Help SLI 8800GT or SLI 9600GT??

What games do you play?
Have you already checked the THG VGA charts?
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts [...] ks,30.html

8800 GT SLI (512MB) with CoD4 1.6 shows 153FPS
1280x1024 4xAA, 8xAF, max Quality

9600 GT SLI (512MB) with CoD4 1.6 shows 127FPS
1280x1024 4xAA, 8xAF, max Quality

Generally speaking, the 8800GT/9800GT is faster than the 9600GT anyhow. So I'd be prone to going that route if you're ultimate goal is to get as many FPS as possible in all games.

However, if you're goal is simply to run CoD4 really well, both of those cards in SLI are going to blow CoD4 out of the water. 127FPS vs 153FPS is a difference in performance, but not one your eyes will be able to see.

Now, switch to Farcry 2 or Crysis, and there may be more case for going with the faster card.

SLI 8800GT

The 9600GT that is faster at high resolution is the 1 GB version, I forgot to specify that.

Thanks for the info. I do play a lot of different game, but I was short on time earlier. I also play world in conflict, sims 2, C&C 3, battlefield 2 & 2142, Starcaft 2 when it comes out! An maybe Diablo 3..


Next Question
How well does SLI work on XPS 630?

I have seen some forums that the mobo 650i isnt the best?

ohhhh man, i have a XPS 630i (check my pic under my name, GO GATORS!) and i totally striped everything that dell put in it and put my own parts in. you are correct about the mobo, it SUCKS!!. when i ordered my XPS 630 back in september i had SLI 9800GT and it worked very well but then later on i started getting into cpu/gpu overclocking and the stock dell 650i mobo has little to no overclocking capabilities whatsoever. if you have any of the Q9xxx cpu's you cannot overclock 1 MHz without the system not posting afterward. as for gpu overclocking, it did it but was unstable most of the time. so i definitely recommend you replace that mobo for something better. ill list what the XPS 630i has stock vs. what i did to mine:

Dell Stock XPS 630i:
Intel Q6600 @ 2.4GHz
Dell crippled nVidia 650i SLI mobo
2GB DDR2 Dual-Channel
SLI 9800GT (actually only comes with a single 9800GT, you have to choose SLI 9800GT)
320GB HDD
DVD-RW Burner
750W Dell PSU

My XPS 630i:
Q9300 @ 2.5GHz overclocked to 3.2GHz (this is the cpu that i ordered originally)
EVGA 780i SLI mobo
OCZ SLI-Ready Ram DDR2 Dual-Channel
SLI GTX 260-216
3200GB HDD (i kept this)
DVD-RW Burner (i kept this)
750W Dell PSU (i kept this)

as you see pretty much the only thing(s) worth keeping are the HDD, DVD, PSU, and CPU (if you like yours). so please save yourself some headache and at least replace the mobo, i recommend no less than a 680i SLI if you plan to overclock and stay stable. i hope this helps because i was very upset that i bought as pc that was advertised as being overclockable but getting a smack in the face. i paid $2000 for it and it doesnt give what i was told until i replaced things. i believe for $2000, this pc should come with the parts i used or pretty close to it (maybe lose one of the GTX 260 to make it right). but thats what i get for ordering a Dell. i will never buy another pc. i have just recently made a wish list for my next pc build and it FAR surpasses my XPS 630 and would only cost about $1300-$1500. Good Luck and like i said replace the mobo AT LEAST.

because at the time i was a n00b to the gaming pc world and no knowledge of anything. but now 3-4 months, after posting on these forums and serching the internet, cramming all the new info in i now see that originally it was a rip off but i learned and took my new pc knowledge and upgraded the pc to be an excellent performer.

No,8800GT 512 is faster than 9600GT 512/1GB in every game/resolution.

Thank XXCOOP,

This is some of the information I was wondering. I will change out the mobo when I get some extra cash. The XPS that I bought is almost the same set up as your old one:

Intel Q6600 @ 2.4GHz
Dell nVidia 650i SLI mobo
4GB DDR2 Dual-Channel
Nvidia 8800GT
500GB HDD
DVD-RW Burner
750W Dell PSU
Win XP

good, because the 650I SLI will just piss you off because it sucks so bad. also this is VERY IMPORTANT, when you change the mobo you also need to change the cpu cooler, the stock cpu cooler is one you screw on and when you replace the mobo the holes will not line up with the bracket thats under the mobo. so take out the bracket when you take out/change your mobo and get a cpu cooler that uses the push pins. i bought the Arctic Cooler Freezer 7 Pro for under $20 on newegg.

Yeah that's it, i just wasn't home so i couldn't check for sure. Surprisingly good PSU.

Otherwise, i like the Dell 650i for one thing. You can put EITHER SLI or Crossfire in it. A thing you wont see anywhere else! (Except X58 chipset i guess.)