GTX 460 SLi Question

[mrcaffeinex]

I am contemplating purchasing a second GTX 460 for SLi. In fact, I have been thinking about it since I bought the first 460. There is a good deal on Tiger today and I'm thinking about finally pulling the trigger.

Of course there is a catch: the 460 in question is the OC2 version and the one that I already have is the OC1 version. Can these two work in SLi together without issue?

Will the newer version function at a lower clock rate to balance out or could a happy medium be reached between OCing the older card and UCing the newer card? I've had my existing card up to 730MHz on the core clock, but never pushed it further.

Is there some other difference between the two that I am missing? The older card is still listing on Tiger at $189.99 with no associated rebates. My assumption would be that it was older stock that was purchased at a higher price and manufacturing yields or perhaps improvements made the new version more affordable, but I could just be overlooking an important detail...

 

[notty22]

They will work together with no problem, and you can use MSI Afterburner to start with windows and sync the clocks for both cards to whatever you choose.
IMO, this may not be necessary, but I like to do it.

I would check if the current games your playing support SLI, so you are not disappointed. I think I read, Duke Nukem for example launched without sli support. Most games end up getting support though.

 

[mrcaffeinex]

Thanks for the reply.

I know a few of the more demanding games that I play are SLI ready and I wouldn't mind getting into Crysis 2 as well.

I already use MSI Afterburner and have tweaked this card slightly with it, especially the fan control. In the particular setup I have the GPU fans are not audible above the two front case fans even with them turned all the way up. The new card appears to be the same cooler, so the pair should run cool(ish).

 

[toyota]

what res do you play at? and I hope the rest of your pc is good enough to push gtx460 sli

 

[mrcaffeinex]

Right now I play at 1920x1080, though I do plan to move up in the future. The current setup that I have is:

Phenom II 955 @ 3.6
ASUS M4A79T Deluxe
12GB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600
Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB
Western Digital Enterprise Storage 500GB
Cooler Master RS-A00 1000W PSU
Cooler Master HAF 912

Since the board that I have does not support SLI, I will be moving to one of the newer AM3+ boards, but I haven't firmly decided which one yet. It is a toss-up between an ASUS or a GIGABYTE AM3+ board. A friend of mine is going to let me test everything out on his ASUS AM3+ board before I make my final decision on that component.

I plan to sell my current CPU and Motherboard once Bulldozer is available. If Bulldozer ends up being a disappointment I will sell that CPU/Motherboard and put together a Sandy Bridge rig. I already built a 2500K setup for a customer and was impressed, but by the time I get some hands-on time with Bulldozer the 2600Ks might fit the budget.

I do not anticipate Bulldozer competing directly with the 2600K, but if it is a noticeable improvement over my Phenom II I will be happy that I don't have to give money to Intel. Competition is good for us consumers and all...

 

[dac7nco]

Right now I play at 1920x1080, though I do plan to move up in the future.

I wouldn't plan to move beyond 19x12 in the future with SLId 460s; at 1440p you would be pushing too many pixels for 1GB VRAM. A pair of 460s can hang with a 580 at 1080p, but it drops badly beyond that.

Daimon

 

[mrcaffeinex]

1920x1200 is the next and probably last step for some time on the display front. If only I could find the right display...

 

[cubeless]

sell the 460 you have and get a 6950 2gb for $240 at ne with a game or two thrown in... be better deal than a mobo upgrade that you plan to dump anyways...

 

[mrcaffeinex]

I don't know if I'll be dumping the new motherboard or not, that will depend on how Bulldozer turns out.

I have no intention of purchasing an AMD video card now or in the future. I have always enjoyed their processors, but going back to the ATI days I always found nVidia performed better for my playing style. I have really been looking forward to having an AMD processor and SLI since they announced SLI support for the 9-series chipsets.

 

[Rifter]

sell the 460 you have and get a 6950 2gb for $240 at ne with a game or two thrown in... be better deal than a mobo upgrade that you plan to dump anyways...

maybe if it was going to be the same speed this would be a good idea but a 6950 is never going to keep up with SLI 460's. And he already has one so the 460 will be cheaper and faster.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/293?vs=314

 

[Dark Shroud]

maybe if it was going to be the same speed this would be a good idea but a 6950 is never going to keep up with SLI 460's. And he already has one so the 460 will be cheaper and faster.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/293?vs=314

A 2GB 6950 doesn't hit the VRAM limits of the 460s or even the 580.

 

[Rifter]

A 2GB 6950 doesn't hit the VRAM limits of the 460s or even the 580.

At 19x12 1GB is enough. If planning on 25x16 then the 2GB would be a better idea though.