Is there an advantage to having dual vid cards?

ebagg · Mar 2007

I'm starting to get interested in purchasing a new PC sometime in the next year or so...I've had this one about 5 years. Whats the huge advantage to having dual video cards? Doesn't it only help with SLI-compatible games? Will it boost power when rendering in 3d programs or making zbrush run more smoothly? Help me, tech dudes!

aesir · Mar 2007

dont dual video cards make it twice as fast? you know... cause theres 2?

Thegodzero · Mar 2007

My guess is with in this year AMD will come out with some crazy fast CPU and GPU combo mother board and vid card set up. It would only make sense to do so now that they own ATI. I have never been a huge ATI fan... but its AMD and i do trust them.

coldwolf · Mar 2007

Checking reviews of SLI rigs tells me that they're not exactly 2x faster. Sometimes they're not even 1.1x faster.

No, I don't know how that works.

ebagg · Mar 2007

From what I've read, only SLI compatible games use the power of two video cards, it's not like you get exactly double the speed, the software has to work with the hardware. I'm wondering if the performance boost will work with maya, zbrush, etc etc.

Psyk0 · Mar 2007

Some of the boards dont support both of the PCI-E at full speed, (one or both slots work at half the speed when used in SLI). So be sure to check the specs if you choose to go for a SLI.

I've also been told some chipsets (680i i believe) have stability issues.

almighty_gir · Mar 2007

also, the calculations involved in using both processors, mean there is some form of overhead, the size of that depending on what you are doing at the time, so you will never get double the speed, sometimes not even close.

Black_Dog · Mar 2007

You can run three, maybe four monitors. That's reason enough.

Joshua Stubbles · Mar 2007

I use a 7950GX2 card (SLI on 1 board). Applications such as 3dsmax, Zbrush or Mudbox aren't built for SLI, so you're not going to get any performance enhancements from SLI. But you'll certainly get performance gains in games. If I disable one of my cards for a given game profile, it's usually 40-50% slower than it would be, running both.
The cheaper 8800GTS cards would make a great SLI setup. IIRC, a single 8800GTS outperforms my 7950GX2, but I could be wrong on that. They're about $300 a piece, so $600 for SLI (which isn't that bad, actually). When I bought my 7950GX2 last year, it was $570.

notman · Mar 2007

Usually I just suggest staying as SLI compatible as possible. In other words, make sure the motherboard can handle it and that the video card is capable. I wouldn't bother getting both video cards yet though, since as it's been pointed out, software isn't really supporting it yet. I'd spend the money on the second card when you need it. It should be much cheaper by then

Slayerjerman · Mar 2007

There isnt much performance increase using 2x video cards. Ive read countless reviews on the 8800GTX and how 1 of those out performs 2x 7950s SLI'd anyway.

Also, unless you have quite a bit of cash, 1 super video card is better than 2x "good" cards right?

ElysiumGX · Mar 2007

I saw no advantage to using two cards on my work PC. In fact, I disabled one in order to continue playing certain games. Also, I couldn't get two monitors to work on an SLI setup. Not worth the cost.

Daz · Mar 2007

Same here. Disabled SLI at work due to too many problems for no obvious performance increase.

SouL · Mar 2007

Chicks only dig guys who have 2 video cards. I have 3 - 2 in my PC and one in my pants.

Psyk0 · Mar 2007

Wrong! chicks dig guys with big hard drives :P

Joao Sapiro · Mar 2007

never trust a quebie with a sword !!!

i have double SLI , and am only using one ( its a Gforce 7950 GX2 )...dont know what to do to the one im not using...its depressing having spent a shitload of money on something you dont use.

FatAssasin · Mar 2007

I've read on the Max boards that an SLI setup can actually slow down viewport performance, so it's recommended to disable it. And rendering is cpu dependant (especially for raytrace renderers like Mental Ray), so get a dual or quad-core cpu if you want a rendering boost. As far as gaming goes, sounds like it may or may not help depending on the game.

Psyk0 · Mar 2007

Johny = lose, sell both and get 8800, 1 = betta than 2's of your shits! muhaharhar

SLI is a big let down considering how long the "technology" has been around, unless used for games i guess.

SouL · Mar 2007

So SLI is basically like when you're about to have sex with a really hot chick, only to find out that she's actually a man. You get excited at the posibilities, only to be let down at the end. Aww

Is there an advantage to having dual vid cards?

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