SLI- graphic cards

Marinenachrichtendienst · 01-02-12, 10:55 AM

In jan. 2011 I bought this PC:

- Intel Core i7 Quad Processor i7-870
- Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB GDDR5
- Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz 8GB CL9
- Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz 4GB CL9
- Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz 4GB CL9
- Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4, Socket-1156
- Corsair TX 750W PSU
- NZXT Phantom Big Tower (white)
- Windows 7 - 64bit

(Broadband: 70mps/10mps)

My graphic card:

Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB GDDR5
PCI-Express 2.0, 2xDVI, HDMI, 2xmini-DisplayPort

I'm considering buying the same card for sli, but the closest choice for a new card that are more or less similar to mine, is :

Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB GDDR5
PCI-Express 2.1, 2xDVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, Dual Fan and BIOS

Question:

As far as I have found out, is that the only difference with these 2 cards, is the "PCI-Express 2,0" and the "PCI-Express 2,1".

So, if I buy the new graphic card, would they run smoothly together, or will there be any sort of complications ??

Thanks in advance !

PS! Maybe my card is more than enough for SH5, and only waste of money to buy a similar one ??

Arclight · 01-02-12, 11:12 AM

As far as I can tell SH5 doesn't even support SLI, and I'd say that it indeed is overkill.

Marinenachrichtendienst · 01-02-12, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arclight

As far as I can tell SH5 doesn't even support SLI, and I'd say that it indeed is overkill.

What I already have is "overkill", or "overkill" to sli to cards ??

HunterICX · 01-02-12, 11:16 AM

It's overkill to get another one to go SLI

HunterICX

Raptor1 · 01-02-12, 11:22 AM

Isn't SLI an Nvidia thing and CrossFire the ATI equivalent?

It seems rather overkill as it is to me, anyway. Not that that's a bad thing...

Arclight · 01-02-12, 11:26 AM

Ran it pretty high on the old 8800GTS, just 1 6950 should be plenty.

Since SH5 doesn't support SLI or Crossfire, it would end up running on 1 card anyway, so for just SH5 I'd stay clear of multi-GPU solutions.

And yes, for Radeon it's actually Crossfire. Iirc it generally has better performance and is more flexible with setups, though I don't know about compatibility.

(I bet it's the same story; games either work well with multi-GPU or they don't)

Marinenachrichtendienst · 01-02-12, 03:48 PM

Thanks for quick and detailed replies, everyone.

As for SH5, I better leave it as it is. Everything runs smooth, so there are nothing to complain about....

magicstix · 01-02-12, 04:55 PM

For SLI you *always* want the exact same card in both slots. However, I've never really found SLI to be worth it. You need a huge PSU and you never get the performance boost you're expecting.

In the high end graphics sim machines where I work they never use SLI; apparently it's too much trouble.

longam · 01-02-12, 05:36 PM

Most SLI configurations are for triple monitors, possible quad. Flight sims and combat simulators benefit the most from them.

Marinenachrichtendienst · 01-02-12, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by magicstix

For SLI you *always* want the exact same card in both slots. However, I've never really found SLI to be worth it. You need a huge PSU and you never get the performance boost you're expecting.

In the high end graphics sim machines where I work they never use SLI; apparently it's too much trouble.

Interesting.

But when u say huge PSU, what would that be ??

Arclight · 01-02-12, 07:11 PM

Depends on the cards. 550-650 is plenty for a good gaming rig, add the draw for the extra cards on that and your looking at 700-800 for dual-GPU, close to a KW or more for tri- and quad-setups. There's plenty of cheap ones out there but a good one will cost you, even a "small" one.

Another thing is the extra heat. Really need a good case for gaming anyway, especially true if you plug in more cards. Some aftermarket cooling for the CPU and cards themselfs wouldn't hurt.

Really agree with the "too much hassle" argument to be honest. For most people it means a new case, power supply and possibly upgraded cooling and a new motherboard: the average board doesn't have enough PCI-E lanes to give each card the full 16 they can use.

It's a lot of extra cost for a performance boost that can range from a low 20% to almost double, if it works at all. So it means research as well: figure out which games benefit from it and which simply refuse to work.

magicstix · 01-02-12, 08:29 PM

One thing to keep in mind, do *not* skimp in quality on the PSU. A bad PSU can fry everything in the box, unlike a bad video card, cpu or dram dimm.

When I build a box, I make sure the PSU is the best quality I can get.

Marinenachrichtendienst · 01-03-12, 05:17 AM

Thanks for very interesting replies.

I bought the "Corsair TX 750W PSU", based on many feedbacks I found from users around the world.

As far as I read, "Corsair TX 750W PSU" was a safe and good choice.

What would be your opinions ??

Arclight · 01-03-12, 02:15 PM

Original or the V2? First one was built by Channel Well Tech and less than stellar, V2 was built by Seasonic and a better unit for it.

Was using a HX520 (also from Seasonic) untill about a year ago; was a good PSU in it's days but by modern standards it's fairly mediocre. The Antec I'm using now is definitely leaps ahead, at least in efficiency, but it's a more modern unit so I guess that's to be expected.

01-02-12, 10:55 AM	#1
Marinenachrichtendienst Captain Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Norway Posts: 525 Downloads: 259 Uploads: 0	SLI- graphic cards In jan. 2011 I bought this PC: - Intel Core i7 Quad Processor i7-870 - Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB GDDR5 - Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz 8GB CL9 - Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz 4GB CL9 - Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz 4GB CL9 - Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4, Socket-1156 - Corsair TX 750W PSU - NZXT Phantom Big Tower (white) - Windows 7 - 64bit (Broadband: 70mps/10mps) My graphic card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.0, 2xDVI, HDMI, 2xmini-DisplayPort I'm considering buying the same card for sli, but the closest choice for a new card that are more or less similar to mine, is : Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.1, 2xDVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, Dual Fan and BIOS Question: As far as I have found out, is that the only difference with these 2 cards, is the "PCI-Express 2,0" and the "PCI-Express 2,1". So, if I buy the new graphic card, would they run smoothly together, or will there be any sort of complications ?? Thanks in advance ! PS! Maybe my card is more than enough for SH5, and only waste of money to buy a similar one ?? __________________ "Soldaten sterben nie, sie verblassen nur weg". Last edited by Marinenachrichtendienst; 01-05-12 at 07:53 PM.

01-02-12, 11:12 AM	#2
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	As far as I can tell SH5 doesn't even support SLI, and I'd say that it indeed is overkill. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

01-02-12, 11:16 AM	#4
HunterICX Rear Admiral Join Date: May 2006 Location: Malaga, España Posts: 10,750 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	It's overkill to get another one to go SLI HunterICX __________________

01-02-12, 11:22 AM	#5
Raptor1 Navy Seal Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Stavka Posts: 8,211 Downloads: 13 Uploads: 0	Isn't SLI an Nvidia thing and CrossFire the ATI equivalent? It seems rather overkill as it is to me, anyway. Not that that's a bad thing... __________________ Current Eastern Front status: Probable Victory

01-02-12, 11:26 AM	#6
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	Ran it pretty high on the old 8800GTS, just 1 6950 should be plenty. Since SH5 doesn't support SLI or Crossfire, it would end up running on 1 card anyway, so for just SH5 I'd stay clear of multi-GPU solutions. And yes, for Radeon it's actually Crossfire. Iirc it generally has better performance and is more flexible with setups, though I don't know about compatibility. (I bet it's the same story; games either work well with multi-GPU or they don't) __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

01-02-12, 03:48 PM	#7
Marinenachrichtendienst Captain Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Norway Posts: 525 Downloads: 259 Uploads: 0	Thanks for quick and detailed replies, everyone. As for SH5, I better leave it as it is. Everything runs smooth, so there are nothing to complain about.... __________________ "Soldaten sterben nie, sie verblassen nur weg".

01-02-12, 04:55 PM	#8
magicstix Captain Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Nuclear submarine under the North Pole Posts: 481 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	For SLI you always want the exact same card in both slots. However, I've never really found SLI to be worth it. You need a huge PSU and you never get the performance boost you're expecting. In the high end graphics sim machines where I work they never use SLI; apparently it's too much trouble.

01-02-12, 05:36 PM	#9
longam Admiral Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,014 Downloads: 26 Uploads: 0	Most SLI configurations are for triple monitors, possible quad. Flight sims and combat simulators benefit the most from them.

01-02-12, 07:11 PM	#11
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	Depends on the cards. 550-650 is plenty for a good gaming rig, add the draw for the extra cards on that and your looking at 700-800 for dual-GPU, close to a KW or more for tri- and quad-setups. There's plenty of cheap ones out there but a good one will cost you, even a "small" one. Another thing is the extra heat. Really need a good case for gaming anyway, especially true if you plug in more cards. Some aftermarket cooling for the CPU and cards themselfs wouldn't hurt. Really agree with the "too much hassle" argument to be honest. For most people it means a new case, power supply and possibly upgraded cooling and a new motherboard: the average board doesn't have enough PCI-E lanes to give each card the full 16 they can use. It's a lot of extra cost for a performance boost that can range from a low 20% to almost double, if it works at all. So it means research as well: figure out which games benefit from it and which simply refuse to work. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.

01-02-12, 08:29 PM	#12
magicstix Captain Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Nuclear submarine under the North Pole Posts: 481 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	One thing to keep in mind, do not skimp in quality on the PSU. A bad PSU can fry everything in the box, unlike a bad video card, cpu or dram dimm. When I build a box, I make sure the PSU is the best quality I can get.

01-03-12, 05:17 AM	#13
Marinenachrichtendienst Captain Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Norway Posts: 525 Downloads: 259 Uploads: 0	Thanks for very interesting replies. I bought the "Corsair TX 750W PSU", based on many feedbacks I found from users around the world. As far as I read, "Corsair TX 750W PSU" was a safe and good choice. What would be your opinions ?? __________________ "Soldaten sterben nie, sie verblassen nur weg".

01-03-12, 02:15 PM	#14
Arclight Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Land of windmills, tulips, wooden shoes and cheese. Lots of cheese. Posts: 8,467 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 10	Original or the V2? First one was built by Channel Well Tech and less than stellar, V2 was built by Seasonic and a better unit for it. Was using a HX520 (also from Seasonic) untill about a year ago; was a good PSU in it's days but by modern standards it's fairly mediocre. The Antec I'm using now is definitely leaps ahead, at least in efficiency, but it's a more modern unit so I guess that's to be expected. __________________ Contritium praecedit superbia.