POLL:::6800 ultras, or X850XT ?

[sparkyclarky]

Originally posted by: Noob
SLI is such a waste fo money. So you get a 50% - 100% performance increase. The next generation cards will be 50% - 100% better. So what's the point.

You do realize that that argument applies to every single graphics card over $50, correct? I mean, why buy a 6800GT for a 50-100% performance increase over a 9800Pro, when you could spend half as much for the pro and get next generations midrange which will be 50-100% better than the current midrange.

The simple fact is, if you can afford an SLI setup and desire top performance in computer hardware, no argument regarding bang for the buck matters. A 6800Ultra SLI setup is currently an overall faster performing gfx setup then anything else in the consumer market.

If you want to argue bang for the buck, go ahead. But you'd be missing the entire point of SLI.

 

[XBoxLPU]

Originally posted by: DoC91383
x850xtpe for sure, slap it in a dual xpress mobo. Run two of those on the DFI ultra D's.. Yum.

What the hell .......

 

[TantrumusMaximus]

SLI then nVidia.

Not SLI then the ATI.

 

[ronnn]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

FOr the speed the SLI would dominate. No doubt about it in anybodies mind as 1x 6800U can keep up with an X850XT(PE) (Obviously the X840 wins but it can keep up just fine). However cost wise neither are really effective. The 6800Gt is much more bang for your buck. And if it ever comes out the X800XL. Soundwise doesn't really matter. They are both about the same in terms of sound. Power consumption ATI still uses a bit less power than Nvidia. Feature wise Nvidia has more features.

-Kevin

Everything I read suggests that the x850xt is quieter than most cards. Probably will notice only in a very quiet system, but those who buy quiet systems are likely to be remarkedly anal about this. That is not to say that there are not some 6800 ultra solutions that are super quiet also - just talking about stock.

:beer:

 

[housecat]

i dont mind being a beta tester.

sli ultras will absolutely SMOKE anything you guys have here.

raggin on sli.. makes me sick.

its a BIG BOYS TOY son.. stick with the weenie man single slot solution and be a woman.


i dont diss on those willing to go SLI, much better than what i have.. or any of you have.



or we can be whiny little b!tches because we are too cheap or poor to try the good sh!t.

nothing wrong with a x850.. but sli ultras is pure unadulterated excessive uber pwnage.

theres no way around that.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: ronnn

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Runs quieter. I doubt it... they are probably both the same. Remember the X850XT uses a dual slot cooler as well. Read Anands review on it. Less power... eh probably.

I agree with the rest of your statement.

You need to spread out and read some real reviews.
link

Well, I just bought an Enermax 460W PSU for 89.00. Has a 33A 12V rail. Should be palunty for SLI.

 

[Gamingphreek]

What some of you are missing is that SLI can be used for 1 of two things.

1. You can either buy both cards now.... $$$ and have the top of the line bleeding edge system that owns all.

2. You can buy one now, then when the price falls and you want more performance just stick a second one in for 90% of the performance. Much more cost effective.

-Kevin

 

[zakee00]

Originally posted by: housecat
i dont mind being a beta tester.

sli ultras will absolutely SMOKE anything you guys have here.

raggin on sli.. makes me sick.

its a BIG BOYS TOY son.. stick with the weenie man single slot solution and be a woman.


i dont diss on those willing to go SLI, much better than what i have.. or any of you have.



or we can be whiny little b!tches because we are too cheap or poor to try the good sh!t.

nothing wrong with a x850.. but sli ultras is pure unadulterated excessive uber pwnage.

theres no way around that.

ok, this is comming from you...

Nsist on Nvidia!

duh, the sli rig will have better performance, and cost twice as much....what most people don't get is that it probably wont last twice as long. it would be better to get an x850xt right now, which will own any game, and then upgrade again in 1.5-2 years instead of buy sli ultras now and upgrade them in 3-4 years....
just imo, i wouldnt pay the money for sli. espically until they iron it out a bit more.

 

[housecat]

well, it may be coming from me.. but it is true.. admit that at least.

SLI IS king afterall.

i agree with you though, i just hate the "hating" on SLI. kinda fumes you to see something that will smash whatever that person uses, and to see them calling it trash or whatever. i mean, it works. and its very fast.

it seems like the gains from SLI could NEVER be enough for some people, because they are bent on damning it.

but I for one, and most everyone else thinks the gains are about right for first gen, and esp first revision driver support.. then even consider the NV40 is a new architechure.. and its DAMN impressive what they've pulled off so far.

the performance now is already awesome, even with 40-50%gains, it is ONLY going to get faster and better as they work on drivers.


So i think SLI has a great future, and offers exceptional performance.. the cost is expensive.. but sheesh, it owns everything out there.


Basically, while the x850 owns any game, SLI'd 6800GT/Ultras owns the x850. Big difference.



I'm actually torn between a X850 and SLI 6800GTs myself right now. So this is of extreme interest for me. These are just my conclusions after evaluating the entire situation (the new architechure, first gen sli hardware ect and so on). Its killer stuff.

 

[dguy6789]

I would take the X850XTPE over 2 6800Us any day. For one reason, the X850XTPE is faster than a single 6800U in pretty much any scenario.

Yes sli would make the 6800 ultras be faster, but your forgetting that sli does not work for many many games. SLI is mainly a benchmark and doom3/farcry tool and thats about it.

An X850XTPE could run any game at any setting you wanted, so why deal with the hassles of sli(expensive mainboard requirement, huge powersupply requirement) when it wont even work right in quite a few games?

 

[housecat]

what games are you referring to that you play?

my computer has doom3, HL2, pirates! installed.
whether or not SLI supports Pirates! makes absolutely no difference. Same for Grim Fandango.. I saw some numbnuts complaining that SLI didnt accelerate GRIM FANDANGO. Complete and utter stupidity.

 

[Creig]

Originally posted by: housecat
i dont mind being a beta tester.

sli ultras will absolutely SMOKE anything you guys have here.

raggin on sli.. makes me sick.

its a BIG BOYS TOY son.. stick with the weenie man single slot solution and be a woman.


i dont diss on those willing to go SLI, much better than what i have.. or any of you have.



or we can be whiny little b!tches because we are too cheap or poor to try the good sh!t.

nothing wrong with a x850.. but sli ultras is pure unadulterated excessive uber pwnage.

theres no way around that.

There's no current NEED for SLI with any current game. Unless somebody is running a ridiculous resolution, a 6800U or X850XT will do quite nicely for the next couple of years.

SLI is simply bragging rights at this point in time.

 

[sparkyclarky]

Originally posted by: Creig

Originally posted by: housecat
i dont mind being a beta tester.

sli ultras will absolutely SMOKE anything you guys have here.

raggin on sli.. makes me sick.

its a BIG BOYS TOY son.. stick with the weenie man single slot solution and be a woman.


i dont diss on those willing to go SLI, much better than what i have.. or any of you have.



or we can be whiny little b!tches because we are too cheap or poor to try the good sh!t.

nothing wrong with a x850.. but sli ultras is pure unadulterated excessive uber pwnage.

theres no way around that.

There's no current NEED for SLI with any current game. Unless somebody is running a ridiculous resolution, a 6800U or X850XT will do quite nicely for the next couple of years.

SLI is simply bragging rights at this point in time.

1600x1200 with 4aa and 8af with the latest games can easily drop below 30fps even with the absolute fastest cards on the market. Dropping below 30 is something that can get really irksome, and is much more noticeable than having a very high frame rate. Yes, you could drop the gfx settings somewhat. But some people want every last bit of eye candy they can get out of a game. As for the people saying that it only works on a handful of games - that's BS. A simple edit of a config file allows it to run many more games than the default drivers have programmed in. The fact is that there are games out there that can use it, and there are people out there with monitors capable of running games at 1600x1200 and beyond. If Dell happens to come out with a 23" LCD (rumored), you'll see quite an increase on that number. If you want to call this bragging rights, then fine. But it has uses. Personally, I can't afford it. But, that doesn't mean it's not worth it.

And to the people arguing economics, give it a rest. People that are buying an SLI system (especially the GT and Ultras) don't give a rats ass about the economics of it. Yes, there is a certain law of diminishing returns with computer hardware. But if someone wants the absolute best all around performer, a 6800ultra sli setup is it at the current point in time, no argument, end of discussion.

 

[housecat]

Originally posted by: Creig

Originally posted by: housecat
i dont mind being a beta tester.

sli ultras will absolutely SMOKE anything you guys have here.

raggin on sli.. makes me sick.

its a BIG BOYS TOY son.. stick with the weenie man single slot solution and be a woman.


i dont diss on those willing to go SLI, much better than what i have.. or any of you have.



or we can be whiny little b!tches because we are too cheap or poor to try the good sh!t.

nothing wrong with a x850.. but sli ultras is pure unadulterated excessive uber pwnage.

theres no way around that.

There's no current NEED for SLI with any current game. Unless somebody is running a ridiculous resolution, a 6800U or X850XT will do quite nicely for the next couple of years.

SLI is simply bragging rights at this point in time.

This is the same old reciprocal argument:

There's no current NEED for a X850PE with any current game. Unless somebody is running a ridiculous resolution, a 6800GT or X800XT will do quite nicely for the next couple of years.

I really dont see, or agree how this argument debunks SLI.



It seems to me, that since SLI was a phenomenal success on a hardware level, on a software level and a consumer acceptance level.. and since NVIDIA did it FIRST.. and will more than likely do it BEST..
people need a way to make it appear irrelevant.

When all it really is, is like having a REALLY fast video card.


Since when was the fastest video card on the market written off as "not needed"?

You must not belong here, if you follow that logic.

 

[Creig]

Oh, it's definitely the fastest setup available, no doubt about it. It just seems like a lot of money to spend on a 2nd 6800U when a single one does quite well on its own.

HardOCP comparison

If you browse through the article and look at benchmark graphs, you'll see that even at 1600x1200 (some with aa/af, some not) framerates RARELY dropped below 30fps and for the most part averaged a respectable 50-60 fps.

But if money is no concern then go for it. No reason not to. I was simply trying to give my opinion on the best performance/money ratio.

 

[Creig]

Originally posted by: housecat

and since NVIDIA did it FIRST.. and will more than likely do it BEST..
people need a way to make it appear irrelevant.

You must not belong here, if you follow that logic.

Please excuse me for having the gall to have a differing opinion than you.

Nsist on Nvidia!

I never said it was irrelevent, simply unnecessary.

 

[housecat]

im not trying to be harsh. and i agree its alot of money, and probably jsut a bit too far over what the average guy should spend...



BUT IM STILL CONSIDERING ORDERING IT NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

lol, i know i dont need it, but its "only" $850 at chumbo.. and its so damn fast.



but x850xt pe is so much more reasonable all around (and gives one time to wait for sli to mature), as you said.


but its not in stock for the chumbo price of $485...


but i do agree with you. i just see SLI as one uber fast card that tops them all, albeit at an higher cost. its a welcome development, nontheless.. as it will increase competition and bring more options

 

[Creig]

Personally I think SLI is cool as heck. I wondered if anybody would ever revive it after 3DFx closed up shop.

 

[housecat]

this is getting a bit offtopic, but i think i do want to go nvidia due to the fact im getting a 64bit processor.. and nvidia is on the ball on 64bit support across their entire product line.

not that i'll be using xp64 anytime soon, but why would i go with the product that doesnt have as good 64bit support?

im sure ATI is thinking they have pletny of time, but as usual i think NV is goign to be way ahead on driver quality when 64bit does hit.

anyway, im just typing what im thinking about (debating between x850 and sli GTs)...

ed- then theres the matter of unreal 3.0 engine not supporting anything without shader model 3.0....

i guess i have a hard time going ATI.



dont let the nsist on NV fool you, i have NO loyalty.
thats why i get a kick out of fanboys.. they have no clue. NV/ATI/Intel/AMD have no loyalty to me, why should i be loyal to them?

Do i think NV makes the better product, have I been incredibly impressed with that corporation (mroe so than ANY compnay in my entire life messing with computers)? Yes, yes yes.

Nforce=exceptional (all of them really), Riva=damn decent for its day, 32bit color, TNT=aaaahhh yeah... tnt2ultra kicked ass one of my faves, Geforce= no introduction needed.
And they support all these products very well even back to the TNT.. needless to say I have the utmost respect for Nvidia..

but thats whats behind my sig. No way in hell will you catch me blindly loyally submitting to them.

I passed on the FX series, used a 9800 Pro.
But i honestly believe that NV40> age old R300 architechure that runs very fast

anyway... time for me to install my 2nd HD i just picked up.. got 2x 160gig diamondmax plus9 for RAID0 in my asus a8n sli.

 

[Creig]

I'm also all for the "best performance at the best price". I'm currently running my oft-maligned soft-modded ATI 9500NP on an Nvidia NFII Ultra motherboard. And I'll continue to do look for the best price/performance package when it comes time to retire my current combo.

 

[housecat]

9500 was awesome. never was topped by the 9600s IMO.
i'd had one, but they started to get expensive and hard to find.. fast it seemed. its like they knew how good the card was so they pulled it. :evil:



:beer: for the performance fanboys!!! hear hear! :beer:

 

[housecat]

Originally posted by: housecat

Originally posted by: Creig

Originally posted by: housecat
i dont mind being a beta tester.

sli ultras will absolutely SMOKE anything you guys have here.

raggin on sli.. makes me sick.

its a BIG BOYS TOY son.. stick with the weenie man single slot solution and be a woman.


i dont diss on those willing to go SLI, much better than what i have.. or any of you have.



or we can be whiny little b!tches because we are too cheap or poor to try the good sh!t.

nothing wrong with a x850.. but sli ultras is pure unadulterated excessive uber pwnage.

theres no way around that.

There's no current NEED for SLI with any current game. Unless somebody is running a ridiculous resolution, a 6800U or X850XT will do quite nicely for the next couple of years.

SLI is simply bragging rights at this point in time.

This is the same old reciprocal argument:

There's no current NEED for a X850PE with any current game. Unless somebody is running a ridiculous resolution, a 6800GT or X800XT will do quite nicely for the next couple of years.

I really dont see, or agree how this argument debunks SLI.



It seems to me, that since SLI was a phenomenal success on a hardware level, on a software level and a consumer acceptance level.. and since NVIDIA did it FIRST.. and will more than likely do it BEST..
people need a way to make it appear irrelevant.

When all it really is, is like having a REALLY fast video card.


Since when was the fastest video card on the market written off as "not needed"?

You must not belong here, if you follow that logic.

To expand on this, in traditional Housecat fashion..

this would mean when the R500 and NV50 (or whatever they are named), that they will be written off as not needed.. because a X850 can handle games for years right?

Way I see it, is SLI is putting a NV50 in the hands of people.. today. But it'll cost you.

But if you need a total system upgrade anyway, its not that bad. I pieced a near complete 6800GT SLI rig for $1328..

now is that really that exhorbant for the best "video card" on the planet? Considering you get a near complete system?



WAIT! I'll answer that, no. Compared to what you get from Dell for $1300 (even in the dell outlet), its a scorching deal for the price.

A completely and utterly dominating gaming machine.

And then you can of course use SLI as another conservative route, and wait for prices to drop.. which is fine.



If you have a job, even at McDonalds, $1300 is not a lot of money. So in my twisted, irrational, fanboyish, malevolent world-view.. SLI is a absolute bargain.
Get a NV50 today

And the small detail it smears feces all over any ATI card's face.. thats just a bonus

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: housecat
i dont mind being a beta tester.

sli ultras will absolutely SMOKE anything you guys have here.

raggin on sli.. makes me sick.

its a BIG BOYS TOY son.. stick with the weenie man single slot solution and be a woman.


i dont diss on those willing to go SLI, much better than what i have.. or any of you have.



or we can be whiny little b!tches because we are too cheap or poor to try the good sh!t.

nothing wrong with a x850.. but sli ultras is pure unadulterated excessive uber pwnage.

theres no way around that.

First off, you are full of it. My "weenie" x850 is dual slot for one thing. For another, it puts out more FPS than my monitor can actually show in hl2. 2nd, I can OC pretty easily and get more performance down the road if I need to. And 3rd, it costs more than half as much as your WASTE OF MONEY SLI garbage. That's right, for less than 50% of the cost, I get the same performance. You can't see 180 fps so why bother spending money to get it? I'm happy with 80fps, as that's as high as my monitor is going to support at the resolutions I play anyway.

 

[Ackmed]

The facts are, SLI dosnt work in every game. Even when you try to force it, not all games benefit from it. Widescreen monitors do not work with it properly, putting many "power users" out of luck. Im not going to spend $1200+ on just video cards, to A) Not have it work all the time, B) Have to set my WS LCD to a 4:3 res just to play a game.

 

[housecat]

Originally posted by: malak

Originally posted by: housecat
i dont mind being a beta tester.

sli ultras will absolutely SMOKE anything you guys have here.

raggin on sli.. makes me sick.

its a BIG BOYS TOY son.. stick with the weenie man single slot solution and be a woman.


i dont diss on those willing to go SLI, much better than what i have.. or any of you have.



or we can be whiny little b!tches because we are too cheap or poor to try the good sh!t.

nothing wrong with a x850.. but sli ultras is pure unadulterated excessive uber pwnage.

theres no way around that.

First off, you are full of it. My "weenie" x850 is dual slot for one thing. For another, it puts out more FPS than my monitor can actually show in hl2. 2nd, I can OC pretty easily and get more performance down the road if I need to. And 3rd, it costs more than half as much as your WASTE OF MONEY SLI garbage. That's right, for less than 50% of the cost, I get the same performance. You can't see 180 fps so why bother spending money to get it? I'm happy with 80fps, as that's as high as my monitor is going to support at the resolutions I play anyway.

Reciprocal arguement




LOL, you dont have the same performance as SLI.. try 2048x1536 crank the AA/AF.. watch your card go up in a puff of smoke.

I cant believe the arguments coming out of the anti-SLI crowd. "Can't see 180fps"??? You completely miss the point of a faster video card.. high res, graphic options, and overall smoother performance.

80fps is the highest your monitor supports? Try vsync off.


Bottom line is SLI is going to be able to do more instensive games, high res, more grahical options than your X850. Also get shader model 3.0, not bad for a "freebie".. I'd certainly rather have it than not.


Basically what you are saying is that the X850 is fine for you.. but that makes SLI a "WASTE OF MOONNNNNNNAAAAYYY!!!" (as you put it), but in reality its only been clusterfvcked into being a ripoff in your own mind!



Its actually more like a vastly superior video card, with more advanced features.. and from a company who doesnt put up those god-forsaken .net drivers from hell!

The notion "speak for yourself" applies to your tirade very much so. For the rest of mankind, who desires the absolute finest in graphic acceleration, choose NV SLI.



SLI performs a Nvidia Nazi Boot Stomp (NNBS) on the X850.

Damn x850s are ovecompensating for their lack of manhood with dual slot eh? Sounds pretty weenie to me.

Its like comparing a souped up honda civic riceburner (R300 on steroids?), that looks and sounds really annoying, sitting next to a 2005 Lingenfelter Twin Turbo Z06 Corvette. For the dimwitted out there, Twin turbo=SLI, LS6=NV40

Simply outgunned.