SLI OR NOT? Does it work for BF2? What say you?

[ramman949]

Hey all,

Ive been thinking about getting another video card to run SLI. But I have found many threads (mostly old ones from 05/06) talking about SLI slowing down BF2 FPS.

My sytem is as follows.

Gigabyte GA-S57SLI-S4 Nvidia 570 Ultra
AM2 4800+ X2 @ 2.9ghz (12.5X235) @ 36c idle 44c load :yay:
2GB OCZ DDR2 800mhz 4-4-4-12 @2.1v :yay:
eVGA 7600GT 600/750
XP SP2
500w PSU
17" Sony LCD 1200x1024 (that sucks, wish it was higher)


I currently run BF2 on with all settings at HIGH and get decent FPS. Lowest Ive seen it drop was to 30. I think it averages around 50 FPS.

Ideally I want it faster. So I was thinking about getting another one of these mid range cheap cards untill DX10 games are more common and DX10 cards drop in price.

Anyone running BF2 in SLI? Does SLI actually help BF2 FPS? Again, Im only asking since I have seen many threads about SLI and BF2 doing nothing, if not making it slower.

ANyone care to share what they know 1st hand?


Thank you all!

[UNDIESRULES]

M8 your fps seem good with decent setting i wouldnt bother. I did it with 6600gt x 2 and tbh it ran well enough with one it didnt really warrent it for bf2. FAEAR and games like that it made a lot of difference.

[camper.]

200% price difference, 140% percent improvement. Sell the 7600GT and get an 8800GTS/GTX. Maybe the Radeon 2900XT. An 8800GTS alone is comparable to 2 x1950XTXs in SLI mode.

[Nicfurious29]

No...its not worth it. It will not hinder performance but you will not see any gain in performance either.

The misconception that most people have about sli is that it automatically gives you a performance increase. While this is partially true it is not always the case. And your case is a prime example.

SLI shows considerable gains in performance when in comes to higher resolutions such as wide screen monitors. Seeing that your monitors max resolution is only 1200x1024 it would be a waste of time to invest in another gpu. A single 7600gt will be able to play most of todays games at high settings on your current resoltion. You would pretty much have a gpu wasting away.

Save that money and look towards the future....look into dx10 cards. You can save for a few more months because you still have time before better games hit the shelves.

[ramman949]

Thanks guys!


Well, I also play other games too. Not just BF2, but BF2 is my favorite. Did you notice a nice improvement with SLI on BF2 at all?

Im not looking to buy any DX10 cards yet. Im not running vista, I dont see many DX10 games, and those cards will drop in price as the DX10 market grows.

And with LCD prices so low, I might just go out and get a better monitor. Mine works and looks great, but its not widescreen and its max is 1200/1024 which sucks! I want more resolution!



PS: Im not spending money for the 2nd card. Im trading 2gb of PC3200 for it.

[megawhompertoo]

i use a $150 dollar sapphire x1950xt. it's hot, can suck 180W, and LOUD unless you change the hsf ($25, vf900-cu), but for the price, it's the BEST ticket to BF2 nirvana you can pee on.

oops.

i mean "pwn".

What say you?
I'd say that^, and that you've been inhaling too much Billoh. ;)

[UNDIESRULES]

Did you notice a nice improvement with SLI on BF2 at all?

.

No, there is an SLI profile in the Nvidia drivers but i couldnt see any difference. The others are right, get a tasty 8800gts or a 1950 if you dont want dx10 just yet. 1950 are without a doubt the best pixel pusher for the price.

[Minicoop503]

200% price difference, 140% percent improvement. Sell the 7600GT and get an 8800GTS/GTX. Maybe the Radeon 2900XT. An 8800GTS alone is comparable to 2 x1950XTXs in SLI mode.

Are you sure about that?

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=125088

In many of those tests, the x1950xtx was just as good, or even better as the 8800gts. The 8800gts only beat it in a few games.

And plus, you cant put x1950's in SLI :p

[camper.]

Are you sure about that?

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=125088

In many of those tests, the x1950xtx was just as good, or even better as the 8800gts. The 8800gts only beat it in a few games.

And plus, you cant put x1950's in SLI :p


SLI and Crossfire are just stupid marketing buzzwords, thanks. nVidia retrofitted "SLI" to the given name, they took the trademark from 3dfx/Voodoo I think.

I said comparable, not better. I'll dig up the benchmark, I saw it around a month ago. I think I may have my Xs and Ss mixed up, most probably the 8800GTX.

Here's one: http://www.digital-daily.com/video/x1950pro_crossfire/index4.htm


I hope you're not going to point the obvious.

[Minicoop503]

SLI and Crossfire are just stupid marketing buzzwords, thanks. nVidia retrofitted "SLI" to the given name, they took the trademark from 3dfx/Voodoo I think.

I said comparable, not better. I'll dig up the benchmark, I saw it around a month ago. I think I may have my Xs and Ss mixed up, most probably the 8800GTX.

Here's one: http://www.digital-daily.com/video/x1950pro_crossfire/index4.htm


I hope you're not going to point the obvious.

Ok, but still, what you said isn't entirely true. 1 x1950xtx was equal or even better than a 8800gts in many of the tests. So, I would think that two x1950's would be better than 1 8800gts. Also, In the tests, 2 x1950's crossfired beat even the 8800gtx.

[megawhompertoo]

So, I would think that two x1950's would be better than 1 8800gts. Also, In the tests, 2 x1950's crossfired beat even the 8800gtx [when the test was run at such a low res that the results were CPU-dependent and not gpu-dependent].

^ You missed that subtle point, so I went ahead and filled it in for you. :)

2 x1950 pro's in crossfire is a waste of electrons and invites Murphy with his nasty law into yer' case, pilgrim

[Minicoop503]

^ You missed that subtle point, so I went ahead and filled it in for you. :)

2 x1950 pro's in crossfire is a waste of electrons and invites Murphy with his nasty law into yer' case, pilgrim

ok, but who says he will be playing at a super high resolution? In fact, he says in his original post that his resolution is 1280x1024.

[megawhompertoo]

ok, but who says he will be playing at a super high resolution? In fact, he says in his original post that his resolution is 1280x1024.

absolutely true: he could get .3% (that's zero-point-three percent) more frames per second with :cough, cough: 100% (that's one-zero-zero percent) more video cards.

is that the same chart we're looking at?

[Minicoop503]

I'm just saying, it still is better, no matter how many fps difference. 50.7 is still > 50.4

And, if he decides to upgrade to a bigger monitor at a higher resolution, the x1950xtx crossfired would start to show a bigger difference in fps.

Also, you don't have to be such a smart ***

[megawhompertoo]

I'm just saying, it still is better, no matter how many fps difference. 50.7 is still > 50.4 [as long as the test is CPU-bound and benchmarks using a 2 year old game are the number 1 priority]


Fixed again. :)

And, if he decides to upgrade to a bigger monitor at a higher resolution, the x1950xtx crossfired would start to show a bigger difference in fps.

hypothetically, and with gobs of spare money, yes. then you have to start factoring in 640mb 8800gts/gtx models...and now we need more benchies and current pricing data...

As far as the smart4zz, I think the prospect of someone buying two video cards to go from 166.3 to 166.8 frames per second absolutely ridiculous, and I guess that leaks into my posts. Nothing personal, promise.

[Minicoop503]

Fixed again. :)



hypothetically, and with gobs of spare money, yes. then you have to start factoring in 640mb 8800gts/gtx models...and now we need more benchies and current pricing data...

As far as the smart4zz, I think the prospect of someone buying two video cards to go from 166.3 to 166.8 frames per second absolutely ridiculous, and I guess that leaks into my posts. Nothing personal, promise.

ok, but its just that since he stated he was wondering about sli for bf2,not mentioning any other games, I thought those benchmarks were a valid comparison. But, who really cares, it doesnt even seem like the guy is checking his thread anymore....

[ramman949]

I ended up getting the other card to try out SLI and I love it! SLI Rocks! All my games run much much smoother. My FPS about doubled too. Im about to get a higher resolution, wide screen flat panel too. Thanks for the help!

[megawhompertoo]

make sure you get a giant enough monitor to enjoy your new fleet of video cards. ;)