[H]ardOCP SLI Scoop

[pauldh]

Sorry if this has been mentioned in another post, I just thought it deserved it's own thread. Pretty good read here, explaining some of SLI's shortfalls that many people probably don't know. Anyway, 1 GF6800GT is considered better than 2 GF6600GT's in SLI, but after reading this you may feel that is an understatement. For SLI to show any benefit in a game, NV must have a Profile specific for that game in their drivers. And only a few popular games and synthetic benchmarks have been been given the time so far. Otherwise, SLI can be a total waste of money until,if ever, that profile is created for your game.

Anyway, <A HREF="http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NzExLDE=" target="_new">Read it for yourself</A>.


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[johnnyinternet]

thanks for the heads up. i am reconsidering going to sli. i mean the idea is cool, but from what i have been reading it is a much easier solution to just stick with agp until pci-e really takes off. right now it seems like its sorta still trying to prove its worth the loot, imo. feel free to shoot me down.

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

 

[RX8]

There really is not a standard for SLI MB and Grphics card setup`s yet, when all companys abide by a standard it will make life easyer for us all.

 

[johnnyinternet]

you have any guesses as to how long that could take rx8?

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

I posted it <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=427007#427007" target="_new"> SLI&Match=And&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=2weeks&Main=570072]in a response in another thread</A>, but didn't post it as it's own. Not that it matters much. Worth mentioning again IMO.

Quite revealing. And sorta what we've been saying for a while consideinr even the games that support it seem to have troubles with it based on <A HREF="http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=Njk2" target="_new">[H]'s first review</A> results.


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[johnnyinternet]

yah i have decided to go with a agp msi nforce3 board with a bfg 6800gt. a bit cheaper and i feel a fair bit more secure with that. i am beginning to doubt pci-e, not about its claimed advantages but about how quick i thought it was going to catch on. by the time it becomes readily available i think i should be in good shape to upgrade, until then i will be in great shape with the above mentioned setup.

side note:
i know the bfg models are pre-oc'ed but can you go beyond those, and if so does that void the lifetime warranty?

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

 

[RX8]

Follow thegreatapes link he know before anyone else does LOL. i havent heard of any developments yet for a standard to be in place.

 

[RX8]

Yo i heard the KT800 is a faster MB than the nforce 3 greatape could you help on this please.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Well it depends on which nForce3. The KT800series is faster than the nF3-150, but the 250 evened things out. The thing to make sure is that your motherboard has a functional AGP/PCI lock so that OC'ing the core and FSB doesn't oc the whole board throwing off the AGPpotential or undermining the stability of your PCI add-ins etc.


- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp <i>(or internet account)</i> ! - <font color=green>RED </font color=green> <font color=red> GREEN</font color=red> GA to SK

 

[pat]

I posted something similar in the motherboard forum, and Wusy told me it was a pointless thread..... Strange it didnt point that to you yet!!

When SLI will be fully used, it could be good. But for now, I dont think it worth to pay full price to get half the performance. I rather wait and pay half the price and have full performance.

-Always put the blame on you first, then on the hardware !!!

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

i know the bfg models are pre-oc'ed but can you go beyond those

The BFG cards can be OC'd beyond the 'stock' OC, however it doesn't mean it's going to be stable, heck some of the Stock BFG speeds were crashing card in D3 because they were fine for other games but the stress of D3 was beyond thos OCs previously deemed acceptable. So you may or may not have much headroom in the games you play.

, and if so does that void the lifetime warranty?

Any overclocking beyond the speed that a card ships at would void the warranty accfording to a companies strict terms of use. Tha main thing is to not let them know that. Like if you flash a card, flash it back before you RMA it.


- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp <i>(or internet account)</i> ! - <font color=green>RED </font color=green> <font color=red> GREEN</font color=red> GA to SK

 

[pauldh]

I figured somewhere you must have mentioned this. I was not here for a couple days and didn't see a topic on it, so thought of mentioning it. Ye, It is quite revealing though.

Right now, anyone in need of an upgrade, might be thinking NF4 SLI mobo, and a GF6800GT. Keeping open for the future. Now if the mobo was about the same cost as Say a K8N Neo2p, and a PCI-e 6800 series card cost the same as AGP, this makes alot of sense. But the mobo and video card cost a bundle more. And then you see that there are only certain titles that SLI gives a boost in, and you have to rely on NV's driver team to catch up and stay current for each future game, now things get risky and scary. It is not a given that that second GF6800GT is going to make any performance difference in the games a person might want to play. The popular titles, <b> especially ones used for benchmarks</b>, NV will have that profile for, but other games, how long will you have to wait? Probably long past when you stop playing the game. So spending $200 more now for the mobo/6800GT combo, plus needing another down the line, is alot less appealing a route to take.

A plain NF4 ultra and $300 X800XL (if availablity/price comes to that), and a future upgrade down the road again, might be a better investment. Save $200 now, and put it toward a R520 or newer card later, and you don't have to rely on SLI/(your game) compatibility.


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[pauldh]

I can't see it as pointless here or in the mobo forums. The cost of SLI mobos plus the extra premium of a scarce PCI-e GF6800GT, makes it a very valid point when deciding what new mobo to buy / upgrade route to take. At least for right now; Maybe in a few months prices will even out on SLI compatible mobos/cards.


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[TheGreatGrapeApe]

More info at the InQ on the COST of SLI to users/integrators;

<A HREF="http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=20863" target="_new">http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=20863</A>

$50 and you can look at my financial records whenever you feel like it!?!

I'd say FAQ U!

Seriously how many SLI boards to they think they're gonna move to lose that kind of control/autonomy?

I wonder if those financial records include everything. If I were ATI I'd say anyone making ATI cards as well (Gigabyte, ASUS, etc), can't reveal any of it's operations, because if there's only two integrators nV could find out the number of ATI (or VIA boards if it's VIA refusing), by taking total boards moved - nV boards.

I see some lawsuits coming down the pipe if these financial records aren't strictly divided/controlled.

Either way $crew a $50 tax on that, that DFI Ultra board looks like the right way to go, let nV figure out how to block hackers, I bet that's not part of these contracts.


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[pauldh]

Wow, that's sad. lol


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