[xactly]

i was wondering... there are sli motherboards but they can have different speeds like 2x8 and 2x16 (i think) so i wanted to know is there any difference in performance between them when both in SLI, and if anybody knows a good motherboard with
the 2x16 SLI please tell me im trying to decide. (i'll make another thread/post nearer the time).

[Krlll]

Of course there is a difference.
You want to use 2 graphics cards in Sli you need 2x16
Cant recommend a motherboard without knowing what you want the PC to do.You havent even said what CPU you are going to use.

[alex]

That's not strictly true Krill.

Whilst having 2x16 lanes is the way to go as gpu's get more powerful the majority of boards with 2x16 revert to 2x8 when dual cards are connected.

And as yet i've yet to see any difference over a card using 8 lanes to that same card using the full 16 lanes when gaming. No noticeable increase in fps whatsoever.

If you're wanting 2x16 Xactly, then you (I would hope) will be connecting high-end cards to the mobo. If thats the case then there's simply no alternative but to go 680i for your chipset.

[xactly]

well the chip is e6700 and the mobo was to be a asus p5n-e sli but it has a 650i chipset the whole point in this(sli use) though was to get a evga gs 320 acs3 at crismas then another on whenever i need it (hopefully not for a while) i would of got a gtx oem or sumthin but iv only got a budget of £400.

[alex]

I understand your thinking but have you taken into account that not all games (the majority don't) get any benefit whatsoever from dual card setups as they're not coded to do so.

[xactly]

iv read on the nvidia forums that if you chabge the setting through the software like call a game like
S.T.A.L.K.E.R to company of heroes you get a 40% performance boost?

[alex]

As per my previous post the other side of the coin is if you do play SLI enabled games then it can be worth getting dual cards.

As with all graphics cards though it's depends on which resolution you're gaming at to make it worth it.

If you're gaming on a 19" monitor with a 320mb 8800GTS then there's not point getting a second card just because the game allows you to because this card can game, happily, at 1680x1050 (20-22" screen). You'll not see an tangible benefit with a second card.

Using this example it would only be worth a second card if you had a 8600GT or GTS.

[xactly]

I'll to have to use a 17" screen (1280x1024) for a while until next christmas.

I hopefully should get a 22" (1680x1050).

I tend to play games like rainbow six vegas but hope to get the new tactical shooter such as Crysis and Bioshock.

[alex]

If that was me then i'd be getting a 320mb 8800gts to cover you for now with the screen you have and for upcoming DX10 releases (crysis etc), it will also suffice for the larger screen come upgrade time.

Then should you need more umph at the time of your upgrade to a larger screen you can always purchase another card. The card you have will have come down in price by that point anyway, reducing the cost overall.