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9800 GT will SLI with...?

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v0nch

Registered
Joined
Oct 15, 2009
Hey all, was wanting to ask you that I have a BFG 9800 GT 1gb, and planning to run in SLI with another card. ATI won't work in SLI with 9800 GT, and was thinking about either getting:

9800 GT
9800 GTX
GTS 250

--> could u advise me which will be the most stable SLI configuration?

And would like to know if the extra money for a 9800gtx/ GTS 250 will be worth the money in SLI with my current 9800 GT.

Which will be the most compatible? (ofc 9800 GT, but want to get a higher-end card).

Also, i plan to get Q6600 and 600Watt PSU, so will that maybe affect it? ty bye
 
Unfortunately, you have to run the same model of GPU for SLI/Xfire, so 9800GT is the only choice for SLI.

I'm not sure how 9800GTs SLI stack up against newer single cards, and I can't find out here at work :rolleyes: But, you may want to look into that.
 
I would say, sell the current card, and snag a new nice single 260 or 5770
 
It has to be (unless it's changed) exactly the same card, same make, same manufacturer, same VRAM size.

So say it's a 1GB 9800gt made by Asus. You will have to get a second Asus 9800gt with 1GB VRAM and the same clock speeds as the other one.

Hope this helps.
 
Ehh... brand does NOT matter and I do not think that the VRAM size matters either as it is not shared. Clockspeeds do not matter either.

An EVGA GTX260 216 can be SLI'd with a Zotac GTX260 216 even with different clocks.
 
It has to be (unless it's changed) exactly the same card, same make, same manufacturer, same VRAM size.

So say it's a 1GB 9800gt made by Asus. You will have to get a second Asus 9800gt with 1GB VRAM and the same clock speeds as the other one.

Hope this helps.

I don't think ever had to be the same manufacturer or VRAM size. However, you definitely needed to make sure both cards (with the same chipsets) were CLOCKED at the same speeds. If one card has more RAM than the other, the extra RAM on the one card would essentially be useless in SLI.
 
Ehh... brand does NOT matter and I do not think that the VRAM size matters either as it is not shared. Clockspeeds do not matter either.

An EVGA GTX260 216 can be SLI'd with a Zotac GTX260 216 even with different clocks.

OK brand doesn't matter but I'm pretty sure VRAM size does matter.
I tried to SLI 2 7900gs's together. A 128MB and a 256MB version and it just didn't work.
Got another 256MB version and it didn't like having different clocks (one came pre-overclocked) and it worked when I downclocked it to match.

Could have changed or maybe I'm just special ^_^
 
Im voting on the latter (u r special)... hehe!

Regarding the clocks, Im not sure, but I recall seeing it done before. maybe I was special.......that night. IIRC, you can also clock each card indivudal in SLI (not sure on that) so that would make having the same clockspeeds not matter right? Again, not sure on that. I just recall it having to be the same core (not chipset), brand doesnt matter. Maybe it mattered back in those days with those cards, but since G80, I dont recall that being a requirement, not to mention, most cards aside from 8800 GTS 320/640 the memory was the same....
 
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Brand does not matter, memory does not matter, and clock speeds don't matter. Brand is just...well, a name, pretty much, while memory size and clock speeds will be matched with the lowest and slowest card.

Crossfire allows you to use different GPUs within the same series; SLI does not.
 
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OK brand doesn't matter but I'm pretty sure VRAM size does matter.
I tried to SLI 2 7900gs's together. A 128MB and a 256MB version and it just didn't work.
Got another 256MB version and it didn't like having different clocks (one came pre-overclocked) and it worked when I downclocked it to match.

Could have changed or maybe I'm just special ^_^

Im voting on the latter (u r special)... hehe!

Regarding the clocks, Im not sure, but I have seen it done before. IIRC, you can also clock each card indivudal in SLI (not sure on that) so that would make having the same clockspeeds not matter right? Again, not sure on that. I just recall it having to be the same core (not chipset), brand doesnt matter. Maybe it mattered back in those days with those cards, but since G80, I dont recall that being a requirement, not to mention, most cards aside from 8800 GTS 320/640 the memory was the same....
I should probably clarify a bit:

Yes, it is not "chipset" but "core" that needs to be the same. I meant to refer to "core" (i.e. both need to be G92's <-- which makes me want to ask the question: "Would an 8800GT work with a 9800GT in SLI?").

As far as clock speed is concerned, both need to be running at the same clock speed. Whether they are purchased with the same speeds or you change the clockspeeds on one or both to match after purchase doesn't matter.
 
An 8800gt is a 9800gt...

I have seen now that the ram needs to be the same, but dont recall that being true.... still looking.
 
I was thinking also to sell the current 9800 GT and then buy a GTS 250? like killem2 suggested. However, would a GTS 250 run stable on my Asus P5N-E motherboard though?
 
The GTS250 is nothing but a 9800gtx+. While it will be an upgrade, its not a major one and I wouldnt go that route. What resolution do you game at?
 
That's neat, the higher card is just scaled down. Could be useful to someone with multiple GPUs from the same generation. My bro has a 5750 and I'm getting a 5770 today, so if one of us upgrades, then the old GPU can be used by one of us.

Learn something new everyday...
 
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