Will I regret it if I do NOT go SLI?

[guptasa1]

Here's the deal,

Been planning to build a PC for months now, but never felt like the right time.

I don't want to go 680i due to all the problems that chipset had, and while most are resolved now, I just can't really justify it given the next-gen stuff that's coming out.

X38 looks great. Was really hoping it'd (officially) support SLI, but it doesn't. Don't want to go Crossfire, at least right now. Stability SHOULD be great (waiting for some benchies and reviews), it supports pretty much everything that's next-gen (DDR3, PCIE 2.0, future processors, etc.)...seems like a winner to me.

I've thought about waiting for the next nViida chipset, BUT, I don't really want to wait that long to build for one, and two, if the 680i is any indication, there'll be some pretty serious stability issues at first that Intel doesn't seem to have as much of... So I don't think it's probably worth the wait.

I'll probably pair it up with an 8800 Ultra for starters, and probably from eVGA so I can step up within 90 days should the 9XXX series arrive (looks like that's likely).

Monitor will either be 22" or 24" (so either 1680x1050 or 1920x1200 for native resolution...let's use the latter just for the purpose of this debate as I'm still undecided and debating this in another thread). I'd like to play games at maximum detail at native if possible.

Do you think I'll really regret not going SLI? Benchies looked mixed (sometimes very little improvement), and seems like SLI does have its share of problems to be sure... Plus this way, I'll save on power as well as heat, will have more expansion slots for other good stuff, and will be able to upgrade the vid card more often... But I still don't want to "bite the bullet" and then think "Oh know...I shoulda gone SLI."

So, back to the original question, anybody else go through this? Think I'll regret it? Thanks!

 

[Pain999]

I regret getting a SLI board because I never used it. There always seems to be a single card that performs well enough that getting two is not worth the cost and hassle. Most of the SLI boards do not have enough PCI slots for installing all the stuff I like to put in, especially when I upgrade and pass the parts down to non-gaming status when I want a TV card, sound card, and other gadgets installed that always seem to need a PCI slot. Alot of the new boards do seem to have plenty of PCI-e 1x slots, which so far seem to be useless until more devices come out that support it.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

If you're running in 1920x1200 SLi could be helpful, but for the most part a single cutting-edge card will be able to handle whatever you throw at it. In a year or so, games might not run on super-high settings at such high resolutions, though.

 

[JAG87]

wait until november for G92 and C72. for DDR3, you will have to wait until december for C73. then make your motherboard decision. but definetely wait for G92, there is no way that one of those cards is going to struggle at 1920x1200. performance should be equivalent to 8800 gtx/ultra SLI.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

igot a dual x16 crossfire board. never used it. sli/crossfire is all marketing and is useless. i just upgraded to a 8800gts since it was the cheaper alternative to the hd2900xt even though i'd love one of those cards. don't bother with the dual x16 slots

 

[Laminator]

If you're not going Crossfire/SLI right off the bat, then I'd say you don't need to worry about it. As had been said before, SLI/Crossfire is only for the highest-end cards. You're getting an 8800 Ultra, so you do have some justification for thinking about it, but an 8800 Ultra should be enough for a 24" screen and GeForce 9 is coming out in three months, anyway.

 

[nitromullet]

I tend to opt for an SLI board whenever I can. However, at this point there aren't really any good options IMO. As you said 680i has its share of issues, it's not exactly the newest chipset anymore, and doesn't really offer much for the price. X38 is still a toss up. It could be great, it could have issues, but it certainly would be more attractive if it supported SLI. If I was you, I'd pick up a decently priced P35 board, and only make the switch to an SLI board if you decide to go SLI. The P35 chipset is a great single card chipet that OC's well and decent boards can be found pretty cheap. If you decide to go SLI, sell the P35 board, and pick up the latest SLI chipset available at that time.

 

[BFG10K]

I pesonally don't even bother picking up SLI or Crossfire motherboards. You can save quite a bit of money and still get a very solid motherboard.

SLI/Crossfire is a waste of time unless you're pairing the fastest video cards around at the time you get it.

 

[guptasa1]

Thanks all.

Well, P35 looks like a great chipset. My concern there is, to my knowledge it's not quite as futureproof as X38 will be, namely DDR3 (though there are a few) and PCIE 2.0. So of the two, assuming X38 looks good on the initial benchmarks and as far as stability, I'm thinking it might be worth the extra cost given the extra future-proofing and hopefully slightly better performance. Additionally, if dual cards ever become more appealing, at least I can elect to do Crossfire, though I doubt I would choose to do so at that point.

Really, if X38 does look good, my choices will be between going with it or waiting for the next nVidia chipset for SLI, and given 680i's problems at launch, I just don't think I'm comfy doing that. As mentioned, it's just not a good option. Similarly, even though now much less wonky, I don't really want to go with an "old" (comparatively) board.

I also really am not wanting to wait that long to build, so in a way, the next few weeks should give me my answer I suppose. I keep trying to wait, but...it's a losing battle at this point as I've already been waiting since June and I'm getting giddy.

Thanks all. More opinions of course welcome, and all are definitely valued.