Im about to upgrade my pc and was wondering if SLI would be worth it.Im currently running Asus mono, XP 3200, 1gig Dual channel, 9700pro, thinking of upgrading mobo (Asus SLI nFore4 Deluxe) and cpu (AMD64) keeping the 1gig dual channel.The question here is, Is SLI worth it, because I'm also replacing my video card, I've always been a ATI fan, but was thinking of purchasing Gforce 6600GT dual pack so I can take advantage of SLI. This option would cost me almost $400 smacs, the other video option would be ATI's x800XT currently at $320. I prefer ATI, but if nVidia's solution makes a big difference, I will go that route.About 90% of the time I spend in gaming is on FS2004, so I want to make sure that what I buy is really going to get me closer to "AS REAL AS IT GETS". :DAddons Include:PMDG 7xx fleet, icluding the QueenLevelD's outstanding 767Flight1's wonderfull MeridianFSPassangersActiveSkyFSNavigatorUltimateTrafficPerformance with current specs is OK, FPS ranging from 12 to 16 in heavy traffic areas, the hardest impact is when landing at big airports, and since I fly heavy's most of the time, I can't settle for 12-16, need and want more. Ooooppppsss wife coming.. see ya later captains.Carlos :-hah

Someone benchmarked FS9 with SLI - it not only doesn't help but there is even some (small) loss in performance.Michael J.WinXP-Home SP2,AMD64 3500+,Abit AV8,Radeon X800Pro,36GB Raptor,1GB PC3200,Audigy 2http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/747400.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/images/asv_beta_member.jpg

hhmmm, if that is the case, the I may just go with ATI then. By the way Michael, Are you very happy with your current specs?Carlos

Yep, no help at all. If it's only for FS2004 don't spend the money.Doug

Thanks Doug, I will still do the upgrade, just was trying to decide if to go nVidia's way or keep ATI as my prefered option.Carlos

I read in the Computer Pilot magazine that ATI has this Crossfire that is akin to the SLI of nVidia. It makes use of a X800/900 plus a Crossfire card. I am very interested in the set up as I am a ATI user too. The problem now is waiting on a CrossFire-enabled mobo. Both ASUS and ABIT have announced one. But still not available yet.M TanYSCBASUS P4C800 E + [email protected] + Corsair DDR500 1G + ATI9600XT + WD Rafter 3.6 + water cooled

Rather than a dual-SLI 6600GT rig, I'd stick with nVidia and go a single 7800GTX - 2X the performance for about the same $$ as two 6600's.

I bought a TOP OF THE LIne ABS computer last Jan with 2- nVida GT6800 video cards, only to LATER learn that SLI does not, repeat, NOT work in FS2004... neither does the 64 bit CPU that came with my rig. It cost $4200 US, BUT finally, at last gives me the performace that I have always dreamed of, BUT this only happened AFTER my system was tweeeked for over FOUR HOURS (by cell phone) by Mr Michael Greenblatt, for $100 US....the BEST $100 I ever spent in my life!!!!!! He can be reached at:[email protected] or [email protected], Phone 1-562-420-1025 (USA)With my new ABS Ultimate 6 system and his tweeking, he said I had the highest frame rates he had ever seen. He liked my computer so much, he bought one just like it. My default FPS were set at 56. All of this shown on a ViewSonic P225f 22" Monitor (CRT) and it just does NOT get any better than this. jerrycwo4

I agree with suggesting the single 7800 GTX, instead of the 6600 SLI. I took the same route, going from a single 6600 GT to a 7800 GTX, the improvement was quite noticeable and worth the cost, IMHO.And, a single card is way easier to install with far less power requirements on the system.

I have an SLI setup but I don't use SLI for FlightSim...instead I display 4 monitors with a 3d view on each. This is a convenient way to get such a panoramic picture, although I'm sure there are cheaper ways.

This is a very interseting thread. I'm looking to put together this systemMotherboard: MSI P5ND2 SLI Deluxe LGA775 nForce 4 DDR2Processor: Intel P4 3.73 GHz LGA775 2MB 1066 FSB (HT Memory: DDR2 (800) 6400 - 1 GB (2 pcs 512) CorsairHard Drive: SATAII - Western Digital Caviar SE 250 GBVideo Card: 2 Asus GeForce 7800 GTX Extreme 256MB DDR3/ And from what I've read about SLI is that you may not get an increase in FPS but as you increase AA and resolution that you keep the same FPS or close to it. Also from reading another article you need some serious kick butt CPU to get the full benefits of SLI.Lastly are we talking about just the SLI card alone or using SLI technology and using it with two cards like what SLI is for?I find it hard to beleive that theres no difference between a non sli card and have two SLI cards on a fast CPU from all the results I've seen.Kilstorm

Hi all,I've just ordered a new rig. I considered to buy a mobo with SLI support, but finally decided to go for a none SLI mobo and a nVIDIA 7800GTX based graphics card. Why? My guess is that over the next 2-3 years a single PCI-E card, like the 7800GTX, will be the fastest solution. And what happens after 3 years is not a factor now - by then I will order a new rig.I may be wrong, but for now I'm more worried about my choice of CPU - dual core or single core? I went for a dual core (AMD 3800+) and at night I'm wondering if I should have gone for the single core AMD 4000+ instead :-hmmm Ulf BOrdered rig based on:ABIT AN8 Fatal1ty NF4 UltraAMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Dual CoreGigabyte 7800GTX 256MB PCI Express

Ok, First off, how can you have this entire thread without ever considering RAM speed???Here are some hard numbers for you. I have two very strong systems, both non-sli as there is no advantage for FS. I am about to add a second 7800GTX to my primary system so I can run four monitors as seperate cards opposed to two monitors on SLI.Primary systemLiquid Cooled AMD 4000+ San Diego (whoever said 64 bit chips do not work with FS is misinformed)Asus A8nSLI premium2 gigs Corsair XMS CL2.5XFX 7800GTX 550/1.4Dual maxtor 120 gig Raid-0AQUAMARK SCORE 85000 Yes, that is correct, 850003D Mark 05 9000Here is a FS benchmark. Whoever claimed to have the fastest FS system ever might want to re-think that LOL Yes, 110 FPS AVERAGE when unlocked with dual monitors default cessna at Seattlelow FPS is when I started the benchmark locked at 24 fps and then switched to unlimited.********************************************************************************* Benchmarking Result : 18-Aug-2005 08:49:33 ** ** Minimum Frame Rate : 023.51 FPS ** Average Frame Rate : 110.77 FPS ** Maximum Frame Rate : 638.40 FPS ** ** Using ** Display Res: 1280x1024x32 1280x1024x32 ** Texture Quality : NA Scenery Complexity : Extreme Dense ** Dynamic Scenery : Extreme Dense ** Maximum Visibility : 60 mi *********************************************************************************NOW,secondary system is AMD 3400+Asus K8Vse-deluxePNY 6800 GT2 gigs Kingston HyperX CL3dual maxtor 120 gig Raid-0The best I have ever pulled was 63000 with Aquamark and just over 5000 with 3d mark. I never ran the FS benchmark but I can guarantee you it would not be averaging 110 FPS.This is a quick example of how huge the difference is with the new H/W. I got over 20000 points on aquamark and almost doubled 3dmark from a 3400 with a 6800GT to a 4000 with a 7800 GTX BUT I also went from CL3 to CL2 ram. The difference is HUGE!!!!Good luck with it but for those considering an upgrade the numbers don't lie.-Paulhttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/127202.jpg