SLI 8800 gts 512 or new card?

[turbotong]

Hi, I'm wondering if I should get another 8800 GTS 512 and SLI it with my current one, or if I should just upgrade and get a new card.
I've looked through Tom's charts, but they dont cross over very well between the current 1card charts and the older SLI charts. For example, the SLI 3DMark06 (v1.0.2) HDR/SM3.0 Score from 2008 Q1 shows the SLI Geforce 8800 GT(s, sp?) g92 512 SLI gets 8049 marks, while the current 2010 3D Mark06 chart shows a single 8800 GT getting 13703.

 

[coozie7]

You'll certainly see a boost but we'll need to know the rest of the system specs including PSU (amperage on the 12v rail/s, please, not just wattage!) and monitor resolution.

 

[jay2tall]

If you can do it for a good price and have an SLI motherboard it would be a good upgrade. I believe (2)8800GTS slightly outperform an 9800GX2 which would put it around the performance if a GTX 280. I also believe that is around the same performance of a 4890 ish. I would say a good upgrade over an 8800GTS SLI setup would be a GTX 470. You can get one of these for low $200s. There are some good deals on these. However, it is kind of up to you.

 

[AMW1011]

Well here's my thoughts.

Going from 2 8800 GTS 512mbs to a GTX 480 has made a massive difference. I honestly didn't expect much given the benchmarks, but the gameplay is a lot smoother. I've come to the realization that 512mb of VRAM just isn't enough anymore, and that in and of itself would give you a nice boost in smooth frames.

That said, I would recommend atleast a GTX 470 or 6870 for an upgrade. 2 GTX 460s would be a great setup too, assuming you have an SLI only board, otherwise 2 6850s.

 

[turbotong]

Well since you asked for my specs, I am planning on building a new PC as soon as intel releases Sandy Bridge and the i7 prices come down (probably late January?). I'd have a i7-950 or so and an x58 motherboard with a PSU clearly capable of supporting either card setup.

I plan on buying a 1900x1200 monitor, but I don't think I necessarily need to game at that resolution. If I could get good performance at that resolution, great. Otherwise I could probably step it down a notch.

 

[turbotong]

Best answer selected by turbotong.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey