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8800GTX/Ultra SLI With A Single PCI-E 16X Controller: Pointless?

2wenty4our

2wenty4our

2wenty4our

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So I wouldn't get ultimate performance running two ultras on my A8N-SLI, so what would beat two 8800 Ultras with only 16X available, if anything?

How far back would I have to go to have an sli config which just maxes out my 16X, or would I be better off sticking with just one of these GTX/Ultra cards?

I mean, in laymans terms, how much of 16X would one GTX/Ultra take up? Say it was 10X percard, then I'd only be losing 4X. I know it won' be as simple as this, but much would I lose out?
 
RaiderX said:
using 2 GTX or 2 ultras running at 8x each (16x total) it would be a huge bottleneck, best would be just one card
Click to expand...

Woud it? Or is that just theoretical? I'm aware that Nvidia REQUIRE the G80 series to have a PCIe x16 slot for their cards, so there is a chace it probably won't even work. In theory.

To be honest, I'd never stump up the cash for something in the computer world that would theoretically work. Find somebody who's used two G80s in SLi over two 8x slots and go from there. I'm guessing they're few and far between however, as to have the wedge for a second G80 normally = the wedge for a 48x PCIe lane motherboard or whatever they're up to by this point.
 
But if I tried to make the most of my current setup using two non-8800 in SLI mode, they wouldn't even compare to one 8800GTX or even a GTS would they?
 
mrthingyx said:
Woud it? Or is that just theoretical? I'm aware that Nvidia REQUIRE the G80 series to have a PCIe x16 slot for their cards, so there is a chace it probably won't even work. In theory.

To be honest, I'd never stump up the cash for something in the computer world that would theoretically work. Find somebody who's used two G80s in SLi over two 8x slots and go from there. I'm guessing they're few and far between however, as to have the wedge for a second G80 normally = the wedge for a 48x PCIe lane motherboard or whatever they're up to by this point.
Click to expand...

Nvidia take more of a performance hit in PCI-E speeds compared to ATI. ATI are really only affected by 1x PCI-E speeds. 4x, 8x and 16x all run well on ATI but some report the 4x speeds on ATI to show some of the weaknesses. Saying that, if you compared an Nvidia card at 4x speed and an ATI card then the Nvidia card would suffer more.
 
8800 Series cards work fine in 8x and even 4x mode. Just performance is crippled a touch. Personally aside the issue of PCI-E bandwith, you should be aware that any Socket 939 CPU will hold back a single 8800 series card, in lower resolutions let alone two of them in SLI. If you have that kind of money available to buy two 8800 series cards, ditch Socket 939 and go Core 2 Duo :)

Mul
 
Mul said:
you should be aware that any Socket 939 CPU will hold back a single 8800 series card, in lower resolutions let alone two of them in SLI.

Mul
Click to expand...

I never knew that. How much does it affect it? 10% or more?

I have slowly upgraded my computer over the last 6 months. Wasn't planning on changing everything but the upgrade bug hit me. I have done the following upgrades in order.

Socket 939 3200+ to 4200+ dual core £41 upgrade
Gigabyte K9NF to DFI Lanparty Expert £46 upgrade
2 x 512Mb DDR400 memory to 2 x 1GB DDR 400 memory £40 upgrade
X800XT to 8800 GTS 320Mb £109 upgrade

Total spent £236.00

With hindsight, if I hadn't planned on only swapping the processor originally, I would have changed completely to Intel dual core or AM2 setup but hindsight is a wonderful thing so would be very interested in how crippled my 8800 GTS is. :(
 
Mul said:
Personally aside the issue of PCI-E bandwith, you should be aware that any Socket 939 CPU will hold back a single 8800 series card, in lower resolutions let alone two of them in SLI. If you have that kind of money available to buy two 8800 series cards, ditch Socket 939 and go Core 2 Duo :)

Mul
Click to expand...

So my FX-60. both cores overclocked to 3.0Ghz, will bottleneck a single 8800 card? D'oh, would be a way of putting it mildly!

My outlook is to max out this existing setup. I mean, is the loss in performance from having a S939 worth spending money on a new mobo (price of my current mobo still holds at around £100), new cpu (don't even ask what my fx60 cost me), new ram (currently have 2GB PC3200 dual channel).

I think that's all I'd need to change but for the performance I' get back on the 8800s would it be worth buying all this new kit?
Obviously the upgradeability and 2x16X PCI-E ability would be great, but like I say, I'm trying to optimise my current system with a new graphics card.
If the 8800 bottlenecks, would a lowering performing card in theory, be able to perform to the same level as the 8800 in my system? Would a GeForce 7 series on my current mobo be too much of a step back?
 
I never knew that. How much does it affect it? 10% or more?

I have slowly upgraded my computer over the last 6 months. Wasn't planning on changing everything but the upgrade bug hit me. I have done the following upgrades in order.

Socket 939 3200+ to 4200+ dual core £41 upgrade
Gigabyte K9NF to DFI Lanparty Expert £46 upgrade
2 x 512Mb DDR400 memory to 2 x 1GB DDR 400 memory £40 upgrade
X800XT to 8800 GTS 320Mb £109 upgrade

Total spent £236.00

With hindsight, if I hadn't planned on only swapping the processor originally, I would have changed completely to Intel dual core or AM2 setup but hindsight is a wonderful thing so would be very interested in how crippled my 8800 GTS is.
Click to expand...

An X2 4200+ at stock speeds would be holding back an 8800GTS quite a bit depending on the games you play and the resolution. If your CPU's clocked nearer 3.0GHz, I'd say the system isn't bad at all and it's quite well rounded.

------------

So my FX-60. both cores overclocked to 3.0Ghz, will bottleneck a single 8800 card? D'oh, would be a way of putting it mildly!

My outlook is to max out this existing setup. I mean, is the loss in performance from having a S939 worth spending money on a new mobo (price of my current mobo still holds at around £100), new cpu (don't even ask what my fx60 cost me), new ram (currently have 2GB PC3200 dual channel).

I think that's all I'd need to change but for the performance I' get back on the 8800s would it be worth buying all this new kit?
Obviously the upgradeability and 2x16X PCI-E ability would be great, but like I say, I'm trying to optimise my current system with a new graphics card.
If the 8800 bottlenecks, would a lowering performing card in theory, be able to perform to the same level as the 8800 in my system? Would a GeForce 7 series on my current mobo be too much of a step back?
Click to expand...

An FX60 at 3.0GHz won't be so bad, particularly at resolutions 1600x1200 upwards. But SLI'd 8800's would still be a no go to be honest. What graphics card have you got right now?

Two options really. Adding an 8800GTS to your system would make it quite well rounded. But you should be aware that the upgrade to Core 2 Duo would be quite inexpensive once you've sold your existing RAM, Motherboard and CPU as well. :)

Adding an 8800 type card wouldn't be so bad an idea with a 3.0GHz X2 but you should be aware that times are changing and it might be an idea to move over to Core 2 Duo while your equipment still has value.

Mul
 
I currently have a 6600GT, was told this bottlenecking my whole PC performance.

I could sell my existing equipment I suppose, but I'm aware that AMD Barcelonas/Phenoms (whatever they're called, whatever socket they need AM2+?) and nVidia 9800s may be on the cards soon, of course there's no dates though, as always.

I guess I could keep my Thermaltake Tsuami Dream case for a new motherbaord, and my current 680W PurePower wouldn't go amiss with a new setup either.

Hmm, decisions. Other than ebay, where's the best place to sell 2nd hand electronics, that's sell NOT buy, don't want to break the rules or anything.
 
Once you've clocked up 250 posts on this forum you can use the OcUK Member's Market. I prefer Member's Market to Ebay as generally most people are somewhat trustworthy and are techwise.

Without a doubt you'll see a massive performance increase from a 6600GT to an 8800GTS with your system. That's for sure. The system will be a lot more balanced than it is now. My advice would be to get an 8800GTS/GTX and see how you feel about overall performance. If you're still not happy, sell your 939 kit and jump on the Core 2 bandwagon.

Mul
 
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