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NVidia SLI Motherboards (can they use ATI cards?)

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  • 14-04-2007 9:23am
    #1
    Skittle
    Registered Users Posts: 413 ✭✭


    Hi all,
    I'm looking at building a new rig, but have a question around choosing a motherboard. I was looking at the Asus Stryker Extreme NVidia 680i motherboard (primarily because it support 1333MHz FSB, which the new Q3 Intel chips will support). Now obviously if I stick two NVidia 8800 GTS cards in there in SLI mode, they'll work fine. But what happens if I stuck two ATI cards in crossfire mode, will they work? Will they work better on non-NVidia motherboards? The reason I ask is that the new ATI r600 cards are only a few months away :D


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    #2
    Cassiel
    Closed Accounts Posts: 346 ✭✭Cassiel


    680i boards won't support Crossfire. Will take 1 ATI card alright.


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    #3
    Skittle
    Registered Users Posts: 413 ✭✭Skittle


    Thanks for that Cassiel. A further question: Is there a board that will support both Crossfire and an NVidia SLI configuration and that could support a 1333 MHz FSB?


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    #4
    Cassiel
    Closed Accounts Posts: 346 ✭✭Cassiel


    All that and had sockets for both Intel and AMD chips and that would be a future proof board! Nothing out there at the moment supports both dual card solutions.

    Nvidia looks to be keeping SLI for boards with the nvidia chipset, of which there is a better choice now, the Striker to me, is still painfully expensive. :) At the moment the Intel 975x boards support Crossfire and I think the Gigabyte boards with Intel chipsets have some form of Crossfire support. I don't know how well they will cope with the new top end ATI graphics cards, I would suspect ATI/AMD will be doing what nvidia does and limit Crossfire support to its own chipsets. Google that "AMD 4x4" for more info.

    Skittle wrote:
    Thanks for that Cassiel. A further question: Is there a board that will support both Crossfire and an NVidia SLI configuration and that could support a 1333 MHz FSB?


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    #5
    8T8
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,757 ✭✭✭8T8


    NVIDIA keeps SLI squarely in it's court as there would be no reason to buy an NVIDIA motherboard if so especially on Intel platform, a lot of folks get one just to have the SLI option even if they will never make use of it.

    AMD/ATI support Crossfire on their own AMD//Intel chipset & the Intel 965/975/future chipsets. VIA/SiS too I think are supported though they are both nearly irrelevant in the market at this stage.

    The only one AMD/ATI don't support Crossfire on is NVIDIA now there is no technical reason it's all in the drivers but politics may play otherwise. As AMD/ATI compete with NVIDIA in the motherboard sector and it may be useful to keep Crossfire support to itself then again they may open it up it's hard to say.

    Personally don't bother with the uber high end boards all you need for SLI is dual x8 slots like this nForce 650 board & it is a lot cheaper. It only does up to the 1066FSB but really the jump to 1333FSB is pretty marginal and not going to bring any performance improvements.


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