SLI or Crossfire

[insane84722]

Hey, i've been sitting back reading the forums waiting for this to be answered but it hasn't as far as I can tell, so... (if it has in some form that I have missed, please let me know)

When building a system, now, which way would be the best way to go that would last the longest in the future. With the maximum in SLI being an 9800gx2 and the maximum in Crossfire being an HD 4870.

Its a back and forth fight with which card is better in sli and crossfire and how long each option will last in the future. So, which option will come out on top? Will ati fall behind nvidia again or stay on top?

Once the video card path is determined, which motherboard will go best with it? Not considering price, comments, etc, which motherboard is the best.

Thanks

[Da Viksta]

Crossfire nowadays is becoming more user friendly, and the 4xxx series ATI cards are amazing. i would recomend going for crossfire. That said, i have had no problems with my SLI system, and it scales amazingly well considering the stories i have heard. a 4870 crossfire may be the better option, since u can go for 3 or even 4 4870 cards. Personally, i'd like to CF 3x4850 cards, but its really up to you

[surgeVel]

Well, if you want a CrossfireX performance equal to a dual 9800GX2 setup, you may want to hold out until the 4870X2 comes out. Two of those in quad-crossfire mode would probably be your best option, but since they aren't out yet, that's merely speculation.

[vernong1992]

SLI has better cards out right now.. But Crossfire scales better and you have better motherboards to use...

however if you look online, Quad-SLI 9800GX2 is pretty worthless and definitely not worth the extra card... I'd say just get one HD 4870X2 when it comes out, Quad CrossfireX or SLI is NOT worth it

[Peter.Cort]

what you could do is get a k9af platinum for quad-fire and quad fire 4 4870's. but in reality you're extremely well off with either a 4870 or 9800gtx (i'm not going to recommend the gtx2xx series because they are extremely expensive) If you want to spend a lot the gtx280 is a lot of card but its a lot of money, and there have been some issues with heat on startup. but 2 4850's is a lot of card for 400 bucks, and 2 4870's is a super deal for 600. crossfire is great, sli, eh, i'm not a super fan of it, but sli 9800gtx's are pretty mouth watering.

[surgeVel]

Originally Posted by vernong1992

however if you look online, Quad-SLI 9800GX2 is pretty worthless and definitely not worth the extra card... I'd say just get one HD 4870X2 when it comes out, Quad CrossfireX or SLI is NOT worth it

Unless you are running at a 2560x1600 resolution

But since most people do NOT have monitors that support this high of resolution, I would agree that one 4870x2 or 2-4870's in Crossfire would be plenty. Heck, the new SuperRV770 for the 4870 XOC Black Edition has the potential to smash even the GTX 280, so maybe hold out for one of those puppies.

[veedubfreak]

Actually its worth it even at 1920x1200. I'll have crossfired 4870s up and running this weekend so i'll let you know how it works out

[surgeVel]

Originally Posted by veedubfreak

Actually its worth it even at 1920x1200. I'll have crossfired 4870s up and running this weekend so i'll let you know how it works out

I was referring to the QUAD-SLI or QuadFire.

[Ste]

I say neither, multi card solutions regaurdless of what brand or type of card is not worth it. Maybe sometime in the future, but it still has too many problems..

Better to get a single card and upgrade it as needed. At this point its probably best to wait for the 4870 X2's and only after many reviews, decide which single card solution to go with. Of course this all depends on how much you have to spend, the games you play or want to play, what size moniter you have and at what settings and resolution you want to play said games on/at..

[veedubfreak]

Yes, quadfire is crap. Hopefully with the new 4870x2 cards being a true multi gpu solution rather than crossfire on a card, this might change though.