setting up dual 8800 gtx's

greetings,
i'm making the attempt to build my very first rig, and I'm planning on buying dual 8800 gtx's for it. My question is, is water cooling necessary to run these cards? I'm not knowledgable enough to even attempt water cooling at this point in time. Also, I dont plan on OC'ing them. Components listed below are what I plan on using any suggestion and constructive criticism is welcome.
thanks in advance

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811133021
case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150232
video cards
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128059
mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115017
cpu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817153038
psu

happy holidays

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The mother board you have listed doesn't support SLI for that you need a 680i or 780i board and yes I'd water cool.

Message edited by baddad on 12-22-2007 at 04:32:40 PM

------------------------------ ASUS Striker II Extreme , C2D Q9450 OC 3.4, 8 Gig Memory, EVGA 8800GTX Triple SLI, Thermaltake 1000W PSU, Thermaltake Armor + Case, Acer 24" LCD, Water Cooled, 12 Foot DVI Cable, Vista 64 Bit SP2
Reply to baddad

No, you don't need water cooling.
But...before you blow a wad on 2 way overpriced GTX's look at the new 8800gts, the one's with 512 meg of memory. They will outpace a GTX in many cases, run cooler, use less power, and cost less.

Reply to jitpublisher

If you don't mind your GTX's running at 89c all the time while playing games or 70c at idle I guess maybe you don't need water cooling and lets see how well a a 512 GTS does at 1920x1200 and above with setting at 8AA and 16AF.

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ ASUS Striker II Extreme , C2D Q9450 OC 3.4, 8 Gig Memory, EVGA 8800GTX Triple SLI, Thermaltake 1000W PSU, Thermaltake Armor + Case, Acer 24" LCD, Water Cooled, 12 Foot DVI Cable, Vista 64 Bit SP2
Reply to baddad

baddad wrote :

If you don't mind your GTX's running at 89c all the time while playing games or 70c at idle I guess maybe you don't need water cooling and lets see how well a a 512 GTS does at 1920x1200 and above with setting at 8AA and 16AF.

The "difference" in performance between the GTX's and the new GTS's at 1920x1440 @ 4AA and 8AF is a whopping 1% more or less, and most of the time the GTS is the one edging ahead. The price difference is 20% less for the GTS with new G92 chipset than a GTX. I didn't reccomend the OP to buy them, I just suggested he look at them before deciding, if he has not done so already.
http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/1 [...] age14.html
The GTX's will be phased out soon. If they could bought for less than $300 US, I'd say they would be a great choice. They are just not worth $450-$500 that they still cost.

Reply to jitpublisher

Hmmm...I don't remember the OP mentioning what resolutions they would be playing at. Maybe the OP doesn't need dual 8800GTXs?
Besides, the OP also mentioned that water cooling at this point was not going to happen.
But, BadDad, do those cards run at those temps at stock speeds? Besides, maybe the OP lives in one of the Polar circles and could use the extra heat??

Reply to ailgatrat

If where going to look at charts I like you to show me one on tom’s hardware that has a comparison of both cards in SLI and as for going away fast why do you think they have triple SLI now for.

------------------------------ ASUS Striker II Extreme , C2D Q9450 OC 3.4, 8 Gig Memory, EVGA 8800GTX Triple SLI, Thermaltake 1000W PSU, Thermaltake Armor + Case, Acer 24" LCD, Water Cooled, 12 Foot DVI Cable, Vista 64 Bit SP2
Reply to baddad

Here is a benchmark showing the cards in SLI.
http://www.hothardware.com/article [...] FX/?page=8
Although no AA or AF is enabled, it shows that the 8800gts actually scales BETTER than a GTX in SLI. Take that into consideration with benchmark of a single card with AA and AF enabled, plus EVERY single review I have seen pretty much says the same thing I am saying...the GTX is becoming a pretty pricey item for what you get....I can't figure out why you are defending them....oh wait.....I see you have a couple of them in SLI, and a water cooling setup too. That is a nice rig you have.
And another good point, only the GTX is available for more than 2 cards in SLI. I would run right out and spend $1500 to get about 15-20% more performance than 2 cards for $600. If one has the money to spend for the absolute best, and wants the absolute best you can buy, more power to em. As I said, I only suggested he take a look at them.
They may fit his bill for less money, if they won't hey no problem.

Reply to jitpublisher

Only use dual if you are at 1680x1050 or above.

And use an 8800GT or a 512mb 8800GTS rather then a GTX, much less heat and much less power consumption.

Personally id prefer the 8800GT for water cooling since it will only use a single plate, but besides that, water blocks are available for both on my favorite shop for wc'ing.

www.watercoolinguk.co.uk

------------------------------ Na na na na na na na na HATMAN!
Reply to Hatman

a 8800 gts (g92) is very close performance wise to he gtx for 2 thirds the price two of these in sli would be a better deal. i think the only things goining for the gtx and the ultra are triple sli.

------------------------------ Amd Anthlon x2 4800 @ 3.0 Ghz..........2 gb g skill ddr2 1066 ram
Gigabyte GA-m57sli-54..........Seagate 320gb 7200rpm
XFX Geforce 8800 gts 512 Core: 780 Memory:2200

Reply to neisonator

1) That Motherboard will not support SLI.
2) Any P35 Motherboard will limit Dual GTX Cards.
3) Dual GTX is about the same as Dual GTS 512mb and not much better than Dual 8800GT 512mb cards. Dual GTX does not make any sense at this point in time.
4) If you really want a super powerful system, you could get a 780i motherboard with 3-way 8800GTX. (8800GTX cards required for 3-way SLI)

Reply to zenmaster

Quote :

Here is a benchmark showing the cards in SLI.
http://www.hothardware.com/article [...] FX/?page=8
Although no AA or AF is enabled, it shows that the 8800gts actually scales BETTER than a GTX in SLI. Take that into consideration with benchmark of a single card with AA and AF enabled, plus EVERY single review I have seen pretty much says the same thing I am saying...the GTX is becoming a pretty pricey item for what you get....I can't figure out why you are defending them....oh wait.....I see you have a couple of them in SLI, and a water cooling setup too. That is a nice rig you have.
And another good point, only the GTX is available for more than 2 cards in SLI. I would run right out and spend $1500 to get about 15-20% more performance than 2 cards for $600. If one has the money to spend for the absolute best, and wants the absolute best you can buy, more power to em. As I said, I only suggested he take a look at them.
They may fit his bill for less money, if they won't hey no problem.

That is so narrow and selective that it's a joke.

------------------------------ ASUS Striker II Extreme , C2D Q9450 OC 3.4, 8 Gig Memory, EVGA 8800GTX Triple SLI, Thermaltake 1000W PSU, Thermaltake Armor + Case, Acer 24" LCD, Water Cooled, 12 Foot DVI Cable, Vista 64 Bit SP2
Reply to baddad

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