Question about two graphics cards at SLI?

Robert McClelland · Mar 10, 2008, 02:05 AM

Hi I'm thinking about jumping ship when I get my next prebuilt computer to nvidia side. Question 2x nvidia 8500GT 512mb in SLI vs 8800GT 512mb for one card which is faster both slower or just one faster card? I need to know soon that way I know what to get

IEMC · Mar 10, 2008, 02:09 AM

I have a feeling a 8800 GT will destroy those cards in SLI.

AFAIK SLI doesn't make THAT much of an improvement on low-endish / mid-range cards.

BlueMak · Mar 10, 2008, 02:12 AM

I have no idea, but I doubt they even if they are, they will be much faster than a single 8800GT 512.

**kris23** · Mar 10, 2008, 02:24 AM

lol......

8800GT man....

Robert McClelland · Mar 10, 2008, 02:29 AM

So your staying one 8800GT is faster then two slower 8500GT? thanks for clearing that up I know which way to go now

Tipstaff · Mar 10, 2008, 02:36 AM

Don't even bother. Take a look at THIS site for single card comparisons, and THIS site for dual/quad card comparisons. Just plug in what cards you want to compare, and with what tests. You will have to compare numbers from each page. It should be noted that there is no mention anywhere about what the test system was on their site, but I can say that scores seem pretty low across the board. I would have to assume that the scores they quote are probably based on the scores they get from the slowest machine they used to do the tests as there is no other explanation for such low scores.

In any case, when in a basic 3DMark 06 test that the 8500GT SLI setup can only muster 2000 Marks, yet a single 8800GT can easily get close to 5000 (and an 8600GT SLI setup can come close to that) on the same program then that should say plenty.

Edit: I personally get over 11,000 Marks on my 8800GT rig, btw.

Take this from someone who did the same thing prior to getting a fast single card: don't bother.

Robert McClelland · Mar 10, 2008, 03:07 AM

ok thanks

I'm plain spend around 1075 or so on my next system I don't need keyboards mice speakers ect.. that should save me some money hehe. To TipStaff for amount of AMD 9600 quad core like stay from cyberpower to compare to intel dual core 2 2.4 system for same price which is faster like amd qaud core? Like I want to know how fast is AMD for the price which you get more then intel side. It's hard to choice my next system lol

Tipstaff · Mar 10, 2008, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert McClelland

ok thanks

I'm plain spend around 1075 or so on my next system I don't need keyboards mice speakers ect.. that should save me some money hehe. To TipStaff for amount of AMD 9600 quad core like stay from cyberpower to compare to intel dual core 2 2.4 system for same price which is faster like amd qaud core? Like I want to know how fast is AMD for the price which you get more then intel side. It's hard to choice my next system lol

To be honest I can't say for sure as I've yet to put my hands on a Phenom. All I have to go on is the plethora of comparison reviews out there. In fact, if you look at the link I gave you to Tom's Hardware you can change the comparison chart for other components, including CPUs right HERE, and their tests cover everything from 3D apps/games to everything in between. A quick plug in of the Phenom 9600 versus the Q6600 (a relatively old quad core CPU), and in a lot of benches the Phenom comes close, but still gets beat by the Q6600. Actually, pretty much every Intel Quad CPU is faster than the Phenom going by the charts at Tom's Hardware in most of the tests.

**kris23** · Mar 10, 2008, 04:41 AM

im not gonna touch AMD till they get a real working chip out.......

Tipstaff · Mar 10, 2008, 05:06 AM

It's not really the chip I have a problem with, cuz AMD has fixed that issue, however you won't see the new revisions come out for another couple to few weeks (mind you, the average person won't have an issue with the current chip, so it's just fine for most people). My problem is with the boards. Out of all the people I've talked to that has a Phenom system, one, and only one out of 20 people has a stable system. The chip runs just fine, but only one guy can keep his system running smoothly all because of boards that shouldn't be on the market. Just because it says it's "compatible" with the Phenom doesn't mean it should've be sold as such.

Personally I'd stick with Intel. The price of the Q6600 has come down, and it is the Phenom 9600s direct competitor. In a lot of tests the Q6600 beats the Phenom 9600, is only about $10 more to buy the Q6600, and there are a ton of stable chipsets and boards out there to choose from. Ya, I know, it sounds like I'm an Intel fanboy, and I may be one, but that's not how I operate when giving advice to people. If the Phenom was the better choice I'd tell you, but it's not right now, and won't be for a couple more months. That's when the new revisions of the Phenom come out, and more stable boards will start surfacing at the same time too. Until then I'll keep telling people to buy Intel.

**kris23** · Mar 10, 2008, 05:13 AM

yea, thats what i mean, 9700 is around soon but its gonna take awhile for the lower models to get new rev cores. theyre poor OCers currently too.

i knew boards were not that good, but i didnt think there were that many.... gigabyte i hear has a good one.

Robert McClelland · Mar 10, 2008, 06:10 AM

Sorry if I get off topic on my own lol

So another quick question is which is faster core dual 2 3.0 or quad core 2 at 2.4 it's for same price at cyberpower site which cost nothing to upgrade to qaud core ?

if someone ask me that I be happy no more quick questions hehe.

**kris23** · Mar 10, 2008, 06:14 AM

quad man... 4 cores any day

Tipstaff · Mar 10, 2008, 06:50 AM

Quad vs. Dual Core. Which one to get? God I love this one. It really depends on what you are going to do on the system, what operating system you are going to run, and what your plans are for how long you are going to keep what you buy.

Here's the way I look at it:

If you are going to stick with XP for a year more, don't go quad. From my experience Quads actually run "overall" worse on XP unless it's XP x64. So, if you are going to stick with XP for a while longer I'd save your money, buy a Core 2, and buy a Quad when you do switch to Vista later on.

If you are going to be buying Vista, buy a Quad. Vista is better able to utilize the extra cores, and it does so more efficiently than XP does. Plus, now that Vista is a more stable operating system, and more and more games are coming out that use more and more cores (such as UT3 and Supreme Commander), it makes more sense to go Quad. If you can't afford it then at the very least build your system with being able to upgrade to a Quad core processor in mind.

BTW, Robert, you didn't mention what OS you were planning on getting.

Robert McClelland · Mar 10, 2008, 04:23 PM

I'm planing get vista that way I can do sound drivers right way with vista

Thanks for this info guys this really help me chose my pc next month after I move this month.

Mar 10, 2008, 02:05 AM	#1
Robert McClelland PAX Tweaker, PAX Expert. Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Somewhere in Wood County Ohio Same Town :) Posts: 10,645 Rep Power: 196 System Specs	Question about two graphics cards at SLI? Hi I'm thinking about jumping ship when I get my next prebuilt computer to nvidia side. Question 2x nvidia 8500GT 512mb in SLI vs 8800GT 512mb for one card which is faster both slower or just one faster card? I need to know soon that way I know what to get __________________ "XTREME AUDIO IS CRAP!" "There no support for it. It's crapist card on face of the earth it should be throw into the sun" http://www.speedtest.net/result/1949536385.png

Mar 10, 2008, 02:09 AM	#2
IEMC Neighborhood screw up. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: MI, US Posts: 770 Rep Power: 55 System Specs	I have a feeling a 8800 GT will destroy those cards in SLI. AFAIK SLI doesn't make THAT much of an improvement on low-endish / mid-range cards. __________________

Mar 10, 2008, 02:12 AM	#3
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,465 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	I have no idea, but I doubt they even if they are, they will be much faster than a single 8800GT 512. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Mar 10, 2008, 02:24 AM	#4
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	lol...... 8800GT man.... __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Mar 10, 2008, 02:29 AM	Thread Starter #5
Robert McClelland PAX Tweaker, PAX Expert. Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Somewhere in Wood County Ohio Same Town :) Posts: 10,645 Rep Power: 196 System Specs	So your staying one 8800GT is faster then two slower 8500GT? thanks for clearing that up I know which way to go now __________________ "XTREME AUDIO IS CRAP!" "There no support for it. It's crapist card on face of the earth it should be throw into the sun" http://www.speedtest.net/result/1949536385.png

Mar 10, 2008, 02:36 AM	#6
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	Don't even bother. Take a look at THIS site for single card comparisons, and THIS site for dual/quad card comparisons. Just plug in what cards you want to compare, and with what tests. You will have to compare numbers from each page. It should be noted that there is no mention anywhere about what the test system was on their site, but I can say that scores seem pretty low across the board. I would have to assume that the scores they quote are probably based on the scores they get from the slowest machine they used to do the tests as there is no other explanation for such low scores. In any case, when in a basic 3DMark 06 test that the 8500GT SLI setup can only muster 2000 Marks, yet a single 8800GT can easily get close to 5000 (and an 8600GT SLI setup can come close to that) on the same program then that should say plenty. Edit: I personally get over 11,000 Marks on my 8800GT rig, btw. Take this from someone who did the same thing prior to getting a fast single card: don't bother. __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick. Last edited by Tipstaff; Mar 10, 2008 at 03:38 AM.

Mar 10, 2008, 03:07 AM	Thread Starter #7
Robert McClelland PAX Tweaker, PAX Expert. Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Somewhere in Wood County Ohio Same Town :) Posts: 10,645 Rep Power: 196 System Specs	ok thanks I'm plain spend around 1075 or so on my next system I don't need keyboards mice speakers ect.. that should save me some money hehe. To TipStaff for amount of AMD 9600 quad core like stay from cyberpower to compare to intel dual core 2 2.4 system for same price which is faster like amd qaud core? Like I want to know how fast is AMD for the price which you get more then intel side. It's hard to choice my next system lol __________________ "XTREME AUDIO IS CRAP!" "There no support for it. It's crapist card on face of the earth it should be throw into the sun" http://www.speedtest.net/result/1949536385.png

Mar 10, 2008, 04:41 AM	#9
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	im not gonna touch AMD till they get a real working chip out....... __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Mar 10, 2008, 05:06 AM	#10
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	It's not really the chip I have a problem with, cuz AMD has fixed that issue, however you won't see the new revisions come out for another couple to few weeks (mind you, the average person won't have an issue with the current chip, so it's just fine for most people). My problem is with the boards. Out of all the people I've talked to that has a Phenom system, one, and only one out of 20 people has a stable system. The chip runs just fine, but only one guy can keep his system running smoothly all because of boards that shouldn't be on the market. Just because it says it's "compatible" with the Phenom doesn't mean it should've be sold as such. Personally I'd stick with Intel. The price of the Q6600 has come down, and it is the Phenom 9600s direct competitor. In a lot of tests the Q6600 beats the Phenom 9600, is only about $10 more to buy the Q6600, and there are a ton of stable chipsets and boards out there to choose from. Ya, I know, it sounds like I'm an Intel fanboy, and I may be one, but that's not how I operate when giving advice to people. If the Phenom was the better choice I'd tell you, but it's not right now, and won't be for a couple more months. That's when the new revisions of the Phenom come out, and more stable boards will start surfacing at the same time too. Until then I'll keep telling people to buy Intel. __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

Mar 10, 2008, 05:13 AM	#11
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	yea, thats what i mean, 9700 is around soon but its gonna take awhile for the lower models to get new rev cores. theyre poor OCers currently too. i knew boards were not that good, but i didnt think there were that many.... gigabyte i hear has a good one. __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Mar 10, 2008, 06:10 AM	Thread Starter #12
Robert McClelland PAX Tweaker, PAX Expert. Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Somewhere in Wood County Ohio Same Town :) Posts: 10,645 Rep Power: 196 System Specs	Sorry if I get off topic on my own lol So another quick question is which is faster core dual 2 3.0 or quad core 2 at 2.4 it's for same price at cyberpower site which cost nothing to upgrade to qaud core ? if someone ask me that I be happy no more quick questions hehe. __________________ "XTREME AUDIO IS CRAP!" "There no support for it. It's crapist card on face of the earth it should be throw into the sun" http://www.speedtest.net/result/1949536385.png

Mar 10, 2008, 06:14 AM	#13
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	quad man... 4 cores any day __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Mar 10, 2008, 06:50 AM	#14
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	Quad vs. Dual Core. Which one to get? God I love this one. It really depends on what you are going to do on the system, what operating system you are going to run, and what your plans are for how long you are going to keep what you buy. Here's the way I look at it: If you are going to stick with XP for a year more, don't go quad. From my experience Quads actually run "overall" worse on XP unless it's XP x64. So, if you are going to stick with XP for a while longer I'd save your money, buy a Core 2, and buy a Quad when you do switch to Vista later on. If you are going to be buying Vista, buy a Quad. Vista is better able to utilize the extra cores, and it does so more efficiently than XP does. Plus, now that Vista is a more stable operating system, and more and more games are coming out that use more and more cores (such as UT3 and Supreme Commander), it makes more sense to go Quad. If you can't afford it then at the very least build your system with being able to upgrade to a Quad core processor in mind. BTW, Robert, you didn't mention what OS you were planning on getting. __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

Mar 10, 2008, 04:23 PM	Thread Starter #15
Robert McClelland PAX Tweaker, PAX Expert. Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Somewhere in Wood County Ohio Same Town :) Posts: 10,645 Rep Power: 196 System Specs	I'm planing get vista that way I can do sound drivers right way with vista Thanks for this info guys this really help me chose my pc next month after I move this month. __________________ "XTREME AUDIO IS CRAP!" "There no support for it. It's crapist card on face of the earth it should be throw into the sun" http://www.speedtest.net/result/1949536385.png