Finally Going SLI!

[stunt_man]

So this is going to cost me more than I thought...

From what I've learned, I need to buy an SLI-compatible mobo, a 1000w PSU, 2 new video cards (duh) and I'm guessing I'll also need some sort of extra cooling device.

Here's a (not final) list of the parts:


S775 ASUS P5N32-E SLI NF680i PCIE SLI [$245]
1000W ATX ANTEC TP QUATTRO [$230]
EVGA PCIE GF8 8800GT 512M BOX 8800GT (x2) [$315 each]
Now, I don't know anything at all about cooling, so that's where I'm looking for suggestions. I think I'm going to stick with those cards - they're cheap, and perform really well, and I'm not really considering waiting for the 9 series. Another thing I'd like to point out is that my knowledge of PSU's is very limited so any feedback on my choice would be much appreciated.

Here's the site/store I'm buying my stuff from (I'm from Canada, so Newegg is kind of not an option):

http://www.microbytes.com

It's kind of embarrassing, but I'm going to admit that at the moment, I'm buying all this crap for Crysis. That game rocks hard, guys, as I'm sure you all know. But, to make it worth it I keep telling myself that other great games are going to come out and my PC won't be able to handle it. Therefore, I'm going to include a list of my current specs, just to make sure we're all on the same page here.

Current Specs:

Intel Duo Core E6420 @ 2.13 GHz
eVGA GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB
2GB RAM
Windows Vista Home Basic

I can currently run Crysis on 'medium' settings at 1024x768 (no AA) with slowdowns in some areas, but once I hit the snow level, I have to stop playing. I end up getting less than 10 fps, and it's making it real hard to fight aliens, let me tell ya. I've already played around with some 'autoexec' files, tweaking playability, but the problem is definetely hardware related. I've tried all the latest drivers, including betas.

Anyway, thanks in advance, H2V.net! I'm nearly shitting my pants in excitement!

[Anton]

Why not just buy another one of the same card you already have? Your psu doesn't have to be 1000 Watts. I don't think anyway, the one I chose is PC Power & Cooling 750 watt, I bought it for 160. It is on sale for 80 dollars off right now, It's SLI certified and it supports Up to two GTX's. :] So Make your decisions wisely my friend.

[alby]

No need for 1000watts, 750 will do just fine. If you're running at 1024x768 then there is no need to get SLI.

[paladin]

No need for 1000watts, 750 will do just fine. If you're running at 1024x768 then there is no need to get SLI.

Answer my question in another thread. Ty. Congrats, btw. I'll be making the move shortly.

[stunt_man]

If you're running at 1024x768 then there is no need to get SLIA higher resolution would be nicer... I said I am currently running Crysis at that resolution, not that I'm going to want to keep it that way.

I'm trying to run Crysis with better graphics... Do you guys really think two 8800 GTS's (320MB) will cut it? I really don't mind buying two 8800 GT's - they seem like a really good deal...

@T1xAnton: Do you have a link for that PSU? Sounds sweet. And how does the PSU provide cooling anyway?

[343guiltymc]

A higher resolution would be nicer... I said I am currently running Crysis at that resolution, not that I'm going to want to keep it that way.

I'm trying to run Crysis with better graphics... Do you guys really think two 8800 GTS's (320MB) will cut it? I really don't mind buying two 8800 GT's - they seem like a really good deal...

@T1xAnton: Do you have a link for that PSU? Sounds sweet. And how does the PSU provide cooling anyway?
Isn't two 8800 GTS 320 MB as good as a single 8800 GTX?:confused:

[InnerGoat]

Two 320mb GTS will be better sometimes but it's not worth it. I'm sure they will get raped in Crysis compared to the 8800GT 512mb.

Also, you're bottlenecked pretty bad with that slow processor if you run SLI... until you run high resolutions or high levels of AA.

[4RT1LL3RY]

You need to get a better processor or you will bottleneck the system. Either get a fast Dual or a good Quad. The 8800GTX was bottlenecked without SLI on a Core 2 Extreme X6800 when it first was out, so you will have a limit until you upgrade your processor.

[stunt_man]

Interesting... I'll definetely consider that. What's a good, recommended Quad-Core out there (as reasonably priced as possible)?

Also, what should I do about cooling?

EDIT: Since I have to buy all this anyway, I'm going to buy the things one at a time. I'm most likely going to pick up the first of the two 8800 GT's in a couple days (Christmas, perhaps). From there, I'll consider Crysis' new performance, and use that as a basis for the rest of the upgrades, if you know what I mean. In any case, I'll probably buy the Quad-Core shortly afterwards.

If I get the Quad-Core, will I have to upgrade my power supply? If this is the case, I'll have to buy the PSU before the processor (still after the video card :)).

[paladin]

Intel Q6600 $279.99

[stunt_man]

Yeah, I found it nearby for $280 so I'm going to go through with that one almost positively.

But, again, does anyone have any suggestions regarding cooling? Do I actually need better cooling? I have 2 small-ass fans on the left side and back of my cheapo case, the side one on intake (the one over the CPU) and the other fan on outtake or whatever.

[paladin]

The stock cooler for the Q6600 is better than most other coolers, though its nothing like the Zalman 9 series fans. Im using the stock fan and heatsink combined with my fairly decent case flow and have never peaked over 55*c.

[stunt_man]

Alright, that's good to know. At least I won't have to put even more money into this.

But my video cards should be able to sustain themselves with stock fans? Does SLI make them run hotter or anything?

[jahrain]

SLI Protip: SLI will only boost your performance up For resolutions over 1680x1050, or 1600x1200 along with FSAA by up to 90%. Most mainstream resolutions under that you will be lucky to even notice a 40% increase. Make sure you plan on using a monitor with support for high resolutions, or else you may not be worth it.

Also, SLI can make your motherboard run hotter as I have noticed with the 680i series. If you have any open areas on the side of your case facing the motherboard near the, put as many as them in there as possible as well as install the small motherboard fan that may have come with your mother board.

[stunt_man]

SLI Protip: SLI will only boost your performance up For resolutions over 1680x1050, or 1600x1200 along with FSAA by up to 90%. Most mainstream resolutions under that you will be lucky to even notice a 40% increase. Make sure you plan on using a monitor with support for high resolutions, or else you may not be worth it.Didn't know that... but it just so happens that I'm buying myself a new big ass monitor during the holidays.


Also, SLI can make your motherboard run hotter as I have noticed with the 680i series. If you have any open areas on the side of your case facing the motherboard near the, put as many as them in there as possible as well as install the small motherboard fan that may have come with your mother board.Like I said, I've got two fans on my case - one on 'in' and the other on 'out.' You don't think this would be enough? My PC, as it is, doesn't generate very much heat...

I haven't bought the motherboard yet, and I'm still looking around. What's recommended in this aspect? I know I mentioned the ASUS P5N32-E SLI NF680i in my first post, but I settled on this without much research.

If anyone here has an SLI setup, could they be so kind as to state what motherboard they're using?


Also, Jahrain, check the bolded area of text in the quote, I think you missed a word or something...

[paladin]

Quick question. My current card is an 8600GTS, and my girlfriend got me an 8600GT, same exact specs and everything, will they be compatible with each other.

[Haloking365]

Quick question. My current card is an 8800GTS, and my girlfriend got me an 8800GT, same exact specs and everything, will they be compatible with each other.
No. Different GPU's.

[paladin]

I meant 8600's, sorry, and I got them working. apparently, they are the same, on one side of one it says GTS and on the other only GT. I'm now SLi!

[343guiltymc]

SLI Protip: SLI will only boost your performance up For resolutions over 1680x1050, or 1600x1200 along with FSAA by up to 90%. Most mainstream resolutions under that you will be lucky to even notice a 40% increase. Make sure you plan on using a monitor with support for high resolutions, or else you may not be worth it.

Also, SLI can make your motherboard run hotter as I have noticed with the 680i series. If you have any open areas on the side of your case facing the motherboard near the, put as many as them in there as possible as well as install the small motherboard fan that may have come with your mother board.
What about a lower resolution with highest FSAA?

[stunt_man]

I meant 8600's, sorry, and I got them working. apparently, they are the same, on one side of one it says GTS and on the other only GT. I'm now SLi!

Great! Now maybe I'll get my thread back...

[Patrickssj6]

Interesting... I'll definetely consider that. What's a good, recommended Quad-Core out there (as reasonably priced as possible)?

Also, what should I do about cooling?

EDIT: Since I have to buy all this anyway, I'm going to buy the things one at a time. I'm most likely going to pick up the first of the two 8800 GT's in a couple days (Christmas, perhaps). From there, I'll consider Crysis' new performance, and use that as a basis for the rest of the upgrades, if you know what I mean. In any case, I'll probably buy the Quad-Core shortly afterwards.

If I get the Quad-Core, will I have to upgrade my power supply? If this is the case, I'll have to buy the PSU before the processor (still after the video card :)).

Processors have barely any effect on the PSU. :)

[stunt_man]

Nice.

I went looking for the first 8800 GT tonight only to find it's sold out virtually everywhere.

Sigh.

[stunt_man]

Sorry for the double-post, just want to post an update on my situation.

Since I really can't find the 8800 GT anywhere, I'm going to pick up the Quad-Core and maybe an extra GB of RAM.

Is there anything I should know about changing a processor? Or is it more or less the same thing as changing a video card (uninstall drivers, install new hardware, install new drivers)? Am I going to have to buy fresh thermal paste? When I built my computer in the summer, I learned all about installing one to a fresh motherboard, but I have no idea if there are any extra precautions I should take this time.

Thanks.

[Warsaw]

Make sure it fits into the socket.
Assuming it fits the socket, make sure your motherboard already supports the CPU; if it doesn't, you may need to flash an updated BIOS onto the motherboard.
Applying thermal paste is always a good idea.

[stunt_man]

I found out my motherboard is indeed compatible, and that I won't even have to upgrade my BIOS (lucky, considering I didn't include a floppy drive in my computer).

So all I need to do is slap on some thermal pastey goodness?

Oh, and I found an 8800 GT! I picked it up today and ran Crysis - only to find my performance wasn't very improved (not that I really expected a massive improvement from my 8800 GTS 320MB). I'm able to run it a bit higher with some FPS improvements, but textures are set to medium and so is post-processing. I'm going to pick up another GB of RAM as soon as I can, so that might help with some stuttering problems I'm encountering on certain maps.

I'll likely pick up the processor next week.

[legionaire45]

I found out my motherboard is indeed compatible, and that I won't even have to upgrade my BIOS (lucky, considering I didn't include a floppy drive in my computer).

So all I need to do is slap on some thermal pastey goodness?

Oh, and I found an 8800 GT! I picked it up today and ran Crysis - only to find my performance wasn't very improved (not that I really expected a massive improvement from my 8800 GTS 320MB). I'm able to run it a bit higher with some FPS improvements, but textures are set to medium and so is post-processing. I'm going to pick up another GB of RAM as soon as I can, so that might help with some stuttering problems I'm encountering on certain maps.

I'll likely pick up the processor next week.
For thermal paste buy Arctic Silver or Arctic Alumina Ceramique, sorry. Apply about a 3/4th to 1 grain-of-rice sized blob of it to the CPU. Get yourself a razor blade and spread out the paste as evenly as you can. If your local shop has it, get some of this (http://www.techbuy.com.au/product.asp?prodId=48870&catId=COOLING&parentId=COOLING_THERMAL_COMPOUNDS) and use it on your old heatsink. Then put the thermal-pasted CPU into the socket and put the heatsink. You'll only have one chance to mount the heatsink properly, otherwise you'll mess up the pretty thermal paste job and you won't get as good of a thermal connection thingy xD (it's 2:16, fuck the proper terms =P).

On my rig I used to be able to play Crysis at 1280 x 720 maxed with some frame stutter when I came across ice but after installing some newer drivers over the older ones Vista x64 seems to be taking a dive for the shitter, so I'll have to turn the graphics down. If you have a copy of XP handy I recommend running that, you'll see a pretty big improvement in performance.

[Warsaw]

Put on your older drivers then, because it seems the newest nVidia drivers are some of the worst. Hell, I am still running Forceware 81.95 on my computer without any problems (of course, I don't have a GeForce 8 either).

For RAM, have at least 2GB for Vista, period. Preferably, have 4 GB available, which is easy to do since RAM is really cheap right now (you can get 4x 1GB Corsair XMS DDR 2 sticks for $88 here, not sure about Canada though).

[stunt_man]

I thought the new drivers were supposed to work better with Crysis? I read that all over the place... Those filthy liars...

Anyway, the whole thermal paste thing seems like quite a delicate ordeal. I'll definitely give it a try though. I'll let you guys know how it went.

Is it true that if I have 4 GB of RAM or more I need Vista 64-bit?

[InnerGoat]

4GB should be fine in 32bit XP or Vista

[Warsaw]

If you want more though, you need Vista x64, because Microsoft was stupid and didn't code Windows XP etc. to support more than 4GB.

Actually, I read that 4GB would only register as 3GB on XP. Or was it Windows 2000 and prior that had that issue?

[Patrickssj6]

32-bit locks at 2.75-3.25GB

Mathematical reasons.

[legionaire45]

32-bit locks at 2.75-3.25GB

Mathematical reasons.
^^.

As for the thermal paste Stunty if you are feeling lazy you can get a rice grain sized bit and put it on the CPU, install it and let the heatsink spread the paste out when you install it however you won't be getting as good of a contact between the 2 surfaces. It should be fine though because your CPU has an integrated heat spreader which should dissipate the heat enough.

I just prefer using my method up there :P.

[4RT1LL3RY]

The 780i just came out, it supports 3x SLI. Not available in many places though.
I think my next comp will be an AMD phenom based one, with quad HD3870's or whatever there up to when I upgrade.

You might want to get one of the new Penryr 45nm Quad cores from Intel when they release the non-extreme versions. They get the extreme's into 4 GHz on air cooling.
No you won't need a new PSU for a Quad core, they use about the same number of watts.

I wish we had native 64-bit support already, I want my 15 exabytes of memory.