SLi - worth it?

Monday, August 29, 2005 by gfcentral002 | Discussion: Video Cards

i'm thinking of upgrading my current pc to an AMD 64 cpu from my current Ahtlon XP 2500+ cpu (as soon as i'm done paying for this semester of school) and was wondering if it would be worth going with a motherboard that supports the new Nvidia SLi products.... i currently run an Nvidia based AGP video card but this new SLi looks pretty nice ~ just want to know if anyone on here currently is running this and if it would be worth it or if i should just get a new mobo & the AMD 64 and stay w/ my current AGP card (BFG Nvidia Geforce 6200 OC AGP 8x 256mb)
16 Reply 43 Referrals
gmoneykyo
Reply #1 Monday, August 29, 2005 5:37 AM
Just get the processor, your current graphics card would blow away any game you threw at it, plus it's on the AGP so that also makes it more effective. I don't think there's a need to upgrade that card. (Although I am a big ATI fan )

stealthdemonone
Reply #2 Monday, August 29, 2005 7:01 AM

pixel-Master Draco
Reply #3 Monday, August 29, 2005 7:50 AM
the SLi is for running two(matched) video cards at once. this is for gameing and realy improves the video responce time(refresh rate and your reaction time) and helps you make your next move just a little bit faster.

iTZKooPA
Reply #4 Monday, August 29, 2005 9:47 AM
My personal belief is that its still not worth the money. Not to mention that I don't think there are any games out there now that can't be run with a topped off system as it is, at full resolution.

I will most likely be sticking with my Radeon 9800, AMD Athlon XP 3000+ for awhile longer.

gfcentral002
Reply #5 Monday, August 29, 2005 9:06 PM
thanks for the replies - think i'll end up getting just a new mobo & the amd 64 this winter ~ my current mobo won't support amd 64 *or that'd save me some money lol though the cpu is only like $129 for lowest model amd 64 @ compusa* thanks again

kona0197
Reply #6 Tuesday, August 30, 2005 1:11 AM
Check this out:

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4532297?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Mnelson
Reply #7 Tuesday, August 30, 2005 1:13 AM
WHOA?!? Good deal there, at least in my opinion, I paid more for my P4 3.4 GHz, WITHOUT the motherboard....then again that was in last March...and you know how fast technology moves these days.

gfcentral002
Reply #8 Tuesday, August 30, 2005 4:26 AM
whew little pricy and they only allow 2nd day shipping to alaska for an additional $10 - i hate shipping stuff here i'll probably wait and get it all from CompUSA *or some local computer store in town* but thanks for the link!

2badmice
Reply #9 Wednesday, August 31, 2005 1:10 PM
Get one! I have and it's the best in the biz

iTZKooPA
Reply #10 Thursday, September 1, 2005 9:12 AM
Ouch, CompUSA and stores of that nature usually charge a pretty high premium on most large ticket items. Even with the pricey shipment to Alaska you might be better off getting it online.

DarkMist
Reply #11 Tuesday, September 19, 2006 5:27 AM
An SLI motherboard is a great investment, you dont have to have SLI cards but the option will be there when the time comes to upgrade, I just spent over £1300 on building my own gaming pc and I still have extra's to buy and a whole load of room to expand, Just don't buy 2 lower end cards for SLI when you can usually spend the same on a better card that will do the same and still leave you the option to get another and double it, I have a 7900GT 512mb Golden Sample which is more than adiquate for now and when the time comes i'll just buy another and make it SLI   

Fuzzy Logic
Reply #12 Tuesday, September 19, 2006 5:38 AM

I have 2x 7600GT on an Asus A8N, and my posted score on 3dMark2006 is higher than any 7800GT card... and my combination cost £100 less   

UT2004 runs at 200-300fps, peaking at 1000+fps in places   

The downside? MS Flight Simulator will only run in non SLi mode and Earth 2150 doesn't like any mode at all   


Xythe
Reply #13 Tuesday, September 19, 2006 6:15 AM
Just get the processor, your current graphics card would blow away any game you threw at it, plus it's on the AGP so that also makes it more effective. I don't think there's a need to upgrade that card. (Although I am a big ATI fan )


This is outright false! The OPs video card is more than 2 years old and it was a low-end card then. 4-pixle pies and 128 data path. As far as any modern gaming goes, this video card is long obsolete.


I will most likely be sticking with my Radeon 9800, AMD Athlon XP 3000+ for awhile longer.


The R9800 is very obsolete as well. This guys configuration is OK for Halo or UT2004, but for anything approaching modern like Quake 4, Doom 3, Battlefield 2, Fear. Face it, this card will not perform to any satisfaction. I have a R9800 Pro sitting up in my closet. You want it, I'll give it to you for $25.


An SLI motherboard is a great investment, you dont have to have SLI cards but the option will be there when the time comes to upgrade, I just spent over £1300 on building my own gaming pc and I still have extra's to buy and a whole load of room to expand, Just don't buy 2 lower end cards for SLI when you can usually spend the same on a better card that will do the same and still leave you the option to get another and double it, I have a 7900GT 512mb Golden Sample which is more than adiquate for now and when the time comes i'll just buy another and make it SLI


This guy know what he is talking about.
I have 2x 7600GT on an Asus A8N, and my posted score on 3dMark2006 is higher than any 7800GT card... and my combination cost £100 less
UT2004 runs at 200-300fps, peaking at 1000+fps in places


This guy knows as well.




Kevin_C
Reply #14 Friday, October 20, 2006 3:45 PM
Honestly, even if you're not going to be going SLi just yet you should probably consider getting a new video card simply because AGP is a dead technology at this point. If you buy a new mobo with AGP graphics you're only prolonging the amount of time you'll have to wait until you can upgrade your graphics card. All of the new cards are PCIEx and I hardly ever see video cards that are AGP. I personally have the NVidia 7950GX2 which is a single card SLi solution and I'm not really considering the move to Quad-GPU yet but if I want to I have the option. I have an SLi ready mobo, all I need is another dual GPU on one card video card and I'm good to go.. Not sure that will ever happen though.

Dan Greene
Reply #15 Friday, November 17, 2006 5:51 PM
Don't you need a PCI-E MotherBoard to run SLI?

The__Goo
Reply #16 Thursday, January 18, 2007 7:09 PM
yes

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