SLi video cards

[jollyFE]

Any suggestions on Nvidia vid cards to SLi?  Currently I have 2 9600's and am not happy with their performance.  I would like to spend no more than 100 per card if possible.

thanks

[RipChord929]

The 9800 series has gotten alot cheaper since the next gen cards have come out..  My 2yr old game comp has 2x SLI 9800gt's..  And I built my first comp last fall, it has 2x 9800gtx's..  Both play any game I want, no probs... I guess it depends on what you want to pay for a Vid card.. After all, it's all about money..

Heck, I havent paid attn lately, but I think 9800 might be several generations old now.. Still a great card tho...

RC

[Dragon]

Your best bet than would be the 9800 GT's then.  Or get a single 260 for the same price and near identical performance.

[Spikes]

Get a GTX260 or a 5770...this way you have an upgrade path.

[Chalenge]

Are you sure you want GPUs? You might be better off with a different CPU or something. What are your system details?

[Krusty]

Spending $100 twice on two mediocre GPUs probably won't even closely match spending $200 on a single good GPU. Why go SLI when a single card can wipe the floor with your 2x9800 setup, for example?

Don't lock yourself into SLI. It may be the worse-off choice compared to other options.

[Chalenge]

Bottom line if you want good advice you need to give more details.

[Ghosth]

From what I have read SLI or Crossfire at best gives you 15- 20% improvement over a single card. May only give you 10% depending on your system and the cards. I have yet to see anything definitive from a reputable source that shows better than that.

So why would you buy 2 cards and go SLI/Crossfire?

Much better off to buy 1 good card.

[jollyFE]

Ok here's the sys specs, although it looks like a single better card is the way to go.

AMD Phenom X4 9550 2200MHZ
4 gig ram
XFX 750A motherboard
2x 9500GT vid cards


suggetsions for a good single vid card in the 100-200 $$ range?

[Chalenge]

I dont know enough about your CPU to really know but I can tell you can improve things there for about $100. The problem I have is in telling if you will get enough of a boost for it to be worth it alone and whether or not the CPU is the bottleneck that may or may not prevent you from getting a performance boost if you move up to a GTX 260 (which would seem to be the next best option). The problem is that I would suggest the EVGA GTX 260 and they run at right on $200 and with shipping you will be over the line as it were.

By the way the 10-15% boost with SLI is no linger true with the Fermi line.

[Tigger29]

OK keep this in mind.  The 9800GTX+ card is the same thing as a GTS250.  I have the 9800GTX+ I got for under $100 awhile back and while it's a capable card, I can still max it out fairly easily.

The next best thing in the Nvidia line-up in your price range is the GTX260.  Looks like the best of which (based on the reviews) is this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127464

It will run you right at $200 (I think there's a $20 mail in rebate though).  This MSI brand card also comes with a 1 year warranty.  You can find the 260 in other brands with a lifetime warranty for just a little more though.


Now, if you're interested in switching to 'the dark side' ATI cards are a great value right now, and perform just as good, if not better, than their Nvidia counterparts - at a much lower price.  Personally, if I were to upgrade, I think I'd be interested in the ATI 5770 cards.  These also support HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort.. and the new Eyefinity ATI technology... so they are quite a bit more future-proof than the Nvidia (non-fermi) cards out right now.

Here's a 5770 for under $170 with shipping:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150462

But, if it were me I'd spend the $20 more for this:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150464
Looks like it has faster memory and a bit of factory overclock... probably better cooling too.

And these two examples both come with lifetime warranties...

[Chalenge]

Im not sure precisely which MB he is using but there is a known compatibility issue with Ati and the chipset I believe he is using (750a SLI).

[jollyFE]

 yes, that's my board.  Kinda like to d
stay nvidia