Low-Cost SLI Gaming Rig

[Esente]

Came across this article on PCMag, which is quite interesting to me. Here is the parts list used:

CASE: Antec Super Lanboy $87
GRAPHICS CARDS: 2 x PNY 7900 GS 256MB $398
MEMORY: CORSAIR TWINX 2048MB PC2-6400 $280
HARD DRIVE: Seagate 7200.10 320GB SATA $95
CPU COOLER: Zalman CNPS9500 AT-Cu $50
POWER SUPPLY: Antec TruePower Trio 650W $87
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 $313
SOUND CARD: Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer $89
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS P5NSLI $108
HEADPHONES: Sennheiser PC 165 $80
KEYBOARD: Saitek Eclipse II $70
OPTICAL DRIVE: Lite-On SHM-165H6S DVDñDL $43
MOUSE: Logitech G5 $46

TOTAL: $1,785

This is a gaming rig, so the headphones, keyboard and mouse are out-of-question. My question is: will there any other ways to change the parts with better performance with lower price? And will this rig run well and the best way to overclock it?

PS: I believe with 1.7k, I can get a better rig. Am I right?

 

[intelconvert6079]

This is low cost? Wow, I am just being left in the dust....... If you are looking to cut costs, go down on the CPU first. Drop to an E6400 and OC it.

 

[sirheck]

the only thing i would change is the video card

go with a 8800gts for around 425$

 

[intelconvert6079]

Screw the ATI. I would get a D10 card instead of 2 of those.

 

[sirheck]

you can get an antec trio for 89$ 8O

 

[intelconvert6079]

you can get an antec trio for 89$ 8O

Bleh. It fried my mobo. I am not happy with trios right now.

 

[Esente]

This is what the article says about using 2 SLI cards:

PNY's 7900 GS cards are stock products, meaning they aren't overclocked at the factory. The cards can be found for $199 each, so a pair will set you back just under $400. The PNY 7900 GS is slightly slower than the competition in single-card mode, but two of them prove faster when running in SLI mode, so it seemed like a good choice. And they're single-slot cards.

And oh yeah, I would OC this!

Note: Edited- misquoted

 

[sirheck]

you can get an antec trio for 89$ 8O

Bleh. It fried my mobo. I am not happy with trios right now.

for the list he is showing i would buy 2 of them.

 

[sirheck]

This is what the article says about using 2 SLI cards:

Second, I wanted to test the hypothesis that a relatively cheap SLI system was viable. When nVidia reintroduced us to SLI in 2004 with the launch of the 7800 GTX, it suggested that people could buy one card and add the second later, or buy two cheaper cards for a combo that would outperform a single high-end card. Back then, neither option was all that practical. SLI was—and still is—a work in progress. It's come a long way, however. Game support is more robust, for one thing. And nVidia now has a range of cards that make it seem possible to spend $400 on two cards that should together exceed the performance of a single $450 card. But would they?

And oh yeah, I would OC this!

the cards listed for around 400$ (2 79gs,s).

i would go with a single 8800gts as it will outpreform any sli or crossfire cards out today.

and use less power. and produce less heat.

 

[intelconvert6079]

This is what the article says about using 2 SLI cards:

Second, I wanted to test the hypothesis that a relatively cheap SLI system was viable. When nVidia reintroduced us to SLI in 2004 with the launch of the 7800 GTX, it suggested that people could buy one card and add the second later, or buy two cheaper cards for a combo that would outperform a single high-end card. Back then, neither option was all that practical. SLI was—and still is—a work in progress. It's come a long way, however. Game support is more robust, for one thing. And nVidia now has a range of cards that make it seem possible to spend $400 on two cards that should together exceed the performance of a single $450 card. But would they?

And oh yeah, I would OC this!

the cards listed for around 400$ (2 79gs,s).

i would go with a single 8800gts as it will outpreform any sli or crossfire cards out today.

and use less power. and produce less heat.

And because it will look awesome when you can use Vista.

 

[sirheck]

And because it will look awesome when you can use Vista.

well when vista comes out the 8800gts will work fine
but it might not be the best card out as other newer cards will (r600?)
be better than the 8800gts.

but the g80 cards right now are better than sli or crossfire.

 

[Lacostiade]

I agree with everyone who said go for an 8800 GTS, it wont benefit u to buy 2 7900 GS for $398, not even an X1950 XTX. Just spend a few more dollars and u can get an 800 GTS which outperforms the X1950 XTX and is DX10 compatible, it will last longer. Finally, dont bother waiting for the r600 cards, an 8800 GTS is just fine IMO.

 

[sirvent67]

I think most people here are steering you in the right direction. 2 midrange outdated cards cannot compete against the 8800GTS, or even the ATI x1950 XTX. although i would take the 8800 gts over the ati, for dx10 support and it also performs better in most applications.

 

[Esente]

How about these specs?

• ASUS P5B Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard $179.99
• or (ASUS P5W DH Deluxe /WiFi-AP LGA 775 Intel 775X MLB - ALT) $224.99
• A-DATA 2GB DDR2 667 memory, $199
• Core 2 Duo E6600 CPU, $318
• Scythe Infinity heatsink, $58
• or (Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler – ALT) $29.99
• Antec Performance One P180B Black ATX Midtower Case $129.99

Still not figure out about the right PSU. I might also use a cheap video card, since those MLB does not have integrated video, to wait until DX10.