Wanna switch to SLI...

[sergage]

I've been wanting to switch to SLI for a while now, and trying Crysis the other day really made me realize that I should just go ahead. I already have two 8600GT's so all I need to change is the mobo. I did some googling and found out that SLI will pretty much double the gaming performance, which is great, I'll be able to switch to SLI mode whenever I want to play games and switch back to multi-display mode whenever I'm working.

As far as I understand, ASUS Striker Extreme is the best SLI board for LGA775 on the market so far. From what I managed to find in the forums Striker Extreme has/had issues with Corsair memory modules or modules occupying all 4 DIMMs or modules running at speeds higher than 800MHz. Most of the discussions I found were outdated, that's why I decided to make this thread. I need some fresh feedback on Striker Extreme.

My current configuration is this:
Q6600 (B3), Asus P5W64 WS PRO (i975x), 4x1GB Corsair 8500C5D (all modules are 100% identical, support EPP), 2x Gigabyte 8600GT (fanless, also identical), OCZ GameXStream 600W

So what should I do? Will it work...?

 

[sergage]

I should have added that I count on overclocking very much. I realize that my current board probably overclocks better, but I AM willing to give up couple of MHz's to have SLI.

 

[teh_boxzor]

i'd say don't do it now as the new 7xx series chipsets aren't as innovative as the new intel and AMD ones. also SLi doesn't double your FPS it gives i think 30% boost in resolutions 12*10 and up. below that you won't see much of a difference. Also Crossfire scales (~40% boost in gaming) better than Sli, so you could sell those 8600 gt's and get yourself a couple of hd2600xt's.

 

[Slobogob]

Don't use two 8600s in SLI. A single 8800 performs a whole lot better.
If you want to go multiple GPUs, sell both cards and get some AMD 38xx series card(s). Those should work flawless on your mainboard and you can crossfire them too.

 

[bornking]

Slobogob is right

 

[Avenger_K]

Don't use two 8600s in SLI. A single 8800 performs a whole lot better.
If you want to go multiple GPUs, sell both cards and get some AMD 38xx series card(s). Those should work flawless on your mainboard and you can crossfire them too.

Yeah, get two 512MB HD3850s if you want dual cards. 8600 SLI is a no-no......

 

[wingless]

Don't use two 8600s in SLI. A single 8800 performs a whole lot better.
If you want to go multiple GPUs, sell both cards and get some AMD 38xx series card(s). Those should work flawless on your mainboard and you can crossfire them too.

+1 !!!

Single 8800GT/GTS or ATI Crossfire 3850/70's is the only way to go. If you're willing to spend all that money on a Striker Extreme then you can go for a single 8800GT. Actually a single ATI 3870 would outperform two 8600GT's !

 

[sergage]

A single card won't do since I run three monitors. Need at least two cards. As for the brand, I've always been using nVidia, because (somebody once told me) GeForces perform better in CAD applications than ATI cards. I don't know if it's true though. What do you guys think? In particular I use Autodesk Maya.

On the other hand, if I get ATI cards and software modify them into FireGL's that would be great, since I've heard one can play games on a FireGL (as opposed to nVidia Quadro) and run multiple monitors in Crossfire mode (as opposed to nVidia SLI, which supports only one display when activated). Do you think it's a way to go? Is FireGL software modification possible these days?

 

[cpburns]

ok if you're interested in professional apps, right now the ati 2000 and 3000 series architecture has a monsterous advantage. don't bother with midrange cards if you can at all help it. if you can afford a striker extreme, spend a little more on two Radeon HD 3850's. they'll scale far better in crossfire than geforces will in sli. you can even get the 256MB 3850's instead of the 512MB versions, if you're looking to cut cash.

this kind of setup will give you good multi-monitor support, excellent color reproduction not usually seen on the geforce series cards (i've had a 7 and 8 series _800GT), great gaming performance, great professional application performance, and overall decent cost.

 

[systemlord]

The only thing the 8600 series cards are good for is simply passing HD-DVD and Blu-Ray movies, there not even considered as a gaming graphics cards. The minumum a gamer should go is an 8800GT or ATI 3870, I'm not a huge fan of ATI though. I would wait till NVidia comes out with their new 9800GX2, 9800GTX and 9800GT in Feb/March.

 

[weskurtz81]

The 3870 X2's will be out very soon. But, the 3870's are VERY good cards. I just put a X-Fire system together for my cousin with 2 3870's, 4Gb DDR2 800, and Q6600.

With the Q6600 @ about 3.4, the cards OC'ed, and the memory around 1Ghz..... he CLAIMS he can run the game maxed out @ or above 1600X1200.

 

[sergage]

The only reason I restrain myself from ATI for now is the CAD compatibility. What cpburns is saying is very good if it's true. I'll need more feedback on that.

What about FireGL modification. Anybody know anything?