1. #1

    Increased Performance going SLI?

    - Power Supply: OCZ 700w StealthXStream II
    - CPU: Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz Overclocked to 4.00GHz
    - Motherboard: Asus P6X58D-E Intel X58 (Socket 1366) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard
    - Cooler: Corsair H70 CPU Cooler
    - RAM: Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 (1600MHz) Tri-Channel (Standard)
    - Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB 6GB/s SATA-II 32MB Cache
    - Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 460 GS 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
    - Sound: Asus Xonar DG 5.1 PCI Sound Card w/ Headphone Amp
    - Optical Drive: Samsung SH-B123L/BSBP 12x BluRay ROM DVDRW DL & RAM Lightscribe SATAII
    Hey guys, I've been reading the forums for a while now and now I need some advice if possible please.

    This is my current system, bough it a while back and am thinking of going SLI.

    First of all I would like to know if my current PSU can cope with SLI, only reason I'm asking is, I have a USB up that I need to unplug ever time I turn on my PC so I'm abit weary of buying a second card if my PSU wont be able to handle it.

    Secondly, what sort of performance increase do you think I could gain by going SLI with my current graphics card.

    Cheers for any input.

  2. #2
    It really depends on the game. For example, WoW, pretty much not worth it. It'll work to some degree but not much at all. And aside from that, you won't get anything near double performance. You best bet is to google information on the games you play and how they work with SLI.
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  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Kingz0r View Post
    First of all I would like to know if my current PSU can cope with SLI, only reason I'm asking is, I have a USB up that I need to unplug ever time I turn on my PC so I'm abit weary of buying a second card if my PSU wont be able to handle it.

    Secondly, what sort of performance increase do you think I could gain by going SLI with my current graphics card.
    For WoW there's nothing to be gained if you're playing on 1920x1080 or smaller resolution, you can already max out everything depending on GPU with single GTX460 except multisampling (AA), shadows depend on CPU. If you're playing on bigger screen or something more graphically demanding than WoW you might benefit from SLI.

    Single USB port's power drain is a pebble in the sea when it comes to the rest of your components (around 6W at max iirc), more likely either the USB device or your motherboard is malfunctioning if it causes booting issues. 700W is in theory enough to run your computer even with 2nd GTX460, but it's getting close to uncomfortable zone if you have any kind of power problems.
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  4. #4
    Alright thanks for the info guys, much appriciated.

    Do you think there would be an increase in performance in WoW while frapsing, would it help in any way going SLI?

  5. #5
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Kingz0r View Post
    Alright thanks for the info guys, much appriciated.

    Do you think there would be an increase in performance in WoW while frapsing, would it help in any way going SLI?
    No, not really. As far as I heard, it actually gets worse with a lot of cards.

  6. #6
    Not really, fraps is more CPU dependant than anything.

    ---------- Post added 2011-03-29 at 12:15 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Fhaz View Post
    No, not really. As far as I heard, it actually gets worse with a lot of cards.
    There was a bug or something where the second GPU would get turned off while frapsing, but supposedly was fixed.
    Still, not going to help really.

    EDIT: Also HD dependent, best to record to a HD different from the one used for everything else.
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  7. #7
    alright, cheers for the advice guys

  8. #8
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by ispano View Post
    Not really, fraps is more CPU dependant than anything.

    ---------- Post added 2011-03-29 at 12:15 PM ----------



    There was a bug or something where the second GPU would get turned off while frapsing, but supposedly was fixed.
    Still, not going to help really.

    EDIT: Also HD dependent, best to record to a HD different from the one used for everything else.
    Ah, they fixed it? Neat.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Kingz0r View Post
    Do you think there would be an increase in performance in WoW while frapsing, would it help in any way going SLI?
    Graphics card has got absolutely nothing with video capture except indirectly*, it's all about CPU and HDD speed.

    *Indirectly meaning better graphics card allows you to set higher resolution which is actually slower to capture.
    Never going to log into this garbage forum again as long as calling obvious troll obvious troll is the easiest way to get banned.
    Trolling should be.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by vesseblah View Post
    For WoW there's nothing to be gained if you're playing on 1920x1080 or smaller resolution, you can already max out everything depending on GPU with single GTX460 except multisampling (AA), shadows depend on CPU. If you're playing on bigger screen or something more graphically demanding than WoW you might benefit from SLI.
    Or get the 1GB-version and handle full AA and higher resolution.
     

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Kingz0r View Post
    First of all I would like to know if my current PSU can cope with SLI, only reason I'm asking is, I have a USB up that I need to unplug ever time I turn on my PC so I'm abit weary of buying a second card if my PSU wont be able to handle it.
    Cheers for any input.
    A USB.... up....?

    Can you be more specific? If in someway you are referring to a hub or whatnot, and there is an external drive plugged into that, then your PC might be trying to boot from that device rather than your OS hdd. Should be able to change that in BIOS.

    -Varr

  12. #12
    Ha yea sorry, mean hub, and nope, nothing attached to the hub when I boot, i can press the power button countless times, but I have to actually disconnect the USB cable from the back of the hub for my PC to boot.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by ispano View Post
    It really depends on the game. For example, WoW, pretty much not worth it. It'll work to some degree but not much at all. And aside from that, you won't get anything near double performance. You best bet is to google information on the games you play and how they work with SLI.
    This. A 460 isn't exactly cutting edge, but it's certainly powerful enough to max out WoW. HOWEVER, if you run dual monitors, then SLI can help. If all you're doing is browsing the web while playing WoW, then probably not noticeably.

    If you're running better games, however (e.g. shooters, DA2, etc.), especially with a second monitor (or third), then yes, go for it. Dual 460s will give you better overall performance for the price than a single, massive expensive card. I just bought a 5-series, with the intent of running 2 cards down the line, when newer FPS or RPGs come out (I'm looking at you, Crysis 2).
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