I am having some trouble understanding these PCI Express x16 video cards. I'm not sure what exactly a card with 512mb memory, but 128mb on board is. Then some cards are 256mb, effective to 512mb. I'm runnning an ASUS P5ND2 motherboard with SLI. I read somewhere that if I use dual SLI cards, they will work together. Does that mean if I get (2) 256mb cards, I can use it together and achieve 512mb on 1 monitor? Any help is appreciated.

Thank you,
Hoop2077Now that I'm looking at power supplies, I notice that some are SLI compatible, and some aren't. I assume this is the same thing, but am not certain. Anything else I need to look out for?

Thanks,
Hoop2077Different memory amounts means that it is using system memory as well as its own
Eg, if a card has 128Mb of its own memory and 512Mb total, it has 128Mb on board and "borrows" the rest from the system memory when needed
It doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad card unless it has very little dedicated memory, which particular cards are you looking at?
SLI is 2 cards working together to provide better performance, but you may not notice an increase as it depends on detail settings, resolution etc
The cards also must be the same chip
As for the power supply, to use SLI you need an SLI compatible PSU
Also look out for the power rating, you need to supply power for both cards as well as your other componenets so you might need a beefier power supply
If you need clarification then say so, sorry if I haven't eplained it very well but I did my best
Need any more help just askTo my knowledge, two video cards in SLI does not double your video memory available. For example, 2 128MB cards together does not result in 256MB in total. If you are gaming, get a card with its own dedicated memory. Perhaps you could provide links for the cards that are causing confusion?Well, I'm trying to build a computer to sell. I'm going with a P5ND2 board, 1GB RAM, DVD BURNER, 250 GB SATA HD, Celeron D 3.2 GHz. I love the P5ND2 and figured since it was capable, I would experiment with the SLI. I basically need to know what kind of cards to throw in there to legitimately call it a gaming machine. How big of a power supply should I look for. While I'm on the subject, how can I figure out how much power something like a DVD burner would use ANYWAY?

Thanks,
Hoop2077Power for a DVD burner shouldn't be much (I think), maybe you can find exact amount on the manufacturer's page
Sounds like a pretty good machine although the processor may be a little weak, but it won't make much of a difference for most games
As for which cards to get, try the 7600GT, that's pretty good
Look on nVidia's website or the manufacturer's website (if that's the right term, eg PNY for a PNY 7600?) for the power supply wattage recommendedgo for a sempron 64 at LEAST. I'd recommend an athlon 64. Cheap and fast. As for the PSU, 400-500 watts is ok. Correct me if i'm wrong. I'd like to be hype-free also.Quote

Well, I'm trying to build a computer to sell. I'm going with a P5ND2 board, 1GB RAM, DVD burner, 250 GB SATA HD, Celeron D 3.2 GHz. I love the P5ND2 and figured since it was capable, I would experiment with the SLI. I basically need to know what kind of cards to throw in there to legitimately call it a gaming machine. How big of a power supply should I look for. While I'm on the subject, how can I figure out how much power something like a DVD burner would use anyway?

Thanks,
Hoop2077