new system - mobo with sli or not?

[Darkenraja]

okay, im ready to order the parts for my system...just one last thing that stands in my way.

i have the choice now between the Gigabyte 965P DS3 or the 965P DS3P...

in price the difference is tiny, but the Pro version has a greater availabilty.

apparently the difference is the P has DDR2 800, SLI and a higher FSB...

I will be getting an ASUS 8800GTX, but only one. so if i get the Pro version of the motherboard, how does the SLI work?

i need these questions answered

1. Do I need a special type of SLI ready video card? If i decided to buy another GTX later on, do the both have to be an 'SLI' version of the card?

2. Will the performance with one vid card and the two different boards be different?

Thanks,

JT

 

[maguszxz]

Depends on what how you feel. SLI is a hardcore gamer setup but if you are a casual then you don't need it. SLI doesnt add vast improvement to your games. Just maybe like a 20 to 30% increase. Plus, it will cost more for the SLI setup than the regular setup (more powerful power supply and second card). You will need a power supply that is SLI certified. Look at benchmark charts and graphs in Tom's for more info.

 

[jaguarskx]

All recent nVidia cards are capable of being SLI'ed.

Both cards must be of the same GPU model. You will not be able to SLI a 8800GTX and a 8900GTX (whenever that comes out) to the best of my knowledge.

Generally speaking, there should be very little performance difference between a mobo with one or two PCI-e slots if only one video card is being used. More specifically, it is the chipset itself that determines how good a mobo's performance will be along with the quality of other components used to make the mobo itself.

 

[Darkenraja]

hmmm i guess i should lean to the non-sli config then. but the 965P DS3P says it has 2xPCI 16X slots? also it has supporst for 800 ddr2 ram, but the DS3 (non P version) has only 1x PCI E 16x and doesnt supporst the 800 speed ram?

in peoples opinions...should i get the ormal DS3 or the DS3P version

 

[MattJD]

The DS3 supports dual channel DDR2 800.

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2456