New Computer Questions

[Gigamer]

Hello,

I am not new to the computer building scene as I have built several in the past decade or so, and I have done alot of work researching components for my new machine that I hope to build, however; I wanted to ask a couple questions about the SLI capable video cards and the kind of performance I can expect.

Here's what I plan on buying for the build:

Processor AMD Athlon 64 4000+ (san diego)
Motherboard ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe
Memory Corsair TWINX2048/3200PRO 2gb ddr400
Harddrive Two Seagate Barracuda 250gb SATA/150 at 7200 rpm
Videocard Two ASUS N6600GT/TOP/128 PCI-Express DDR3 128mb
Soundcard Onboard
Powersupply Thermaltake Silent Purepower W0014RU 480watt PSU
CPU Cooling Cooler Master AquaGate Mini Liquid Cooling Kit for CPU
Monitor Viewsonic VP191B 19inch LCD monitor DVI

1. Would it be better to go with two of the 6600GT/128mb ddr3 in SLI or just get one of the 6800/256mb cards (I cannot afford two).

2. Why are there 6800's in the $500 range and others in the $800 range but there is really not much difference in memory size or chip/memory speeds.

3. What can I expect from two 6600's in SLI mode in say Doom 3, Half-life 2, SWG etc...is it unreasonable that I would expect to play these on my machine at near full resolution and all settings on?

If anyone has some personal experience with a similar rig, please give me your opinions on it, pros and cons. THanks!

[Google]

[[KoG]^weaZel]

everything looks very good the only changes I would make are:

1. Dont use that cheap watercooling set-up. Get a Thermalright XP-90 or the like.

2. Go for the single 6800 for now and then when you save up you can get the second one.

3. and maybe get a bigger psu but the brand is good.
_________________
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[Gigamer]

ok, thanks for the advice weaZel, I think your right about the videocard, I can always add another 6800 later. I was just wondering if I could get about the same performance from one 6800 as I would with two of the 6600.

As for the water cooling, I picked the aquagate mini because it is inexpensive and it recieved great reviews from MaximumPC magazine where they reviewed a line up of several and it ran the coolest, cheapest, and quietest...and the entire kit fits inside the case. But I will definitly see what I can find out about the XP-90.

Thanks

[Gigamer]

Found this on the topic...very informative, exactly what I was looking for. Here's the link.

http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=Njk2LDE=

Basically, two 6600's SLI mode shine for the money, but if you can afford the 6800's then it's better for the long run.

Two of the 6600 in SLI mode run a little better than a SINGLE 6800's performance.

Two of the 6800 in SLI mode beat out the single X800 XT PE in performance but are a bit more expensive.

Two of the 6800 Ultras are, right now, best performers but very costly.

The article will show you the quality settings achieved with each card/s in Doom3, half-life 2, and Farcry. They pretty much all can max out settings on all these games, the Ultra's are the only ones that can do Doom 3 ULTRA graphics but the others come very close, and you could always lower the resolution a bit.

[[KoG]^weaZel]

yeah get the single 6800 Ultra and you will be very happy.

My only concern with the cheap watercooling kits is longevity. If this thing quits and causes your system to overheat then that cheap system just may have cost you alot of money.
_________________
I tweaked and it tweaked back! So I Tweaked some more!

"Barney is like the Michael Jackson of PBS." - James Tybeerious

[Thefriend]

IF you want a w/c system that matter.. it will run you around 200... also you will have to order each part individually. Thats what i did.. and i love my w/c setup.