SLI video cards and SLI boards....

2005-12-22 17:09:21

#1

-101-InvaderZim: Member; +42|7058|Waikato, Aotearoa

I have spent the last few days cruising the Tech Forums, and not a few of you are upgrading all sorts hardware, from this video card to that motherboard and all sorts of other stuff.

I have suddenly noticed that not a lot of you are paying much attn to SLI and PCX requirements (prolly cos those that do arnt techies). So in the name of saving your sanity (and money, cos hardware aint cheap) i thort that I would add this in.

ONLY SLI CARDS CAN FIT IN SLI BOARDS. I dont think that any old PCX video card will fit in a board that has been set up for SLI, and vice versa. I dont think your SLI ready video card will fit in a non-SLI board.
You can how ever have 1 video card running in a SLI board, and buy another later. But the video card you buy later MUST MUST MUST MATCH THE FIRST.

BEFORE YOU BUY YOUR PCX VIDEO CARD ASK THE TECHIE IF IT WILL FIT IN A SLI BOARD.

If I am wrong then add your own points. Despite being a techie myself, I too am still learning about the different components that are coming out in the market, and the best way of making them work. So constructive criticism only please. After all i am only trying to help

Last edited by -101-InvaderZim (2005-12-22 17:10:43)

2005-12-22 17:38:55

#2

psychotoxic187: Member; +11|6924

SLI is just the linking of two PCI express cards. You can put any card into a SLI motherboard, you can only use Nvidia to run two of them though. A SLI card can go into any x16 PCI express slot.

2005-12-22 18:15:26

#3

Stoned_Smurfz: The Mushroom Man; +1|7061|Australia

yeah what he said, you dont need a sli card for your sli board but itd be pretty stupid to buy a sli board and buy one non sli card.. and as far as i know all the pci-ex geforces are capable of sli ? so you cant really not buy a sli card if you get one?

most sli boards ive seen have like a switch thinggy for dual cards and single cards its just a matter of flipping this thing over for dual or single..

and apparently ati has a crossfire thinggy now? for dual video cards and apparently you only need one cross fire enabled card to run dual video how ever the cards must be the same. ie. 2x800's 1 crossfire 1 not? but im not sure on that just what someone told me

2005-12-22 19:36:42

#4

chuyskywalker: Admin; +2,439|7062|"Frisco"

You're, as stated, complete wrong.

A "SLI Capable" card can be used on a non-sli mobo, and a non-sli card can be used just fine on a sli mobo. There is nothing that stops it either way. A SLI card will only do SLI with another SLI card (generally of the same famliy) on boards that support SLI.

My system (new one) has SLI support, and so does my 7800GT -- and someday I may get another 7800gt to play more newer games, but it's just another upgrade path.

2005-12-22 21:53:40

#5

Burning_Monkey: Moving Target; +108|7052

And a word of warning. Make for God damn sure that your mother board supports your video cards in SLI mode. Just because they are SLI cards on an SLI mother board doesn't mean it will work.

I found out the hard way. Twin ASUS SLI video cards and an ASUS mother board and what should I find out? The mother board doesn't support my video cards in SLI mode. YIPPIE!!!!!

2005-12-23 03:14:48

#6

-_{MoW}_-Assasin: Member; +13|6943|Australia

agreed, i love laughing at dumbasses

2005-12-23 03:23:10

#7

Ronball9: Sleep Deprived; +8|7062

Burning_Monkey wrote:
And a word of warning. Make for God damn sure that your mother board supports your video cards in SLI mode. Just because they are SLI cards on an SLI mother board doesn't mean it will work.

I found out the hard way. Twin ASUS SLI video cards and an ASUS mother board and what should I find out? The mother board doesn't support my video cards in SLI mode. YIPPIE!!!!!

Damn,

I know we are revisiting this a couple months later (looks like the original post was deleted): so your ASUS EN6800GT x 2 does not work on your ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe???!!! Not at all, or buggy or what?

Save me before I buy a second one.

2005-12-23 10:00:12

#8

psychotoxic187: Member; +11|6924

I have never seen compatibility issues with SLI cards, and the motherboards. Nor does it state any where on Asus' website which cards you can use on the SLI motherboard. It doesn't matter SLI is SLI. You must of been doing something wrong, or had it set up wrong.

2005-12-23 10:23:05

#9

Leatherface-TCM: The Saw is Family; +0|7036

I would find it rather strange that the Asus A8N32 SLI Deluxe - would have problems/issues with SLI since "SLI" is part of it's name.
Seems simple enough and no problems reported in other user forums.
As suggested above - check your setup

2005-12-23 14:14:26

#10

Ronball9: Sleep Deprived; +8|7062

psychotoxic187 wrote:
I have never seen compatibility issues with SLI cards, and the motherboards. Nor does it state any where on Asus' website which cards you can use on the SLI motherboard.

Actually it does.

http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?mode … amp;l3=148

See, the problem that Burning_Monkey and I have, is that we relied on the fact that an Asus SLI mobo would obviously support an Asus SLI video card (x2). However, if you read their certified list it talks about their 6600GT and their 6800Ultra, but their 6800GT is conspicuously absent - in fact (for Christ sake) they even mention other vendors' 6800GT. So basically they will not "certify" these two Asus products together. It does not necessarily mean it won't ever work, but they do not advise the pairing.

Consequently, I want to hear Burning_Monkey's experiences before buying a second card or just ditching this one in favor of the 7800 next year.

Last edited by Ronball9 (2005-12-23 15:18:19)

2005-12-23 17:37:05

#11

Stoned_Smurfz: The Mushroom Man; +1|7061|Australia

i dont really know how sli works but i would have thought that in pretty much every card thats sli would work in the same way? as long as they are the same there shouldent be a problem? so if it works for one type why wouldent it work for that specific type?.

so why exactly doesnt this work in this board? i dont really like asus products anyways..

2005-12-23 17:39:03

#12

THA: im a fucking .....well not now; +609|6985|AUS, Canberra

Burning_Monkey wrote:
And a word of warning. Make for God damn sure that your mother board supports your video cards in SLI mode. Just because they are SLI cards on an SLI mother board doesn't mean it will work.

I found out the hard way. Twin ASUS SLI video cards and an ASUS mother board and what should I find out? The mother board doesn't support my video cards in SLI mode. YIPPIE!!!!!

that to me is just stupid, its like buying a new car and the day you pick it up you realise it doesnt come with wheels....

2005-12-23 18:36:56

#13

Burning_Monkey: Moving Target; +108|7052

Ronball9 wrote:
Damn,

I know we are revisiting this a couple months later (looks like the original post was deleted): so your ASUS EN6800GT x 2 does not work on your ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe???!!! Not at all, or buggy or what?

Save me before I buy a second one.

It's buggy as all hell. I get really bad streaking through any bright colors. It's really hard to describe what happens but it is annoying as all hell. An example would be if I was trying to spot a helicopter chances are I wouldn't see it because the image of the helo would be disrupted by the lines through it. It's almost like when you are sitting to close to a TV and you can see the lines that make up the display, now imaging those lines randomly shifting right or left. And mine aren't the GT model. They have the same memory and what not, but they aren't the GT's.

the_heart_attack wrote:
that to me is just stupid, its like buying a new car and the day you pick it up you realise it doesnt come with wheels....

I have to admit some of the blame myself, after all, I built the damn system. But in my defence, ASUS buried the compatiblity listing of the mother board and it took me for ever to find it. And the fact that my video cards where a limited run of non GT with really close to the GT specs made it really hard for me to finally figure out what the problem is. On another SLI mother board, I figure that the cards would work great.

It also doesn't help that my cards aren't made anymore.

Last edited by Burning_Monkey (2005-12-23 18:37:30)

2005-12-23 19:18:56

#14

Ronball9: Sleep Deprived; +8|7062

Okay, Burning_Monkey, what cards do you have then?

2005-12-23 19:36:29

#15

Burning_Monkey: Moving Target; +108|7052

Ronball9 wrote:
Okay, Burning_Monkey, what cards do you have then?

I've got the 256mb EN6800's. I think the GT's are supported by the ASUS mother board though.

2005-12-27 04:08:47

#16

pinky_81: Member; +1|7004|Denmark

An SLI video card WILL fit in a NON-SLI MotherBoard... (And probably vice-versa)

I had an MSI Non-SLI motherboard (MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum) and a sparkle GeForce 6600GT (SLI-compatible) but as my motherboard ate cmos battery, I had it changed to an almost identical motherboard with SLI (MSI K8N SLI Neo4 Platinum) and the 6600GT still works great...

The only problem with SLI is that as now boards must be identical and the result isn't twice as good (at best) - I guess that becomes better with the new games...

2005-12-27 05:10:25

#17

Cybargs: Moderated; +2,285|6931

SLI-ready vid cards can fit into non-sli mobo, dont talk about sumthing that u dunt know what ur talking about lol.
can sum1 clarify that the gigabytes intel 975x is sli supported? since it only said it has 2 pci-express 16X lanes, coz im looking forward to buy an SLI supported mobo

https://cache.www.gametracker.com/server_info/203.46.105.23:21300/b_350_20_692108_381007_FFFFFF_000000.png

2005-12-28 07:01:44

#18

SnobbyBoss: SAS Medic; +18|6954

How do you find what mobo (And if SLI capable) you have instead of opening the computer up and loooking inside.

Last edited by SnobbyBoss (2005-12-28 07:35:57)

2005-12-28 07:49:58

#19

Cybargs: Moderated; +2,285|6931

is ur a pre-built? (made by dell, alienwear etc) coz pre-builts dont usually come w/ sli. try checking w/ ur manufactura(sp?) and they'll tell u what chipset.

2005-12-28 08:17:20

#20

SnobbyBoss: SAS Medic; +18|6954

Yeah it's pre-built by HP. I will go and check, Thanks.

2005-12-28 08:18:25

#21

Cybargs: Moderated; +2,285|6931

no problem, just check the model of ur pc and it will show u the chipset on the hp webstie

2005-12-28 08:20:03

#22

SnobbyBoss: SAS Medic; +18|6954

is a A7V8X-LA (Kelut) SLI supportive?

2005-12-28 21:53:49

#23

Cybargs: Moderated; +2,285|6931

sorry to say but no... the new SLI boards are supportive w/ K8 chipsets. only some boards are SLI. only about 2% of prebuilt comps world wide have SLI, those are build by voodoo, dell, alien wear and all the pre-built gaming pc industry. heres the link for mobos that have SLI http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone2_build.html including the certificated power supply etc.

2005-12-28 22:50:46

#24

THA: im a fucking .....well not now; +609|6985|AUS, Canberra

Burning_Monkey wrote:
Ronball9 wrote:
Damn,

I know we are revisiting this a couple months later (looks like the original post was deleted): so your ASUS EN6800GT x 2 does not work on your ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe???!!! Not at all, or buggy or what?

Save me before I buy a second one.
It's buggy as all hell. I get really bad streaking through any bright colors. It's really hard to describe what happens but it is annoying as all hell. An example would be if I was trying to spot a helicopter chances are I wouldn't see it because the image of the helo would be disrupted by the lines through it. It's almost like when you are sitting to close to a TV and you can see the lines that make up the display, now imaging those lines randomly shifting right or left. And mine aren't the GT model. They have the same memory and what not, but they aren't the GT's.

the_heart_attack wrote:
that to me is just stupid, its like buying a new car and the day you pick it up you realise it doesnt come with wheels....
I have to admit some of the blame myself, after all, I built the damn system. But in my defence, ASUS buried the compatiblity listing of the mother board and it took me for ever to find it. And the fact that my video cards where a limited run of non GT with really close to the GT specs made it really hard for me to finally figure out what the problem is. On another SLI mother board, I figure that the cards would work great.

It also doesn't help that my cards aren't made anymore.

i wasnt saying your stupid i was saying the idea of an sli motherbaord not suporting sli vid cards is stupid

2005-12-28 23:04:15

#25

-_{MoW}_-Assasin: Member; +13|6943|Australia

You must have a nForce 4 Ultra or nForce 4 SLi chipset

(The nForce 4 Ultra can be modded to SLi, so either way, its the nForce 4 Sli)

BF2S Forums SLI video cards and SLI boards....

Burning_Monkey wrote:

psychotoxic187 wrote:

Burning_Monkey wrote:

Ronball9 wrote:

the_heart_attack wrote:

Ronball9 wrote:

Burning_Monkey wrote:

Ronball9 wrote:

the_heart_attack wrote:

Board footer