9800 GX2 Cebit Pics.

Willis · 4 Mar 2008 at 20:58

I personally think this card is going to be rather special but that's just my thoughts, I really do think Nvidia know what they are doing and surprise a few people with a trick up there sleeve.

straxusii · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:02

Skeeter said:
im obvioudly failing to explain what I though was a simple idea...

If you run SLI on 2 cards, then the mobo etc comes into play, and as far as im aware the second PCIe port doesnt run at full 16x. If you have 2 cards in 1 slot using an onboard chip to comunicate between them, the mobo doesnt come into play. There is an obvious difference in how the 2 chips comunicate...

There is every possibility this could have positive effects, negative effects, or no effect at all!

Its a theory, I have no proof, but then you also have no proof that im wrong!

Ahh, so you have one then.... cool. Get some benchies up!!

But the 2 card in one slot solution means both run at 8x, not 16x

straxusii · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:04

Gerard said:
The gx2 is 2 gt's together is it not? Also the ram or core speed on the gx2 is slower than the single cards, doubt it'll make it that much slower though.

Dont think so mate, they have the full 128 stream units each

Skeeter · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:05

willhub said:
Skeeter, I hope you wave the white flag when the card is out

What the hell?

Why would I wave the white flag? You seem to think ive set up some kind of camp outside this thread protesting that the 9800GX2 is AWSOME UBER AMZINGS!

I posted a theory, its for discussion, i no no facts and never claimed to be right...

imagin its an exam:

"The nVidia 9800GX2 uses a different arcitechture for communication between the 2 graphical cores than when using 2 sperate single GPU cards in SLI mode. This may have an effect upon the performace of the GX2 over an SLI configuration of identical cards. Discuss"

(little tip, the answer isnt 'OMG lecturer your so dont know what your talking about tbfh, owned!')

easyrider · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:07

Skeeter said:
"The nVidia 9800GX2 uses a different arcitechture for communication between the 2 graphical cores than when using 2 sperate single GPU cards in SLI mode. This may have an effect upon the performace of the GX2 over an SLI configuration of identical cards. Discuss"

(little tip, the answer isnt 'OMG lecturer your so dont know what your talking about tbfh, owned!')

I have already given you the correct answer

It uses the same method as the 7950 GX2.

straxusii · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:10

I must admit I couldnt give a monkeys about whether ATI's 2 chip on one pcb solution is more elegant than nvidias sandwich solution.

Quite simply I will buy whichever one gives the best bang for the buck with a nod towards the fastest.

It seems quite clear that the GX2 is going to be faster than the X2, the only question is by how much and at what financial cost?

Skeeter · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:10

Im not even goign to try to explain to you how a discussion based upon a theory, not fact, has not right or wrong answer....

easyrider · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:11

straxusii said:
I must admit I couldnt give a monkeys about whether ATI's 2 chip on one pcb solution is more elegant than nvidias sandwich solution.

Quite simply I will buy whichever one gives the best bang for the buck with a nod towards the fastest.

It seems quite clear that the GX2 is going to be faster than the X2, the only question is by how much and at what financial cost?

2 x 8800 GT and a SLI mobo will be cheaper and be on par with one!

straxusii · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:13

easyrider said:
2 x 8800 GT and a SLI mobo will be cheaper and be on par with one!

Sorry should have said my other must have criteria is support of dual monitors, Im hoping the GX2 gets around this SLI limitation.

jaykay · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:16

straxusii said:
Sorry should have said my other must have criteria is support of dual monitors, Im hoping the GX2 gets around this SLI limitation.

Well ATI have managed to use dual screens with crossfire now with the cats 8.3.
Maybe it will push nvidia to go this route as well but, nvidia and drivers.

Flanno · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:27

Isn't the GX2 all about scaling and I think I read on Fud that you will be able to put 2 GX2's into an SLI mobo for quad sli. I wonder will games need to be made aware of quad sli via a profile before they will use it though.

easyrider · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:29

Flanno said:
Isn't the GX2 all about scaling and I think I read on Fud that you will be able to put 2 GX2's into an SLI mobo for quad sli. I wonder will games need to be made aware of quad sli via a profile before they will use it though.

Quad SLI doesn't work does it?

sunlitsix · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:31

it must do with the 9800GX2 cards if companys are going to be on the show floor displaying quad-sli setups at cebit

[HoL]Cobra · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:43

Well, this is the card i've been waiting for, for so long.

Will read some reviews, benchies and test's 1st (rather than heresay that a lot of people are claiming here, before it's even in the shops) before taking the plunge though, but think it's on my shopping list soon.
That's after a few driver releases to.

FreeStream · 4 Mar 2008 at 21:53

MR.B said:
I dont normally reply to such stupid comments, but if two 8800 GT's in SLI are faster than the ATI X2, then how are two G92 GTS's strapped together going to be slower than the X2?

I said CF tech (from what I saw a while ago) was more efficient than SLi is.

and I said in THEORY, if the 8800s used in the GX2 = the 3870s in the X2 then the X2 should win.

However as the X2 starts with weaker cores then it still can't catch up.

I can't find where I saw this SLi/CF efficiency tests were as I've totally forgotten where it is or what it was called.

sunlitsix · 4 Mar 2008 at 22:00

based on that theory of efficency, take the 9600GTs. they scale remarkably well in SLI.
if nvidia can manage to get the same efficiency out of the 9800GX2 then this could be a very quick card indeed

FreeStream · 4 Mar 2008 at 22:02

Found kinda what I remember seeing:

http://en.expreview.com/2007/11/26/hd-3870-crossfire-vs-8800gt-sli/?page=5

SLI was in the 40-60% range improvement most of the time
CF was in the 70-105% range improvement most of the time

Although with this review its on nvidias side:
http://www.tbreak.com/reviews/article.php?cat=grfx&id=580&pagenumber=12

And wow, 9600GT SLi is doing well
http://www.tbreak.com/reviews/article.php?cat=grfx&id=580&pagenumber=12

I think we need some new benchmarks from a unbiased source with latest drivers... we can wish lol

jigger · 4 Mar 2008 at 22:09

easyrider said:
Quad SLI doesn't work does it?

It's been a while, but when i was playing with 2x 7950gx2 somtimes it was slower than one half of one 7950gx2 (if you know what i mean) and in few games it was alittle faster. i came to the conculsion that it would only be worth going quad sli if you already had an sli board,psu,fast cpu and there was a BOGOF deal on the 7950gx2.

Final8y · 4 Mar 2008 at 22:16

Concorde Rules said:
I said CF tech (from what I saw a while ago) was more efficient than SLi is.

and I said in THEORY, if the 8800s used in the GX2 = the 3870s in the X2 then the X2 should win.

However as the X2 starts with weaker cores then it still can't catch up.

I can't find where I saw this SLi/CF efficiency tests were as I've totally forgotten where it is or what it was called.

http://en.expreview.com/2007/11/page/2/

Final thoughts
From the test result we can notice in more than 90% items, Crossfire scale more better than SLI. In 60% test items CrossFire scale up more than 50% performance compare to single card. But in only 40% items SLI can scale up to 50%.

More surprisingly, in 30% items there’s more than 80% scale in Crossfire. But we can hardly find a 70% scale in SLI solutions. In one word to sum this up: ATi’s Crossfire is more efficiency than SLI.

It is known that HD 3870 is not powerful compare to 8800GT. and because 3870 and 8800GT are at the same price, so a single 3870 have no advantage compare to 8800GT. But Crossfire, this funtion somehow add more value to the product. Also there are lot’s of middle and high end mobo (P965, P35, X38… and AMD’s own mobo) supports Crossfire, But only NV’s chipset supports SLI so in multicard solution AMD already got enough firepower to fight with NV.

chaparral · 4 Mar 2008 at 22:18

Concorde Rules said:
Found kinda what I remember seeing:

http://en.expreview.com/2007/11/26/hd-3870-crossfire-vs-8800gt-sli/?page=5

SLI was in the 40-60% range improvement most of the time
CF was in the 70-105% range improvement most of the time

Am sure two 8800gt in SLI with OC Q6600 quadcore cpu can get more then 15115 in 3dmark06 :confused: