Dual 8800 GTX SLI and upgrading to GTX 295 ?

Discussion in 'Videocards - NVIDIA GeForce' started by Wheaties23, Feb 25, 2009.

  1. Wheaties23

    Wheaties23 New Member

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    2 eVGA 8800 GTX 768 MB
    Hey guys i'm new here so hi to everyone. I am pretty newb when it comes to over clocking and knowing a lot of technical stuff so that's why I am here to ask a few things. My specs are Q6600 2.4 Ghz on P5N32-E SLI PLUS motherboard, 700 Watt Power supply by cool max (http://www.coolmaxusa.com/productDe...s=overview&subcategory=120mm&category=modular) , 4 Gigs of Patriot Ram (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220314) and running Dual eVGA 8800 GTX video cards at stock speeds and everything in my comp uses stock cooling stuff I am using an Antec Case that has the huge fan on the top. I also have a pci Xi Fi sound card installed.

    Is it a big upgrade to go from dual 8800 GTX in SLI to a 295 like this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143167&Tpk=GTX 295) or is it a waste for the money. I am also worried that my CPU may be holding me back and if so is their a step by step on how to safely overclock it using the mobo I have ? I also do not have an 8 Pin connector for this PSU but it shows it comes with the GTX 295 so would my PSU be enough and have the ampage and everything too ? Thanks everyone for your replies in advance!
     
  2. UZ7

    UZ7 Ancient Guru

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    Seems like you're pretty much set for your upgrade only thing you need to learn is how to overclock that CPU. My suggestion is go to reviews of your motherboard and read up on overclocking with that. There are forums such as XS that have a lot of reviews/bench on particular models. You can also post on the hardware/overclocking sections on this forum and most likely someone will have the same motherboard as you do and be able to give you some tips/pointers. Note that overclocking isnt a get results quick deal, you need patience and you need to read things carefully. A lot of people tend to go for the quickest way and try to copy other user's settings or ask for their frequency/voltages and they end up messing or screwing up their computers, this is because everyone has different setups even if its the same model/brand they will not always perform the same.

    Overclocking the CPU may be tough at first but it's pretty simple in the end, I remember learning by reading up a lot on the Core2s before they came out 3 years ago and when I got one of the first batches I OC'ed them a week later and it was pretty easy once you get into it. So first thing is to see if that video card will work with your setup first then move on to overclocking your CPU.
     
  3. Karl 2

    Karl 2 Ancient Guru

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    It's a worthy upgrade and it will rid you of SLI-specific issues. If your PSU handles two 8800GTX's it will work with a GTX 295 but you should plan on upgrading to a PSU with native 8-pin connectors in the near future. In the meantime do not OC the card.
     
  4. Tat3

    Tat3 Ancient Guru

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    What ?

    295 uses SLI too... SLI issues with 8800gtx ?
     

  5. LedHed

    LedHed Banned

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    Why shouldn't he OC? I have a Seasonic M12 700W which doesn't have a native 8 pin (only 4x 6 Pin PCI-E) and I have no issues running the 295 with OC as high as 650/1480/2400 (FurMark for 1.5 hours).
     
  6. Da{N}ka

    Da{N}ka Master Guru

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    What games are you playing at the moment ?
    Are you having issues with your own setup ?
    What driver are you using ? Frequent crashes ?

    Have you ever tried to overclock your cards/CPU ?

    I think, if you look at Tat3 setup, that we both disagree with you upgrading :)
     
  7. macdaddy

    macdaddy Guest

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    All depends what resolution your are gaming at and if your happy with the games that you are playing. I before had 8800gtx sli system which ran all the games fine at 1920 x 1200. Only difference now is that i can at AA at this resolution without taking a big hit with FPS. With the 8800gtx Sli it took a beating when enabling AA at 1920 x 1200.
     
  8. Karl 2

    Karl 2 Ancient Guru

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    Dual-GPU mode is not the same as SLI, enable SLI with a dual-GPU card and see what happens ;)

    AFAIK there are no SLI issues that are specific to the 8800GTX, my comment was about the issues that arise from using two cards be it SLI or XFire: power consumption, tight space, compatibility problems with certain games, etc. Nothing major but a dual-GPU card helps avoid some of them.
     
  9. Karl 2

    Karl 2 Ancient Guru

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    He shouldn't OC because most manufacturers recommend using PSU's with native 8-pin video connectors, so it's wise to play it safe when one doesn't meet this criteria.
     
  10. GC_PaNzerFIN

    GC_PaNzerFIN Maha Guru

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    GTX 295 is basically the same as two cards in SLi and they both share the same possible multi-gpu problems such as game only running on one GPU if no proper driver support, micro-stuttering etc.

    edit: I had that mobo and it was terrible for overclocking... If you get over 3ghz with quad, you are lucky... my board was total failure and couldn't oc a c2d over 3.2ghz :/

    edit2: and overclocking with 2x 6pin -> 8pin adapter is just fine. 2x 6pins are spec'ed to provide same amount of power as one 8pin. ;)
     

  11. Karl 2

    Karl 2 Ancient Guru

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    My C2D has been running at 4GHz 24/7 for over a year... either your board or cpu must've been a dud or your psu was not up to par.
     
  12. GC_PaNzerFIN

    GC_PaNzerFIN Maha Guru

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    cpu ran at 4ghz on 4 other boards

    edit: and PSU runs GTX 295 just fine on overclocked i7.
     
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2009
  13. Karl 2

    Karl 2 Ancient Guru

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    Then your board was a dud. It happens. You don't hear often of someone unable to OC a P5E or any other Rampage board.
     
  14. GC_PaNzerFIN

    GC_PaNzerFIN Maha Guru

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    offtopic: have you flashed your P5E to rampage formula x48? it helps overclocking. I had the board and tried it myself. :)

    ontopic: GTX 295 is a nice upgrade over 8800GTX SLi.
     
  15. LedHed

    LedHed Banned

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    I don't see how native 8 pin is any better than dual 6 pin to 8 pin adapter. It would seem a higher spec PSU with more amperage on the 12V rails would be way more important than native 8 pin. I have never heard anyone say this except you, so I'm kind of skeptical.
     

  16. Karl 2

    Karl 2 Ancient Guru

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    Yes it is flashed, which added a few more OC settings to the already plentiful that came with the board. This did not allow me to OC higher -the E8400 is pretty much maxed at 4GHz- but I was able to bring temps down a few degrees. :nerd:
     
  17. Unstable_Hero

    Unstable_Hero Ancient Guru

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    upgrading your 8800sli to a 295 will about double your graphics out put, but you will need to overclock that cpu to 3.2-3.4 just to keep up with a 295. Also unless you play a lot of cryengine 2 games there isn't much reason to upgrade, its way way overkill at this point, theres really nothing else that stresses the rendering power of 295gtx, but it only has 896MB of usable memory and theres plenty of games that need more memory than that to run stable at certain settings, GTA4, fallout 3 with lots of HIGH res texture mods, crysis and stalker with AA both run out of video ram on max settings. So my point being that the rendering power of these cards is great but there so light on memory that it may be best to wait for cards to be released with higher amounts of ram depending on your gaming habits.
     
  18. LedHed

    LedHed Banned

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    If you game at 1920x1200 or under then the 295 is perfect, the only time the 104mb (huge difference right...) of VRAM difference comes into play is at 2560x1600. This has been proven time and time again in 295 reviews, yet only a few games even at 2560x1600 can choke the card's VRAM. I run Crysis:WH at 1920x1200 with 2xAA Enthusiast shader/textures/physics/sound Gamer all else and avg 40fps (minimum 25fps), no other card on the market can do that on a single PCI-E slot. This card is leaps beyond the 4870X2 in terms of potential, just compare a GTX 280 to a 4870 and you will realize the potential of the 295. Even in 2 years this card will still be turning heads with it's graphics power.
     
  19. GC_PaNzerFIN

    GC_PaNzerFIN Maha Guru

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    I agree that GTX 295 has unbelievably high potential. In future it will definately show its claws what comes to performance...

    And because I game with 22" I won't have to worry about running out of vram with it. :)
     
  20. Wheaties23

    Wheaties23 New Member

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    GPU:
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    What about a 280 ? that would be better considering the lower price but would it be at least up to par with my SLI config 8800 GTX's or would it be a lot slower ? I just don't like the 2 cards because they run so hot and cram up my computer so I would rather go back to one card and I think I might choose the 280. I also got the CPU to 2.7 Ghz so far with stock cooling and I am waiting on a new CPU heatsink/cooler to try and get 3.0 or more out of it. I idle at 45c to 50c and when I game it gets to 60c or 65c not much more so thats good or ?
     
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2009

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