I bought a second Strix GTX 1070 Video Card for SLI, and the necessary High-Bandwidth SLI Bridge (Asus ROG version to match Card). After struggling with setting it up all day, I hit the internet to research what my problem was.
What I found in my research today was: There are two types of SLI, Last gen and current Gen.
Last-Gen SLI (Pre-10 Series) allowed users to setup dual graphics card (and more) setups for the power of SLI via a small ribbon cable SLI Bridge.
Current-Gen SLI (GTX 10 Series) will allow for the jerry rigged ribbon cable solution, however, you will see very little actual impovement (if ANY) in quality due to the requirement of these 10-Series cars for a HIGH-BANDWIDTH SLI Bridge. However, these bridges come in preset configurations of specific distances, requiring that you have a Motherboard with the proper PCIe port spacing to enable you to hookup the bridge on specifically PCIe x16 or PCIe x8.
The Asus Maximus VIII Hero has 3 PCIe slots, from top to bottom, x16, x8, x4. And the top two slots {x16 & x8) have a large gap between them, making it impossible to connect two video cards in these two top slots and connect them via a HIGH -BANDWIDTH SLI Bridge, regardless of whether you use a 2,3 or 4 way SLI Bridge. The only two ports that are spaced properly to allow you to connect a HIGH -BANDWIDTH SLI Bridge are the bottom two ports, the x8 & x4 slots. This configuration of x8 & x4 is not supported by nVidia or the 10-series cards for SLI. Meaning, with both cards connected to the board in these slots, the system will recognize them in both Device Manager and the GeForce Control Panel, however they will simply show as connected, with no SLI option in the control panel listed. With or without the bridge connected, you will not get the option to use SLI as one of the cards is connected in the x4 slot.
And I am sure that there are those out there who will respond "Wait! I have a friend who has the Maximus VIII Hero in SLI" or "I have that board and 10-Series cards in SLI"... Yes, that is entirely possible. But only with the hackneyed last-generation floppy cable SLI bridge connector from a time past. Meaning you are hooking up $800+ in Video Cards to see performance only slightly better to no-better than a single card. In order to see the massive boosts to frame-rate and visuals capable with a 10-Series SLI setup, you HAVE to use the HIGH -BANDWIDTH SLI Bridge, which regardless of the manufacturer is a solid piece of PCB at specific spacing. So, NO. You do not have a proper or even functioning SLI setup without this bridge.
I hope this helps people avoid making this selection mistake. I called Asus support, and after some debate with them, they said they weren't sure why and would have to "call me back".
Am I completely off about this? Is there something I am doing incorrectly? Does someone out there have REAL SLI setup on 10-Series cards with this motherboard who can provide advice??? Please help. I am truly hoping I am wrong and I don't have to buy a new motherboard in order to setup SLI properly.
What I found in my research today was: There are two types of SLI, Last gen and current Gen.
Last-Gen SLI (Pre-10 Series) allowed users to setup dual graphics card (and more) setups for the power of SLI via a small ribbon cable SLI Bridge.
Current-Gen SLI (GTX 10 Series) will allow for the jerry rigged ribbon cable solution, however, you will see very little actual impovement (if ANY) in quality due to the requirement of these 10-Series cars for a HIGH-BANDWIDTH SLI Bridge. However, these bridges come in preset configurations of specific distances, requiring that you have a Motherboard with the proper PCIe port spacing to enable you to hookup the bridge on specifically PCIe x16 or PCIe x8.
The Asus Maximus VIII Hero has 3 PCIe slots, from top to bottom, x16, x8, x4. And the top two slots {x16 & x8) have a large gap between them, making it impossible to connect two video cards in these two top slots and connect them via a HIGH -BANDWIDTH SLI Bridge, regardless of whether you use a 2,3 or 4 way SLI Bridge. The only two ports that are spaced properly to allow you to connect a HIGH -BANDWIDTH SLI Bridge are the bottom two ports, the x8 & x4 slots. This configuration of x8 & x4 is not supported by nVidia or the 10-series cards for SLI. Meaning, with both cards connected to the board in these slots, the system will recognize them in both Device Manager and the GeForce Control Panel, however they will simply show as connected, with no SLI option in the control panel listed. With or without the bridge connected, you will not get the option to use SLI as one of the cards is connected in the x4 slot.
And I am sure that there are those out there who will respond "Wait! I have a friend who has the Maximus VIII Hero in SLI" or "I have that board and 10-Series cards in SLI"... Yes, that is entirely possible. But only with the hackneyed last-generation floppy cable SLI bridge connector from a time past. Meaning you are hooking up $800+ in Video Cards to see performance only slightly better to no-better than a single card. In order to see the massive boosts to frame-rate and visuals capable with a 10-Series SLI setup, you HAVE to use the HIGH -BANDWIDTH SLI Bridge, which regardless of the manufacturer is a solid piece of PCB at specific spacing. So, NO. You do not have a proper or even functioning SLI setup without this bridge.
I hope this helps people avoid making this selection mistake. I called Asus support, and after some debate with them, they said they weren't sure why and would have to "call me back".
Am I completely off about this? Is there something I am doing incorrectly? Does someone out there have REAL SLI setup on 10-Series cards with this motherboard who can provide advice??? Please help. I am truly hoping I am wrong and I don't have to buy a new motherboard in order to setup SLI properly.
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