is there any point to SLI?

[PSUstoekl]

Honestly...for the money...two video cards produce framerates maybe 15% higher for double the price, and only if you have at least 1600x1200 (which I don't). Do you guys think that this will eventually become a decent solution for those of us who just wanna play games?

As I see it, much work still needs to be done.

 

[Schadenfroh]

It is more than a 15% performance increase.............

 

[JBT]

15%? what reviews were these? Some posted on driverheaven or rage3d? From quite a few benchmarks I've seen its can produce twice the frame rates...

 

[Beiruty]

Maybe in the future games will dynamically increase in complexity if the high end card is detected.

I need to see more life-like quality graphics at a max of 1920x1080 res.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: PSUstoekl
Honestly...for the money...two video cards produce framerates maybe 15% higher for double the price, and only if you have at least 1600x1200 (which I don't). Do you guys think that this will eventually become a decent solution for those of us who just wanna play games?

As I see it, much work still needs to be done.

You are new.

You apparently don't know much about video cards.

You should read up.

In a nutshell, SLI offers higher minimum framerates, higher resolutions, and higher AA/AF settings.

The advantage is far higher than 15% on games/settings that aren't cpu limited.

You're either trolling or tragically uniformed.

 

[Schadenfroh]

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2258&p=6

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2258&p=6

105 vs 51 fps....that's about 15%, right Schadenfroh?

LOL

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2258&p=6

105 vs 51 fps....that's about 15%, right Schadenfroh?

LOL

That is kind of odd seeing as it's actually more than a 100% increase. Apparently, SLI can be more than the sum of its parts.

 

[gac009]

I would totally do sli if i could.....15% my foot.

 

[Munky]

http://www.techreport.com/etc/2005q3/hires-gaming/index.x?pg=1

Look at the really-high resolution benches. The more I think about it, the better 1 7800gtx looks against dual 6800 ultras. Basically, the gf6 cards were not designed for optimum performance above 16x12 resolutions. The x850 cards weren't either, but they do a little better than the gf6 at those resolutions. So, while dual ultras might be way faster at 16x12, their perforance drops like a rock at higher resolutions. Interesting test, because it puts things into a different perspective.

Bottom line, 1 new card is usually better than 2 older ones, and this is not just referring to the gf6, but also to the future cards.

 

[addinator]

SLi is amazing, though, it certainly is costly regardless of how you look at it. especially, when you find you can put almost 2,000 towards an SLI config alone (thats assuming you are stupid enough to pay another grand for the paired 6800 ultras with 512mb. I have SLI myself, and personally, i have seen an amazing increase in performance (though i did upgrade from a 9800xt 256mb). the biggest problem, is that the two cards generate a bit of heat. easily solved though when you add more fans...

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2258&p=6

105 vs 51 fps....that's about 15%, right Schadenfroh?

LOL

Are you trying to say schadenfroh was/is wrong?

 

[addinator]

he is making a sarcastic joke, i must think...

 

[rise]

please, ati, release a damn card already so we have something else to discuss besides beating these long dead horses.

 

[fstime]

Yeah, 15 fps, BAH, forget SLI.

 

[addinator]

far more than 15fps, atleast with my system...

 

[LT4CAMSS]

DAMN IT ATI!!! I wish this re-taping misfortune did not happen. We need these cats to release the new cards. I wanna know whether a SLI config w/ an X2 will be good or a XFire config w/ an X2. By the time these cats release a mobo+card combo, socket M2 won't be far off. What a dillemma, no?

Edit: BTW, I've seen a system w/ SLI w/ my own eyes get literally double the performance. It's definitely an amazing thing for one with the loot to spend.

 

[Keysplayr]

UN-SLI & SLI benches

 

[IeraseU]

SLI configuration is targetted at a very niche market, at the upper extreme of gaming enthusiasts. For most people SLI is not a serious consideration given the specific power supply, motherboard, and price requirements.

In the future it is conceiveable that due to the more widespread use of PCI-e and some other factors such as ATI having thier own version of SLI (Crossfire) that dual graphic card configurations gain popularity. However I am inclined to make an educated guess that SLI will primarily remain a 'niche' occupied by very high end gamers, although I do see this group growing as gaming in general is growing steadily.

 

[rise]

Originally posted by: IeraseU
SLI configuration is targetted at a very niche market, at the upper extreme of gaming enthusiasts. For most people SLI is not a serious consideration given the specific power supply, motherboard, and price requirements.

i dunno, i see people who have an ultra-d board modded to sli with a ~80 psu and 2 6600gts. they score ~7000 in 3d05.

 

[RussianSensation]

It completely makes sense if:

1) you have so much money that you can simply afford the best and gaming is your hobby
2) you buy SLI as soon as top of the line comes out to have next generation performance today
3) you run at insanely high resolution and graphics settings (and of course the rest of your system is good too).

What doens't make sense to me is SLI for lower-end boards.

 

[BadAcid]

If you run below 1600x1200, it probably won't be worth it. I play with vertical sync and I've heard that's a no-no with SLI. Just do a little reading up. 250$ is probably enough to satisfy your gaming needs with an X800 XL.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: IeraseU
SLI configuration is targetted at a very niche market, at the upper extreme of gaming enthusiasts. For most people SLI is not a serious consideration given the specific power supply, motherboard, and price requirements.

In the future it is conceiveable that due to the more widespread use of PCI-e and some other factors such as ATI having thier own version of SLI (Crossfire) that dual graphic card configurations gain popularity. However I am inclined to make an educated guess that SLI will primarily remain a 'niche' occupied by very high end gamers, although I do see this group growing as gaming in general is growing steadily.

The SLI motherboard in my sons computer costs $125 shipped. How is that and a $80 PSU a "high end niche market"?

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
What doens't make sense to me is SLI for lower-end boards.

With the exception of "I want mid range gaming performance, but Pure Video is more important to me" people.

 

[TStep]

Although I most likely won't use SLI as I don't really require it right now (12x10 limited), I like it. The more options for me, the better. If it spawns manufacturers to think out of the box, great. Who knows, tomorrow I may get a 16x12 monitor or get a hair up my a$$ and decide it's time to tinker with SLI. Options don't hurt anyone.

Think of it this way. There are several ways to get a gig of ram: 4x256, 2x512, 1x1g. We'd all scream to high heaven if we only had one or two dimm slots now wouldn't we.