LGA 775 SLI board recommendation?

[Liquidity]

Hi all, I am looking for an LGA 775 motherboard that supports SLI. I just bought another 8800GT so I can run SLI and then I realized my MB doesn't support SLI (lol). So now I'm hoping to just swap out the MB so I don't have to upgrade both my proc and MB. I don't need the fastest machine on earth, I just thought I'd add another 8800GT since I have a 1920x1200 monitor.

My setup:
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
eVGA GeForce 8800 GT 512-P3-N801-FR
eVGA GeForce 8800 GT 512-P3-N802-A3
LIAN LI Lancool PC-K7B
Dell 24 inch UltraSharp™ 2405FPW Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
[not sure about my PSU; it's beefy tho]

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[hennessy1]

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...a+780i&x=0&y=0

 

[Liquidity]

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...a+780i&x=0&y=0

I searched already, I was hoping someone would have some opinions on why one board vs another.

 

[nenforcer]

It's unfortunately extremely slim pickings.

If you want to reuse your existing RAM then I would recommend the

ASUS P5N-T Deluxe AKA ASUS Striker II Formula. (nForce 780i)

If you want to upgrade to DDR3 since RAM prices are so low then there are numerous

EVGA, XFX and ASUS Striker II Extreme nForce 790i boards on eBay.

The last boards available for purchase new were the 750i series headlined by the

ASUS P5N-D nForce 750i which still used DDR2.

You could also get an EVGA B-Stock 750i board for $50 but they are long gone now.

 

[Termie]

Skip it and take the loss on the 8800gt. The cost of any s775 motherboard capable of doing SLI would come close to the cost of a new graphics card that would beat the 8800gt in SLI.

Sell the graphics cards, keep your motherboard, and buy this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121390. Way less hassle, way more consistent performance. The 512MB 8800gt is seriously memory-limited at 1920 anyway. In SLI it would be completely bottlenecked.

You could probably fetch about $40 for each 8800gt, which would nearly pay for the GTX460. If you stripped your whole rig down to install an SLI board, you might fetch $20 for your used MB. Just doesn't make any sense.

 

[Liquidity]

Skip it .

This is why I posted this thread. Thanks for the feedback, that's just what I'll do.

...anyone need 2 8800GT's? XD

 

[Termie]

This is why I posted this thread. Thanks for the feedback, that's just what I'll do.

...anyone need 2 8800GT's? XD

Hope I wasn't too blunt - I think you'll be happier with a single modern card, and you'll come out better financially too.

 

[Liquidity]

Hope I wasn't too blunt - I think you'll be happier with a single modern card, and you'll come out better financially too.

No no, I was serious, that's really what I wanted to know. I can get rid of the cards, no problem. Thanks again for the input!

 

[Termie]

No no, I was serious, that's really what I wanted to know. I can get rid of the cards, no problem. Thanks again for the input!

Cool - let us know what you end up with.

 

[Liquidity]

I will, thanks! So do I need to buy the ASUS card, or will any "GeForce GTX 460" card do? I'm partial to eVGA simply because they look nicer (man that ASUS card is ugly!). Thanks for the info - I've been out of the "upgrade" game for a couple of years so there's a lot to catch up on.

 

[Termie]

I will, thanks! So do I need to buy the ASUS card, or will any "GeForce GTX 460" card do? I'm partial to eVGA simply because they look nicer (man that ASUS card is ugly!). Thanks for the info - I've been out of the "upgrade" game for a couple of years so there's a lot to catch up on.

Any GTX 460 will do, but you have to be careful, because there are several models, and they generally go in this order, from lowest to highest performance: GTX 460 SE 1GB, GTX 460 768MB, and GTX460 1GB. EVGA has basically left the market for the 768MB model (which I own), and their currect GTX460 offerings are way too expensive, as they aren't taking the 460 seriously anymore. They are trying to make a buck on the abysmal 550Ti, which was supposed to "replace" the 460 but should be avoided entirely, as it is grossly inferior (click the link to see how you could waste $130: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130625). I agree the EVGA GTX460 looks good - it is the only manufacturer using the nVidia reference design, so it looks the most "put together." That doesn't mean it's better, however - the Asus is just as good.

If you decide that you really can't accept the looks of the Asus, you'll need to go up in price, and there's one card that you should give particular consideration to: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-932-_-Product. This is a special reintroduction of the HD5850, which is faster than anything under about $200 right now. No rebate to deal with, and guaranteed performance above GTX460 1GB and HD6850 levels.

Feel free to check the video card forum, however, as there are many people looking in the same price range, including many upgrading from the 8800gt.

 

[Liquidity]

Alright, you've convinced me, I'll go with the ASUS. Thanks for all the info, I'm sure other folks will find it useful as well.

Final question: any reason I shouldn't go for the 1GB instead of the 768?

 

[Termie]

Alright, you've convinced me, I'll go with the ASUS. Thanks for all the info, I'm sure other folks will find it useful as well.

Final question: any reason I shouldn't go for the 1GB instead of the 768?

Simple...price...and the fact that it's only about 8-10% faster. Cheapest 1GB version is just under $150 after rebate, cheapest with a decent cooler is $165 after rebate. They're all a bad deal at this point. Both the HD6850 and HD5850 are cheaper and faster. If you are willing to raise your budget, go with the AMD cards, but at $110, the Asus GTX460 can't be beat. Since you were probably looking for an inexpensive upgrade path given your interest in 8800gt SLI, I don't want to talk you into spending $150.

I have a similar setup to you, and the GTX460-768 really maxes out the system - that's about all a stock-clocked dual-core can support.

 

[Liquidity]

Awesome. I bought the 768mb version as you suggested. $12 more with tax but it'll be here in 2 days. Oh look, just in time for the weekend. Thanks again Termie and everyone else!

 

[Termie]

Awesome. I bought the 768mb version as you suggested. $12 more with tax but it'll be here in 2 days. Oh look, just in time for the weekend. Thanks again Termie and everyone else!

Bummer about tax, but at least you'll have it soon...let us know how it works!

Quick tip: the card requires two PCIe power connectors (as would two 8800GTs). In case you don't have two such plugs on your power supply, just use the molex adapter that the card comes with for one of the PCIe connectors.

 

[Liquidity]

Thanks, I do have two PCIe connectors on my PSU. Looking forward to using them both! >

 

[VirtualLarry]

I ran two GTX460s (on a crossfire mobo, for CUDA support) with an Antec EarthWatts 650W, with a pair of PCI-E power splitters. You could do that (with one splitter), if you don't have two 6-pin PCI-E power plugs. I would think that the PCI-E splitter would be preferable to the molex-to-PCI-E power adapters.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Return the 8800GT

 

[Liquidity]

So I got the card Termie suggested, and...WOW. What a huge upgrade. Runs Portal 2 at 1920x1200 with everything on high, smooth as silk. Same with Dragon Age II demo. Awesome! Thanks Anandtech folks!

 

[Starcrosser]

I'm partial to eVGA simply because they look nicer (man that ASUS card is ugly!)

Very important to get a good looking card. People really underestimate this type of thing. When your neighbors come over, you need to have something *good* looking to brag about, none of that vanilla stuff sitting on the inside of your PC case.

 

[Termie]

So I got the card Termie suggested, and...WOW. What a huge upgrade. Runs Portal 2 at 1920x1200 with everything on high, smooth as silk. Same with Dragon Age II demo. Awesome! Thanks Anandtech folks!

Awesome...I figured that would be a great upgrade. Have fun with it.

Good luck selling your 8800gt's.

 

[Liquidity]

Very important to get a good looking card. People really underestimate this type of thing. When your neighbors come over, you need to have something *good* looking to brag about, none of that vanilla stuff sitting on the inside of your PC case.

Very funny. Call me crazy but if I have a choice of buying something that looks sweet and buying something that looks busted, I buy sweet! Have you seen the box the ASUS card comes in? Something on the front with a leopard head, human muscle body and wings. Holy CRAP my wife made fun of me.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Luckily, you didnt made the bad choice of getting a LGA775 SLI mobos. All Nvidia chipsets for Intel are pretty much terrible.

Nvidia: "Let's do SLI on our crazily hot chipsets on overpriced motherboards while your SATA hard disks corrupts to hell! Great deal!"

 

[coolpurplefan]

Any GTX 460 will do, but you have to be careful, because there are several models, and they generally go in this order, from lowest to highest performance: GTX 460 SE 1GB, GTX 460 768MB, and GTX460 1GB. EVGA has basically left the market for the 768MB model (which I own), and their currect GTX460 offerings are way too expensive, as they aren't taking the 460 seriously anymore. They are trying to make a buck on the abysmal 550Ti, which was supposed to "replace" the 460 but should be avoided entirely, as it is grossly inferior (click the link to see how you could waste $130: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130625). I agree the EVGA GTX460 looks good - it is the only manufacturer using the nVidia reference design, so it looks the most "put together." That doesn't mean it's better, however - the Asus is just as good.

If you decide that you really can't accept the looks of the Asus, you'll need to go up in price, and there's one card that you should give particular consideration to: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-932-_-Product. This is a special reintroduction of the HD5850, which is faster than anything under about $200 right now. No rebate to deal with, and guaranteed performance above GTX460 1GB and HD6850 levels.

Feel free to check the video card forum, however, as there are many people looking in the same price range, including many upgrading from the 8800gt.

Why would you say the 550 Ti is abysmal? I was considering getting one.

 

[nenforcer]

Why would you say the 550 Ti is abysmal? I was considering getting one.

It's not that its a bad card or anything, because its not, but it's just not competitively priced for what you get.

For instance, a new GTX 550 Ti only has 192 CUDA Cores but sells for between $125 and $150 (with rebate).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130625

A new, previous generation GTX 460 has 336 CUDA Cores, nearly 2X as many CUDA cores, and sells for only $160-$180 before rebate.

If you are willing to spend only $20-$30 more before rebate you can get a substantially more powerful card.

The GTX 550 Ti is competing against Radeon HD 5770 and 6770 video cards which are priced at around $99! It is grossly overpriced and should be avoided unless you have extremely low resolution gaming and power requirements.