thats not an lcd? you need to forget about video cards until you get a modern monitor.

Monitor means a device that displays graph, images or symbols, not CRT. OP has an old 1024*768 LCD monitor.

OP, the size of Vram is proportion to the size of the resolution of the display. At your resolution, 1024*768, 512MB is more than enough. Changing a bigger VRAM isn't going to help your gaming experience. As you said, your video card takes whatever you run, so replacing it with a faster one also won't help. If you must buy something, I will suggest a LCD with a better resolution like 1920x1080, which are not expensive nowadays.

 

[happy medium]

what are you trying to say? he is asking about sli and I said it doesnt support it. btw look at my sig...

I was agreeing with you...?

 

[toyota]

Monitor means a device that displays graph, images or symbols, not CRT. OP has an old 1024*768 LCD monitor.

OP, the size of Vram is proportion to the size of the resolution of the display. At your resolution, 1024*768, 512MB is more than enough. Changing a bigger VRAM isn't going to help your gaming experience. As you said, your video card takes whatever you run, so replacing it with a faster one also won't help. If you must buy something, I will suggest a LCD with a better resolution like 1920x1080, which are not expensive nowadays.

oh good grief. btw he just said that he has a crt...

 

[toyota]

I was agreeing with you...?

well I guess I was reading your reply the wrong way...lol.

 

[happy medium]

"The GA-EP45-UD3P boasts dual PCI Express 2.0 VGA card slots for ATI CrossFireX support with ultra smooth 3D rendering and blazingly-fast frame rates." ?? I guess I was confused by that.

As for the monitor, yes, it's an old CRT - but games look great on it. I didn't really feel a pressing need to upgrade it at this point, but I would like to play modern games without lag. What is your suggestion ?

Suggestion?

Start a new thread with the title "I need a new monitor" Help?
Type in your system specs like you did above, and tell them what you wanna play and how much you wanna spend.

That should get you started.

After recieving your new monitor, if games don't run well enough we will suggest a good graphics card or cpu for your needs.

 

[hellotyler]

Yes, his motherboard does support crossfire, and a 1024x768 crt monitor is usually a 15 or a 17 inch monitor. If it's running at 60hz, it's probrobly a 15 inch crt unless he don't know how to change the resolution?

If fact thats a kickass motherboard he has, one of the best for overclocking quad core cpu's.

Hellotyler, first thing you need to do is buy a monitor like this one with your $200.

Hanns -G, 20 inch (1600x900 res)., Hdmi,dvi,d-sub inputs for 129$. This is a great deal ,and worlds ahead of what you have now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824254049

Well you convinced me. For $130 it's too good to pass up. I just ordered it. I hope you're right about it being bad-ass. It sure will make some room on my desk that's for sure! So it looks like my next purchase after thiss will be the new $200 graphics card at the end of summer. Thanks for all the help. You were right about it being a 15" CRT, it's an at least 7 year old eMachine monitor.

 

[happy medium]

Well you convinced me. For $130 it's too good to pass up. I just ordered it. I hope you're right about it being bad-ass. It sure will make some room on my desk that's for sure! So it looks like my next purchase after thiss will be the new $200 graphics card at the end of summer. Thanks for all the help. You were right about it being a 15" CRT, it's an at least 7 year old eMachine monitor.

15 inch e- machine? Holy crap, you will be very happy then.
Yes ,that monitor is great for the price and still has a hdmi hookup also.
The other reason I picked it because it only does 1600x900 which is perfect for your 9800gtx+ 512mb.

Make sure you tell us how you like it when it arrives and you play some games on it.

 

[toyota]

Well you convinced me. For $130 it's too good to pass up. I just ordered it. I hope you're right about it being bad-ass. It sure will make some room on my desk that's for sure! So it looks like my next purchase after thiss will be the new $200 graphics card at the end of summer. Thanks for all the help. You were right about it being a 15" CRT, it's an at least 7 year old eMachine monitor.

are you sure thats not a 17inch crt? I have not even seen a 15inch crt in well over 10 years. that 20inch you just ordered is a pretty small monitor but I guess it will be massive visual improvement over that museum piece you have now. lol

 

[happy medium]

are you sure thats not a 17inch crt? I have not even seen a 15inch crt in well over 10 years. that 20inch you just ordered is a pretty small monitor but I guess it will be massive visual improvement over that museum piece you have now. lol

Thats why I didn't go overboard with the monitor.

15" 1024x768 crt to a 1600x900 20 inch widescreen monitor is like night and day!
Plus for 129 bucks, you can't beat it.

 

[3DVagabond]

If you're game you could try and o/c the CPU. I believe it has a 10.5 multiplier (w/266 FSB) so you should be able to get good results. If it is your CPU that's causing your games to lag you could possibly overcome it.