I'm still rightly p***ed off that no-one's come up with something (Multi-monitor-wise) to beat the Matrox Parhalia. That was years ago, but supported (Fully) surround gaming and 3D acceleration on all 3 screens.
I was hoping that someone would make a Dual card type system that used one card to do the centre screen, and the second to do both peripheral screens (As they wouldn't need the same detail level as the main screen).
[Edit] Ooh, Hex-SLI with one of these beasties? Can you imagine? *drool* [/Edit]
I wonder with better drivers how much more the 9800GX2 can be improved. Can't wait till June when I build a new desktop. Maybe the rumored 9850GX2 (55nm core) will be out.
Because of the driver situation it sounds like the 3870 x2 is still a better option for me (that or an 8800 Ultra). Frankly I'm more than a little disappointed with Nvidia's multi-monitor /SLI support issues.
Originally Posted by trig when is the release date for 9800gt?
with the msi gts 512 running 245 with a $30 rebate makes no sense to do this card unless...like tim says, ur on a non-nforce mobo.
too bad that nforce boards are rubbish compared to intel ones... i'll never understand how nivida can fail for such a long time to bring out a good chipset, i mean p35 has been around for ages and nvidia cant compete (and unlike amd there is no lack of money for r&d excuse for nvidia).
two 8800 GTS 512 are clearly the better deal if you just look at the cards performance and also its easier to fit aftermarket coolers on them and as a result easier to oc.
but, the 9800GX2 is overpriced, two 8800GTS 512 would require an nfarce mainboard, the performance of 3870x2 is inconsistant...
i'll just stick with the 8800 GTS 640 i've had in my main comp for a long time and the 8800 GT 512 i've got not too long ago for my second comp and wait until either nvidia or amd come out with something that is a) a clear upgrade and b) good bang for the buck and c) doesnt force me to change mainboard to one of a lesser quality.
...or something just to grab hold of without covering your prized possession in fingerprints
Like a piece of cloth or gloves!?
Seriously though I don't see any reason to invest in a dual GPU graphics card or any sence in the whole idea for that matter.I mean doesn't anyone else think NVIdia is going to abbandone their product's support once the next latest and greatest card arrives.And that's just the case in a nutshell - unlike dual-core CPUs these kinds of cards require constant attention from the coders @ the [company name here].
Even after 4 years since the introduction of SLi there's no example of good implementation and proper scaling ,let alone 3-way-SLi.
Those are my thoughts anyway I guess the industry really is moving away from high end cards and onto value oriented mid-rangers which is a good thing for the consumer but doesn't drive tech foreward.
So then, given I could save for this and have it in about 2month is this going to be more powerful than the 9800GTX given I will only run a single GPU?
Originally Posted by AndrewJ So then, given I could save for this and have it in about 2month is this going to be more powerful than the 9800GTX given I will only run a single GPU?
Spend the money on a single 8800GT, don't buy odd number GF's they have always been a letdown.
I'd rather save my money and update my system with a good mid-range card every 1.5 years or so. Many consumers go out and by a pc from companies like D*ll and G*teway expecting that they will have a machine that can play games. Sure, those machines will play the games, but only if you keep the graphics at lower settings. I personally bought an off the shelf computer, but I knew when I purchased it that I would need to spend some cash replacing the power supply and video card. I use the reviews on Bit-Tech to keep myself educated, but the as for the average uninformed consumer....
<RANT> It doesn't help that companies issue a 9000 series card and yet it under performs certain models in the 8000 series. The average consumer doesn't realize this. In general most people think a bigger number and newer release date implies a better product. You can't always go by the retail price tag either, the new card sometimes may be more expensive while the better card is comparable or cheaper.</RANT>
They went with the 9xxxx because the 8xxx series is cluttered. They should have changed with the 8800gt's and the GTS512's.
I like this card. It looks like beast (which is good in a mod) and I bet you'll be able to clock the hell out of it when it's watercooled. I'm looking at the OC results on this review which are pretty much kick ass. They are only going to be that much better under H2O and maybe a little bit of vmodding.
Unfortunately I am still pretty content with my 7900gtx and my biggest need is a Quad core to replace my aging 3200+. So Hopefully i can get a Q6600 and a 680i (I see no advantage with DDR3 or 7xx) soon enough to make this card useful.
If I were to ask the graphics manufacturers to do anything it would be to stop with multigpu. It's time for Multicore. Why don't our graphics cards have multiple cores? a quadcore GTX would stomp. I wouldn't even care that I needed a generator for it. It would rock. I think that all this crap about having to buy two or three cards is ridiculous. Even though I think that the new GX2 is cool, I'd rather have a single card solution. Also hardware decoding to support multi gpu's would be nice. It would be awesome to eliminate drivers (sorta) and be able to send game information directly to the gpu and have the gpu's split it up instead of relying on the game developers to code for multigpu. It would make things better by far.
Quick Question. I bought one of these.
I'm having trouble powering it up. I have a OCZ 600w PSU. With two 6 pin power connectors. I get the red light on the 8 pin connector. Does that mean this thing won't work without an 8 pin connector, or my power supply isn't good enough?
One thing that Nvidia has worked hard on with the GeForce 9800 GX2 is its appeal to a wider market. As a direct result of this, the company has introduced a number of new features onto the GeForce 9800 GX2 to help make using the card a little more straight forward for a novice.
If you remember back to the GeForce 8800 GTX, the card gave off a loud shriek if you didn't plug the power connectors in correctly – Nvidia has moved away from scaring users into submission and has come up with what is actually quite a nifty feature.
The card requires both six and eight pin PCI-Express power connectors to work – it will not turn on if you use two six-pin connectors. Instead of the loud shriek, Nvidia has backlit the power connectors so they light up green when there is ample power going through the socket and red when there is not.
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that im not 100% sure about as I have hear these cards support tri-SLi which would mean 3 of these? So quad would be 4 or two? I'm confused too.
In about 5 years to replace my 7950GX2s
Which I'm going to get one of these days to replace the 7800GTs I'm currently running.
These cards don't support 3-way SLI - there are two GPUs per card and two cards makes a quad. :)
i guess hardware has overtaken software a long while ago, we'll have to wait for Crytek's next big game to see some really big cards...
with the msi gts 512 running 245 with a $30 rebate makes no sense to do this card unless...like tim says, ur on a non-nforce mobo.
I was hoping that someone would make a Dual card type system that used one card to do the centre screen, and the second to do both peripheral screens (As they wouldn't need the same detail level as the main screen).
[Edit] Ooh, Hex-SLI with one of these beasties? Can you imagine? *drool* [/Edit]
Because of the driver situation it sounds like the 3870 x2 is still a better option for me (that or an 8800 Ultra). Frankly I'm more than a little disappointed with Nvidia's multi-monitor /SLI support issues.
seeing that idle temp that the 9800gx2 has hell no !
and that casing design isn't pleasant
too bad that nforce boards are rubbish compared to intel ones... i'll never understand how nivida can fail for such a long time to bring out a good chipset, i mean p35 has been around for ages and nvidia cant compete (and unlike amd there is no lack of money for r&d excuse for nvidia).
two 8800 GTS 512 are clearly the better deal if you just look at the cards performance and also its easier to fit aftermarket coolers on them and as a result easier to oc.
but, the 9800GX2 is overpriced, two 8800GTS 512 would require an nfarce mainboard, the performance of 3870x2 is inconsistant...
i'll just stick with the 8800 GTS 640 i've had in my main comp for a long time and the 8800 GT 512 i've got not too long ago for my second comp and wait until either nvidia or amd come out with something that is a) a clear upgrade and b) good bang for the buck and c) doesnt force me to change mainboard to one of a lesser quality.
Seriously though I don't see any reason to invest in a dual GPU graphics card or any sence in the whole idea for that matter.I mean doesn't anyone else think NVIdia is going to abbandone their product's support once the next latest and greatest card arrives.And that's just the case in a nutshell - unlike dual-core CPUs these kinds of cards require constant attention from the coders @ the [company name here].
Even after 4 years since the introduction of SLi there's no example of good implementation and proper scaling ,let alone 3-way-SLi.
Those are my thoughts anyway I guess the industry really is moving away from high end cards and onto value oriented mid-rangers which is a good thing for the consumer but doesn't drive tech foreward.
Spend the money on a single 8800GT, don't buy odd number GF's they have always been a letdown.
<RANT> It doesn't help that companies issue a 9000 series card and yet it under performs certain models in the 8000 series. The average consumer doesn't realize this. In general most people think a bigger number and newer release date implies a better product. You can't always go by the retail price tag either, the new card sometimes may be more expensive while the better card is comparable or cheaper.</RANT>
They went with the 9xxxx because the 8xxx series is cluttered. They should have changed with the 8800gt's and the GTS512's.
I like this card. It looks like beast (which is good in a mod) and I bet you'll be able to clock the hell out of it when it's watercooled. I'm looking at the OC results on this review which are pretty much kick ass. They are only going to be that much better under H2O and maybe a little bit of vmodding.
Unfortunately I am still pretty content with my 7900gtx and my biggest need is a Quad core to replace my aging 3200+. So Hopefully i can get a Q6600 and a 680i (I see no advantage with DDR3 or 7xx) soon enough to make this card useful.
If I were to ask the graphics manufacturers to do anything it would be to stop with multigpu. It's time for Multicore. Why don't our graphics cards have multiple cores? a quadcore GTX would stomp. I wouldn't even care that I needed a generator for it. It would rock. I think that all this crap about having to buy two or three cards is ridiculous. Even though I think that the new GX2 is cool, I'd rather have a single card solution. Also hardware decoding to support multi gpu's would be nice. It would be awesome to eliminate drivers (sorta) and be able to send game information directly to the gpu and have the gpu's split it up instead of relying on the game developers to code for multigpu. It would make things better by far.
I'm having trouble powering it up. I have a OCZ 600w PSU. With two 6 pin power connectors. I get the red light on the 8 pin connector. Does that mean this thing won't work without an 8 pin connector, or my power supply isn't good enough?