SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

[WakeUpDead]

OK, I have a X800GTO2 modded to a X850. It works great but, I would like to know if I got, 2 eVGA Geforce 6800GS 256MB in SLI mode, would it beat my GTO2 in performance? I really can't afford 2 7800's or I would for sure.
I have everything set up for SLI but have not used it. My X800GTO2 works great and only now have I thought about going SLI.

Let me know what you think!! Be very honest, I need your input please!!

Thank you in advance for your response!!!

[Yawgm0th]

Re: SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

IIRC one 6800GS (perhaps if overclock, but maybe stock, maybe not... can't remember) will outperform your GTO2. Two will be considerably faster.

A single 7800GT would make a lot more sense. It would outperform the X800GTO2 by quite a bit and won't cost nearly as much as an SLI system.

[iviuz]

Re: SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

Yawg can you get a 7800gt close to a gtx is there any unlockable pipes on the gt chip or do you have to get a gtx to put the foot down ?

[casecutter]

Re: SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

With my 2 6800GS cards overclocked, I outperform all single 7800 GTX systems in benchmarks. It also is faster in games. The heat output is not too bad and I really love these cards. You actually have a power supply that can handle the power needs so in my opinion, I say go for it if you have the money to spend. Yawg is 100% correct stating a 7800GT is much faster than an X800GTO2 and it is also cheaper than 2 6800GS's. I have seen them going for around $325-350. Most 6800GS's are going for $200-220. But the 2 6800's will eat up a GT. It really amazes me how far they overclock. I run my cards with DangerDen Maze4 waterblocks and 1/2" ID tubing and I can push them from 425/1000 stock to 550/1300 (for benchmarking). Just really depends on your budget.

And iviuz, there are no unlockable pipes in a 7800 GT or in the PCI-E version of the 6800GS. As for running 7800GTX's in SLI, I have tried it and I could not get my CPU running fast enough to properly run them. Your CPU would have to run 3GHz+ to run 7800GTX's in SLI. Plus your power supply would need to be extremely strong. My CPU can keep up to the 6800GS's. I just wish my power supply could keep up as it is being pushed well beyond it's limits right now.

[Yawgm0th]

Re: SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

For the record, when he says he couldn't get his CPU to run fast enough, he means that almost all games are limited by the CPU and therefore couldn't take full advantage of the powerful cards.

[WakeUpDead]

Re: SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

OK, Problem solved! I went out today and got myself a, X1900XT, all I can say is, WOW! It is indeed a great card, 1600mem/675core!! Now I dont have to spend 6+ bills for 2x7800GT's! From the charts and testing, this thing out powers any single card, and most SLI. I only paid 4 bills for it and I got a real steal. It's in and working great, played all my games at max and never even blinked. Thanks for all of your thoughts, I'm more than fine now!

[Amd_Lover2004]

Re: SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

Dot, Dot, Dot?
And yet you have an SLI board?

[casecutter]

Re: SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

Looks like he just did the SLI mod, not a stock SLI board. Besides, that X1900 is supposed to be a killer card. And the choices for crossfire boards are still not very good. Very nice indeed.

[Yawgm0th]

Re: SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

The X1900XT is indeed the current performance king. I was a little suprised that ATI managed to beat nVidia after last generation, but each company has it's ups and downs from gen to gen I guess.

[matm347]

Re: SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

One consistency I have notices is the ATI cards always seem to handle the quality increases (anisotropic filtering, AA, etc.), their framerates do not drop off nearly as much as the Nvidia cards.
I'm glad ATI has the crown, the things I was reading had me worried they might get bought out or even go under. That would be bad, even for someone who leans towards Nvidia.

[casecutter]

Re: SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

They may lose money sometimes, but it is almost inconceiveable that they would go under. They still make alot of money and they are too embedded into the GPU world to just go away. I am a huge ATI fanboy (who is running Nvidia cards, LOL) and I am also glad to see them finally get a leg up. I will say one thing, this ATI/NVIDIA war has been awesome for the consumer!

[matm347]

Re: SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

I will say one thing, this ATI/NVIDIA war has been awesome for the consumer!

Dam skippy!!

[RemixPinoY]

Re: SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

Yup prices have dropped on the new ati cards as well, x1900xt's available for 450 now. Also sli is only worth it if you play mainly at high resolutions, like 1600 by 1200 and up with quality settings. Or if it's cheaper than the top of the line cards and outperform them well enough to get them.

[casecutter]

Re: SLI, Will it increase performance that much?

SLI with anything more than 6800GS cards is a waste of money. THe CPU bottleneck is too great with the 7800 series cards and you need to spend ALOT of money on the cards and a serious CPU to ease the bottleneck enough to see the full advantages. The X1900XT is a monster of a card and it is just unneeded to get two.