Dual cards and SLI or faster single card

sheriffsyn · 12-02-2005, 11:45 AM

I am currently getting 3dMark05 scores around 3800 with my system. I would like to upgrade and am wondering if I would get better performance from adding a second 6600GT and utilizing SLI or just upgrading to a single faster card?

What advice does anyone have for me?

**please** · 12-02-2005, 12:30 PM

@ sheriffsyn
Toms Hardware just did a thing with single versus dual. It also has a upgrade comparison chart that is real nice.

ebackhus · 12-02-2005, 12:38 PM

Actually, I wouldn't use 3DMark as a basis for decision. If gaming is your bag then use AquaMark3 or nBench. They more accurately measure CPU/video performance in game environments using game engines.

To answer your question, it's really up to you and your budget. If you can afford a card that matches SLI'd 6600GT's then I'd go for the single card solution. If two 6600GT's outpace the single card you can afford then go with that.

**gamerman0203** · 12-14-2005, 12:48 PM

Tomshardware did a good article. It basically depends on the game! Some games will utilize SLI, some games won't. I would say get the second card and use SLI. More games will probably start coming out that will use SLI better since it is all the craze right now!

12-02-2005, 11:45 AM	#1 (permalink)
sheriffsyn Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 11 OS: Vista Ultimate 64bit SP 2	Dual cards and SLI or faster single card I am currently getting 3dMark05 scores around 3800 with my system. I would like to upgrade and am wondering if I would get better performance from adding a second 6600GT and utilizing SLI or just upgrading to a single faster card? What advice does anyone have for me? __________________ ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition OCZ Platinum 4x2GB DDR3 1600 EVGA GeForce GTX 295

12-02-2005, 12:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
please TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,186 OS: WinXP SP2	@ sheriffsyn Toms Hardware just did a thing with single versus dual. It also has a upgrade comparison chart that is real nice. __________________ P4P800E-D:~:P4 3.0C@3.75GHz:~:Zal7000AlCu:~:OCZ4001024ELDCPER2-K@250MHz 2.5-3-3-7 WinXP SP2>2X160GB Samsung SATA ICH5R RAID1:~:2x80GB Samsung SATA Promise RAID0 ATI A-I-W X800XT~SB Audigy2 ZS~2X BenQ1620~Antec SLK3700AMB~Antec SmartPower2.0 500W

12-02-2005, 12:38 PM	#3 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,282 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	Actually, I wouldn't use 3DMark as a basis for decision. If gaming is your bag then use AquaMark3 or nBench. They more accurately measure CPU/video performance in game environments using game engines. To answer your question, it's really up to you and your budget. If you can afford a card that matches SLI'd 6600GT's then I'd go for the single card solution. If two 6600GT's outpace the single card you can afford then go with that. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

12-14-2005, 12:48 PM	#4 (permalink)
gamerman0203 Retired Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 2,144 OS: XP MCE, Ubuntu Gutsy My System	as was mentioned.... Tomshardware did a good article. It basically depends on the game! Some games will utilize SLI, some games won't. I would say get the second card and use SLI. More games will probably start coming out that will use SLI better since it is all the craze right now! __________________ Follow These Steps First! CPU-Z \| SensorView \| WinXP Clean Boot \| Latest DirectX \| ATI Catalyst \| Nvidia ForceWare Posting System Specifications