Briareos H on 26/11/2011 at 08:45
so you would?
Al_B on 26/11/2011 at 11:30
Quote Posted by Raymond Luxury Yacht
The GTX 460 seems to be what I see recommended the most.
It's what I currently use and I've been happy with it after upgrading from an 8800 about a year or so ago. It's not cutting edge but it's been good value for money and for the gaming I do (single display, not ultra-high resolution) it's fine even with current games.
Raymond Luxury Yacht on 28/11/2011 at 04:31
Well, after skimming the Nvidia forums, they all seem to have issues, though the 560 Ti far and away has the most posts. I'm sure if I find a Radeon forum all the 6xxx series ones will have bitches, too. Guess I'll just close my eyes and pick. All I know is, this P4 has served me well, and whatever cheap motherboard Dell puts in has allowed me to flawlessly change 4 Nvidia video cards.
So I wonder now, what motherboard to get for Crossfire/SLI?
I see that there are different speed slots, and some have three different speeds, some have 4 slots, but 2 speeds (dual x16, dual x4). Does that speed matter? In other words should I go for the one that offers dual x16, so that if I go with a not-so-fast card now I can get the most out of a second one later?
Volitions Advocate on 28/11/2011 at 08:56
I asked this question myself on a different forum.
If you're going to go with a dual crossfireX / SLI, and not triple or quad, just go with one of the mobos that will run at x8 / x8. and x16 with a single card. THese are your best bet and cause the least trouble.
The boards that allow dual x16 do some bandwidth juggling act and have an extra chip on the board called nf200 or something like that which adds latency and really affects the added pipes its supposed to unlock. Really they're only good for tri-sli type setups.
Raymond Luxury Yacht on 30/11/2011 at 02:56
So what does the x4 slot do, or does it just make for slower SLI/Crossfire. I am trying to figure this out, because so many board have the x16/x4 setup, and few have a x8/x8. I have been considering it more and more - doing Crossfire/SLI with a GTX460 or 6850/6870, since it will allow me to get one card, then another later, and if I understand the benchmark stuff they actually seem to outperform the GTX 570 and 6770, and cost less.
My other bright idea was to go with a cheapo 1 slot board and just get a 6950.
It seems that the Intel/AMD folks are split like the old Miller Lite commercials
INTEL!!
AMD!!
INTEL!!
AMD!!
What's a newbie to do?? :confused:
Volitions Advocate on 30/11/2011 at 03:36
Don't bother getting a board with a 3rd x16 slot. (the one running at 4x) there isn't really a point. I dont know what kind of add in cards are x16 other than video cards. Even most of the big sound cards go into a x1 slot.
I would get a mobo with 2 x16 slots, where the first one will run at x16 until you have another card in the 2nd slot, at which point the will both run at x8. This is your best bet. Then spend your money on the best video card you can afford to buy, and just get one. It's always better to get one great card than to get 2 mediocre ones. Later you can always buy a 2nd one when they're cheaper without wasting the first one you have. That would be my plan in your situation.
especially if you're running on a single screen. I'm a multi-monitor guy. so crossfire is essential to keep my screenrate up across 3 montiors. if I wasn't.. I probably wouldn't bother.
Thirith on 1/12/2011 at 13:57
On a tangent: are most new graphics cards (or rather their coolers) going to be occupying three slots? If so, how can people manage to SLI such cards - do new motherboards have 6-9 available PCI-e slots?
(The GTX 570 sounds good but I think I'll wait until the 6xx series is revealed, either to get one of those if they review well or to get a cheaper 570.)
Volitions Advocate on 1/12/2011 at 21:18
The only 3 slot card I know of is by Asus, and the thing is ridiculous. Its huge, loud, hot, and costs 1300 dollars on a good day.
Most motherboards don't have PCIe x16 slots next to each other.
Usually you have a x1 slot at the top, then a x16, then 2 more x1, then the 2nd x16. Below that it could be more x1 slots or a combination of x1 and legacy PCI slots.
even though a card takes up 2 slots doesn't mean its covering up or using anther pci-e x16.
EDIT: okay. i went back and re-read your post and realized I didn't really pay attention to what you said.
the triple slot card (s) I've seen are dual GPU. So techincally they're already SlI, if you put 2 of them together.. youre rich, for one. and that woudl be a quad-sli setup. But I think you're right. there is no mobo that would physically accomodate this. I doubt it's the future of video cards.
