Explicit Multi-GPU - DX12 feature

xaephod

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Aug 26, 2007
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I read an article about this feature where you can run an Nvidia and AMD card together. I wonder, will this feature allow you to run 2 Nvidia cards that wouldn't normally be compatible for SLI? I have a GTX760 sitting around, I can't SLI it with my GTX970, but with this feature, could you use both and reap a benefit in gaming?

What do you think??
 

TJ Hooker

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I'm pretty sure I remember reading that this feature has to be included on a per-game basis (or at least per-game engine basis) by developers. And the performance will also depend on how well the developers implemented it. So as awesome as this feature sounds, I wouldn't get too excited over it just yet.
 

Math Geek

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yes it is possible but from what i have read from a few reviews the best you will get is about twice the performance of the slowest card. so if the 2 cards are real far apart in ability, you would actually hobble the faster card. and this is a feature of DX 12 but it does have to be implemented by the game developer. so far there is only one game out there that uses it and it is still in beta, however they just released a new benchmark with the beta to play around with. here is a nice review and testing of the various mixing and matching of gpu's http://www.anandtech.com/show/10067/ashes-of-the-singularity-revisited-beta

this is a brand new technology and it will be a while before a lot of companies are able to figure out how to use and program it. clearly this company is ahead of the game and has a nice peak of what the future can hold.

i will point out that the mixing and matching of the gpu's put a heavy toll on the cpu and even the high end one in the test system here is clearly the bottleneck of the system!! makes me wonder how a normal i5 will handle it and also makes me wonder if the old 8 core fx cpu might be better at handling it than the i5 is!!?? we already know a maxed out 8 core fx will outperform an i5 so these results make me wonder how DX 12 might perform on one of those cpu's
 

Math Geek

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i have not seen anything about more than 2 cards yet but i assume it is possible since you can do it now.

this is so new it will be a while before we see 4 random cards from different vendors working together. it's pretty awesome enough to see 2 cards working together one from amd and one from nvidia!! stop and smell the roses we have in the garden now, tomorrow is another day :D