Why-Sli=waste of money

[love2skate824]

Okay, so there are tons of people out there buying sli mobos with only one gpu. Why?
Most say future proofing. By the time they scratch up enough moolah to buy another gfx, they'll realize that..

1. The card is no longer in production.
2. It's a waste spending double the cash only to see a max of 10fps increase.
3. A new card offers twice the performance of the sli'd sysytem at half the total cost.

So in case your getting sli right now, its a waste to get the sli mobo.

and to those who think that dual gpu is the future of computer graphics, think agian. Won't someone be smart and invent a dual core gpu?

 

[imported_michealo]

bitter? table for one?

 

[Lonyo]

New card at half the cost if you take into account the total price you paid 6~12 months ago, and that's the price of technology.
If you need a card after next gen is out, well, get one second hand from someone upgrading to those new cards which offfer the same level of performance, and you get it fairly cheap.
Graphics cards don't go out of production that quickly, so that part is BS, unless you want to say you can't still get a 9800Pro new?
It's a waste to spend double the cash for 10fps? Maybe, but then why bother with a 4000+ over a 3000+ since there's little performance increase for more than twice the cash? Same can be said about oh so many computer parts. 1GB RAM vs 2GB, little performance change, twice the cash etc etc.

In 3~6 months when the price of 7800GT's has gone down, I can buy a second to increase my power, without doubling my spend (since the new card will be cheaper), it will still be in production, and I'm fairly sure anything out by Christmas from nVidia won't give the same performance as SLI'd versions of the 7800GT for half the cost.

 

[love2skate824]

Lonyo, if your getting one by Christmas than by all means, go for it. Im taling about the people who want to future proof and wont spend money on another vid card until like 18 months or 2 years.

 

[imported_michealo]

2 years? who do you think is buying SLI mobo's and cards?

 

[Kyanzes]

Originally posted by: love2skate824
Lonyo, if your getting one by Christmas than by all means, go for it. Im taling about the people who want to future proof and wont spend money on another vid card until like 18 months or 2 years.

...Drum roll...

love2skate just found out that buying an SLI mobo with one GPU to be able to expand it later with an additional one is simply not future proof and doesn't worth it.

...Drum roll...

Why do you say two years? One could expand his system in, say, 9 months. Don't try to think with others' head. Not that I'm really influenced by the dual GPU stuff though.

 

[CraKaJaX]

"suit yourself"

 

[biostud]

When spending $2000 on a computer I think I can live with the extra $50 for a SLI mobo.

 

[Ronin]

To each his or her own. Pretty simple.

 

[homestar runner]

Originally posted by: biostud
When spending $2000 on a computer I think I can live with the extra $50 for a SLI mobo.

 

[jdport]

I bought an SLI setup with only one video card... it isn't so much future proofing as it is the fact that I could only afford a single 6800GT (the new one wasn't out when I bought it) and it gives me a cheap upgrade in the future. Later on the prices in the 6800 will be very cheap while the higher end newer cars will be $400-500. Adding the second card will give me nearly the performance of one of the newer cards, at least in theory... we'll see how it works out but that was my reasoning for going with an SLI setup. It really wasn't much more expensive than going with the equivelent non-SLI board, etc.

-jd

 

[GamerExpress]

I agree with the OP, I wouldn't go SLI in a million years. The point is that each person has there own thing, rather then complain about someone elses decision to go with SLI, take some time to feel good about your own build and not put others down.

 

[Mickey21]

Originally posted by: love2skate824
and to those who think that dual gpu is the future of computer graphics, think agian. Won't someone be smart and invent a dual core gpu?

So while you'll be limited with just Dual GPU's, others will be using Quads. *shrugs*

No joke, what does it really matter to you... Dont want the option to upgrade, dont buy it, others want the option or are using SLI, good for them... Really...

Havent we beaten this topic to death yet?

"SLI is a joke"
"SLI is the rockzorz"


BUY WHAT YOU WANT....

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

I still don't see how the OP is pissed about $50 in the price of a computer. I'll be building my wife's machine with an SLI mobo, simply because, why not. If I choose to do SLI later, I have the option, rather than not. If you don't want one, don't get one. And spare everyone else from your petty crap.
Tas.

 

[Bona Fide]

OBVIOUSLY you know very little about the scalability of Scalable Link Interface. Look in RECENT games, benchmarked on single card vs. SLI systems. You should see anywhere from a 60% to a 100% jump in FPS in SLI systems vs. their single-card counterparts.

 

[rasta4ian]

I am buying the SLI platinum from MSI whitout any plans to buy a second gpu. I chose SLI because it has more fetures than the non SLI version + the Cretive Live 24 bit sound blaster, and the price difference is almost insignificant, it's almost under 20 bucks.
Cheers

 

[exar333]

Originally posted by: jdport
I bought an SLI setup with only one video card... it isn't so much future proofing as it is the fact that I could only afford a single 6800GT (the new one wasn't out when I bought it) and it gives me a cheap upgrade in the future. Later on the prices in the 6800 will be very cheap while the higher end newer cars will be $400-500. Adding the second card will give me nearly the performance of one of the newer cards, at least in theory... we'll see how it works out but that was my reasoning for going with an SLI setup. It really wasn't much more expensive than going with the equivelent non-SLI board, etc.

-jd

u have a 6800GT, u want to buy another to equal a 7800gtx....u pay maybe 200-250 for the 2nd 6800 gt....

ok, why not sell your existing 6800gt for 200-250....then buy thet 7800gtx??

2x6800gts >(power) 1X7800GTX

7800GTX>(performance) 2x6800gts....

i dont get the whole sli thing, unless u want to spend a lot of money NOW for 2 high end cards to run crazy res's at...

my $0.02

 

[GnomeCop]

why don't all the people who buy sli motherboards w/ only 1 video card apologize and seek forgiveness and then we can end this silly thread

 

[AMDCrazy]

Gigabyte makes 3 dual GPU video cards, GV-3D1(dual 6600gt's), GV-3D1-XL(dual 6600's) and the GV-3D1-68GT(dual 6800gt's).

 

[Topweasel]

You buy a 7800GTX for $600 (which plays everything great) In a year or 2 you buy a second 7800GTX for 150-200. I just doubled my performance by buying a second one for a 3rd or 4th of the original price, and instead of taking my 600 purchase and getting rid of for $100 and buying another $400+ card. To my its like repairing that 7 year old car, It might cost half its value to repair but you actually need to look at the price of replacing as well.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

I usually don't like feeding the trolls, but, jeez, can you at least look up ONE benchmark before you spit out vomit like this?

Originally posted by: love2skate824
2. It's a waste spending double the cash only to see a max of 10fps increase.

In fact, right here on Anandtech, they have benchmarks. Let me pull just the first one from the article--

BF2-- at 1600x1200 4xAA 8xAF
6800U............35
6800U SLI.......67 (32fps increase....a tad over 10fps)
7800GT...........55
7800GT SLI.....88 (33fps increase... still a ways from that 10 you mention)
7800GTX.........66
7800GTX SLI...94 (aw, it dropped to 28.... well, that's only 18fps away from 10, so you were close :roll: )

3. A new card offers twice the performance of the sli'd sysytem at half the total cost.

Again, there's plenty of benches to choose from, but let's just stick with those above for simplicity. The GTX gets the exact same score as 6800U SLI. Where is "twice" the performance at what is considered pretty high settings (16x12 4xAA,8xAF)? And where is half the cost? Not that I recommend it, but you can buy 2 6800gts right now for around $500. A GTX costs a little less, around the same, a little more... depending on where ya shop. But certainly not half and certainly not twice the performance.

Anyway, Mickey21 said it best. "Haven't we beaten this topic to death yet?" It's just silly to see such ignorance when the cure is merely a clickable benchmark away.

 

[w00t]

SLI is a waste. look at it now the people who have 6800gt and were planning on getting another there not going to with the new 7800gtx and ati's new cards coming soon.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

Originally posted by: w00t
SLI is a waste. look at it now the people who have 6800gt and were planning on getting another there not going to with the new 7800gtx and ati's new cards coming soon.

Or you could look at those that bought 2 6800gts back in January and have been playing at GTX levels for the past 9 months and now have no need to upgrade yet.

 

[suicidalpigeon]

uh, we had these discussions when sli first came out kthx.

 

[MobiusPizza]

Originally posted by: deadseasquirrel

Originally posted by: w00t
SLI is a waste. look at it now the people who have 6800gt and were planning on getting another there not going to with the new 7800gtx and ati's new cards coming soon.

Or you could look at those that bought 2 6800gts back in January and have been playing at GTX levels for the past 9 months and now have no need to upgrade yet.

That's why I always says SLI is good AND ONLY good IF you can afford 2 cards AT the SAME time when they are JUST out.