Is dual SLi GeForce 8800m GTX necessary fo gaming?

I wonder if 3,000 from the 3DMark06 is a huge difference between dual SLi and single. One is 13,000 another is 10,000(according to the data collected on forum). If a game does not support dual SLi does that mean only 1 out of 2 GPU will be supported?

 

You should compare real benchmark from games.

 

That benchmark maximizes the benefits of SLI. It in no way is required. Real world 30% is way high 10% is a lot more realistic and just not worth it.

 

Yes but most current games do support sli. This being said I don't think sli 8800m gtx is worth it unless you need every frame you can get but if you've got the money, go for it

 

If you get SLI 8800's, get WUXGA as well. Smooth framerates of crysis at native rez all settings high is feasible with the 8800's

 

all thats "necessary" for gaming is a good 8400m gs.

it depends on what your graphical needs and desires consist of.

in reality, an 8600m gt is a good entry point if you are looking for portability first and gaming second. the 8600m gt can competently run any game in existence.

a single 8800 class card is great for gaming. it can competently run any game out there at higher resolutions, graphics settings, and framerates, compared to the 8600m gt.

two 8800 class cards? thats a tad excessive to call "necessary" for gaming. it definitely does SOMETHING. it allows for an ever higher degree of visual quality and resolution, but its definitely way beyond necessary.

if you are a serious gamer looking for a mobile gaming machine, and gaming is your primary concern, i would recommend a single 8800 class card.

 

I am a die-hard gamer but portability really isn't a concern for me. I want be able to run everyting on max. I know single 8800m GTX will do but let's say a new game comes out next year and you can only play it on a medium setting with a single GTX but will you be able to play on max etting with dual GTX sli?

 

8800m gtx now? you know 9800m gtx is just around the corner. 10-20% boost certainly means a lot to you.

 

if you feel like you need to stay on the cutting edge, and portability isn't that big of a concern for you, get a desktop.

maybe even consider like a small form factor portable desktop type thing.

 

Does't matter when the games come out, a dual sli will not give you a vast improvement. It definitely own't boost you from medium to high. SLI is often hit and miss too depending on the game. Either way its not worth the extra moeny IMO.

 

When is it coming out? Is it confirmed it'll be better than 8800m GTX for sure?

 

8800mGTX SLI is extreme overkill for almost any gamer. The 8600m GT is good enough for most stuff. Going up to the 8800m GTX is a huge increase. I personally don't feel SLI on a mobile system like that is very cost effective, I'd rather just get a Desktop. But to each his own.

 

they are based on same core, but 9800m gtx has higher clocking and 112 SP compare to 8800m gtx 96SP. No news for public regarding its delivery date yet.

 

Getting a desktop is really a far more cost-effective solution. You can get more power for less money (I estimate the price of an 8800M GTX off of most notebook vendors which sell it to be in excess of 500USD, whereas for 300USD you could pick up a Radeon HD4870) and easy upgradability, to boot.

Of course, in some cases a modicum of mobility is a requirement. It is for me, but I think for most serious gamers desktops are the way to go.

 

Well, even I said portability is not a concern for me it doesn't mean I don't need it completely. With a laptop I won't be restricted to the desk, also occasional vaction will be benefited from it. Saying get a desktop instead if going for gaming is like don't get a Sager NP9262

 

@ the OP, SLI 8800GTX will be more future proofing, since soon enough it will benefit up to 80%, in 1-2 years, the 8800GTX wont be able to max everthing at high resolutions, but SLI 8800GTX definatley will.

 

i will be short, if you have the money and went to spend it get SLI but think on it first; do i really need it now?

 

and the answer of "now" is no, but for future if the user is keeping his lappy for a long while, then yes.

 

Do you need to play every game at 1920 widescreen and every graphical setting turned on? Do you like doing this on the go and don't like being hampered by a desktop since you travel soon?

If the answers to both questions is a resounding yes, then 8800m GTS SLI is mandatory for your gaming needs.

 

CoD4 is about the one game that is about 90% efficient with SLI.

 

More games is efficient with SLI. STALKER, Oblivion, Crysis to name a few. I have the 8800m GTX SLI myself. Thing is you can get every game to run in SLI you just have to tweak a profile for it. Not every game likes SLI either, you have to live with microstutter and such in some games. However SLI support is better now than it has been, also most newer games benefit from SLI.

SLI is more future proof than a single 8800m GTX. Just look I can play Crysis at DX10 High/Very High tweaked and 1920x1200 with an average framerate of 37 fps.

 

it is, but with 8 series, it has serious bugs with 7 series desktop or mobile, soon enough, SLI will be as powerful as Dual core VS Single core, just wait

 

So then, it's safe to say:

- SLi 8800m GTX will be the shizniz in the future, when drivers are mature and more and more games will support it.

Right?
But what if, say, GTA IV, Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 and Gears of War 2 and all other newer games, and in the future, will NOT aim towards implementing SLi proper? Or is that the goal EVERY single game producer is aiming towards?


And also, I'm a bit behind on the whole SLi thing, but wasn't Vista unsupported? Is it now? How's it going with the drivers and such?

 

for the First part Yes, SLI 8800GTX will last you a handful of time

and for the second part, That is impossible to no aim towards SLI, because Soon it will become a standard in the gaming world and having 1 GPU will not be efficient.

and For Vista, It is supported by SLI, and since you are talking about the 8 series, it has 0 Problems with it, Good drivers are starting to come out, and SLI's Benefit is growing more and more by time.

 

Just wondering, will dual SLi reduce the performance on games that do not support SLi? or will SLi always be the same or better than single GPU?

 

yes, it will be the same or better, since you can still run on Single GPU mode while SLI is on if the game doesnt support it

 

If a game doesn't work well with SLi, there's always the option to make your laptop use one GPU only for the problem game in question. Obviously performance will be reduced compared to dual-card mode but the game will still run and play well because of the power of the 8800m GTX.

Edit: What brainer said.

 

Sli is the future or Nvidia wouldn't be emphasizing it so much.

I'm a graphic whore and I need to run games at max settings just to feel normal, and to see what the game developers envisioned. I have the Toshiba sli1 with dual 8600m gt cards, and this baby can push Oblivion and COD4 at maxed out settings running at 1440x900 without bogging down. I wouldn't be able to say that if I only had a single 8600m gt card. I can only imagine what 8800 sli setup could do.

If youre like me and have to set your games to maxed out graphics without it getting choppy when millions of things are going off on screen, go for sli. When one card struggles the other jumps in keeping those precious frames per second chugging along, giving you silky smoothness which is so important to keeping that feel of realism within the game.

 

I just got the XPS 1530.

I am creating a website comparing it with a Dedicated CAD Rig with Quad Core and 8800GTS Gpu to see if the extra power is "REALLY" needed.

so far the 8600MGT is rather impressive!

 

It`s not necessary, even a 8600M GT plays games decently.
If however, you want extreme details and fps, then yes, it`s necessary.

 

The GF8 aren't in the 80% I believe. I know the 9600GT is 80~100% and it was the first card to be though.

 

That's not how it works, lol.

There are 2 settings:

1. Where you can have 1 GPU render the top half of the screen and the other GPU render the bottom half.

2. Where the GPUs switch off rendering frames. So, GPU1 will render the first frame, then GPU2 the second, GPU1 the third and so on.

edit: #2 is the recommended setting for most games.

 

Every time I see people talking about SLI I link this article yet people still claim that SLI has little to no benefit, I saw some that said something like 10-30% increase over 1 card which is misleading. I have never owned an SLI system but I'm not just making numbers up off the top of my head.
http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3262&p=7
Read it, it says SLI increases with the 8800M GTX at 1900x1200 are on average 70%. Of course some games do better and some do worse but its enough for me to recommend SLI if you have the cash to burn.

Now is SLI 8800M gtx necessary for gaming? Well that depends on what you prefer. If you want a solid gaming system at 1280x800 or 1440x900 then its definitely not necessary. But if you have the cash, have to play at 1900x1200 with high settings, and don't care about portability I could see it as a viable option (although a cheaper desktop could easily kill it).

Edit: Look at the numbers for Crysis. 16.7fps vs 29.5fps at 1900x1200 at high settings, that is the difference between unplayable and smooth.

 

Does your m1730 have a 8600gt?

 

Yeah though with a little tweaking nofxman32 I don´t run Crysis at 29 avg fps but at 37 fps avg with DX10 High with my SLI 8800m GTX

 

Glad to hear it, I have a single 8800m gts and don't think I can get that many fps unless I'm on medium and maybe in DX9 Well that article is a little old so maybe they had older drivers and I don't think they overclocked or tweaked the game (probably just used high preset so benches are easier to compare from article to article).

 

Dual 8800M GTX

Looking forward to getting the same results...

 

Then let the OP experience the awesomeness lol

 

I`ll do that myself too

 

Yeah you're right. I was just trying to make the point that is better than one.

 

you can get about 30FPS at 1024x768 all high good enough for me, i dont even play crysis though...