Troll Snott has asked me to start a thread for non-game, yet game-related stuff. He said there was a nice shouting discussion about dual-core vs quad-core and the OS (Operating System) that supports the hardware. SLI vs Crossfire was mentioned.
Snott didn't relay many details, other than it should be continued or re-started here. I don't see any reason why other things, like bus mastering and NIC data-rates should not be included. Let's not forget about RAM and the Drives. I would love to argue PATA vs SCSI.
Choosing the correct Operating System is crucial. The choice of OS can make or break a well thought-out hardware platform.
So, the floor is open to anything that is related to Computer Hardware and the Supporting OS's.
(please note: this is not PC vs MAC) Although this might be pointed towards PC's, MAC's are included. Why include MAC? Because NWN will run on a MAC.
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I like making things as simple as possible. A roomy motherboard with lots of room for future upgrades. For simplicity I like to stick with 1 nice video card and a dual core processor because there really isn't much your typical day at the computer will require a quad core. Would probably go with a 64 bit system in order to utilize more RAM and such. I also like using a larger case, rather than the micro's.
nVidia SLI and ATI Crossfire are competing products. I have an SLI rig and this is how it works:
SLI is "dual video boards that are bridged together to act as one faster board".
The mainboard must be specially designed to support SLI or Crossfire. That includes two special PCI-X slots.
(note: SLI and Crossfire are not compatible with each other. You must get parts that are designed to work together.)
Both video boards MUST be SLI ready.
- ATI uses a "master" video board and a "slave" video board.
- SLI uses two "SLI" boards.
My local shop refuses to carry the ATI Master Board. LMAO Yet, they have all the other parts in stock.
Both of my SLI video boards are identical. My mainboard came with a special "bridge connector" that joins the two together.
I had to get a special SLI / Crossfire PSU (Power Supply Unit). Each video board receives power directly from the PSU. I started with a 600 watt PSU, and upgraded to a 1000 watt PSU when I started having problems (not all were video related) and all my problems went away. (including all my money)
The nVidia drivers (it installs twice, once for each board) include a special SLI section so you can turn the SLI on or off.
How it works:
It works like a RAID actually. Each video board alternates the page update to the monitor. If, you can do 60 PPS (Pages Per Second) with one board, you can double that with SLI. 120 PPS is theoretical, actual might be 110.
120 PPS is totally unnecessary to check email or play NWN. NWN has a 30 PPS cap built into the engine. A BIG waste of cash if all you do is play NWN.
Each of my boards has support for two monitors. With SLI turned off, I can connect four monitors. I don't have space to put all four and I don't know what I would use them for, but I can.
If you want a seriously fast machine, and have several thousand dollars, this is the next wave of the future.
Ok Dano,... You were the guy that wanted this topic so you could say something... Kind of hard to have a discussion when it's one-way.
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