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general question on SLI

Post Date: 2007-08-26
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nomec View Drop Down
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Posts: 530 		  Quote nomec Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: general question on SLI
    Posted: 26 Aug 2007 at 5:22pm
I plan on spending around $5,000 on my new rig.  I will be purchasing a 24" widescreen as well.
 
I had a simple question regarding SLI.  Is it going to be worth it with a 24" setup?  It would probably see greater benefits if I used a 30" LCD but I don't have the room and don't want to spend double the money on it as opposed to a 24" widescreen.  I am pretty sure a single 8800 Ultra could handle the 1920x1200 but I want to be able to play games in 1920x1200 in a year or more from now.
 
Would going SLI be smart if I am thinking to the future?
 
Also, in terms of the cases Digital Storm offers, which ones will support SLI if I choose to go that route?
 
Thanks Smile
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 26 Aug 2007 at 6:06pm
A Digital Storm Pro, Ultra, or Extreme case are all big enough for SLI.

Yes SLI is a good investment if you plan on playing that high of a resolution.

GeForce 8 series will be good for another ~5 years.

I do suggest getting a single GeForce 8 card to begin with and get another one for SLI when prices drop in November/December.
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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GruntMaster View Drop Down
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Posts: 52 		  Quote GruntMaster Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 26 Aug 2007 at 7:54pm
Sykr, are prices expected to drop in that time frame due to a release of new NVidia models?
E6850 [email protected]
nVidia 680i LT
750W Thermaltake
250GB HD
2GB DDR2 Corsair 800Mhz XMS2
GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB
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nomec View Drop Down
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Posts: 530 		  Quote nomec Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 26 Aug 2007 at 9:10pm

Is it hard to set up SLI??

Also, is the new GeForce going to just blow the 8800s out of the water?  I dont wanna buy the 8800 series only to have something 3x better come out when I could just wait.
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 26 Aug 2007 at 9:56pm
Well every generation of cards are always better then the last. You're never going to keep up in hardware unless you are rich =)

The GeForce 8 is 1.5x faster then the GeForce 7.
The GeForce 7 is 2x faster then the GeForce 6.

The GeForce 9 is rumored to be more then 2x faster then the GeForce 8. Only time will tell.

To set up SLI, you need 2 graphic cards that are IDENTICAL to each other or else it will not work. You simply plug the 2 graphic cards in the PCI E slots and then put the bridge (comes with your motherboard) on top of the two cards.

There's no software required for SLI.
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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  Quote Motherboard Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 1:06am
What motherboard would you recommend for other than SLI. I plan on playing around 1280 or so resolution and I will most likely stick with one video card for now.
 
 
I did check your configuraion for one system..and I see only the SLI motherboard as an option.
 
 
thx,
 
Gary
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Alex View Drop Down
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Posts: 16314 		  Quote Alex Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 3:04am
Going with SLI is definitely something you need for a 24" monitor. When you run that monitor at it's native resolution, max all of your graphic settings, it's going to ask for that horsepower.
 
With a budget of about $5,000 --- your looking to get a high end "Kick-Ass" machine. Get a QX6850, 8800ULTRA's in SLI, etc.
 
Sometimes, waiting to jump the gun can be a killer, I can tell you right now that a setup worth $5,000 is going to rip through any game you throw at it for a while.
 
Originally posted by nomec

I plan on spending around $5,000 on my new rig.  I will be purchasing a 24" widescreen as well.
 
I had a simple question regarding SLI.  Is it going to be worth it with a 24" setup?  It would probably see greater benefits if I used a 30" LCD but I don't have the room and don't want to spend double the money on it as opposed to a 24" widescreen.  I am pretty sure a single 8800 Ultra could handle the 1920x1200 but I want to be able to play games in 1920x1200 in a year or more from now.
 
Would going SLI be smart if I am thinking to the future?
 
Also, in terms of the cases Digital Storm offers, which ones will support SLI if I choose to go that route?
 
Thanks Smile
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nomec View Drop Down
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Posts: 530 		  Quote nomec Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 11:40am
Here is what I am looking at as of right now....
 
Case: Digital Storm Twister PRO (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish)
Power Supply: 1000W Thermaltake (8800 GTX SLI Compatible) (Silent Toughpower Edition)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad QX6850 Extreme 3.00GHz (1333MHz FSB)
Motherboard: nVidia 680i Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 680i SLI) (A1 Revision)
Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 1066MHz Dominator (Dual Channel) (Extreme-Performance)
Floppy / Media: Sony 1.44MB Floppy (Black Edition)
Hard Drive 1: 150GB Western Digital Raptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Hard Drive 2: 250GB (Western Digital / Seagate) (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Modem: - No Thanks
Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (nVidia GeForce 8800GTX 768MB (By: eVGA / Asus) (PCI-Express)
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer (Up to 7.1 Channel) (Recommended)
Physics Card: - No Thanks
Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 (Silent Artic Cooling (TwisterBoost Overclocked)
Case Lighting: - No Thanks
Round Cables: - No Thanks
User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks my keyboard comes with a mouse
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty
Support: Lifetime Toll-Free Platinum Care Technical Support
Is there anywhere that I can save money and boost my performance?  Like would putting two Raptors in RAID 0 make much of a difference or increasing/decreasing the clock speed on my memory do anything?
 
Is watercooling necessary?
 
Sorry for all of the questions but this is a big purchase and I am not too well-versed on a lot of this stuff.  Confused
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 11:54am
things do tend to get quite hot but liquid cooling isn't necessary.

you can downgrade to a qx6800 or a qx6700 overclocked. There's no difference between a qx6700 and a qx6850 besides the speed and name.

ram speed only matters if you are overclocking. 800MHz if you aren't overclocking. 1066MHz+ for overclockers and rich people.
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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nomec View Drop Down
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  Quote nomec Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 12:32pm
Also, what about OS?  I assume 64-bit Vista isn't a good idea because this comp is strictly for gaming.
 
What are the differences between vista home premium and ultimate... would I be missing out on anything if I just went with home premium?
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Aug 2007 at 12:55pm
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx

If all your drivers are 64-bit compatible then there wouldn't be a reason not to go 64. If you choose 32-bit and decide to upgrade to 64-bit sometime down the road. Just contact Microsoft.
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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