SLI: what's the point?

[xwar]

I'm still running on AGP card

... while SLI/Crossfire looks fun to play with, I doubt I'll be getting it. I had Dual Voodoo 2s back in the day and it provided far greater performance and a higher resolutions.

Dual cards are for those with unlimited budgets and crazy super sized high resolution monitors like the 30 inch Dell.

But if you've got the funds and it's your hobby, by all means.

I just wouldn't do it.

 

[coylter]

2x 7900gt for me was about the price of a 1900xtx and its better at 1280x1024 in most game.

(Can only run that res on my 3ms lcd)

 

[uber_g]

Seriously. Who wants to invest TWICE the money for dual 7900GTs, for exemple, while expecting only -5% to +30% difference in performance? (yes, MINUS 5% to PLUS 30%) Why not pay for a single 7900GT now, and invest a similarly priced video card in two years?

I have been trying hard to get it, but the more I think about it, the more I realise how it is stupid to buy two identical cards just because they can be run simultaneously, giving a small performance boost. Buy one now and a much better one later! How can people be fooled by the video card industry like that?

dont b!tch , people have the money y not spend it

i would go sli if i had the money

 

[kda]

Well, it has been fun listening (once again) to the poor huddled masses sing "sour grapes".
They cannot afford it, so conclude it "must be no good" or go on to postulate that it is all a massive
marketing fraud foisted on the poor unsuspecting rich folks.

But, at least they are trying to protect those who can spend money on toys like this ... now how nice is that! :roll:

 

[delanooch]

an SLI setup is code for "I have no girl, so I give all my money to my computer." 😛

Have you ever thought of this? " I have alot more money than you"

LOL , most of the people that have SLI I assure you have $$ which attracts chicks like flies. But then I hate gold diggers...

 

[jap0nes]

LOL , most of the people that have SLI I assure you have $$ which attracts chicks like flies. But then I hate gold diggers...

maybe they have enough money to buy SLI, but not enough to buy a ferrari (which is what chicks look for)

 

[Dr_asik]

dont b!tch , people have the money y not spend it

i would go sli if i had the money

I'm not dissing anyone in particular, except the graphic card industry, which main marketing strategy is to make you believe that spending outrageous amounts of money on their products is a good thing. Yes, there are 50% more "X"s in the X1900XTX than in the X1900XT; yes, X1600 sounds twice as mighty as X800; yes, running dual mighty Geforce 7900GTX sounds awfully nice; but are you paying for fancy names or concepts, or for performance?

 

[delanooch]

LOL true!

 

[Clarity]

an SLI setup is code for "I have no girl, so I give all my money to my computer." 😛

OR

"I got through college so I can actually afford an extra 500 bucks for something I like. *Scoffs at McDonald's Cashier""

 

[delanooch]

Hmmmm... I think you are on to something here , if we add more x's and 0's on the end of the model number can they charge more for it?

Joke

Here is the real deal where SLI flexes its e-penis I have 2x 7800gtx KO's in my rig with a dual core proc and 2 gigs of ram. I turn SLI off and I play call of duty 2 with all options on max @ 1920x1200 I get sluggish... I turn on SLI and 😀 I am happy again!!

 

[delanooch]

an SLI setup is code for "I have no girl, so I give all my money to my computer." 😛

OR

"I got through college so I can actually afford an extra 500 bucks for something I like. *Scoffs at McDonald's Cashier""

I think you hit that one on the head Clarity. Touche!

 

[jap0nes]

an SLI setup is code for "I have no girl, so I give all my money to my computer." 😛

you mean if you had a girl you would spend all your money with her? in that case i'd rather spend on SLI hahahaah
or get another chick

 

[kryojenix]

Hello,

I was gonna say SLI (and Crossfire) are stupid. But with all you guys touting the real performance gains, I'll say this instead:

SLI is a hambone solution wrapped in slick marketing to cover up the fact that neither nVidia and ATi can produce a single graphics card which can handle today's latest games at hi-res/hi-def/AA/AF/shadows/HDR/bling.

Either they can't or they don't want to.

Ever since Gigabyte made their 3dv1 dual GPU card, THAT'S the direction the industry should have headed in.

Or if you think SLI/CrsFr is better for people who buy one now and one later then it should be OPEN STANDARD so that mainboard and chipset don't matter. It's a clear and obvious consumer enslavement stunt.

As for you guys enjoying your games in hi-everything with SLI. Well, I'm happy for you. I'm playing Oblivion on my 3y.o. Radeon9700Pro - I was quite sad at first to turn off distant landscape/trees/stuff and even AA (plus I can only run at 1280x720, though it recommended 640x480 8O ) however, the graphics are that much better than Morrowind (1600x1200,AA) that it still feels awesome. And I'm really into the game - one day (March2007-March2008) I'll have another setup that will do a better job of it. But if I keep buying video setups every 6-12 months, how am I going to afford the BMW M5? (BMW 540 sucks! :twisted: )

 

[turpit]

As stated, it really depends on the person and thier money situation.

I just built a rig. As in, I loaded the OS on it just last night. I'm still in the process of setting it up.

Last night, I put my second BFG 7900GTX in there. Yes, that's right. Two BFG 7900GTX in sli.

So, sure. An extra $550 for the card, more for the mb, more for a bigger ps (although I need a bigger one than i have i think)...

But..if you have the money (which I do) then why not?

That's like me asking why on earth would somebody buy a million dollar car (some people do). Well, cause they are able to do it.
Me, the difference between spending $2.5k and 3K is trivial.

Dont take this wrong. Im not attacking you, though it may seem like it. Im just pointing out why I think your analogy is incorrect, and why I disagree with it. There is a big difference between your 7900GTX and a "million" dollar car. Your 7900 cannot be considered an investment for investment purposes. It WILL depreciate. In fact, after the initial drive away depreciation, the typical computer component will depreciate at a rate significantly greatly than any typical low priced consumer vehicle, let alone an investment vehicle. For example, Shelby Daytona Corbra coupes (only six were ever built) were sold for about $5000 USD back in 65-67 after Shelby was finnished with them. Theses cars now value $4.000.000 to priceless.
Im sorry, but your 7900GTX will never be considered priceless. Infact, by this time next year, based on the rate ATI and NVidia are "crapping" new cards out the door, I doubt your cards will be worth half what you paid for them. Even my 1995 ford bronco, @$26.000 in 95 holds its value at over $6000. Thats close to %25. Do you really think your 7900 will be be worth $140 in 11 years?? Does anyone reading this think any consumer video card in the $500 dollar range will be worth $125, 11 years after its release?

Additionally, a comparable new 2006 vehicle, (FOMOCO stopped Bronco production in 96 ) with the same size motor as my Bronco would give me only about %30 increase in HP (if that), while at the same time consuming the exact same amount of fuel, for the same or lesser towing load (9000lb). But the new vehicle would have more cup holders, map lights and 12 volt "power ports". I can also garuntee it would eat less tires.

Bearing this in mind, do you think the 7900GTX will hold its performance so well 11 years from now in relation to the video cards of 2117?? Does anyone?

So, I dont really think you can consider any car vs any computer component a legitimate analogy. Now, a fomoco/gm/chrysler vs toyota/honda etc --- AMD/Intel analogy....that I can agree with

 

[turpit]

an SLI setup is code for "I have no girl, so I give all my money to my computer." 😛

OR

"I got through college so I can actually afford an extra 500 bucks for something I like. *Scoffs at McDonald's Cashier""

I think you hit that one on the head Clarity. Touche!

ROFLMAO.....Bravo!!! well said

 

[techtre2003]

Everyone is talking about using SLI with 7900GTs, but what about a situation in which a person puts together a budget system with one modest card (6600GT or 6800GT) and then adds another card a few months down the road when they can afford it. This way when they need some more horsepower, they can pick up another much less expensive card rather than buy a new higher end card. I always thought of SLI as a nice upgrade option.

 

[smedlin]

That's like me asking why on earth would somebody buy a million dollar car (some people do). Well, cause they are able to do it.

There is a big difference between your 7900GTX and a "million" dollar car. Your 7900 cannot be considered an investment for investment purposes. It WILL depreciate.



Well, then when the time comes, I'll walk out of the house (that i own), into the garage (that i own), and lay the vid cards next to the 2005 2000cc vulcan (that i own) that is right next to the 2004 16FX 160hp jet ski (that i own, and my girlfriend loves to ride)...starting to get the picture?

I'm not really bragging. There are MANY people who make more than I do. I'm sure some of you do. But it's all about "ability".

I just finished setting up my rig (as IN just got the OS loaded tonight).

Basic stuff?

Coolmaster stacker 810
Asus A8N32-Sli Delux
AMD 64 X2 4800 with a Zalmon 9500
2G (2x1) OZC
150G raptor (10K rpm, 16M cache)
250G WD for storage (16M cache)
Two BFG 7900GTX

I broke 8500 in 3dmark06, with zero overclocking or modifications (everything straight out of the box)

Proof Image

Cost? Pretty freaking expensive, and I'm not done yet (going to pick up one of those gateway 21inch widscreens)

Is this the best system out there? NO, not even close. There are plenty of people who have rigs that smoke mine. However, I had fun building it (and not done yet). And THAT is what it's about. What do I enjoy. Well, I enjoy computers (my undergrad is in computer science, my masters in software engineering). I enjoy gamming.

What it really comes down to is if I want to spend MY money on a rig like this, well, I can.

------------------
I should point out that I'm in no way trying to be arrogant. I'm not rich or anything. But I make enough to do/buy the things I want to do/buy.

 

[knupxfon]

Sounds like there are a whole lot of jealous people on this board. Get over it or get a better job. I personally like having SLI'd 7900GT's. Has better perfomance for than an x1900xtx for the same price. Quit complaining that other people can afford something that you can't. You're like the wolf who couldn't get the grapes. They're only sour because you can't have them.

 

[uber_g]

dont b!tch , people have the money y not spend it

i would go sli if i had the money

I'm not dissing anyone in particular, except the graphic card industry, which main marketing strategy is to make you believe that spending outrageous amounts of money on their products is a good thing. Yes, there are 50% more "X"s in the X1900XTX than in the X1900XT; yes, X1600 sounds twice as mighty as X800; yes, running dual mighty Geforce 7900GTX sounds awfully nice; but are you paying for fancy names or concepts, or for performance?

-both

what ever makes people happy

i know what your trying to say

but most people out there dont care , they want what looks good
y u think there r so many sli systems out there -becuase they sell and they work

i even bought an sli mobo just in case i ever need it

shoot i might go sli in a couple months

 

[clue69less]

wow man, you're rich!!
hey, buy me a 7900GTX and mail me please... if it's trivial to you

If i can get Bill Gates to buy me a yatch (trival to him), I'll buy you a 7900GT (trival to me)...

And I know a real hot lady that COULD give me a hummer for free.

 

[clue69less]

an SLI setup is code for "I have no girl, so I give all my money to my computer." 😛

Or maybe: I have a really sweet girl that bought me a second 7900GTX...

Value is like beauty - it's in the mind's eye of the beholder. If you've got the current best thing VGA and are wishing for more, it's possible to throw more money at it and get more. How you perceive the worth of those extra frames or video quality depends on your own value system. I have not yet tried SLI or CF, but I have thought about it and have read all of the comparison reviews I can find.

 

[mesarectifier]

Cars & computers are a good analogy, turpit. They both lose their value as soon as you've bought one and they both have stupid options that people opt for that they're never going to need (like bigger and bigger engines and, oooooh lots of neon like on the fast and the furious, although that's PCs too.)

* I only picked 540/528 as my choice of cars cuz 528/M5 is a no brainer, whereas the 540 is in a pretty pointless market range.

As for people saying SLi is an upgrade option? Once you've worked up the ca$h to afford your 7900GTXXL-SuperSize, chances are you're gonna be waiting a while before you can afford a new one. If you factor in depreciation of graphics boards, I'd say probs 2-3 months, by which time your not gonna want another 7900GTXXL-SS for a 5% increase in frames, you're gonna want an 8900XXXLL-SSS for a 45% increase in frames. It's just not viable.

 

[jap0nes]

it's the same question as:

why people like to spend 2-3k dollars to build a machine, whether SLI or not, when they could spend 400 in a xbox360, maybe ~700 in a ps3 and have the same experience?

the answer is the same: some coz they like to build their own machines.. others because they can afford it.

market is based on a simple rule: seek and offer. they sell coz people buy, coz if dont they wouldn't waste R&D time, production machines and process, marketing efforts and all that stuff if they dont think SLI would sell.

if some people can buy SLI: cool
if some people dont like SLI: cool too

 

[mdd1963]

"Seriously. Who wants to invest TWICE the money for dual 7900GTs, for exemple, while expecting only -5% to +30% difference in performance?"

WHile there are a few examples of such low performance gains (and rarely, even a loss) in SLI, I notice you don't mention the 60-80% gains in FEAR, and 50% gais in numerous other gaming titles...

🙂

But for the example you gave...

Sometimes a pair of 7900GTs ($598)in SLI will defeat even a Crossfire rig with 1900XT cards ($850)...

 

[FITCamaro]

I think the real reason people hate it is because 1) new generations come out so quick and 2) they can't afford it.

If they could afford to buy two new cards every year, they wouldn't be bitching.

Get a good education, get a good job, and you won't be bitching because money won't be as big an issue. I'm not rich and am starting out in my career as a software engineer, but I already make more than 70-80% of Americans out there.

It has advantages and disadvantages. If you can afford it, get it. If not, don't. Simple as that. Look at games like Oblivion. Dual cards can run the game at higher resolutions with max detail at playable framerates than single cards. How is that not better? I don't know about you, but I don't like my games to be choppy at 20 fps in the heat of the action and with LCD monitors, you have to run it at its native resolution for it to look the best. Now I've only got a 19" but some have larger monitors with 1920x1200 native resolutions. You need dual cards for that.

I do think quad SLI though is starting to push the sanity of things. I think Nvidia and ATI should focus more on developing new cards than spending time making cards that will never really be available to the public due to yield issues and cost. I'll never spend $1000 on a single piece of my system. Oh and you might say well Crossfire or SLI can be that much but each card isn't $1000. $2500-2700 will get you an awesome system with dual GPUs and thats reasonable to me. Granted that doesn't include a monitor or keyboard and mouse but oh well.