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Are nVidia's SLI Cards Worth the Investment?

Posted by Cliff on from the plans-for-the-future dept.

aendeuryu asks: "So there's a lot of buzz right now about nVidia's SLI architecture, which allows for two video cards to be placed in tandem PCI-express sockets on the same motherboard to share processing. Based on the relatively low price of a PCIx 6600GT, and the promise of it dipping further, it would seem like a good idea to invest in one and an appropriate motherboard, so that one can upgrade later, right? So, for anybody who's actually got the setup at home, have SLI cards shown themselves to be worth the investment?" "There are two problems with the current state of SLI:
  • It's hard to tell what software companies plan to take advantage of the SLI architecture when coding their games -- Doom3 and Several Benchmark software tests show a significant improvement over non-SLI setups, whereas some games like Far Cry actually show a performance hit over single video-card setups.

  • At the moment, the upgrade path actually requires two identical cards, so you'd have to choose your initial purchase extra carefully to make sure your model is still around when it's time to upgrade.
What does the future hold for SLI, or, for that matter, the ATI counterpart, AMR?"

3 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. No by reynaert · · Score: 3, Funny

    says /me who is still using a Matrox G400 with 4MB RAM in his desktop.

  2. Re:I think it;s worth it and the idea is great. by NRP128 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Umm...just FYI, i don't know what that other guy is talking about, but there is no pass through cable or anything. These aren't Voodoo2s, the SLI is done completely through the PCIe slots and a daughter card that bridges the two cards together inside the case. With two PCIe cards in you can run a quad monitor set up, so says the latest issues of MaxPC. Anandtech says different, though they used beta boards. Your mileage may vary. Regardless, you're not going to lose a video output on either card because of SLI. Like i said, these ain't Voodoo2s.

  3. What about straight dual-head nvidia cards? by bmac · · Score: 2, Funny

    I know this is mostly off-topic, but does anyone
    here run one of the nvidia dual-head cards to
    increase their desktop space? I'm running
    1600x900 and there just isn't enough space,
    so I've been considering getting one of the
    Nvidia Quadro4 XGL cards, which are pretty
    pricey (>= $450), and an extra monitor.

    I'm wondering if anyone actually uses this
    setup and has any comments on the usability
    of Windows XP for it (someday my FreeBSD
    will be ready for primetime, but not yet,
    IMO). Specifically, is there a separate
    taskbar for each screen and are they
    completely independent in terms of resolution
    and settings?

    Also, is it just more trouble than it's
    worth? Maybe just blowing a chunk on a
    huge (1920x1200) monitor and a better
    AGP card to drive it would be better from
    a usability (and simplicity) standpoint.

    Further sidebar: I saw one of those Mac
    30" monitors - talk about drooool! Trouble
    is, I'd hate to turn into a Mac fanboy :-)
    That, and I don't have an extra three grand.

    Peace & Blessings,
    bmac