9800GX2 Compatibility Question

[DJSfurry]

I'm looking to possibly purchase one of these cards in the near future but have two questions that I'm not completely clear on.

Firstly Power Supply. While powerful at the time, I'm not sure if its enough for the 9800GX2. My power supply is rated at 470w and runs a single 12v rail rated at 33amps. While this falls below nVidia's specs does the strong 12v rail make up for it? Peak power in systems wont exceed the 470w the power supply is capable of so I figure I may not need to replace it, or am I completely wrong on this?

Secondly, Im using a MSI p35 neo2 motherboard which is of course using the Intel chipset. Is the SLI connection on the graphics card itself all that is required for it to run or is a SLI capable motherboard required? I wasn't able to find any info about this on the nvidia website in the brief time that I was there.

Overall is this the best card for gaming at the moment, or would I be better off with a single 9800GTX. I dont plan on adding a second physical card anytime in the near future, thanks for any advice!

 

[imported_Shaq]

33 amps is pretty low, but it depends on the rest of your system. The 9800 GX2 can use almost 17 amps by itself without overclocking. If you only have 1 hard drive and CDROM drive, 2 gigs of ram and a 65nm dual core processor it will probably run it. But only if it is a quality name brand power supply. The cheaper models power ratings are usually higher than they really can output. Also you need a 8 pin power connector for the GX2 as well as a 6 pin. Most power supplies don't have one. Especially ones under 650 watts. The 9800 GTX uses two 6 pin adapters. I did run the GX2 on a 480 watt power supply briefly with an adapter but it was pushing it hard and I decided to replace it since it was 3 years old already. I didn't want to risk ruining $1200 worth of parts so I went ahead and bought a $100 power supply. A good power supply will last about 5 years with normal use which is only $20/year. It is definitely worth buying a new one if you have had yours for awhile. New high-end graphics cards will require 8 pin connectors for now on it appears.

No you dont need a SLI motherboard to use the 9800GX2. The bridge is built into the card. And the question if it is the best card to get depends on the resolution you require the card to do. At 1600x1200 and below, without AA, a overclocked GTX should be fine and is $225 or so cheaper especially if you don't max out Crysis settings. If you buy a BFG or EVGA card you can step up to the GT200 which is due to be released in another 2 months.

So post your computer and power supply specs and then we can better assess whether you should get a GX2 or not.

 

[thilanliyan]

Originally posted by: Shaq
If you buy a BFG or EVGA card you can step up to the GT200 which is due to be released in another 2 months.

Is that for sure?

 

[DJSfurry]

I would really love to be able to get involved in the step-up program, however I live in Australia and as such aren't eligible.

Regarding my system, I currently use a q6600 and 4gb of ddr2-1000 ram. Motherboard is as stated before, the MSI P35 Neo2. I do run only one harddrive and one CD rom. All of this outputs to a Dell 2407WFP so yeah, I will be needing the graphics horsepower, that said, I didn't upgrade my graphics card when I moved to this system and am still running with with the X800GTO^2 (yeah i know) so regardless this will be a big upgrade for me.

The powersupply is a unit by 2themax but from the exterior, it would indicate it was manufactured in the same place as the original series of OCZ Powerstream PSU's. (near identical specs and same black chrome exterior finish, along with cable sleeving etc.)

I've beaten Crysis on my dads system (8800GT) back in HK so there is little replay value for me from that if the graphics are at a similar level (hence the 9800gx2 to run at higher settings). Other than allowing a couple of my current games to run with slightly more eyecandy at significantly higher fps, theres nothing major coming out in the next 2 months so it MAY be in my best interests to wait and see what G200 brings given that I've waited so long to upgrade the graphics card.

 

[imported_Shaq]

Originally posted by: thilan29

Originally posted by: Shaq
If you buy a BFG or EVGA card you can step up to the GT200 which is due to be released in another 2 months.

Is that for sure?

Well it's not for sure until it actually happens, but all rumors suggest it will be out by the end of July. The GX2 was rumored to be phased out 4 months after launch to be replaced by the GT200. But we don't know for sure what GT200 is. I've read anything from a dual GPU G92 shrunk to 55nm to a huge single die at 65nm based on a new architecture. Most point to the latter.

The major games due out between now and end of July are Mass Effect, Grid and Alone in the Dark. Grid will benefit most from a GX2. Dirt is based on the same engine and it needed a q6600 and a GX2 to run it perfectly. But Grid will have up to 20 cars in a race as opposed to 8 in Dirt. If you don't care for Grid then the next batch of games will be October/November besides Stalker prequel, Saint's Row 2 and a couple others.

 

[myocardia]

Here's some benchmarks, comparing a 9800GTX to a 9800GX2.

 

[R3MF]

my GX2 runs fine on a Corsair HX520, but i wouldn't wan to run it on a lesser PSU than that.