Hello, question!I bought two GeForce GTX 1070 video cards for 38 thousand each and installed them in my computer in an SLI connection, but the results weretests in Futuremark 3DMark show that performance (compared to a single video card) increased by only 10-15%, but I was expecting at least 50%. Also, in modern games, two video cards did not increase my FPS, and in some (in particular FAR CRY PRIMAL) even downgraded. It turns out that it would be better if I bought not two, but one video card for this moneyGeForce GTX 1080 or even GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. And so I threw money away. Please don't repeat my mistake. And yet, few people know that not all NVIDIA tenth series video cards can operate in bridge mode (SLI), for example, the GeForce GTX 1050 and GTX 1060 cannot, either. GTX 1070 cannot be paired with GTX 1080 . Please tell us about this on your website.
Why does installing two video cards in a computer in conjunction with SLI or CrossFireX in most cases make no sense? Or why video card manufacturers will never bring SLI and CrossFireX technologies to fruition!
Hi all! Almost all users who like to play various games have probably thought or heard about the fact that two or more video cards can be installed in the system to combine their power. Actually, the technology of combining two or more graphics processors for processing three-dimensional images presented by Nvidia is called SLI (scalable link interface, Russian scalable communication interface). The analogue from AMD is called CrossFireX. What are the pros and cons of each technology, is it worth using these technologies, how do they work? This is what I will talk about today.
- And most importantly, I will tell you why it is not profitable for video card manufacturers to have SLI or CrossFireX technologies increase performance graphics system computer 100%.
So let's start with the green ones (Nvidia). In order to add an SLI connection to your system, you will need 2+ video cards of the same series and model. Unlike the red ones (AMD) (which we'll talk about a little later), GPUs are more finicky in this regard. If older lines of cards made it possible to combine absolutely any models into a bridge (the main thing is that they were the same), then in the last tenth line everything changed. You can only build a bridge using GTX 1070, 1080 and 1080Ti. What this is connected with remains a mystery to me personally, but, unfortunately, now only these models can be combined. I can’t give any information about the titans.
(Two GTX 1080 Ti video cards connected by an SLI bridge)
As for the red ones, they have both advantages over the green ones and disadvantages. The main advantage is that you can combine absolutely any models, the main condition is that the video cards being combined are built on the same architecture. For example, AMD allows you to pair the RX 460 and RX 470. But putting the GTX 1070 and GTX 1080 together will no longer work. Well, the main disadvantage of CrossFireX is the performance increase. The power gain when using direct competitor cards for red ones is significantly lower than for green ones. And optimization in most games supporting video card combinations is much worse for AMD. Yes, not all games support SLI and CrossFireX. As for the secondary manufacturer of video cards, it has absolutely no significance. That is, if you have two GTX 970, one from MSI and the other from Palit, then this will not affect the result in any way. This rule applies to both Nvidia and AMD video cards.
To build a system based on SLI and CrossfireX you will need:
1. Motherboard with two or more PCI-express x16 slots, supporting this technology. Not all motherboards that have two or more video card slots support a bunch of video cards! There is always a corresponding marking on the motherboard itself, it is written about this on the manufacturer’s website, and it is also always indicated in the accompanying instructions. Remember that if you do not need a motherboard that supports SLI and CrossFireX, then choose the appropriate board, since you will always overpay for the fact that the motherboard is equipped with support for video card communication.
2. Powerful power supply. Two video cards = high power consumption. A unit of 550 watts or more is recommended.
3. The video cards themselves support these technologies.
4. Bridge connecting video cards. As far as I know, AMD allows you to combine cards without using this bridge, that is, using software. However, in this case, the loss in performance will be about 15-20% than if you used a bridge.
In my opinion, it is not worth building a system based on these technologies. But it’s not worth it, because it’s better to buy one more powerful video card than two, but weaker ones. For example, two GTX 1070 will be weaker than one GTX 1080. And all because these technologies have very poor optimization for games and other resource-intensive applications; the green ones are of course better than the red ones, but still bad. The performance gain, as you might think, will not be 100% from using the second GPU. At best it will be 40-50%. And then, in the overwhelming majority it will be 15-25%. That is, the question of the feasibility of such a purchase remains open from a price/performance point of view. It makes sense to install such a system only if the power of the top-end this moment A video card is not enough for you. And this happens only in very highly specialized cases. For example, to achieve a stable number of frames per second on a 144Hz monitor in very heavy games. In light games, the top 1080Ti easily copes with this task. Or if you want to play high resolution– 4 or 8k.
Also, don’t forget about video memory. If you combine two video cards with different amounts of memory, then only the memory that is smaller in size is used. For example, you installed an RX 480 with 4gb and an RX48 with 8 gb. As you might think, you will have 12 gigabytes of video memory available to you. Unfortunately, it is not. Only 4 gigs will be available. If you have two identical video cards, but running on different frequencies, then in this case they will both also operate at the lower frequency. That is, for example, one operates at 1544Hz, the other at 1622Hz, both will operate at 1544Hz. In the future, with complete transition on DirectX 12 we are promised full optimization and full use all resources of the combined video cards. That is, there will be a 100% increase in power and a complete summation of the available video memory. But this is all a promise; in reality, we have what we have. Of course, there are also interesting game projects where we can get 70% or 80% performance gains, but, unfortunately, there are very few of them and they are rather the exception to the rule. As I like to say, it’s ultimately up to you to decide, but I decided for myself a long time ago that at the moment SLI and CrossFireX are extremely impractical!
Why video card manufacturers will never bring SLI and CrossFireX technologies to fruition and why a second video card will never add 100% performance to your computer's graphics system
The answer is very simple. Imagine the situation. You bought a computer with a powerful video card and after a couple of years its power began to not be enough for you. You went to the store or the secondary market and bought an inexpensive second such video card, as a result of which you added 100% performance to the graphics system of your computer. But this will never happen! This is not profitable for the manufacturer, but it is beneficial for you to always buy a new product at an expensive price. That's the whole secret. That's all, see you soon!
Before describing the modification, we note that this method tested in detail on the following systems:
Intel P965 (ASUS P5B Deluxe) + 2 x GeForce 6600LE by xDevs.com
Intel P45 (ASUS MAXIMUS II Formula) + 2 x GeForce 9800GTX + by sveetsnelda
Intel X48 (Gigabyte X48T-DQ6) + 2 x GeForce GTX 260 216sp by DeDaL
Intel X48 (ASUS P5E64WS Evolution) + 2 x GeForce 7900GS by Xtremelabs.org
Intel X38 (ABIT IX38QuadGT) + 2 x GeForce GTX 260 by TheWolf
Intel P55 (ASUS MAXIMUS III Formula) + 2 x GeForce 6600LE by xDevs.com
Intel P45 (ASUS P5Q Deluxe) + 2 x GeForce GTX 285 by Death or Glory
Intel X48 (ASUS Rampage Extreme) + 2 x GeForce 6800Ultra by Turrican
Intel P45 (Gigabyte EP45-UD3P) + 2 x GeForce 8800GT (Win7 32bit)
Intel P45 (Gigabyte EP45-DS4) + 2 x GeForce GTX 260 by cxghjcqr
Intel P965 (Gigabyte P965-DQ6) + 2 x GeForce 6600LE by TiN
Intel X48 (DFI LP LT X48) + 2 x GeForce 7900GS by TiN
Intel X48 (ASUS Rampage Formula) + 2 x GeForce 9800GTX by Ghostleader
AMD 790X (Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P) by akula
AMD 790X (DFI LP DK 790FXB-M2RS) + 2 x GeForce 9800GT by aGeoM
Intel P35 (Abit IP35ProXE) + 2 x GeForce GTX 260 (192sp + 216sp) by TheWolf
Intel 5520 (Supermicro X8DAH+) + 2 x Quadro FX 4800 (GT200GL) on Windows 2008 R2 by derGhostrider
AMD 790FX (ASUS Crosshair III Formula) + 2 x GeForce 9800GT by aGeoM
Despite the small (yet) list, the modification allows you to run SLI on ANY chipset, not just Intel. It's just that there are no owners of two or more NVIDIA video cards with other chipsets willing to try SLI. But technically, SLI can be enabled even on motherboards with AMD chipset, as long as there are enough PCI-Express slots.
The method has been successfully tested and implemented on operating systems:
Microsoft Windows XP 32 bit
Microsoft Windows Vista/7 32 bit
Microsoft Windows Vista/7 64 bit
Now combining several NVIDIA video cards in SLI mode can be done on any motherboard. This became a reality thanks to the advent of a simplified verification procedure, which is implemented to support SLI on Intel platform X58. The technology described below in the article and the modified driver have been successfully tested on systems with Intel P45 chipsets ( ASUS Maximus II Formula + 2 x 9800GTX+, XP) and Intel P965 (ASUS P5B Deluxe + 2 x 6600LE, XP), however, there are no restrictions on chipset support, so in the near future the list of tested chipsets will be expanded as enthusiasts test.
encrypted "allowed" list NVIDIA driver. In the case of the “outside” Intel X58, a simplified compatibility testing scheme was developed that uses text identifier strings, or otherwise SLIC certificates, for all X58 boards.
The essence of the modification is to force the NVIDIA video driver to identify the “Intel X58” chipset, regardless of what set of logic is actually used in the hardware. Having received the X58 identification, the video driver checks for the presence of the correct SLI compatibility certificate, which should be found in the ACPI system tables. Initially, table data is loaded from Computer BIOS, but in the future the entry in the Windows registry is used.
At the current stage of installation, only a corrected driver with a substituted chipset identifier is not enough to activate SLI; you also need to manually enter a suitable certificate into the ACPI configuration tables. Fortunately, to make changes it is not necessary to adjust the BIOS and put the motherboard at risk with unnecessary flashing. Let's use a simpler method, thanks to storing the DSDT table we need in the Windows registry. At the moment, all certificates are associated with the name of the motherboard manufacturer, and are checked by the driver for correctness. This means that for ASUS motherboards (any model) you can only use a certificate from X58-based motherboards manufactured by ASUS, for example Rampage III Extreme. For EVGA boards – similar to EVGA Classified.
To work you will need two utilities: Intel ASL Optimizing Compiler and Microsoft ASL 3.0
The entire procedure for adding a certificate for operating system Windows XP 32bit looks something like this:
Procedure for adding an X58 SLI certificate for the Gigabyte P965-DQ6 board.
Step 0. We check the availability of our manufacturer's (Gigabyte) X58 board in the list of certificates below. We use the string "" in this case.
Step 1. Reading the ACPI table from Windows registry and disassemble. To do this, create a directory c:/ACPI and copy the IASL and ASL 3.0 utilities into it. On the command line, run iasl –g. If everything went well, you will see something like this:
The table we are interested in is disassembled and stored in the file dsdt_GBTUACPI.dsl. Opening this file any text editor.
Step 2. Insert the certificate into the table. The essence of editing comes down to finding a block similar to:
Scope(\_SB_)
{
Various code not of interest to us
}
And inserting a block with a certificate immediately after this block. In our example it looks like this:
Original file
Device (\_SB.PCI0.EXPL)
{
Code that doesn't interest us...
}
}
}
}
File with added certificate.
Device (\_SB.PCI0.EXPL)
{
Code that doesn't interest us...
}
Scope (\_SB.PCI0)
{
Name (SLIC, Buffer (0x9E)
{
"987134512781Genuine NVIDIA Certified SLI Ready Motherboard for GIGABYTE GA EX58-UD38432-Copyright 2008 NVIDIA Corporation All Rights Reserved-765289891023(R)"
})
Device (WMI1)
{
Name(_HID, "pnp0c14")
Name(_UID, "MXM2")
Name (_WDG, Buffer (0x14)
{
/* 0000 */ 0x3C, 0x5C, 0xCB, 0xF6, 0xAE, 0x9C, 0xBD, 0x4E,
/* 0008 */ 0xB5, 0x77, 0x93, 0x1E, 0xA3, 0x2A, 0x2C, 0xC0,
/* 0010 */ 0x4D, 0x58, 0x01, 0x02
})
Method(WMMX, 3, NotSerialized)
{
CreateDWordField(Arg2, 0x00, FUNC)
If (LEqual (FUNC, 0x41494C53))
{
Return (\_SB.PCI0.SLIC)
}
Return (0x00)
}
}
}
Save the final text file with a table and an added certificate under the name sli.dsl.
Step 3. We compile the final table into a binary file. To do this, we will use the Microsoft ASL 3.0 utility, the link to which was provided earlier.
If compilation is successful, the DSDL.aml file will appear in the folder, in which the certificate string will already be embedded. This can be seen using any file viewing utility, the string is not encrypted.
Step 4. We load the modified DSDT table into the computer registry.
Step 5. We reboot the system, and if the download is successful, install the modified driver as usual. If everything went correctly, your system will immediately report the presence of SLI support and the driver will activate the SLI control tab. If due to some error the system does not boot, or produces errors and blue screens, when loading, press F8 and specify “Load last working configuration”.
If you need to return the original state of the DSDT table, discarding all changes, use the command asl /localtable DSDT.aml -d
A similar principle for ASUS boards P5B Deluxe. Let's just dwell on the differences.
Step 0. We use the line “987134512781Genuine NVIDIA Certified SLI Ready Motherboard for ASUS RAMPAGE II EXT 3287-Copyright 2008 NVIDIA Corporation All Rights Reserved-765289891023(R)”.
Step 1. We read the tables from the registry and disassemble using iasl –g. The resulting file name is dsdt_A0483035.dsl.
Step 2. We look for the _SB block and immediately after it insert the SLIC block.
Step 3. We compile the file using the asl command dsdt_A0483035.dsl, we get DSDT.aml
Step 4. Load asl.exe /loadtable DSDT.aml
Step 5. Reboot and install the modified driver.
Despite the apparent complexity, all these steps are completed in 5 minutes with a tea break, there is nothing complicated in the procedure, the main thing is to do everything carefully and without mistakes. Please note that these operations interact with PC hardware at a low level, so if your PC fails, data is lost, or any other negative event, the responsibility lies solely with you. All transactions are presented for informational purposes, and no one except you is responsible for possible losses.
However, we did not notice any problems on various systems; everything went without a single error.
And now the results after modifications and activation of SLI in popular benchmarks
P5B Deluxe ( Intel chipset 965) + two GeForce 6600LE video cards in SLI:
3D"03: one video card, QX9650 @ 4200MHz, 6600LE DDR3 660/670: 10044
3D"03: two video cards in SLI, Q6700 @ 3000MHz, 6600LE DDR3 580/522: 11087
3D"05: one video card, QX9650 @ 4213MHz, 6600LE DDR3 646/660: 3729
3D"05: two video cards in SLI, Q6700 @ 3000MHz, 6600LE DDR3 580/522: 4975
3D"06: one video card, Q6700 @ 3600MHz, 6600LE DDR3 580/585: 1510
3D"06: two video cards in SLI, Q6700 @ 3000MHz, 6600LE DDR3 580/522: 1808
Aqua: one video card, QX9650 @ 4200MHz, 6600LE DDR3 670/670: 71435
Aqua: two video cards in SLI, Q6700 @ 3000MHz, 6600LE DDR3 580/522: 88185
A detailed description of the procedure for the more popular and modern operating systems Windows 7 and Windows Vista 32 bit and 64 bit options will also be described here in the coming days.
In the meantime, screenshots confirming the functionality of the method for them:
987134512781Genuine NVIDIA Certified SLI Ready Motherboard for GIGABYTE GA EX58-UD38432-Copyright 2008 NVIDIA Corporation All Rights Reserved-765289891023(R)
987134512781Genuine NVIDIA Certified SLI Ready Motherboard for ASUS RAMPAGE II EXT 3287-Copyright 2008 NVIDIA Corporation All Rights Reserved-765289891023(R)
987134512781Genuine NVIDIA Certified SLI Ready Motherboard for ASUS P6T Deluxe 0101-Copyright 2008 NVIDIA Corporation All Rights Reserved-765289891023(R)
987134512781Genuine NVIDIA Certified SLI Ready Motherboard for GIGABYTE GA EX58-UD38432-Copyright 2008 NVIDIA Corporation All Rights Reserved-765289891023(R)
987134512781Genuine NVIDIA Certified SLI Ready Motherboard for GIGABYTE GA EX58UD4P3287-Copyright 2008 NVIDIA Corporation All Rights Reserved-765289891023(R)
987134512781Genuine NVIDIA Certified SLI Ready Motherboard for DFI LP UT X58 T3EH8 0101-Copyright 2008 NVIDIA Corporation All Rights Reserved-765289891023(R)
987134512781Genuine NVIDIA Certified SLI Ready Motherboard for MSI X58 PLATINUM 0101-Copyright 2008 NVIDIA Corporation All Rights Reserved-765289891023(R)
987134512781Genuine NVIDIA Certified SLI Ready Motherboard for FOXCONN BLOODRAGE 3287-Copyright 2008 NVIDIA Corporation All Rights Reserved-765289891023(R)
At the moment, work is underway to eliminate the check for the presence of a certificate in the ACPI tables, so perhaps in a few days this entire procedure will not be required, it will be enough to install only the corrected driver.
Updated:
It is already possible to activate SLI on original unmodified Forceware drivers of any version that support SLI on the X58. This is possible after the patch system library OS for the following versions:
The original file in the /windows/system32 directory must be replaced with the corrected one. After this, the chipset in the system will always be identified as X58, regardless of the drivers. The CPU-Z utility also reports this.
An example of using the original Forceware 185.85 WHQL driver on an XP 32-bit system, with a modified HAL.dll, and a couple GeForce video cards 6600LE.
There is still a need for an SLIC certificate in ACPI tables.
Updated:
The modified Forceware 190.62 driver (Windows XP 32 bit) is available for download:
http://www.xdevs.com/sli/Forceware_XP32_19062_SLImod.rar - 79 MB
Modified file for the Forceware 190.62 driver (Windows XP 32 bit) with forced use of the ASUS certificate:
http://www.xdevs.com/sli/nv4_mini_rev2asus.rar - 2.1 MByte t - for this driver you need to use an ASUS certificate, regardless of the actual manufacturer of the motherboard. This will allow you to enable SLI even on motherboards from manufacturers that do not have X58 solutions.
A modified file for the Forceware 190.62 driver (Windows Vista/7 32 bit) is available for download:
http://www.xdevs.com/sli/nvlddmkm.rar - 2.6 MB
Modified file for Forceware 190.62 (Windows Vista/7 64 bit):
http://www.xdevs.com/sli/nvlddmkm-64bit_rev_2.rar - 3 MB
Modified HAL.DLL file for Windows XP 32 bit:
http://www.xdevs.com/sli/hal.dll - 130 KB- copy to the /%windows%/system32 folder, keeping the original.
Now that the principle is clear, finding similar sections of code and modifying them in any modern drivers, before NVIDIA releases new protection methods, is a matter of technology and time.
This material would not have been possible without the participation of:
Many experienced computer users, and especially gamers, sooner or later come across technologies to improve graphic capabilities devices. In various manufacturing variations it can be SLI or Crossfire, the only difference is in the manufacturer.
Often, such methods of changing graphic indicators are used in desktop computers, but their use in laptops is also possible. Next, each of the options for using this technology and the possibility of disabling it, if necessary, will be discussed in detail.
What is SLI and Crossfire
The entire process of considering the current problem should begin with analysis general concept SLI and Crossfire technologies. They represent operating modes personal computers, which make it possible to install and operate several video cards in the device simultaneously. To activate this mode in a desktop computer, you simply need to insert two video cards into the motherboard, but there are cases in which a graphics chipset is already built into the main board. Then you just need to add another one to it using a special slot. Each of the possible options for activating the technology should be examined in more detail, and then the issue of disabling functions should be resolved.
Concept of SLI
This technology was developed by nVidia only for video cards from their production. It involves the simultaneous use of the resources of several video cards, giving the user the opportunity to combine them into one. In fact, the technology in question is a kind of adapter that connects several graphics adapters.
Crossfire concept
This technology, in principle, is absolutely similar to the previous one, the only difference is in the developers. Crossfire technology was presented to the world by representatives of the AMD campaign. Users will be interested in information about the material benefits of this technology. After all, purchasing and combining two video adapters from this campaign will cost significantly less than purchasing several video cards from nVidia. In addition, the more expensive version of the graphics adapter combination does not have the ability to be active on any motherboard. Although the process of decontamination of any version of such a bridge will be the same. First, let's look at the features of how technology works.
Specifics of connecting technologies
The main thing is in implementation this process, this is suitable for him motherboard. Not all models support this feature, so you should first familiarize yourself with the capabilities of the system. The motherboard must have the appropriate markings, otherwise, even if there are several slots, the video cards will not work in pairs. The same system applies to installing discrete and integrated adapters; there is the option of using only one of them.
It should also be noted that the technology provided by nVidia allows combined operation only for video cards produced on the same chips. That is, these can be two completely identical models, or at least representatives of the same series. Other linking options simply won't work. But when using Radeon video cards, the situation changes radically. It doesn’t matter at all what configurations the graphics adapters have. Representatives of the R9 series, for example, working in pairs, give the computer the opportunity to use the maximum from games. Many users of such combinations increase the frequency of storyboards, achieving high performance.
In addition, to use the SLI bridge, you need to attach a special adapter. It may come bundled with a video card that supports this feature, or bundled with the graphics adapter itself. Without its installation, the technology will not work.
Misconceptions about Dual Graphics mode
Many beginners, without fully understanding all the intricacies of increasing productivity, thus make hasty conclusions. For some reason, users believe that if you install a bridge with two identical video cards, the performance will double, and the same, respectively, with other combination options. But in fact, the increase occurs only by twenty to thirty percent, and then based on the performance of the weakest adapter. Here is a striking example: if you install two video cards with a memory capacity of one eight gigabytes and the other two gigabytes, then in the end the user will not receive more than two gigabytes of output. A similar situation occurs with cards that have the same amount of memory. The output will be an indicator of only one of them. The same feature applies not only to memory. For example, when installing simultaneously MSI cards and EVGA total output frequency will be calculated using the lowest value. In general, you should not place high hopes on such technology.
Deactivation of technologies
After a detailed review of the main functions and capabilities of SLI and Crossfire, it’s time to move directly to the subject of the article. It is clear that the whole point of disabling these modes comes down to removing one of the video cards. When working with a desktop computer, this will not be a problem. You just need to remove one graphics adapter from the slot and the problem will be solved. This method can be called mechanical and at the same time the simplest, but the question remains open if this mode of operation is active on the laptop. Modern laptop models also have the ability to install additional video adapters and, in particular, Crossfire technology. Thus, mechanically removing the video card will not work here; you need to use another method. Next, we will consider software options for solving the problem.
Disabling technology via BIOS
Such the method will work for both function options. A basic data input/output system is present on any device and with its help you can solve a lot of problems. First you need to log in, this is done by pressing the button when you start the computer. Which one depends on the version basic system, most often this is Del. After logging in, you need to go to the menu to the Advanced tab, when using a discrete adapter, and vice versa graphics adapter expose necessary settings. When using an integrated system, you need to find the Onboard or Integrated Devices tab and specify Disabled or simply Off in the parameters, it all depends, again, on the version. Of course, this option is not complicated, but if the user has problems understanding English, then he may not be able to find the necessary parameters on his own. In this case, you will have to consider another method.
device Manager
To solve the problem you can use standard means installed operating system. Windows allows the user to independently configure the use of all installed devices through the “Device Manager”. You can find it using the “control panel” or “administration”. For advanced users, you can suggest entering command line devmgmt.msc. After opening the required window, you need to find a section in it indicating the installed video cards. Now you just select the adapter that needs to be disabled and click on it right click mouse to open the properties menu. It has a button to turn off the device. That's all, actually. This method of disabling SLI-Crossfire mode does not even require a subsequent system reboot to activate the new settings. In addition, you can execute this command directly from the context menu.
Deactivation through standard programs
Despite the simplicity of using the above methods, the safest is still the use of “native” programs that are installed on the computer along with the drivers for the graphics adapter. Also, similar utilities can be added to the system additionally. Such programs are as easy to use as possible and the user does not have to do any additional actions to change parameters. Using this method is more efficient; in particular, it eliminates possible conflicts between equipment.
Conclusion
Well, that's all possible options disabling SLI-Crossfire modes were discussed above. But after considering all the details of how such technology works, it becomes topical issue: Is such a system necessary at all? There are many different opinions both in support of these regimes and against them. The fact is that you shouldn’t expect any significant performance gains, and besides, a hardware conflict may occur. Simultaneous operation of several video cards raises the temperature too much. system unit, overheating it. One downside is the increased power consumption when operating in this mode, because two cards, whatever one may say, “eat” more than one. In addition, not all games support this technology and may simply not run on a system with SLI-Crossfire.
Considering that the output indicators are equal to the worst video card, the best option will be the acquisition of one powerful one, for the same money that two weaker ones were bought. Thus, the performance of the system will definitely be increased and unnecessary problems will not arise. Of course, in some cases, using bridges between several video cards is necessary. The main thing is to turn off the extra video adapter in a timely manner when not using them, in order to avoid overheating of the system and increased power consumption. It is advisable to use specialized software, although if it is not available, you can use other methods. Exactly which ones have already been described in detail today.
Hello, today we will talk about Nvidia video cards working in SLI mode, namely about their problems and ways to solve them, but first we will understand what SLI mode is. Nvidia SLI is a technology that allows you to use multiple video cards simultaneously and at the same time significantly increase system performance. One of the main requirements is to use the same GPU on the video cards used. Below are more detailed requirements for building a computer that will work with this technology.
- The motherboard must have two or more connectors that support this technology;
- A good power supply that can power our system (SLI-Ready units are recommended);
- Video cards that support this technology;
- A bridge that can be used to connect video cards;
- A processor with a high clock frequency that can unleash the potential of video cards so that there is no drop in frame rate and overall performance.
From the above, it turns out that building NVIDIA SLI is not something unattainable, but on the contrary, it is practically no different from building a regular home computer.
Problems
Well, the information above was presented about why SLI is needed, its advantages, and now let’s move on to the problems and their solutions.
- The first problem is the dependence on drivers; drivers need to be updated very often, since serious changes are made and optimizations for specific games or applications;
- The second problem is that not all games/applications support this technology and in some games/applications you need to make several of your video cards work;
- The third problem with this technology is in the same updates, since with each driver update you need to carry out some manipulations so that all video cards work, and this is not convenient every time and not all owners of this technology are ready to rummage through the settings and deal with their problems.
Problem solving:
- The first problem is solved quite simply. Download the utility from the official website NVIDIA GeForce Experience, register to use this program, log into your account, and click the “Check for updates” button. If there are more fresh driver, it will be downloaded and you will be prompted to install it.
- The second problem is not always solvable, since not all application manufacturers optimize their applications for this technology, but you can still try to fix performance problems with some simple manipulations in the settings of the driver itself for your SLI system.
Below I will provide you with an example setup games The The Sims 2, which is not optimized for SLI by default.
Open "Nvidia Control Panel" - manage 3D settings - software settings and click on the “Add” button - indicate the path to the file that launches our game - look at the second section “Specify settings for this program” - SLI rendering mode, if there is “Nvidia recommends (SLI)”, then select this item if no, then select “Perform alternative frame construction 2”.
We also need to configure power management, and to do this, go to “Power management mode” and select “Preferred mode” maximum performance ».
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