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Thread ID: 55076	2005-03-02 03:58:00	SLI 6600s vs single X800	Atreides (7000)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
329672	2005-03-02 03:58:00	SLI Graphics - two graphics cards linked together - promises insane performance. Dual NVidia 6800 GTs beat everything in a test by a magazine. Possibly PC World, I don't remember. But I have some questions. Does ATI have SLI yet? And, would two NVidia 6600GTs in SLI be better than a single ATI X800 XT grahics card? 6600GTs are available for $300, while X800s are around $800. Do normal 6600 GTs support SLI, or do you have to pay more? Basically, is there any performance benefit from SLI 6600s over an X800, and would it cost more? Atreides.	Atreides (7000)
329673	2005-03-02 04:06:00	SLI doesn't work as designed unless the nvidia drivers have specific info for the exact game your playing,last i read (about a month ago) only 15 games had this suport,and 15 demo's, at all other times the secondary video card is sitting there doing nothing. This will improve over time, But its not a bandwagon I would be jumping on yet, or ever. One 6600gt does me fine. From what i recall 2x6600gt's when run on a game with driver suport only get about a 30 percent increase,but take that with a grain of salt untill it can be backed up with some data.	Powerslave (7265)
329674	2005-03-02 04:38:00	I see. I suppose I'll just get a single card then. AGP or PCI-E? Might get PCI-E for the future-proofing, even if it isn't significantly better at this stage. Any more expensive? Motherboards and graphics cards.	Atreides (7000)
329675	2005-03-02 04:42:00	I would wait for a while because prices for pci-e are bound to come down once it becomes more mainstream. Stick with AGP. :2cents:	Overdrive_5000 (4950)
329676	2005-03-02 04:47:00	How long is a while? I won't be buying this for a few months anyway. If I get AGP now then to get PCI-E in future I'll have to rip out the motherboard an' all... not too appealing. Are you saying that PCI-E is significantly more expensive? Looking at the list of motherboards on http://www.ascent.co.nz it seems that lots of boards now have PCI-E.	Atreides (7000)
329677	2005-03-02 04:55:00	Well if you were going to do an upgrade now then by all means go for it, But like Powerslave mentioned not many games support SLI at the mo. So the choice is yours. :thumbs:	Overdrive_5000 (4950)
329678	2005-03-02 23:14:00	Get the PCI-E X800. Another can be added later if you want - then you'd really have cool graphics! Yes AGP is still around and will be for some time but hey, future-proof it.	pctek (84)
329679	2005-03-03 00:33:00	as for pricing....PCI_E cards are generally cheaper then AGP,the manufacturing process has switched to PCI_E,an AGP card is the same but with an AGP bridge. If this isn't across the board this generation it will be next time, with many of the cards not being released as AGP at all. Motherboards with PCI_E are generally more expensive, and one with SLI capabilities i would imagine being even more expensive again.	Powerslave (7265)
329680	2005-03-04 21:42:00	Well I might be a bit biased, but I would go for the X800XT, I have just bought 1 and it's got insane performance. Also as stated before SLI only works if the nVidia drivers have specific info about the game you are playing. The other consideration is you need to have an SLI mobo for SLI to work obviously. If you don't have one it's gonna cost you. So if you need to buy an SLI mobo (+- $300) + 2 x 6600 ($300 each) so you're looking at $900. Having said that I would just go for a X800XT in the mean time, it will last you a long time and will be easier on your pocket than an SLI setup. Whether you choose AGP or PCi-e is up to you, but I would stick with AGP there is no real visible difference in performance but as you said you can avoid the future upgrade if you get the PCI-e card. Just some points to ponder. cheers chiefnz	chiefnz (545)
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