SLI : here to stay?

[danjf]

Since i dont have the time anymore to assemble my own puter, ive decided with going with a custom-made job from one of those "gaming" companys. Is SLI here to stay, or is this just a passing fancy like the vodoo 2's were back in the 3dfx days? Obviously i know that new technology comes out all the time, but will these SLI systems/motherboard/chipssets worth buying? worth it in terms of not having to upgrade a year from now.(i usually keep the main components of my computer for at least 2 years or so - obviously video cards fall into another category).

[sr4470]

Re: SLI : here to stay?

Its very pricey (at least here in the UK) and such a setup is heavily CPU-limited, even with an Athlon 64 4000. If you bought yourself 1 high-end card such as a geforce 6800GT, it would probably last you 2 years, by which time longhorn will be out along with Directx 10.

[KoolDrew]

Re: SLI : here to stay?

I would say it is definetly worth it. 2 6800 GT's together would not be nedded to be upgrading for quit some time unless you are the type of person that wants the best.

[danjf]

Re: SLI : here to stay?

thanks guys. yeh ive had p4 1.4ghz for about 4 years now which is a bit longer then ive usually gone w/o getting a new computer. but if i want to play eq2 and hl2 and other games to come ive got to update whole puter. thanks for input guys

[danjf]

Re: SLI : here to stay?

longhorn is new p chip? sorry, ive not been into hardware stuff in the last few years. lots to catch up on, lol

[sr4470]

Re: SLI : here to stay?

Software. Its the new version of windows

[Yawgm0th]

Re: SLI : here to stay?

If it's motherboards you're looking at, a socket 939 board with PCI-E and dual-SLI is certainly the way to go. They will last a long time before you'd have any reason to replace them, much less want to. You can start by getting a card, then getting another one when you want to upgrade. The performance gains are almost linear when you compare price to performance for PCI-E. A 6600GT now will cost about $190 U.S., and two will be $380, which is about the same price as a 6800GT, which performs alsmot identically to dual 6600GTs. But A 6800GT now with a second one at a later date would be the best option.


But it's irrelevant with video cards. About six months from now, you should expect any two identical PCI-E cards from either company (ATI or nVidia) to work in an SLI configuration, or at least with any card not intended for very low-budget gaming (cards about $200 and over). Choose the systems for SLI, and don't worry about video cards. Like you said, the main components are what you need to try to keep as long as possible because they tend not to need changing, and when they do it's generally for an all-out system replacement. Video cards and CPUs just get replaced down the line as needed.

[danjf]

Re: SLI : here to stay?

thanks Yawg,
Yeh thats some very sound advice. since with my job the way it is there's no way i can take the time to build my own computer. plus, to do it correctly its alot of work. ive only constructed from scratch one computer (back in the pentium1 200 mmx days) and it took alot of work. i also had alot of help from a friend who doesnt live by anymore, so i would be kinda stuck in terms of "on-site" help.
So, i guess now i have to find a good company with a reasonable price. i was figuring on spending no more than (roughly) $4000 (US). Alot of people talk about alienware and swear by it. but right now the only SLI system they have is a Xenon based "ALX" for over $6000. 2k more than i was thinking. I've seen a few other companies with the amd 64 fx-55 or the newer p4 chip. (3.6-3.8'ish - or splurge for the extreme edition 3.46). I've always been a pentium man but AMD is looking more and more appealing to me. many of my online gaming friends use AMD and swear by them. I guess since Pentium marketing (esp on TV) is so pervasive, many people automatically gravitate that way.
Anyway, thank you for your input, it's much appreciated!

--Dan--

[Yawgm0th]

Re: SLI : here to stay?

Building a computer is really that much work, even if you do it right (which you hopefully would). You put the hardware in the case, connect everything, install OS. Hell, it seems most people screw up when it comes to the software part, these days. Installing Windows can also be the most time-consuming portion, except you can do something else during most of it. You should seriously consider building it yourself. It's not that hard, and we can help you if you have problems. It won't take much time either. At the very least, try to find someone who knows what he's doing to build it for you or go to a local company (as opposed to using an online service of some sort).

Hell, what state (or country, or that matter) are you in? Maybe I (or someone else) knows of a specific place/person you could go to if you choose not to build it for yourself.

[Joe89]

Re: SLI : here to stay?

i agree with yawg. It should only take you 3 hours for hardware and a good wiring job, 1 for windows and that you can read or watch tv for the bulk of it. Ordering copments online is aobut 2 hours work. all in all it would take 7-8 hours of your time to do this, and it would save you a lot of money and be another accomplishment undre your belt. I highly suggest you do it.

[matm347]

Re: SLI : here to stay?

You'll probably want to hold off 'till a few months into '05. Intel will introduce a dual core CPU with AMD to follow. The current 925XE chipset will support the dual core CPU.

Also, Gigabyte(I think) already has a dual chip 6600 GT on a single card for MUCH cheaper than an SLI dual card setup. I think this may be the future for SLI as one PCIe X16 slot provides plenty of bandwith for two GPUs on one card not to mention the extra cost of an SLI motherboard.

Right before 3dfx went under, they were set to produce a Voodoo 4 6000(not sure)??? Which had 4 gpus in SLI(different technology, but gave similar results)

[cintikid]

Re: SLI : here to stay?

I'm also really curious about the benifits of sli. I'm trying to piece together a computer which will be used for Maya, 3dsmax, also as an nle, and sound editor. I am looking to build around the socket 939 winchester, and am looking at motherboard graphic card combo's. The benifits of sli, are a bit ambiguous, however. Especially for nongaming use.

This article for instance starts off with a positive spin for sli, and then comes to sort of muddled conclusion.

http://techreport.com/reviews/2005q1/geforce6600gt-sli/index.x?pg=1

Does anyone know benifits of sli for workstation like applications?

[Yawgm0th]

Re: SLI : here to stay?

Depends on the application. It's going to help for any 3D rendering, but it's not that beneficial unless you want to use two 6800GT/Ultras, because dual-6600GTs don't really provide more performance or less cost than a 6800GT.