Why are so many people down on SLI?

[imported_caf2461]

Sli provides flexability. I bought one of the first A8n's sold in the US. At the time the 6800GT's were not available. The plain 6800's were over $350 each and I decided to buy dual 6600gt's for $170 each. When the 6800GT's/6900GT Ultras came out, people scoffed at sli and my dual 6600gt's because their $400 video card was just as fast. I sold my 6600gt's on ebay for $100 each and bought a single 7800GT for $300 (a $100 net upgrade). I was happy then, and am happy now. But now I suppose I should scoff at folks running lessor cards in sli (as if I wanted to). Now that I have a $300 video card, I think I will wait to see the lifespan of the 7800GT before deciding to go sli or upgrade the card.

 

[Greenman]

There is certainly a benefit to running SLI, but for most of us it?s just not worth the cost. I firmly believe that SLI was developed as a marketing tool. nVidia doesn?t move all that many top end video cards, it?s a small market. So after the early adopters and hardware junkies buy one, who else do you sell them too? Who wants top end hardware and will pay a very high price for it? The obvious answer is the same people who already bought top end hardware. It?s a pretty good idea, and it does indeed sell video cards. So now every time those diehard gamers upgrade, nVidia makes twice the money. What astounds me is how slow ATI has been to jump on the bandwagon, and the halfassed effort they have put out. It?s as if they really don?t care about dual cards at all.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Well, fact is 6800 ultra/GT SLi in 16x12 (not in 20x15 which the GTX will be faster), will outperform the 7800GTX 256mb in most of the games. So people who have bought SLi back then dont need to upgrade (but most do, and replace it with 7800GTX SLis ) , and still is enjoying high level performance. SLi is getting much better, it terms of stability, performance and flexibility.

For a consumer its a good "future' option to have, as all sorts of things might happen in the future that could make SLi useful. In other words, it provides flexibility as caf2461 mentions.

Right now, i would think that 7800GTX SLi would be faster than the R580. The only thing i would wait for the R580 (maybe G71) is features, less power consumption, heat but as of now i highly suspect it will utilise the same features used on the X1800. Nowadays, games are becoming GPU bound, meaning adding in another card will give you almsot 80~100% increase in performance (e.g F.E.A.R) depending on your resolution.

So in the end its really up to you.

btw- 6800GS Sli is fast/faster as/then a single 7800GTX according to firing squad which is pretty amazing.

 

[Wreckage]

Originally posted by: munky
2. A new card may be faster than dual gtx's, and definitely with newer features.

What newer features?

You should then wait for the G80 because it wil 0wn all! :roll:

 

[remagavon]

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: w00t
IMO its just not worth it to much money spent for not double the speed.

You're entitled to your opinion, but on modern gpu limited games like FEAR, COD2, Q4- the payoff of SLI far exceeds any other single upgrade, including some that cost much more. (assuming you already have a A64 3200+/1GB RAM)
There's no other upgrade that comes close, and getting 50% more performance for another $300-$500 is a price many are willing to pay. Not to mention the benefits of much higher minimum fps and running at higher detail settings.

I finally agree with you, you actually put that really well so kudos for that.

I'm an SLi user and it's very nice to be able to play Quake 4 at 1920x1200 with high details and some AF, while maintaining a solid framerate.

 

[4merTopGun]

If we just keep waiting for the next best thing, we'll never build our PCs.

TG

 

[jnjboc]

excellent discussion, folks. thanks for the input.

I will definintely pull the trigger for a 2nd evga 7800GTX at the Egg.

I look at it this way. I will have the most powerful graphics setup available to allow me to play pretty much every FPS with max AA/AF and textures. To me, the games take on a movie-like quality at the highest settings that really immerse me into the game even more.

In a year when 512 GTX's are plentiful, I'll sell my two 7800GTX's for maybe 1/3 of what I paid for them and get dual 512MB GTX's. It's worth it to me as I will have had the pleasure of playing FPS games the way I want to for that period of time, and that's worth the higher dollar cost to me.

I am a member of a lot of forums due to my varied hobbies, and this is the only forum where there are actually folks saying that anyone who pays top dollar for the latest technology of the moment is wasting their money and must be an idiot. It's strange and interesting at the same time....................

 

[biostud]

SLI is for users who enjoy playing games at high resoltions with max eyecandy and are willing to pay for it. For users who can enjoy a game at lower resolution SLI is not worth investing in.

 

[rise]

if evga didn't have their step up program and i didn't have a 6600gt agp i had to get rid of, i'd probably have added a 6800gt when needed as opposed to the gtx i picked up.

if youre thinking of adding another gtx now and its not absolutely needed right now then i'd wait a month or so for prices to drop some with the new launches.

 

[SilverBack]

I own a pair of 6800GTs.

What is important to me isn't the highest video frame rate available. What I bought mine for was that the lowest frame rate is generally higher with SLI than a single card solution at the same resolution.


Being in a large fire fight in an FPS and having your frame drop isn't a good thing

I'm completely satisfied with my cards ATM.
Quake 4, Fear and Call of Duty2 play wonderfully on my system.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

Originally posted by: SilverBack
I own a pair of 6800GTs....

I'm completely satisfied with my cards ATM.
Quake 4, Fear and Call of Duty2 play wonderfully on my system.

:thumbsup:

I have the same and am skipping this entire generation of cards simply because the 2x 6800GT setup outperforms most of the single cards out today on the games I play, at the settings I like to play at. If I sold both GTs for $175 each, what would I spend the $350 on....? Pay extra for the 256GTX for less (or close to equal) performance?

I've had these GTs for almost a year now. So, here it is, a year later, and the only single cards that can outperform them are either unavailable to buy or cost an arm, leg, and kidney. A year is a long time in the graphics world. Yet, I was able to buy 2 mid-high cards a year ago, and have them still equal performance of high-end cards almost a year later. While I'm not a huge proponent of buying one card and upgrading later to SLI, I can see doing that if and only if you get a fantastic deal on that 2nd card.

For a week or so, leaned toward selling off the 6800GTs, paying about $200 more and getting SLI 7800GTs. Price/performance, that is king right now.

 

[RussianSensation]

If you can afford to buy 2 high-end cards like 7800GTs or faster level in the beginning of new generation, then SLi is the way to go. This way you will be able to have high end performance every generation.

Buying 2x 7800GTs for $600 in 2005 and waiting for say 3 years (or in other words for extended periods of time) is, however, an illogical decision. Even if we ignore time value of money, inflation etc, you'll be much better off buying a $300 card and have it for 1.5 years and then another in 1.5 years. Chances are, by the time you buy your 2nd $300 card after 1.5 years, you'll exceed the speed of 2x7800GT cards. Add higher premiums for SLi boards (although prices are declining) and higher cost PSU, and SLI is really only feasible for those who can afford to buy it every generation imo. But if you can afford it, there is nothing wrong with it.

 

[SPARTAN VI]

Originally posted by: w00t

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: Crazyfool
I ran SLI back in the Voodoo2 days when it was a big increase over anything else out but it was ultimately a waste of money compared to just waiting for a faster single card.

There's a big problem with this logic:
When you buy high end SLI right away, you're getting the absolute best gaming performance right away.
If you wait for the single card, that level of performance is not as high, and you've gone the time without that level of performance waiting.

IMO its just not worth it to much money spent for not double the speed.

Well, whenever the 7900's or 8000's hit the street, I'll surely ship off these 7800GTs (probably for around $200 each depending on how soon). That will give me enough to buy, or at least begin to pay for, the next best card. I probably wont have a chance to SLI again.

 

[themusgrat]

The only thing is what cards you buy at what prices. The ultra highend cards stay at ultra high prices until they are outdated. The only highend card I would put in SLI would be the 7800GT, not GTX. I myself just bought another 6600GT, and 2 6600GTs at 100 each will outperform any single 200 card, I think. Please tell me if not. And I bought the original for 190, so it is a viable upgrade path in my case, because you will lose money in video cards, over time, no matter what.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: deadseasquirrel

Originally posted by: SilverBack
I own a pair of 6800GTs....

I'm completely satisfied with my cards ATM.
Quake 4, Fear and Call of Duty2 play wonderfully on my system.

:thumbsup:

I have the same and am skipping this entire generation of cards simply because the 2x 6800GT setup outperforms most of the single cards out today on the games I play, at the settings I like to play at. If I sold both GTs for $175 each, what would I spend the $350 on....? Pay extra for the 256GTX for less (or close to equal) performance?

I've had these GTs for almost a year now. So, here it is, a year later, and the only single cards that can outperform them are either unavailable to buy or cost an arm, leg, and kidney. A year is a long time in the graphics world. Yet, I was able to buy 2 mid-high cards a year ago, and have them still equal performance of high-end cards almost a year later. While I'm not a huge proponent of buying one card and upgrading later to SLI, I can see doing that if and only if you get a fantastic deal on that 2nd card.

For a week or so, leaned toward selling off the 6800GTs, paying about $200 more and getting SLI 7800GTs. Price/performance, that is king right now.

QFT

I have my "old" 3800+/6800GT SLI rig running still as well, it's a VERY nice rig to own, even in this era of X1800XTs and 7800GTXs.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
because some think it should be a value option for later upgrade when its really just premium graphics that should be bought right away

Yeah thats the valid reason. Sure, there is going to be some jealousy mixed in...but a lot of people think that buying one card and then another identical one down the road is a good way to go. And it would be, if prices dropped predictably and availability wasn't a concern. But a quick glance on pricewatch shows a single 6800GT at ~$280, and a single 7800GT at ~$300. And are 6800ultras even available at reasonable prices anymore? Now I'm sure there's better deals out there...but the point is there isn't really a huge disparity in cost like their should be if you want this 1 now 1 later approach to bear fruit.

In the end, you're better off buying a high end, selling it and then buying another high end single card later on.

If you want the best of the best and money is no object, SLI is a way to attain performance that otherwise would not have existed.

But if you're looking for bang for the buck, it just doesn't make sense.

 

[Munky]

Originally posted by: Wreckage

Originally posted by: munky
2. A new card may be faster than dual gtx's, and definitely with newer features.

What newer features?

You should then wait for the G80 because it wil 0wn all! :roll:

Newer cards usually have newer features. :roll:
The gtx had newer features than the 6800's, the r520 has newer features than the gtx, the r600 and g80 will most likely have even more features. And if someone can play games at acceptable fps using a single gtx then they should wait for the r600 or g80 instead of getting a second gtx.

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

some ppl (eg trollo) should take the time and check his sources, cuz what ive seen on sites like thg is that SLI is by far not the fastest solution on the market. There is only one a few games that really benefit from SLI and this would be FEAR and maybe Call of Duty. alot of other games dont get a boost but perform SLOWER when run on an SLI setup. http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/12/02/vga_charts_viii/page20.html
btw do u really believe that its necessary to buy SLI cuz u want 500 instead of 400fps in Quake4??

 

[moonboy403]

that's because he ran the games at a low resolution
check out how many frames he's getting from each game

i'd bet that if he was to crank up everything
sli would own the singles

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

hm, ok then. who has 1600x benchies?

e: anandtech has them of course but the boost is only like 10% so it seems, at 1600x1200. gets bigger on 2048x.. though. http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2496&p=5
worth the extra money?

 

[SPARTAN VI]

Originally posted by: BlingBlingArsch
alot of other games dont get a boost but perform SLOWER when run on an SLI setup.

Bullshit.

This would only happen at the lowest possible settings and when this does occur, the CPU is the culprit.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/12/02/vga_charts_viii/page20.html
btw do u really believe that its necessary to buy SLI cuz u want 500 instead of 400fps in Quake4??

That's so cute. What are they running Quake 4 at to get 500fps? 640x480? :laugh:

 

[Chosonman]

I've never liked SLI from the beginning.
The only people who need it are the people with so much money in their pockets they just don't know what to do except blow it on 2 high end graphics cards at roughly $400 a piece (that's $800 total for those of you counting)

What will that buy you?
Bleeding edge performance.. but..
Only if you have a high end CPU to avoid bottle necking, a high resolution monitor that you can run at 1600x1200 or greater resolution to take advantage of the power of SLI, and the games that will run them. Considering most games run fine without SLI, I can only count a handfull of games that really benefit from the technology such as HL2, CS:S, FEAR, DOOM... and they're all FPS's (first person shooters)

And what happens when a newer and better card comes out, such as the 7800GTX that replaced the 6800? You have the issue of upgrading, which means basically throwing away or selling on ebay your old graphics cards and buying 2 new ones because SLI cards have to be identical you can't mix and match.

In most cases you would have been better off buying 1 6800GT and playing at high resolution then wait a year and upgrading to a 7800GT or 7800GTX.

BTW.
Anyone who bought an AMD 64 3200 and 2 x 6600GT a year ago wasted their money and have nothing to show for it.

 

[moonboy403]

exactly what i meant

maybe even a custom resolution of 320x240!


refering to chosonman

when you upgrade to sli, you're looking for performance like NOW

and a pair of 6800 gt usually outperform of equal that of 7800 gtx
considering the age of the 6 series, i'd say that it's not bad at all

sli also get a a higher minimum framerates


i just spent 580 on a pair of gt and i'm happy with that since i'm getting better performance than any single gpu there is

and a pair of gt cost less

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

so pleasssse post reliable benchmarks that show how much of a performance gain i can expect from 7800gtx SLI in some typical games.

 

[moonboy403]

http://firingsquad.com/hardware/nvidia_geforce_7800_gtx_512mb/page16.asp

also the next 2 pages

you net almost 50% increase in fear