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Hello people, as above really, decided it was time to get a new pc (its been 5 years!!). Have specced most of it up and really want to know whether the Ultra will provide better current benefits and futureproofness (word?) than 2 GTX working together??
Any opinions gratefully received!
Jack
I would just update the card every year or so to a top end mid level card such as the latest 512mb 8800gts.
So the single card is a better option than running 2 lower spec cards?
Yes!Quote:
Originally Posted by warringtonjack
I think what SiM is saying is a bit erroneous, but in general SLI is often considered more trouble than it's worth.
If you're going to get a single Ultra, it'd prob save you a lot of money to get a GTX and just overclock it to Ultra speeds.
Wait until January and grab a 9800 instead when they release.
If you have waited 5 years to upgrade, it would be a shame to upgrade now with Penryn CPUs and GeForce9s releasing so soon :)
For games that scales, 2x GTX should be a good bit faster.
[Whether I would go for either option is quite another matter]
I'd be very interested to hear alternative options! Or is that just opening up a can of worms??Quote:
Originally Posted by TooNice
If you can afford that much in graphic card, then by all mean. The reason I would not go for either option is purely financial - which forces me to seek for bang for buck than all out performance. Then again, if you are considering twin GTX, it may also be worth into twin GTS (rev. 2). I am not sure which one would be faster for SLi as I've not seen such comparisons (probably trade wins), but the new GTS is cooler and slightly less noisy (matters to me).
And in my opinion, the new GTS offers rather credible performance next to a Ultra.. for a lot less money. Depending on it's cost, the GT also provide some amazing bang for buck (see next page of that review), but given what you were considering, its probably less interesting for you.
The other reason I can't justify going all out is because I expect the 8800GTX's successor to make the news sooner than later - it's been over a year since it's release, and with the rather lack of performance gap between the new GTS and the current GTX, I can't see nVidia not release either a refresh of the GTX or a true next gen successor soon (though I could be wrong - I can't say I've heard anything regarding a 8800GTX/Ultra's successor).
I wouldnt go for either of those.
1xGTX will do you nicely.
Those Ultras are just stupid money for what you get.
It'll be available end of Januray 08Quote:
The other reason I can't justify going all out is because I expect the 8800GTX's successor to make the news sooner than later
Thanks TooNice, very helpful! :D
I have used 6600GT SLi, 6800SLi, 6800GT Sli, 7800GTX Sli, 7950GX2 Quad Sli, and am currently using 8800GTX SLi in Vista.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fraz
Never once have I considered SLi "more trouble than it's worth", actually, I've never considered it any trouble at all. The closest I ever came was issues with some games with quad SLi.
A user desiring a totally transparent, issue free SLi experience can set the fallback mode to single card and every game played that does not have a tested SLi profile built into the drivers will default to single card and work.
A slightly more adventurous user can set the fallback to one of the SLi modes, or just experiment and create his/her own profile for that game in the drivers. (Note: Crossfire does not allow you to do this, so this advice only applies to SLi)
NVIDIA works closely with most major developers, and most big games launch with tested SLi profiles.
To answer the OPs question: I would (by far) rather have a GTX SLi box than a single Ultra box. An Ultra is about 10% faster than a GTX on average, and GTX SLi is often 40-80% faster than a single GTX on games that can scale with multi card. Not even a choice to me if you have the money.
As far as waiting for next gen goes, that's a different question, but none of us know what launch date will be. If it was next week, sure, worth the wait. If it's 4 months, beats me- depends on your patience.
i've been waiting 4 years so i will do has suggested by you as it makes perfectly sence to buy the new 9800 cards and penryn quad core cpu'sQuote:
Originally Posted by shaithis
Just a quick note for those unfamiliar with rollo - Nvidia gave him those cards for free ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Rollo
Get a single 512MB 8800 GTS, then when the new 9800 series is released sell it and buy one of those instead. 2x GTX or Ultra now is a pointless waste, especially this late inthe game, only those with more money than sense say otherwise.Quote:
Originally Posted by warringtonjack
Well, I can see why, if you're getting the cards for free :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Rollo