To SLI or not to SLI, that is the question

[Wicked2010]

I'm building a new gaming rig next month.

I am going dual core regardless just because I'm a geek and looking forward to owning one. Probably going with the AMD 4200+ X2.

My question to you is whether or not I get a motherboard that supports SLI or not. Please let me know what you think about the two options below... and propose a third option if you think I missed something:

1) nForce4 SLI Motherboard (costs more) + Two middle of the road NIVIDIA cards. (6600 GTs maybe??)
2) nForce4 Ultra Motherboard + Top of the line NIVIDA card (maybe 7900 GT)

Which would offer better performance?

My price range is pretty much in those 2 options, so no... an option 3 with SLI and 2 NVIDIA 7900 GTX's isn't viable.

I guess I'm more interested in whether more ppl are going SLI with two middle tier cards or if performance is better with just one really nice card.

Any comments/suggestions are always appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Gagan]

Rule one, get the 4400, stay away from the 512 L2 cache X2's which are the 4200 4600... Get a 4400.

Yes get the Nforce4 SLI motherboard. What resolution do you run ?

I am suggesting you get an A8NSLI32 DELUXE for 2 x16 lanes for GPU LONGEVITY, and A 7900Gt, because 2 6600 gt's suck and will get rolled by 1 card.

So there you go i gotta go

 

[Neurorelay]

What he said.

 

[Wicked2010]

So get an SLI motherboard but only use one video card?

Doesn't that seem a bit strange?

I know he said for "GPU LONGEVITY", but I don't see how the GPU lives longer in an SLI board as opposed to an Ultra board.

Anyone care to explain?

 

[Gagan]

2 x16 lanes are much better than 2 x8 lanes in sli
We are beginning to see the advantage of x8 lanes in tye 7900

Time will come when you need a new PCIX card in probably 2 years, by then you'll be able to toss in whatever 9 series geforce because it will be a PCIX16 card.

the A8NSLI32 Has 2 X16 lANES opposed to aregular sli motherboard having 2 LANES @ 16X or each lane at x8 when IN SLI...

SLI is the future

 

[DaRkLoRd666]

when u get the one good card, you can later just get the second to upgrade!

Well, thats what i would do....

 

[rise]

Originally posted by: Gagan
Rule one, get the 4400, stay away from the 512 L2 cache X2's which are the 4200 4600... Get a 4400.

the extra cache of the 4400 means very, very little. if he really wants that, then you matters well get an opty.

i'd just get a x2 3800 or an opty 165 and oc it

 

[Gagan]

he doesnt need an opty. Don't spew that opty-jargon here about "O/c'ing"

he's a consumer and he wants something good. He could get a 3800+ X2, He doesnt need an Opteron 165 so he can say "yo I got an opteron guys wassup", he doesnt seem like an O/CER anywas

 

[Wicked2010]

Correct Gagan.

While I have played around with o'cing in the past, I don't really care to get squeeze the last few drops of performance from my machine at the cost of reducing the lifetime of the parts.

If it plays my games with a fluid framerate then I don't need anymore performance.

I'd rather spend the extra couple hundred bucks on a faster processor instead of playing around with overclocking.

Besides, I don't have the time to tinker with stuff like that anymore anyways... as fun as it was in the past.

I have noticed alot of ppl talking about getting opterons for a home PC.

Why is that?

Who needs a server for a home machine? lol.

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: Wicked2010

I have noticed alot of ppl talking about getting opterons for a home PC.

Why is that?

Who needs a server for a home machine? lol.

If you don't understand why it's advised then you shouldn't be saying that it's a bad idea.

939 Opterons are the same design as the high end A64s, they also overclock to the same or higher levels. If you are overclocking then they are a very good buy. If not then they are a bad idea and go with the 4200 X2, since you don't want an opteron chip you don't want to buy the 4400X2, which is identical to the 175 if memory serves. The cache doesn't make much of a difference and the money saved can go towards better parts elsewhere.

Don't waste money on a feature you won't use now, and probably never will. If you are going to upgrade in around 6 months then go SLI, but after a year you'll be starting to want a DX 10 card, which means that buying a second card (now a generation out of date and still not inexpensive) would be rather pointless.

Non SLI, something like the A8N E or the Epox board if you're overclocking and the 7900GT. Don't waste your money on pointless features.

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: rise4310

Originally posted by: Gagan
Rule one, get the 4400, stay away from the 512 L2 cache X2's which are the 4200 4600... Get a 4400.

the extra cache of the 4400 means very, very little. if he really wants that, then you matters well get an opty.

i'd just get a x2 3800 or an opty 165 and oc it

QFT. Thats what I do.