sli or single card

[stevieg]

My question is whether to upgrade graphics card or double up in sli mode. Tried to decypher various tests on web & ended up confused as to what benefits are.
Set up: asus a8n sli premium
amd 4000+
inno3d 6600gt

If upgrade is better option what card would I be looking at?

any help would be much appreciated

 

[michael 118]

Your motherboard is perfectly capable of handling SLI, i would go for SLI if you had the money and buy something like two 7600 GT's...but it depends on how much you want to spend and if your power supply is adequate

 

[Reefsmoka]

A good single card for sure.

SLI = More power usage, more noise, more heat and more problems!

 

[stevieg]

Any recommendations Reefsmoka

 

[Reefsmoka]

Big Budget = 7900GTX

Medium Budget = 7900 GT

Low Budget = 7900 GS

I've lost faith in Ati as of late, there problems with drivers and there crossfire let down made me go back to Nvidia!

You might be able to pick something from the 7800 range, they might be abit cheaper seeing as the 7900 range is out.

 

[muckshifter]

Tried to decipher various tests on web & ended up confused as to what benefits are.

None! Not unless you are into writing your own Film using animated graphics ... games will be the biggest user.

Anybody remember 3Dfx that was the first SLi, Scan Line Interleave, no HSF either ... nVidia bought them out.

http://www.penstarsys.com/editor/tech/graphics/nvidia/sli_inter/index.html

Wow, 2x times scaling ...

Reefsmoka knows his cards & games.

 

[stevieg]

Many thanks Reefsmoka - had been lookin at 7800/7900 cards anyway as other option to 2*sli cards. Regards, stevie

 

[tomsega]

SLI can be extremely noisy, hot to the extent of affecting other hardware (or forcing you to un-overclock a CPU), and will most probably require a PSU upgrade if your current one is under 380w.

However, you'll get a hell of a lot of performance.

BUT!!! -

*IF I WERE YOU I WOULD WAIT A COUPLE OF MONTHS FOR DIRECT X 10 GRAPHICS CARDS TO BE UNVIELED!!*

I made the mistake of buying too soon about this time last year - and it basically meant that I spent £500 on a 7800gtx 512mb, when the 5% faster X1900 came out a month later, for £350!!

So yeah.. timing is as important as budget.

 

[tomsega]

Also, spending hundreds of pounds on a rig that will be equaled by any-kids' Xbox360 is both annoying and embarrasing, so why not wait a while until you really NEED to upgrade?


Patience is a virtue.

You can't have your cake and eat it.

You couldn't swing a cat in here...

 

[Alf]

i have the same mobo, and i have a 7900 GT and i plan to go SLI in the future
then when the time comes- new nextgen card and sell off the 2 old ones