Can you SLI an 8800GT with a 9800GT?

[camalbitboy]

Hi All,

Is it possible to SLi an8800Gt with a 9800GT? They are the same cards pretty much, just diff die size as far as I can see. Just stocks of 8800GT's seem to be dissapearing, especially the MSI 8800GT's that I would ideally need to go SLI, but 9800GT's are cheaper and in abundance.

Cam

[crazyfool]

i dont know for sure but i doubt it as although they are basically the same cards they are still different and therefore i wouldn't expect nvdia would allow you to sli them

[NightshadowUK]

Why not sell the 8800GT and buy a single GTX260 / HD4870?

[pollaxe]

I'm pretty sure you can't as I was in a similar position to you a little while ago - I can't remember the cards involved I'm afraid, 8 series ones but they wouldn't play together. Ultimately I ended-up with two 8800 GTXs in SLi (I got another one, cheap.) Then my POS EVGA 680i board went bang and took out the expensive, original XFX 8800 in the process. The crappy old 8800 GTX I got on the cheap still works fine.

There's a moral there, plus I had a bad experience with EVGA support (usually reckoned to be amongst the best out there) so they've lost me as a customer for all time, I fear. But I digress...

My experience with SLi wasn't positive and I thought it was a lot of hassle for very little gain. YMMV, of course (plus I think they're making it a bit better or planning to. One of the tech-savvy people here can probably confirm or deny this vagueness.)

[camalbitboy]

Why not sell the 8800GT and buy a single GTX260 / HD4870?

From what I can see 8800GT SLI beats 4870 and 260.

A second MSI 8800GT OC will cost me £120.

A new 260 will cost me £200, and I'll only get £70 for my 8800GT so overall cost £130. £10 more for less performance.
A new 4870 will cost £175 so plus the money for my 8800GT only £105. £15 less but still less performance. Also there are none in stock and closes off the possibility of SLi later on.

Well thats my thinking, tell me if I'm wrong.

[camalbitboy]

I'm pretty sure you can't as I was in a similar position to you a little while ago - I can't remember the cards involved I'm afraid, 8 series ones but they wouldn't play together. Ultimately I ended-up with two 8800 GTXs in SLi (I got another one, cheap.) Then my POS EVGA 680i board went bang and took out the expensive, original XFX 8800 in the process. The crappy old 8800 GTX I got on the cheap still works fine.

There's a moral there, plus I had a bad experience with EVGA support (usually reckoned to be amongst the best out there) so they've lost me as a customer for all time, I fear. But I digress...

My experience with SLi wasn't positive and I thought it was a lot of hassle for very little gain. YMMV, of course (plus I think they're making it a bit better or planning to. One of the tech-savvy people here can probably confirm or deny this vagueness.)

I know that historically you can't SLI diff cards, but this is the first time that Nvidia has released a 'new' card that is, apart from die size, identical. I've read loads of reviews and spent hours googling, but it looks like no one has tested it.

My last rig had 2 7800GTX's in it and I did alot of comparison testing between 1 and 2 cards and found it made a very significant difference in most games. Sure there were a couple of games where it was only a few percent, but the vast majority was around 30-60%. With a couple above that, so more cost effective than a single uber card I think. Especially a I already have 1. Just need to work out the cheapest way to get the second now.

[Muska]

hi, you should have come up with this thread a few days ago, cause i got a new msi 8800gt overclocked since i rma'd my faulty one could have sold it to you, but since then promised to my friend as a birthday present ...

[s_kinton]

You can't SLi two different cards. You can SLi two of the same cards regardless of manufacturer or clock speeds, but they both need to be the same model.

[camalbitboy]

You can't SLi two different cards. You can SLi two of the same cards regardless of manufacturer or clock speeds, but they both need to be the same model.

I know that is normally the case, and it is for good reason. With different memory interfaces, shader clocks etc it would be vey difficult to make it work.

But the only difference between a 9800GT and 8800GT's is;

Die size 55nm vs 65nm (and the initial 9800gt cards were still produced on 65nmanyway)
9800GT can use hybrid power on a hybrid power enabled mobo (mine isn't so not relevant)
9800GT has an HDMI Audio connector. (I believe not relevant as the 8800GT has the traces for the connector, just no tthe actual connector, so I can't see taht stopping SLI from working)

Apart from that the two cards are identical see here

So unless Nvidia set the drivers so that they can't work together there is no physical/programming reason. I just want to know if Nvidia has been greedy enough to purpusfully block them working together.

[camalbitboy]

hi, you should have come up with this thread a few days ago, cause i got a new msi 8800gt overclocked since i rma'd my faulty one could have sold it to you, but since then promised to my friend as a birthday present ...

Now that is really annoying. Let me know if you change your mind on his present. Just think, sell it to me and buy him a shiney new 9800GT!!

[shaithis]

If they are identical you could try flashing the BIOS of one over the other.

Its pretty safe with gfx cards as long as you keep a PCI VGA card at hand to allow you to get a display to flash the old BIOS back if it all fail.

[camalbitboy]

If they are identical you could try flashing the BIOS of one over the other.

Its pretty safe with gfx cards as long as you keep a PCI VGA card at hand to allow you to get a display to flash the old BIOS back if it all fail.

I'd wondered about doing that, but as a MSI 8800GT OC is only £25 more, I think I'd rather spend the extra than risk flashing it to trash. Plus I'd have to learn how to flash a graphics bios, and find a PCI graphics card too

[Muska]

Now that is really annoying. Let me know if you change your mind on his present. Just think, sell it to me and buy him a shiney new 9800GT!!

would love to , but got no time, leaving on friday and can't break a promise