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Yet another new PC thread
(246 posts, started )
Quote from Jakg :
Some cheaper SLi boards go from a 16x slot to 2x 8x slots when both slots are in use.

From what I understand (I could be about to say something really silly ) the 650i that I'm looking at is not an SLI board and has one (1) PCIe 16x slot which will take my main graphics card (most likely a 8800GTS 320mb or 8800GT if they come out in time) and two (2) PCIe 1x slots, which would take a 6200 for this use without affecting the speed of my main graphics card. I assume Windows will also support a third monitor on a second graphics card for an extended desktop as well?
#77 - Jakg
PCI-e 1x slots are physically different to a PCI-e 4x slot, btw...
lol

Good luck with the PC! :P
Quote from Jakg :PCI-e 1x slots are physically different to a PCI-e 4x slot, btw...

Oh are PCI 4x, 8x and 16x the same though? To get a 6200 to work what kind of PCIe slot (and motherboard) would I need?
#80 - Jakg
I should of clarified - the PCI-e 1x slot is meant to be a PCI-slot replacer (although it's failed because nothing really needs the bandwidth), the PCI-e 4x/8x/16x slots are all the same and you can usually change the speed in the BIOS (why you would i don't know).

For a 6200 you could probably use a 4x slot, as it's got very little power.

The problem with running 2 cards is that often the cheaper (i say cheaper, but i mean not ultra expensive) boards don't have the bandwidth spare, and when you use 2x cards they go from 16x in a single lane to splitting it to two 8x lanes. It's worth checking this on the internet, as my board goes from a single 16x lane to a 16x and a 4x lane (which makes it pretty useless for Crossfire).

I can't recommend a motherboard, because i'll end up making you spend £150 on a nice x38 overclocking board, the eVGA 650i gets good reviews, but i couldn't seem to find what it becomes when put in SLi mode.

Of course, 8x won't make that much of a difference to the performance, but it will make the difference between a GTS and a GT a lot less noticable.
Ok now I'm really confused is this motherboard the same as this?
Quote from ajp71 :Ok now I'm really confused is this motherboard the same as this?

Looking at the Tomshardware article they're reviewing the SLI version?

The Overclockers one you posted is the same board I use which isn't SLi, it is a good board though.
I'm going to order in the next few days. After putting two 17" CRTs either side of my recently purchased 21" CRT I realised that 3 screens was completely OTT for my usage so I've scrapped the SoftTH/second graphics card idea.

What I've found though is that the motherboard I was going to buy is no longer avaliable (EVGA 650i) so has anybody got suggestions as to what would be a suitable alternative basic motherboard?

I had a quick look at graphics cards and no where seems to have 8800GTs in stock, is there a reason/expected return date for this?
Quote from ajp71 :I had a quick look at graphics cards and no where seems to have 8800GTs in stock, is there a reason/expected return date for this?

Reason: New card, and everyone in the WORLD wants at least 3...

Expected return date: They come in stock every once in a while, but you have to be quick to get them before they go out again, lol. Give it maybe a week or two more and I'm sure it'll be easy to find one...
Right it's my eighteenth today and I've been generously topped up to £500 for my new computer and am ready to order today

I'm looking at getting the EVGA 8800GT Superclocked Crysis edition, I don't normally go for special edition fads but it's only a tenner more than the standard EVGA superclocked edition and it has a set ETA date (which the other EVGA 8800GTs don't) so Crysis for £10 and likely speedier delivery sound like a bonus.

I'm also still not sure which motherboard to get has anybody got a suggestion?
happy birthday! maybe the Asus P5K? great board, great stability.
Ok ordered it. Thanks for all the help

Quote from harjun :happy birthday! maybe the Asus P5K? great board, great stability.

In the end I went for the Gigabyte 650i because it was slightly cheaper and based on a review I read at Tom's Hardware it seemed to do everything I wanted and had the mid-range Realtek audio codec, which will hopefully mean I won't need to use a PCI slot for my sound card
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very good, good luck building it, although i would have got a more power PSU, such as the corsair 450W Modular
Quote from ajp71 :Right it's my eighteenth today

:doh:

18 !!! seriously dude, i always thought the 71 bit in your name was the year you were born, didn't realise you were such a youngster

Never the less Happy Birthday, but shouldn't you be out somewhere getting shit-faced right now ?
Quote from harjun :very good, good luck building it, although i would have got a more power PSU, such as the corsair 450W Modular

He got himself a 550W PSU.
Quote from MINIz guy :He got himself a 550W PSU.

YES, but it is an OCuK one, not sure if it would be reliable, but for the same price the Corsair 450W runs two 12V Rails, which can run mostly anything...
Quote from Mazz4200 :
Never the less Happy Birthday, but shouldn't you be out somewhere getting shit-faced right now ?

Doing that bit next Sat

Will be so strange next year when I'm finally not 18 every weekend
Quote from ajp71 :Doing that bit next Sat

Will be so strange next year when I'm finally not 18 every weekend

lol
#94 - Jakg
Quote from harjun :but for the same price the Corsair 450W runs two 12V Rails, which can run mostly anything...

LOLWUT?

Two Rails != Double Power of a Single Rail.
Quote from harjun :YES, but it is an OCuK one, not sure if it would be reliable, but for the same price the Corsair 450W runs two 12V Rails, which can run mostly anything...

Two rails are WORSE than a single rail. They make for a very unbalanced, and inefficient setup. Most people agree dual rails were a gimmick that turned out was actually a bad idea. Try to avoid dual-rail setups if you can.
but my corsair 520W Modular has 2 rails doesn't it?
Quote from harjun :but my corsair 520W Modular has 2 rails doesn't it?

Uhhh, right. I don't get your point.
One thing I was wondering was whether the grpahics card would be likely to come with DVI > VGA adapters or will I need to buy them seperately?
#99 - Jakg
Usually they come with the adaptors, if not they are only about £2 anyway.
Quote from ajp71 :One thing I was wondering was whether the grpahics card would be likely to come with DVI > VGA adapters or will I need to buy them seperately?

mine came with a 2 convertors DVI-VGA, and VGA-DVI, however, it didn't come with any leads, only leads to connect a HDMI Screen through the S-Video however my TFT came with a speaker cable, a VGA one, and DVI

Yet another new PC thread
(246 posts, started )
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