n7 and BFG10K brought up some points in another thread in regard to 3 way SLi I thought should be addressed in a 3 way thread, rather than further de-railing the 3870X2 thread.
While it's true a single GPU solution that offered the level of performance of 3 way SLi would be preferable, I think what you're asking for is far easier said than done.
It's true that it's not inexpensive to set up a 3 way Sli rig, but having the "best of the best" is never cheap in computer equipment.
To play at 25X16 you need all the help you can get, as you should know n7:
http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._performance/page5.asp
85fps average vs 31fps average at Bioshock is a pretty good illustration of the value of 3way- and that's with 8X AA. Also note the minimum fps for 19X12 in the chart at the bottom of the page- 33 vs 81.
http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._performance/page6.asp
Same thing at COH- 60fps ave beats 20fps ave any day, and this is DX10 with 8X AA. Same situation with 19X12 minimums as well.
http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._performance/page7.asp
COD4 is at 77 vs 33 fps average- looks to me like 3 Way SLi is the only thing out there that makes high AA gaming a reality for us n7.
http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._performance/page8.asp
Lost Planet is showing over 3X the performance, and is unplayable single card.
http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._performance/page9.asp
Oblivion is at 54 vs 21- again playable vs not.
http://www.firingsquad.com/har...performance/page10.asp
81 ave vs 30 ave at FEAR.
So you see n7, the payoff I was referring to was being able to use your monitor to game with the ultimate image quality available. That's worth a few bucks.
I don't regret having to get a case with a lot of airflow or a high end PSU- those things don't become obsolete nearly as quickly as CPUs and GPUs. More airflow is always good, and having rock solid power is always preferable as well.
One has to pay off the credit card for an overpriced 3-way SLI motherboard, overpriced GTX/Ultras, overpriced case, & overpriced PSU.
What would be very welcome is a new high end single card solution instead another SLI sandwich solution that no one wants that can do well with my 2560x1600.
While it's true a single GPU solution that offered the level of performance of 3 way SLi would be preferable, I think what you're asking for is far easier said than done.
It's true that it's not inexpensive to set up a 3 way Sli rig, but having the "best of the best" is never cheap in computer equipment.
To play at 25X16 you need all the help you can get, as you should know n7:
http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._performance/page5.asp
85fps average vs 31fps average at Bioshock is a pretty good illustration of the value of 3way- and that's with 8X AA. Also note the minimum fps for 19X12 in the chart at the bottom of the page- 33 vs 81.
http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._performance/page6.asp
Same thing at COH- 60fps ave beats 20fps ave any day, and this is DX10 with 8X AA. Same situation with 19X12 minimums as well.
http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._performance/page7.asp
COD4 is at 77 vs 33 fps average- looks to me like 3 Way SLi is the only thing out there that makes high AA gaming a reality for us n7.
http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._performance/page8.asp
Lost Planet is showing over 3X the performance, and is unplayable single card.
http://www.firingsquad.com/har..._performance/page9.asp
Oblivion is at 54 vs 21- again playable vs not.
http://www.firingsquad.com/har...performance/page10.asp
81 ave vs 30 ave at FEAR.
So you see n7, the payoff I was referring to was being able to use your monitor to game with the ultimate image quality available. That's worth a few bucks.
I don't regret having to get a case with a lot of airflow or a high end PSU- those things don't become obsolete nearly as quickly as CPUs and GPUs. More airflow is always good, and having rock solid power is always preferable as well.