Question about 8800GT

[Teny]

I saw an 8800GT for $100 at tigerdirect, has the same specs as mine, but it has 256MB of ram instead of 512MB.
Im going to use the 512MB as my main, but will there be any difference or compatibility between 8800GT 512MB SLI compared to 8800GT 512MB SLI'ed with an 8800GT 256MB?
I would consider getting an 4870 instead since theres going to be an price drop, but i saw some benchmarks and the 8800GT SLI wins in some tests by 5-10 FPS.
Would you guys recommend me to SLI or just to get an 4870?
Thanks

 

[rohan23]

I'd stick with the SLI. You can't really Crossfire later on. The 512MB will drop to match the specs of the 256MB version. Other than that, you're good.

 

[Teny]

aw man, I dont think thats good if it drops down to 256Mb.
Isnt 256Mb not recommended for 1680 x 1050 res? I know SLI will improve my FPS either way, but it might be closer to the 4870.
But that kind of defeats the purpose of getting an SLI board. But if i have 2 8800GT to SLI, that means I would have to get an SLI board on my next build.

I probably wouldnt even CF later, My budget arent that big to computers anymore. So if I was to get the 4870, then I probably wouldnt get another card till next year or so since I plan on upgrading to the Phenom II or i7 later this year, and thats a lot of money.

Come to think of it. I shouldnt purchase any more computer parts till I plan to build a new one.

 

[rohan23]

aw man, I dont think thats good if it drops down to 256Mb.
Isnt 256Mb not recommended for 1680 x 1050 res? I know SLI will improve my FPS either way, but it might be closer to the 4870.
But that kind of defeats the purpose of getting an SLI board. But if i have 2 8800GT to SLI, that means I would have to get an SLI board on my next build.

I probably wouldnt even CF later, My budget arent that big to computers anymore. So if I was to get the 4870, then I probably wouldnt get another card till next year or so since I plan on upgrading to the Phenom II or i7 later this year, and thats a lot of money.

Come to think of it. I shouldnt purchase any more computer parts till I plan to build a new one.

I had an 8800GT which I sold to a member on here for about $90 including shipping. I remember asking you if you wanted to purchase it, but you said no. I wouldn't go to i7. Phenom II is so much cheaper and performs better in games. What exactly is your budget for a new card? I may be able to hook you up with a discount or find you a great deal.

 

[Teny]

I had an 8800GT which I sold to a member on here for about $90 including shipping. I remember asking you if you wanted to purchase it, but you said no. I wouldn't go to i7. Phenom II is so much cheaper and performs better in games. What exactly is your budget for a new card? I may be able to hook you up with a discount or find you a great deal.

I was thinking about it, but i forgot to reply back.
Well, I wouldnt go with a new build yet, I will start looking at summer and maybe get a new build at Fall or near christmas. So maybe the i7 will be cheaper, and worth it compared to the Phenom II, if not ,then I will just go with the Phenom II.

I dont really have an budget on anything yet. I have a few hundreds laying around, saving for either a trip to China or a new build. But I would say about $150 if I was looking for an card now. I run all the games I play fine with my current build, so I dont see a need to improve. This thread is mostly for future reference.

 

[Atomic Rooster]

Here's the scoop on running two cards with differing amounts of memory in SLI:

SLI Zone - FAQ

Can I mix and match graphics cards with different sizes of memory?
While it is not recommended, NVIDIA does offer this flexibility using Coolbits. When purchasing a second graphics card, you should try to match the memory size so that you are ensured full value and performance from your purchase. For example, if your first card is a GeForce 6600 GT with 128MB of memory, you should purchase a second GeForce 6600 GT with 128MB of memory. However, using Coolbits (value set to 18), you can force both of the cards to use the lower of the two memory sizes and operate together in SLI mode. When dissimilar memory sizes are enabled to work together using Coolbits, the effective memory size for each card becomes the smaller of the two memory sizes.