Vista - SLI/crossfire

Hey, well i am building a new computer but im a little stumped for my gpu
well i just have a few questions.
When using sli/crossfire duel gpu's do they have to be the same? or same series or do they just need to support sli/crossfire

will this motherboard
DCS (Doncaster) Ltd. Online Store (btw awesome site, supports sli) work with 2* Nvidia® Geforce 8600GT 1GB PCI-E Graphics Card > Maplin (Geforce 8600GT 1GB)

or will it just be better if i used 1 gpu
Nvidia® Geforce 9500GT 1GB PCI-E Graphics Card > Maplin
(geforce 9500gt 1gb)

this is for gaming/everyday stuff
cod4 , crysis , mercanaries 2...etc....

thanks.
~Luke

Hi Luke,

I am not sure about the ATI Crossfire range, but for the NVidia range it is preferable for both cards to be of the same specification.
Unfortunately, your choice of motherboard has only 1 PCI-E graphics slot, so is unsuitable for multiple graphics cards.
Have a look at this to see if this answers your needs: DCS (Doncaster) Ltd. Online Store

ah i didnt take time to check the expansion slots, thanks
so will i be better off with two sli gpu's or one powerfull gpu?

Hi Luke,

It all depends on what you want from your system. If you are not into intensive gaming and mainly use your PC for office-type work, then a single card will suffice. Use the highest spec that you can afford for the best performance. Incidentally, the price difference between the motherboard that I found and the one that you were thinking of is only £5.25 so you would be better off getting the one with 2 PCI-E slots (my recommendation), even if you don't utilise both slots to begin with. You can always get a second graphics card when funds allow (be sure to match the cards for best performance).

-maybe it's me but that site does not have anything newer than mar-08 , I had to check the date on the site but it said oct.14, where is the 9800gtx+,9800GX2,new cards 260GTX,280GTX, 260GTX+? fastest card was a 98000gtx , and I think the prices are really high.
-that said the 8600 at half that price is too much if you want to game with it
-what res. is your monitor
-look at the ATI 4850 to compare to the 8600 and the price per FPS - google a seach
-I think you need to really look into the video card market so your not wasting money

-shop around.

-I looked at the ATI cards and the fastest is the 3780 that CAME OUT NOV>-DEC. 2007 don't buy anything there .my .02

im using it for gaming mostly, im going to get the more powerfull gpu 1st then a month or two later i will get another one

Hi Luke,

Good idea. Just make sure that your PSU has enough grunt to cope with the load.

dont worry its 500w

Make sure you research the power requirements of your graphics card selection. While 500W may be enough for 1 higher end video card, some power supplies still do not supply enough current on the 12 volt rails to run these cards even though they are above the minimum rating for the card. Personally, I think you'll be pushing it with that power supply to run more than one card, it could cause stability problems.

Won't be enough for two of the newer cards. 500w wasn't enough for my two 8800's.