Introduction:

    I recently spent a ton of money and built a completely new computer using all high end hardware. However I did not go "over the top" and take the SLI plunge right away. I was upgrading from an old P4 with 512mb of ram and an ASUS TI4600 graphics card. (Note to self: DO NOT wait 3yrs to upgrade again!)

   Most of you probably remember my P4 overclocking articles (here and here). Yes it's been THAT long since I did a full system upgrade from scratch. So when I finally did it, I did it all the way!

   Doing a full system upgrade ensures one thing: the desire for more, more, more! Here's a list of the Hardware I purchased to build me a new modern system:

   Now that's a pretty damn nice machine already right? I thought so too....for about a week. Then I craved more, more, more! Believe me, I didn't crave more because I "needed it". I craved more because it was "out there", as in available on the market, and damn it, I just had to have it! It's a sickness really. I know that.

   I purposely bought the A8N-SLI Premium motherboard with the "future" intentions of being able to slap in SLI "down the road" and when I "needed it". Yea right! The time was NOW, not THEN!

  So, I originally built this new system around the end of August, or beginning of September. Like I said after about a week with it and a few buddies hearing my new "specs" and ALWAYS asking "you got SLI right?" or "when you going SLI?", It was killing me. I just had to do it....

  So I had it in my mind to go SLI since that time, I was just waiting for the right time, the right opportunity, the right DEAL!

  The deal came at just the right time. I had just purchased QUAKE 4 and F.E.A.R and was playing them religiously. It was obvious that both games put a hurting on most of my buddies systems and only barely noticeable on mine.....though still noticeable enough to think "hmm, I wonder how SLI would handle this?".

   I no sooner get that question out of my mouth and I notice that zipzoomfly (where i bought my 7800gt originally) was having a deal on that same card. This deal was to include a FREE copy of COD2 (Call Of Duty 2) with purchase of the XFX 7800GT. It was a deal made in heaven, or maybe just a deal to push me ever so slightly over the edge. It was a FREE $49.99 game that I was planning on buying anyway! So I didn't look at it as $379 wasted, I looked at it as $49.99 saved! You gotta love that kind of impulse buying!

   I took the SLI plunge. I couldn't resist. You know how it is.

2 XFX 7800GT's

Retail Box - Front and Rear