Would this work? (graphics question)?

Question

I have an hp d500t elite, and i had thought a while back about running dual cards in SLI. After doing some research, i found that i have only 1 x16 slot, but 2 open x1 slots.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Startech-PCI-Express-x1-to-Low-Profile-x16-Slot_W0QQitemZ170254523064QQihZ007QQcategoryZ16145QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I found that on ebay, and i was wondering if it would work so i could run dual cards. I have an Nvidia 9600GS 768mb, and a 460w power supply. Would another 9600gs work ok with mine? Is the power supply strong enough to handle two cards? Would the adapter not be able to handle the card at the right speed because it is going through an x1 slot? Is there any software needed to run dual cards?

My pc specs:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450(2.66ghz)

8gb RAM

1.5tb hard drive (2x750gb)

460w psu

Nvidia 9600GS 768mb

Sound Blaster X-fi Xtreme gamer

Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Don't try to force SLI just for the sake of having SLI.  It's overrated and you'll give up on stability and pay a premium for the bigger requirements (stronger power supply for at least $120).  SLI (and Crossfire) will break dual-screen, a known issue.  It also does not scale linearly meaning you won't get 2x performance.  It will be more like 1.6x.  It's just not worth it.

An nVidia 9600 won't fit into a PCIe slot.  It needs to be PCIe16 (they are different sizes).  Even with that adapter on eBay, your x16 slot would have to slow down to x1 to match the slower of the 2 interface... talk about SLOOOOOOOOW.

You'd be years better off by buying a better single card.  Check out the ATI 4870 (~$260) which would give you better performance than 2x9600 in SLI.  If you prefer nVidia, grab a GTX260 (~$260).  If you want the best nVidia, the GTX280 (~$400).

Buy a better single card and sell your 9600 on Craigslist/eBay ... you should be able to get some decent $$$ for it.

Now if you were already on a GTX280 and were craving more performance, well you really would have had no choice than to SLI.  You'd need a new motherboard in that case.

Who needs SLI?  Owners of 30" monitor that want to play Crysis at the absolute highest settings at 2560 x 1600 resolution.