What are the best mainboards for SLI 2x8800GTS?

[balane]

Is the Striker the very best? Will any 680i board get the job done? Is the top end EVGA a good choice? Can I use a different brand 8800GTS card than the first one I bought or do I need to buy the identical card? I want speed and reliability and I certainly don't mind a little work or effort to get things set up right, it's the end result that counts. Thanks.

 

[LittleNemoNES]

the 650i mobos are supposed to be about as good sans a few obscure features.

 

[imported_Wolfkin]

As far as I have seen any 680i motherboard will do.
The 650i should work just as good but I haven't seen anything about them yet.
Biggest difference between them is that 680i use 2x16 PCIe lanes PCIe and 650i use 2x8 PCIe lanes in SLi.

 

[lopri]

Stryker is the best currently but it's way overpriced for what you're getting. NV reference board (i.e. EVGA et al.) is a hit or miss - I know you mentioned you wouldn't mind a little effort, but I'm afraid the effort can be bigger than you expected, including multiple RMAs. I would only recommend it for determined and experienced users at this time. If you must SLI 2 x 8800 GTS, I would recommend ASUS 650i board. It's reported to have least amount of quirks, and the price is just right. But honestly an even better option would be getting a GTX and forget about SLI. By going with 650i/680i and 8800 SLI, you're trying out not one, but two of the new (i.e. not proven/polished) techs. 650i/680i has its share of problems, and the drivers for 8800 series don't look to be mature enough for SLI yet.

 

[bobsmith1492]

Why not get an 8800GTX to start with?

Benefits: only one card, related to - cheaper - smaller - less power use and heat output - may put in another GTX if entirely necessary - no worries about SLI driver issues (dunno if there are still any problems, but better safe than sorry - I still don't think it works in all games)

Cons: ???

 

[tuteja1986]

Striker not good board... stay away :! overpriced and buggy ;(.

 

[Srfrbum]

I got the Asus 650i right now, with my 2 8800GTS's. WORKS GREAT !

 

[balane]

Originally posted by: Srfrbum
I got the Asus 650i right now, with my 2 8800GTS's. WORKS GREAT !

Thanks. That's what I want to hear. Can you tell me what CPU you are using and what your 3DMark06 score is?

 

[Srfrbum]

I have an E6300 overclocked to 3 Ghz, and Im gettin about 13k - 14k