8800GTS or dual 8600GT in SLi?

[joetempleman]

Im just about to upgrade my PC almost completely and I cant decide on a graphics card.

Im going up to:
Core2Duo 6750 2.66Ghz 1333Mhz FSB
2GB DDR2 800Mhz RAM - Undecided brand
XFX MB-N680-ILT NForce 680i Chipset Mobo
Some new powersupply
Dell 2407WFP-HC Monitor (24 inch S-PVA Panel)


I cant decide however, on a graphics card to run with this. I have a budget of around £150 - £250 TOPS!

The one pain in the a** is that I really would like to run the Dell 24 inch in the middle of the two 17 inch ones Ive got at the moment, but if there is too much of a sacrifice in performance to get two gfx cards, I dont think it would be worth it.

This to me seems like a choice between either the 8800GTS 320MB or 640MB or two 8600GT's or possibly GTS's if I can find the extra dosh. But like I said, I dont want to spend loads extra on two cards and it not perform as well as the one card. Plus being able to upgrade later on with a second card is a push in the single card option....

Any suggestions much appriciated. If your in the US and dont know much about the prices of GFX cards just some sort of comparion between the performance differences between two 8600GT/GTS's and 8800GTS would be awesome =D

Thanks

Joe

 

[FeareX]

The 8800gts pwns the dual 8600gt's .. even if it are 8600gts'es ..

So just pick the 8800gts, i would go for the 640mb edition. But thats up to you

 

[Maziar]

definitely 8800gts , but 320 vs 640 ?
if u play at resolutions higher than 1600x1200 , get the 640 , otherwise 320 , (lower than 1600x1200 , a 320 is equal to 640 in most games)

 

[joetempleman]

Yeah, the 8800gts 640mb might be the way to go, especially if I'm going to be running the 1920x1200 res Dell panel off it.

Im just not sure about having just the one card. I really wanna run my 3 monitors off it :/

Is it possible to run a 8800gts and something crappier, just for the reason of running a third monitor? Somthing like the 8400? I know your meant to have the same for best performance but if I disabled it whilst gaming.....

Any ideas?

 

[Dahak]

8800GTS 640 hands down.You can always buy a second GTS for SLI at a later date.The 8600,the model with the ddr3 memory has a fast core clock speed and very fast memory speeds.Unfortunately it is also crippled with a 128 bit memory interface.The 8800GTS 640 has a 320 bit interface and slightly faster speeds.Or you can wait a couple more months until the 8900 series starts to show up.Then you can have a 8800GTX for the same as a 640 card or cheaper.Goodluck.

Dahak

 

[ethel]

If you're into gaming, you should be choosing between (in price order):

X1950XT - high end DX9 card, very cheap for the performance
GTS320 - the cheapest DX10 card that will actually run DX10 to a reasonable degree
2900XT - step up from the GTS320 - but uses a ridiculous amount of power
8800GTX - the best value high-end card - very long though so beware

Forget the GTS 640 as it is about the same price as the 2900XT and is beaten by it in most benchmarks.

My advice would be to get the best one you can afford.

 

[joetempleman]

Yeah true. I think im just going to get the 640mb one though becasuse of my monitor, and upgrade later with a second. I'll live with just the two monitors for now....or I could sell one to fund the upgrade!

Im going to get it all now because at the moment Im on an AGP 7600GT but my motherboard has packed in (long story) and I am due for an upgrade!

If anyone has any ideas about whether an 8400gs and a 8800GTS would work together it would be much appriciated =)

EDIT: 8400gs arnt compatible with SLi at all apparently, so it would be something crappier like a 7300 or lower if neccecery. I know it wouldnt be "SLi" as such but it would mean I would get a good graphics card, AND be able to use 3 monitors!