What's the f'king point of SLI?

[Boonesmi]

Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
How about the fact that you dont have to buy both video cards at once .. IE ... but a 6600 GT ... then in a year or so .. when it starts to feel slow, double up on it ....

I agree its stupid to go SLI right off the bat, however, the upgrade path seems MUCH better for the SLI capable cards ...

exactly

which is why i like SLI, and i dont think its a rip-off or scam by nvidia

 

[imported_michaelpatrick33]

I also think people are overlooking worstation performance. Imagine dual 6800Ultras (their workstation equivalent driver, I don't know the name of the equivalent part) and dual Opteron 250's or higher when they comeout for 3d cad or other workstation level work. That is an advantage of SLI where money is not as important a factor as performance and decreased work turnaround time

 

[FreshPrince]

Originally posted by: element
Well the cost benefit comes in if you wait for prices to drop significantly before ponying up for the 2nd card.

Lets say a 6800GT is $400
Now let's say a 6600GT is $200, but then you wait until the 6600GT goes down to $150 before getting the 2nd card. That'd be $350 for the SLI.

6800GT = 400
6600SLI = 350

so the SLI could be cheaper and faster. But the trick is you get only half the performance now and half later with the SLI route. With the 6800GT you get all the benefit now.

Not to mention by the time you're ready to plunk down for the 2nd 6600GT, newer faster cards with new features might likely be out. Shader Model 4.x or something like that. Also higher clocked cores and or memory or DDR 4 or 5 or whatever is out by then, who knows?

If I can convice 1 person, then I think my job is done...

 

[FreshPrince]

There's also another issue to pick at here....

how come the % performance increase isn't the same across the board for all SLI?

How come for 6600GT it's 85%, 6800GT it's 72% and 6800Ultra it's 69%? This steady decline isn't just for Doom3, it seems the norm across the board.....can someone explain this to me?

My 1st guess would be that the CPU is the limiting factor here...but I could be wrong...

 

[Boonesmi]

just because its not a cost effective solution to buy 2x6600 vs. 1x 6800 doesnt mean there is anything wrong with sli

if your budget only allows for the cost of a single 6600, then you have a nice upgrade path down the road. same with a 6800gt, if thats in your budget then get it, and down the road you can always get a nice performance boost by adding a 2nd

you seem to have a bug stuck up your butt about comparing 2x6600 vs 1x 6800, while you are ignoring all the other aspects

 

[Comparisonman]

Does anybody remember the Voodoo 3 SLI days? Now those 2 cards put together were unstoppable. I believe that Nvidia is attempting to put the same or similar technology to use. I think it's better to have more options than less. This is just another unique option from nvidia.

 

[CyGoR]

As I stated before, 6600GT SLI is FASTER in almost EVERY test then a single 6800ULTRA.
And why the 6800Ultra is faster in Doom3, I've explained that in my previous post.

So I don't know where you all are talking about??
You CAN be cheaper with two 6600GT's then one 6800Ultra, that's a fact. So saying it has no use is just plainly wrong..

If you can only answer posts from people who think like you, you shouldn't start such a topic.
Read mine and Dug's post again, and please respond with some arguments explaining your opening post:

"it would seem that 6600gt SLI perform just under, or about the same as single 6800gt"
which is clearly not the case.

I don't take sides, because I believe the motherboards with these chipset will be way to expensive to get any advantage of the SLI system. Other then that, I'm not waiting for two power hungry 6800Ultra's in my system!
But the 6600GT's SLI is a very good and fast solution!

 

[FreshPrince]

Originally posted by: Boonesmi
just because its not a cost effective solution to buy 2x6600 vs. 1x 6800 doesnt mean there is anything wrong with sli

if your budget only allows for the cost of a single 6600, then you have a nice upgrade path down the road. same with a 6800gt, if thats in your budget then get it, and down the road you can always get a nice performance boost by adding a 2nd

you seem to have a bug stuck up your butt about comparing 2x6600 vs 1x 6800, while you are ignoring all the other aspects

I'm just saying why buy 2, when you can buy 1. If cost is such a big factor then buying 1, low end now and buying another one for 60-70% of the original cost a year down the line is not such a good selling point. And if anyone falls for that...they're crazy. Because a year down the line, I can guarantee you that a newer and better single card solution will be out that's going to cost the same as (1, 6600GT@retail price +1, 6600gt@60-70% of retail price). My biggest point is that only get SLI if you're going for 2X6800Ultra or not at all, because it's not worth the effort. Anyone who has the budget to get 2, 6600GT solution within a year time span, can save a little and afford the 1X6800GT solution. Overall cost for the SLI solution will not be cheaper, trust me.

Now if you can afford 6800ULTRA SLI now, all the power to you and you have the right to brag all you want. I have supported this solution from the get go. and I will not deny that it's ain't a d@mn good solution if you want the fatest. But that's all. If anyone tried to brag about their weak @ss 6600GT SLI....I'll just flat out laugh in their face. And if anyone else still wants to argue about it...go right ahead...spend the money on 6600GT SLI. I'll be having fun with my 6800GT single.....when I can squeeze in a promotion and coupon, that is...

 

[Pythias]

Why y'all be hatin playa!

Kidding! I kid because I love.

Definately not for the budget minded, but an excellent way "to extend the higher end".

IMHO

 

[FreshPrince]

Originally posted by: CyGoR
As I stated before, 6600GT SLI is FASTER in almost EVERY test then a single 6800ULTRA.
And why the 6800Ultra is faster in Doom3, I've explained that in my previous post.

So I don't know where you all are talking about??
You CAN be cheaper with two 6600GT's then one 6800Ultra, that's a fact. So saying it has no use is just plainly wrong..

If you can only answer posts from people who think like you, you shouldn't start such a topic.
Read mine and Dug's post again, and please respond with some arguments explaining your opening post:

"it would seem that 6600gt SLI perform just under, or about the same as single 6800gt"
which is clearly not the case.

I don't take sides, because I believe the motherboards with these chipset will be way to expensive to get any advantage of the SLI system. Other then that, I'm not waiting for two power hungry 6800Ultra's in my system!
But the 6600GT's SLI is a very good and fast solution!

I think you just answered your own question...$$$

I don't think the whole argument is ever about performance and which is better or faster. Mine is that you can get similar performance, at a lower cost going with the 6800GT single solution. I could care less if 6600GT SLI is 5-10% faster than 6800GT...to me, that's still similar...or in my words, the same. To me, price is everything, and if you have to drop more $$$ for the motherboard and all the power comsumption issues(meaning a newer more robust power supply...then go ahead.) I'm saving my $$$ and putting it towards my next new video card fund

 

[CyGoR]

Well, point is, what I'm saying is that 6600GT SLI is faster then a 6800Ultra
So when you will compare those prices, why bother buying a 6800GT??
When you can tell that your 6600GT's are beating a 6800Ultra, who's laughing then?

If it WAS just as fast or even slower then a 6800GT then your right, but your not..

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Comparisonman
Does anybody remember the Voodoo 3 SLI days? Now those 2 cards put together were unstoppable. I believe that Nvidia is attempting to put the same or similar technology to use. I think it's better to have more options than less. This is just another unique option from nvidia.

It was the Voodoo2, not the V3, that supported SLI. It was real popular until the new GeForce (and later the Voodoo3) came out, the high-end versions of which were both faster and cheaper than a V2 SLI setup. If hardware development keeps up at a good clip, SLI just doesn't make a lot of sense (since it'll be easier and/or cheaper to just buy one new card instead of two old ones). If hardware stagnates, SLI becomes attractive, since it should offer close to a linear price/performance ratio (ie, buy two cards, it runs almost twice as fast as a single card). It's not a bad feature to offer, but it's probably adding somewhat to the cost of the cards (more traces, probably some sort of interconnect chip, etc.), and certainly raises the development costs for the chipset and drivers quite a bit (since you have to develop and debug all the SLI functionality as well as the regular stuff).

SLI is still an intriguing idea, but I'm not sure that it's really a great one on the consumer level (at least below ultra-high-end consumers, who just want performance at any cost). If it works without a hitch, it *could* be a decent upgrade path -- but only if the next-gen cards (NV5X, R5XX) either take a long time to arrive, or aren't a whole lot faster than the current generation of cards. If the $300 card 12-18 months from now is twice as fast as a 6600GT, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to pay, say, $150 to upgrade to a 6600GT SLI that's not even as fast as the new card, and will likely have very little resale value the *next* time you upgrade. You'd be better off just selling the first 6600GT and paying the difference out of pocket for the next-gen card. But, again, it all depends on what happens with the pricing and the performance of the next generation of graphics cards.

I'm holding out a final judgement on GF6 SLI until there are more benchmarks available, and the pricing/availability of SLI motherboards is clearer.

 

[FreshPrince]

I'd also like to add that you can't have a conversation if all the participants are attacking each other personally. I didn't create this thread to attack anyone personally. I made it so that people can take a look and think about this a little more before they join the SLI fan club. This way, atleast they can make an informed decision that'll ultimately benefit them(the customer). Personally I have nothing against anyone that's going with a 6600gt SLI solution. If they tell me that in person, the geek in me would say, "cool, let's see it in action and compare it to my 6800GT!" Now if they want to get all in my face about it and say how great SLI is...then that's a different story. I would laugh in their face and tell them exactly how I feel. You see, you can be civilized and come into a conversation like a human being. Or you can come into it and the 1st words in your mouth are "wtf are you talking about" or "where the hell" or "you're a retard." If that's the case, I'm going to be on the defensive...no doubt about it.

Let's try to be more civilized

 

[CyGoR]

Nice post, but....

I advise you to change the topic title, if you want to be civilized...
You cannot start a discussion by beginning to say that something s*cks so bad it should never be invented and that the creators are absolute retards.. And your second post (first page) isn't that 'nice' either..

I'm a very civilized person, really, until someone ignores posts that they can't deal with in their own topic..
You still didn't answer my question, and I'm still curious about why you think a 6800GT is faster then 6600GT SLI

Or is it really me and my Dutch attitude or the fact this isn't my native language that I'm missing something?

Have a :beer:, it's on me... sorry if I offend you or anyone else with this...

 

[FreshPrince]

Originally posted by: CyGoR
Nice post, but....

I advise you to change the topic title, if you want to be civilized...
You cannot start a discussion by beginning to say that something s*cks so bad it should never be invented and that the creators are absolute retards.. And your second post (first page) isn't that 'nice' either..

I'm a very civilized person, really, until someone ignores posts that they can't deal with in their own topic..
You still didn't answer my question, and I'm still curious about why you think a 6800GT is faster then 6600GT SLI

Or is it really me and my Dutch attitude or the fact this isn't my native language that I'm missing something?

Have a :beer:, it's on me... sorry if I offend you or anyone else with this...

to the companies, you have to be mean...after all, they are the "enemy" and you're just trying to get the best bang for your buck. believe me, if they can sell 6600GT SLI for $700, they won't even lose sleep over it. They would do it in a heart beat. It just so happens that they're selling it at a similar price as the 6800GT single. What they're hoping for is that people won't see the fact that the mobo + psu cost should be factored in as well. With all that added up, it's a more costly solution than 6800GT. That's what I'm saying...it's a sneaky way to make more money.

as for answering your question, again....read above. It's not about speed...it never was. All I was saying is that both compare relatively the same. In some tests, 6600GT SLI lagged behind, while others, it shined. But, that to me just means it's about the same as a 6800GT.

 

[0roo0roo]

well if your gonna play at the high resolutions of those 24+ inch screens.... sli is the only way to go ...no?

 

[Mrvile]

Different people have different situations. I, for example, am building a computer from total scratch, getting all the parts new and just throwing it together. I could 1. Pay 400 bucks for a single 6800GT on an NF3 MB that costs almost the same as an NF4 one, or I could 2. Pay 400 bucks for two 6600GTs on an NF4 MB. I choose the NF4 route because of its upgradeability, and yes, the two 6600GTs DO DO DO perform better than even the 6800ULTRA on some tests if you read the benchmarks carefully and completely. Either way I'll be spending the same amount of money, I just choose to take the more versatile route.

 

[FinalFantasy]

Hey...I think I already know the answer to this question, but the cards you put in SLI have to be the same type? So you have to match a 6800GT w/a 6800GT and clock them at the same speeds right? The only two card setup that you didn't need two matching cards for was the old 3dfx cards correct?

Because......if you could add, let's say, a 6800 vanilla/GT to an already exsisting 6800 Ultra/GT in your system, then that's when I think that the value of SLI would really be shown...adding a slower and less expensive card to a top of the line card that you already own...just to give it that little boost it needs. This would be great for people who don't want to spend $500 everytime a new GPU comes out. Instead you just add a, by then, $200-250 6800 Vanilla/GT to your already exsisting 6800 Ultra/GT and your card will be on par with the current GPU and you saved $200-300. Of course the cards would have to be the same series 6800 to 6800 and 6600 to 6600 etc etc Of course it will be missing some of the "features" of the new cards, but the planned "features" of the new GPU's that are going to be coming out are, IMO, not going to have that big of an impact on game play (performance, picture quality), just look at PS2.0 to PS3.0...no big differences there, and by the time the "features" come out (PS4.0, DX10.0) that will have a big impact on gaming, then there it will be time to get rid of your old GPU even if it is a 6800 Ultra in SLI with another card and that'll be how many years down the line (2-2.5)?

 

[Mrvile]

I'm pretty sure you need 2 of the same cards.

 

[batmanuel]

Let's not automatically assume that the successor to the 6600GT will be twice the performance. NVidia has this nasty habit of screwing up their odd numbered releases, so chances are that the 7600 card might actually suck (like the 5200/5600 cards never lived up to the performance of the older 4200 Ti cards - neither did the 9600 for that matter, when compared to the 9500).

It is hard to predict that far into the future, but if the next gen midrange performance stalls like it did in that period between the 4200 Ti and the 6600GT, SLI might be a good deal, especially if one can get the second card in a crazy closeout deal 6 months or a year from now.

EDIT: Meant to say ODD numbered releases.

 

[Mrvile]

And I'm pretty sure most NV cards were even numbered...

 

[magomago]

i think its this.

i have 200 dollars now

i want a videocard that can play games well now, very well

i don't want to wait till i have 400 to buy a more expensive card

i buy a 6600GT now for 200 dollars

1.5 years from now my 6600GT is getting too slow; so i buy another 150 dollar 6600gt

for 50 dollars cheaper i get 95-105% the speed of a 6800ULTRA

and i didn't need the cash at once


but will i do that? Nope I'm not sutpid enough to buy more than a single videocard Then again i play farcry on a g4mx420 ^_^

 

[mongster]

This is just me but...

Just buy the 6800Ultra. After 1 year, sell it to someone who wants to SLI and buy the fastest vid card nVidia comes out with. Hehe.

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: Mrvile
Different people have different situations. I, for example, am building a computer from total scratch, getting all the parts new and just throwing it together. I could 1. Pay 400 bucks for a single 6800GT on an NF3 MB that costs almost the same as an NF4 one, or I could 2. Pay 400 bucks for two 6600GTs on an NF4 MB. I choose the NF4 route because of its upgradeability, and yes, the two 6600GTs DO DO DO perform better than even the 6800ULTRA on some tests if you read the benchmarks carefully and completely. Either way I'll be spending the same amount of money, I just choose to take the more versatile route.

uhhh, it would have been more versatile to take the single 6800GT route, because then you are more flexible and could toss another card in right now you are inflexible b/c if you wanted to upgrade, BOTH cards have to go

 

[xsilver]

Has anybody answered this question -- is it possible to get a 6600gt and then later add a 6800gt or whatever is out in 12-18 months time? now that would be a sweep upgrade path, the only added cost being the sli mobo

And to the point of this whole thread, I think freshprince was trying to say that it wouldn't be real smart to spend $150 on a sli mobo and get a 6600gt SLI when if you want instant performance as a 6800gt will be a better solution -- right now that is...