2x 8800GTS + SLI or 1x 8800GTX?

[SunnyD]

Well? What do ya'll think? Which should I get?

 

[beggerking]

1 or 2 8800GTS OCed.

 

[wanderer27]

I go with the GTX, why get two cards - twice the power/heat, and there are still some issues with SLI.

The GTX should pretty much be able to run anything anyway unless you're going with absolutely insane resolutions.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: wanderer27
I go with the GTX, why get two cards - twice the power/heat, and there are still some issues with SLI.

The GTX should pretty much be able to run anything anyway unless you're going with absolutely insane resolutions.

1920x1200.

 

[Piuc2020]

8800GTS SLI is more expensive...

I say get a single 8800GTX, might be a better option in the long run (you will be able to get a SLI physics and a second 8800GTX which you can't do with the 88GTS I think)

If you are willing to spend 900$ for a 8800GTS SLI setup might as well just spend 600-650 on a single 8800GTX and save the money for a SLI setup later on when you actually need that much power and single card setups are more convenient not too mention at 1920x1200, the 8800GTX will be incredibly fast for any game out there and you can always overclock for that extra bit of performance.

But you know thats just me.

 

[tuteja1986]

I would go for a 8800GTX but i need a game that will take advantage of this raw power and i do wish Oblivion gets patched so it can take advantage of G80 SLI.

 

[wanderer27]

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: wanderer27
I go with the GTX, why get two cards - twice the power/heat, and there are still some issues with SLI.

The GTX should pretty much be able to run anything anyway unless you're going with absolutely insane resolutions.

1920x1200.

The GTX can even run Prey @ 56+ FPS at 2560x1600 with 4x AA - I would think you should be fine at 1920x1200.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: wanderer27

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: wanderer27
I go with the GTX, why get two cards - twice the power/heat, and there are still some issues with SLI.

The GTX should pretty much be able to run anything anyway unless you're going with absolutely insane resolutions.

1920x1200.

The GTX can even run Prey @ 56+ FPS at 2560x1600 with 4x AA - I would think you should be fine at 1920x1200.

Well I guess it's settled then. I guess I need to find a home for my X1950XTX now.

 

[Corporate Thug]

I agree 1 gtx is a better solution

 

[SpeedZealot369]

I second that, 1 gtx

 

[tylerw13]

i would get the one gtx im doing that so i can gain room in my very cramped computer...lol why use two when one is just as powerful as two???

 

[vinayag]

Im amazed at someone asking if they should blow up $600 or $900 just to stay ahead in the race ! Given the power of these cards which can run pretty much anything you throw at them at "sane" resolutions, why on earth would you want two of them in SLI ?

My take would be that the sli setup would get you nothing more than bragging rights for $300 more.

 

[VooDooAddict]

Originally posted by: vinayag
Im amazed at someone asking if they should blow up $600 or $900 just to stay ahead in the race ! Given the power of these cards which can run pretty much anything you throw at them at "sane" resolutions, why on earth would you want two of them in SLI ?

My take would be that the sli setup would get you nothing more than bragging rights for $300 more.

Some people are looking for bragging rights, some people are looking to get the highest benchmarks possible within thier budget, some people really don't know and are looking for direction.

Best bang for the $$ would be a nice P965 Board @ $150, a Core 2 Duo, and the 8800GTX. The added cost of an SLI motherboard for Core 2 Duo on top of the higher cost of TWO 8800GTS cards won't give you much mang for the $$.

The savings on both motherboard and the second card could put you a good ways toward that pretty 30" LCD so you can make good use of the 8800GTX.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: wanderer27

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: wanderer27
I go with the GTX, why get two cards - twice the power/heat, and there are still some issues with SLI.

The GTX should pretty much be able to run anything anyway unless you're going with absolutely insane resolutions.

1920x1200.

The GTX can even run Prey @ 56+ FPS at 2560x1600 with 4x AA - I would think you should be fine at 1920x1200.

Well I guess it's settled then. I guess I need to find a home for my X1950XTX now.

i have a used video card hobo shelter place.... i take the cards in (for free obviously )

 

[Modular]

Originally posted by: SunnyD
Well I guess it's settled then. I guess I need to find a home for my X1950XTX now.

I'll give you $5 for it....

 

[nitromullet]

I may go SLI eventually, but I'm glad I opted for a single GTX instead of dual GTSes.

This is the part that none of the previews mentioned (probably because they are all running fresh installs)... I had to completely remove the last ForceWare driver and profiles from my PC before the 97.02 driver would even work without crashing (it works great now), and once this was done there were a whole lot less game profiles in the driver than there used to be. Even common games like WoW and the game that came with the card (Dark Messiah) didn't have profiles. No big deal with a single card, but with SLI you'll be doing trial and error to find the best SLI mode for any game that doesn't have a profile.

On that same idea, if trial and error is all that is needed, why didn't NV hire a monkey and give it an SLI rig with a stack of games to determine which mode was the fastest...? I would've done it for free if they had flown me out to Santa Clara and let me keep the rig, and so would just about any one of us... So, why are there fewer profiles...? hmmmm...

That being said, I'm sure that NV will ramp up the profiles and improve the drivers over time, but I wouldn't expect early 8-series SLI to be quite as smooth of an experience as the mature 7-series SLI was. That's just IMHO, and I could be wrong, but I would want to know the score with SLI before buying two cards.

 

[TheInternal]

yeah... a single 8800, GTS or GTX blows the CRAP outta any previous SLI setup.... even a quad SLI setup... which is why I'm a bit irked that my less than two month old 7950 GT SLI configuration that I purchased the day it came out is already bypassed. I run a 24" LCD, so I actually need the power to run games at the native res. Let's hear it for deceptive marketing T-T

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: TheInternal
yeah... a single 8800, GTS or GTX blows the CRAP outta any previous SLI setup.... even a quad SLI setup...

This has been the case since SLI was first re-introduced. A single 7800GTX beat 6800GT SLI, and most of us expected the 8-series to do the same to the 7-series SLI. As a matter of fact, most of us would have been disappointed had this not been the case.

which is why I'm a bit irked that my less than two month old 7950 GT SLI configuration that I purchased the day it came out is already bypassed. I run a 24" LCD, so I actually need the power to run games at the native res. Let's hear it for deceptive marketing T-T

How is it deceptive for them to give you what you paid for? The 7950GT was an outstanding value for what you got... a full blown G71 core paired up with 512MB of GDDR2 RAM, which made it very close to a 7900GTX with a $100 discount. Btw... If you bought EVGA cards, you could always look into stepping-up...

 

[SunnyD]

Actually, I'm getting a GTS... with the following reasoning:
- I don't want to buy another new PSU seeing as I just replaced mine last month.
- The GTS's apparently overclock quite nicely.
- $$$
- I can always upgrade to SLI later.

 

[beggerking]

Originally posted by: SunnyD
Actually, I'm getting a GTS... with the following reasoning:
- I don't want to buy another new PSU seeing as I just replaced mine last month.
- The GTS's apparently overclock quite nicely.
- $$$
- I can always upgrade to SLI later.

good decision!

buy evga, OC it to gtx speed now, wait for someone to possibly unlock pipes, then

1. add another when it gets cheaper, or
2. step up to g81 later

 

[niggles]

hang on... does anyone actually have a comparison?