NForce 780a Hybrid SLI Tested

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Benchmark Results

During our benchmark session, we tested all cards in non-SLI mode first, before moving to hybrid SLI. Unfortunately, the motherboard’s "power on" circuit was apparently damaged following the re-installation of the GeForce 9800GX2, and we were unable to test the chipset’s HybridPower capabilities. The non-hybridized 9800GX2 performance results were maintained for eventual energy efficiency comparison to lower-power cards.

The 8400GS gets big help from Hybrid SLI in Crysis, but it’s still unplayable. At the other end of the performance scale, the 9800GX2 is so powerful that the AMD Phenom X3 8750 is unable to keep up.

The low end cards get no relief from Hybrid SLI in Prey, losing around 1% performance with GeForce Boost enabled.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
18 Comments Comment from the forums
  • cappster
    I am interested in seeing a high end card paired with the hybrid graphics. It kind of leaves an empty taste in my mouth with just testing the low end crap cards.
    Reply
  • scooterlibby
    "we were unable to test the chipset’s HybridPower capabilities"

    You'd think after writing this sentence they'd realize the article is pretty much moot, just read the title.
    Reply
  • scooterlibby
    aggh nevermind I'm the idiot! I love you Tom's!! Take me back.
    Reply
  • Why publish an incomplete article? Who wants an 8500 on a new board?
    Reply
  • piratepast40
    Why is there no mention of the 780g platform and Hybrid Crossfire? The author makes it sound like Nvidia is the first out the door with the concept. I'm not saying one is better than the other but the bias is rather striking.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    The article had to be published on release day, in spite of the motherboard failing before 9800GX2 testing could be completed. NVidia isn't going to be happy either, considering the target market of the chipset.
    Reply
  • johnbilicki
    Asus is the Realtek of motherboards.

    You guys should RMA the board when it becomes publicly available provided it's not some supped up board merely for review purposes as Asus has been busted for. Oh whoever does the RMA should do it from home so they don't make the review connection so you can get the same crappy treatment I did.

    Then when you receive the RMA replacement please let us know if it's new or used and if there is any sperm on the north bridge.

    If the review wasn't marred by an Asus product then this would have been a top read. Well, at least we know nVidia has something fresh for AMD. We'll just have to wait until the Asus flood dries up so we can get reviews from manufacturers with class such as Gigabyte and MSI. Right now there is only decent true 16X+16X SLI motherboard for socket AM2 on Newegg, it's a Biostar motherboard.
    Reply
  • wild9
    Many games are limited by the CPU rather than the graphics chip, so we needed a top processor model.

    Past a certain resolution, I think most games are limited by the GPU. Some games will show hardly any difference between a fast processor and a slow one, assuming both processors are modern dual-core parts. The differences between Intel and AMD processors can be large, but it's not consistent.
    Reply
  • wild9
    So now we have nVidia 780a and AMD 780g chipsets..both available for AMD-based motherboards. This might lead to some confusion amongst prospective consumers.
    Reply
  • wild9
    At the other end of the performance scale, the 9800GX2 is so powerful that the AMD Phenom X3 8750 is unable to keep up (Prey).

    lol, 112fps..that's more than enough - if you have a spare Phenom you don't need I can put it to good use :D
    Reply