Well lots of people wonder how the old SLI systems hold up against newer single cards. Well today i found out how my old GPU setup fared against a single EVGA 9600GT.

System:
AMD Athlon X2 3800+
3GB RAM PC3200 DDR400
PSU Blue Storm 2 500W
A8N SLI Deluxe Motherboard

3DMark06 Scores:
2x6800Ultra SLI setup: 5119
9600GT setup: 7171

The test wasn't run on clean install so the scores are somewhat less what they could be. But i think this clearly demonstrates the power of the newer cards.

lol...that's quite the difference. I think I'd go for a single GPU regardless, avoiding the (possible) complications that SLI/crossfire brings.

In terms of actual performance, the difference isnt that big. Its still a low end system. Compared to the 30k some machines score, the 2k point difference is like a spit in the ocean.

Edit: The best part is that the 9600gt makes alot less noise. I can actually hear the other fans now, i used to wonder if someone was sharpening pencils in my computer case with the old ultras.

Yea, the newer cards are definitely worth it. I'm sure it's less heat, less noise and less power requirements on a per horsepower kind of way. I just wish they'd eliminate active cooling completely. Not that I think it'll happen, but it's really nice having a totally quiet pc. Even my home theatre pc makes a bit of noise, despite all the insulation and buffering.

I should benchmark this box. I'm just so lazy.