06-10-2005, 01:39 AM
Wyrm,Jun 9 2005, 01:10 PM Wrote:Unless you're crazy and want to go dual 6800 Ultras, the only reason I can think that you would need SLI is so that you can get a decent card now (plain 6800 or a GT are coming down in price) and then later when they're in the bargain bin after NVidia releases the 9999 Ultra GT FX Super whatever and ATi releases its z999, you can pick up a second card and get enough of a performance boost so you won't need to do another major upgrade.
Just my own personal nit: I like on-board audio about as much as I like on-board video. You don't get anywhere near the same number of features and it actually does decrease your FPS in games versus having an actual audio card (only 1-2 fps or something like that, nothing really noticable, but it's still there). There are some really decent 7.1 sound cards out there that are cheap and still have good quality.
$100 CDN is a nice price for a case with a 500Mhz supply. Lucky Canadians.
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Working backwards...
To be fair, the $100 is after a $60 mail in rebate. Still, at that price, I'm likely to buy it even to just replace my current tower (which has a gaping hole in one of the side panels... long story).
If I do purchase the computer I detailed, I'll likely look at replacing my speakers somewhere down the road, at which point I'd also look at adding a sound card. I've had a few minor problems with my current (on board) sound, so I definately would prefer upgrading. I just can't justify the cost at the moment.
The whole "buy one 6800 GT now and a second one in a few years" is the only reason I've been able to see/find for SLI, as well. And given that the X800 XL is so far beyond what I'll need anytime in the foreseeable future, I just can't see myself getting a benefit, even in 2-3 years, out of running 2 6800's.
I'm currently trying to talk myself down to replacing my tower, motherboard, chip and RAM, but sticking with AGP so that I can continue to use my current video card (128 mb Geforce FX 5200). It's not a great card, but it's again, far more than I'm actually using right now. That would end up saving me a whole bucketload of money, and I could still look at upgrading my card when SLI and PCIe really swamp the market and the AGP card prices really plummet. If I do that, I could instead spend some money on a nice monitor (which I really want to do anyways). I suppose it'll depend on how much I let my geek side influence my "but we need that money for food" side.
"Life is sacred and you are not its steward. You have stewardship over it but you don't own it. You're making a choice to go through this, it's not just happening to you. You're inviting it, and in some ways delighting in it. It's not accidental or coincidental. You're choosing it. You have to realize you've made choices."
-Michael Ventura, "Letters@3AM"
-Michael Ventura, "Letters@3AM"