Question about SLI

[ehcastro3]

Hi guys...

Is it really worth it to go SLI with gaming? or should I stick with a quad 8400 and a gtx260 pc? I've heard no SLI and quad core motherboards are available atm, except for those mobos that cost like $250 upwards and those need the i7 intel chips...

thanks for any inputs...

and oh what would u recommend for an SLI setup? preferably a mobo that costs about $100 and 2 vid cards that can be SLI'd together....

 

[FallenSniper]

We need more information. Do you already have some parts and are just upgrading? Is this an entirely new build?

As a quick answer, a single 260 will run most games right now at full settings, but it depends on the resolution.

 

[Twoboxer]

I normally don't recommend SLI for a new build, since - as Sniper says, a single video card will run most games at full settings up to 1920. Further, SLI/Crossfire doesn't provide the same benefit in all games, and in MMOs sometimes produces *lower* FPS.

So for me SLI (and its heat and power consumption) is a way to deal with extreme resolutions and provide an upgrade path to extend the life of an older system.

Are you building new or upgrading?

 

[ehcastro3]

ty for the quick reply guys

yes im ordering my1st build...new

the specs i have ordered are:

q8400
gtx260 vid card
dg45id
2gb 800 kingston ram
160gb HDD

yeah i know HDD is quite low...but im in a very tight budget atm...

 

[ehcastro3]

btw i really dont care for resolutions...as long as it is playable...and some old games i sometimes choose 800x640 coz i can see the buildings/people very big (or clearly), and I would happily go to a lower resolution as long as it will run the game smoothly

(or unless u guys will convince me to play games at a higher resolution)

oh the monitor that i will be ordering is 18.5in

 

[FallenSniper]

A single gtx260 will handle an 18.5 inch no problem. Unless its a crazy unheard of super hi-res 18.5 inch

 

[Twoboxer]

You might want to wait until next week to order - instead of the q8400 you might want an i5 model.

Stuff should be announced next week.

 

[ehcastro3]

thanks for the tip twoboxer but im in a very tight budget...and i doubt my pc supplier can get it right away...i live in a country where no online pc retailers ships >.<

 

[Twoboxer]

Okies, your system will be fine.