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SLI / CrossFire FAQs - Page 11

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Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
June 30, 2009 6:03:59 AM

Hello and welcome to the forums ryanhmusic :) 
I'm glad you fond it useful :) 
July 6, 2009 11:03:47 AM

As a nooB to Tom's I appreciate any info I can get and I found your post very informative...
One piece of information I found confusing is in your article...

Quote:
List of NVIDIA and AMD/ATI CrossFire compatible Graphic Card


This appears to me to mean that these NVIDIA cards are Crossfire compatible...
Do you really mean to say that the list is of NVIDIA SLI and AMD/ATI CrossFire compatible?

My question to you is this:
My mobo does NOT support SLI which I didn't realize until I bought a second card.
I don't play games as much as I want to use more monitors...
can I use the second card without bridging them without hurting my mobo or anything else for that matter.
And I have to assume that I would NOT want to use the SLI bridge.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
July 7, 2009 6:11:37 AM

Thanks for pointing that :)  NVIDIA supports SLI and AMD/ATI cards support CrossFire only,i'll edit the post thanks again :) 

Well if your motherboard has another PCI-Express slot then you can bring the other card in your motherboard.

Fixed now :) 
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Anonymous
a b U Graphics card
July 17, 2009 11:36:38 PM

Please someone help me... the six pin power connector connects to the graphic card and where else? on the motherboard or the power suply?

please need help fast
a b Î Nvidia
a c 119 U Graphics card
July 18, 2009 1:40:11 AM

Power supply.

If you do not have one on your PSU(most new ones have at least 2) there are adapters, but make sure your PSU has the power.
August 12, 2009 6:13:50 PM

There are some MOBO's, in fact, Gigabyte MOBO's series AMD 780G and new AMD 785G (these are for Hybrid Crossfire), I was wondering, if they came with two PCI Express X 16 slots, is vailable do Crossfire X?, my question is because are not specified in user's manual



a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
August 13, 2009 11:06:44 AM

From that link:
"(Note 4) If you are installing a PCI Express graphics card, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16_1 slot."

The first PCI-E slot is 16x and the second model which is for Hybird CrossFire is 4x.
But if u want to use normal crossfire u will get performance hit,because the second card will operate at 4x and that's not good for gaming, 16x4x mode doesn't perform well compared to dual 8x or dual 16x.
August 14, 2009 3:32:34 AM

I suspect that, thanx for answer, 'cause I've been plained to arm a system with this MOBO, first with no aditional video card, only with one for capture and edition of videos, but later maybe with one or two 4850, but if this doesn't apply to games, then I choose one MOBO 790GX, diferences in cost of this Motherboards in México is about $1400 pesos, almost $110 dollar. Thanx again Maziar.

Later I bother you with more questions.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
August 14, 2009 6:31:20 AM

No problem :)  ask and i will help if i can :) 
August 21, 2009 5:57:25 AM

hey im just woundering if u can take a crossfire card and put it on another mother board that doesnt require crossfire ready like i have a gateway dx 4200 good computer the on board hd3200 isent so great i was just woundering if i can by a crossfire ready card and put it in there with out no problems e-mail me back at
thanks
a b U Graphics card
August 21, 2009 6:08:37 AM

matthew, Id remove your email, just in case theres bots here, and you wont get spammed to death
Any card made today can run on any motherboard made recently with no problems, tho theres power issues to consider
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
August 21, 2009 8:24:12 AM

Yes as jaydee said,u can put a "CrossFire-ready" card in a non-CrossFire motherboard.
August 21, 2009 8:38:46 AM

Maziar said:
Yes as jaydee said,u can put a "CrossFire-ready" card in a non-CrossFire motherboard.


thanks i have a gateway dx4200 i dont know what card i should get i plan on changing to crossfire but im gonna do a lil at a time i want to know is there any software i can bypass the bios to overclock my amd phnome i know i need to becareful i know i wouldnt mess anything up just have to take a chance ill just get a new one if something goes wrong thanks for the help
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
August 22, 2009 6:38:07 AM

Well please post your system specs and games and the resolution you play,so we can help you choosing your VGA.
Also because your machine is a pre-built model so as you mentioned too,its BIOS is locked,i don't know if there is a way to unlock it,so do it at your own risk.
August 26, 2009 4:52:57 AM

Eh Ah! What's new boss? , is me again, actually I use a PSU Delta Electronics 700 watts, with 4 12v rails and 50A (not a 80+ certified in fact its efficiency is only 67% reported), my question is, this PSU is recomended for a HD4890 (near future) or I have to changed for a better PSU?, so I think maybe can upgrade my GPU to a 5xxx series, I hope this will come in mid september or october.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
August 26, 2009 7:06:25 AM

It will support a HD 4890,not sure about the future 5xxx series though since they are not out yet
August 27, 2009 3:43:20 AM

Yeah! I know it will support, by the power, but really my question is, if this is not 80+, no PFC, no voltage regulation and none surge protection, graphics cards and other devices are under some risk?.
Mine is reasonable doubt because with only one HD4830 i can't get any stable OC and same problem is with my procesor a X2 7750BE, my devices are well cooled and temperatures are GPU: 52-54 ºC under load; and CPU: never goes over 42 ºC, average is 37 ºC.

In the other hand even here in México some vendors says series 5xxx in some places are under test and they hope these cards come probably in next week ???.
Really I believe this is an oasis and I guess maybe come in october or september if good.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
August 27, 2009 10:30:28 AM

Well if you can get a better PSU then go for it,because you want to some OverClocking too.
August 28, 2009 7:53:50 AM

im new to this forum, hope you guys san help me.
right now i have a radeon hd 4870 1gb, and im planning to buy another one to CF.
but, will my mobo bottleneck my GPU? coz im using gigabyte ep45-extreme mobo, and it have 1 pci-e x16 and 1 pci-e x8.
monitor res, 1680x1050. actually, i can afford a whole new core i7 rig, if i want to. but i don't think its worth it. im using C2D e8400@3.6. i always play using the highest possible setting, and just for information, im a hardcore gamer.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
August 28, 2009 1:27:18 PM

Well for that resolution a single HD 4870 would suffice,but if u want to go CrossFire then it will be fine,since P45 supports CrossFire at dual 8x mode which is good(not a noticeable performance loss compared to dual 16x)
August 30, 2009 10:54:49 AM

thanks for the quick reply maziar! good luck in ur life.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
August 31, 2009 7:53:47 AM

Thanks :)  you too :) 
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
September 10, 2009 5:00:12 PM

Edited with some information regrading Intel P55 chipset.
September 18, 2009 12:16:28 PM

Thanks for the information.
Interesting to hear about Hybrid SLIs or crossfires graphic card configurations. I have been using ATI/Radeon since then, not that I dislike NVIDIA but because you could get the same NVIDIA graphic card spec on ATI at a cheaper price, sometimes even better. Just need to make your homework first before buying.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
September 18, 2009 4:15:09 PM

No problem :)  glad you find it useful :) 
Anonymous
a b U Graphics card
September 22, 2009 3:55:20 PM

hy guys i wanna build a new pc (for gaming) and i need help , i wanna buy a best processor and a better video card , about ram i think will be ddr2 4gb max mhz possible (if u think will be better buy ddr3 plz tell me) buget is 500 Euro, i whant this pc to handle games in the future 2/3years so...i was think about :
procesor: AMD Phenom X4 9850 / Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 / Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 to Q9650
video card: Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 2GB
rest it doesnt matter to me , just a v good power suply :)  plz help me with ur's idees if u know a better video card on proceesor plz tell me tnx for help i will w8 ur reply or plz contacte me on ady_jl@yahoo.com tnx again guys
September 23, 2009 1:59:28 PM

Fans and Power:

Hi guys,
(my first post here)
I have a quick question, which should have a quick answer.

Let's pretend I was about to buy the 4870 or two 4850s in CF:
Assuming that each card's power use and fan noise are similar:

- will the CF solution always sound twice a loud?
- use twice the power?
- in normal web browsing does one of the cards switch off (like a low power state found on multi-core processors)?

According to the GPU charts there are some cheap SLi/CF configurations out there, but I am wondering if they complicate things.

On another note, where is a good place to sell an old AGP card?
I have an BFG 7800GS OC which is way too powerful for my XP 2800+ (Barton) CPU unless I am work out a way to better o/c it
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
September 24, 2009 7:57:52 AM

Hello and welcome to the forums :) 
2x4850s will be louder than a single 4870 and requires more power.
And no none of the cards switch off
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
September 24, 2009 8:37:23 PM

Good link with useful information,thanks nuke :) 
October 1, 2009 11:13:42 AM

I have a question and yes I am a Noob so please don't flame me.

I understand that in SLI/Crossfire mode the ram from the second card is not being used.

What's holding Nvidia/AMD from accessing that extra ram on the second card?

Kind Regards

Moe
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
October 1, 2009 12:32:43 PM

Do you mean that why for example when you CrossFire 2 512MB cards,the memory won't be 1GB?
October 1, 2009 2:11:51 PM

Maziar said:
Do you mean that why for example when you CrossFire 2 512MB cards,the memory won't be 1GB?

Exactly. Cheers
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
October 1, 2009 4:18:43 PM

Well it's because both cards work separately,so for example when you CrossFire/SLI 2 512MB cards,each card works with 512MB of memory,and the memory doesn't double.(You won't have 1GB memory)
October 9, 2009 8:57:03 PM

Mazier:

Will the following setup work? -

3 24" monitors, 2 plugged into 1 card and the 3rd plugged into another that will be the primary (both 5850 graphics cards).

I'll keep Crossfire off so I can use all 3 screens, but if I want to game will it be possible to have both cards in Crossfire mode to game on my primary display (i.e. the monitor plugged into the primary card only). I think the 2 other monitors wont work w/ Crossfire enabled but that's totally fine.

Also, if this is possible can I just switch Crossfire off through CCC or does it require a reboot? Thanks a ton.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
October 10, 2009 7:30:06 AM

http://www.guru3d.com/article/ati-eyfinity-editorial-re...

"For those that are wondering, would it be possible to use say two Radeon HD 5870 cards with each driving three monitors ? That's a no. CrossfireX will not support/allow this, so you'll need one primary cards from which all monitors lead."

About your last question,well you can disable CrossFire from CCC but i am not sure whether it will require a reboot or not
October 10, 2009 11:51:27 AM

hey friend the information is very useful and informative. i think the message will be not useful to me but to the beginners to graphics.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
October 10, 2009 12:40:28 PM

Thanks :) 
October 11, 2009 9:00:18 PM

I know this was more then likly posted somewhere in the last 11 pages of this post but i really dont want to read all that if somone can answer it for me

can SLI or crossfire be done with cards of different generations meaning can you crossfire a 4870 and a 5870 or a GTX 260 and a GTX 360 or GTX 460

well i guess the GTX 300's are not out yet but somone should atleast know if like you can put a GTX 260 with a 9800GT and from that be able to draw a conclusion
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
October 12, 2009 10:05:48 AM

You can't crossfire a 4890 with 5870 for also GT 300/400 series aren't out yet but i don't think you can SLI them or combine them with GTX 260 since they have different architectures.
Anonymous
a b U Graphics card
October 17, 2009 3:25:20 PM

I liked the information, though I think I was generally aware of most of what I needed from what you provided already. I am looking for information on how your CPU can bottlenecks (technically) a GPU SLI configuration. How can you figure whether or not your CPU will factor into your planned SLI setup? I didn't see anything about that here. Thanks for redirecting me to a post or answering my question in advance!
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
October 17, 2009 5:34:07 PM

Well CPU bottleneck depends on which games you play and also the resolution that you play at,as an example most FPS shooter games are GPU-limited but there are some games which benefit from a great CPU too,so for example when you play a game (which benefits from a good CPU) with a good VGA card and a slow CPU then you won't get the performance you need
October 18, 2009 8:18:43 AM

Very informative, but one thing I would have elaborated on a bit more was the fact about having two cards in SLI/Crossfire modes, and how that setup doesn't mean doubling the memory. I admit, I've had a misunderstanding on how that worked, up until I read this here. But, doesn't having that two card setup improve how graphics perform, and isn't the memory from both cards still used across (or from the) two cards anyway?

Otherwise, it would (seem) to be a moot point and a complete waste of one of those cards to have that set-up.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
October 18, 2009 1:21:13 PM

When you use 2 cards in either SLI or CrossFire,the memory of both cards are used but it doesn't double the memory,let me tell you with an example,when you use 2
ATI HD 4850 cards in CrossFire,both 512MB RAMs of both cards are used so it means you have 2 cards and they use the 512MB of memory so you won't have 1GB memory :) 
October 18, 2009 11:49:29 PM

Maziar said:
When you use 2 cards in either SLI or CrossFire,the memory of both cards are used but it doesn't double the memory,let me tell you with an example,when you use 2
ATI HD 4850 cards in CrossFire,both 512MB RAMs of both cards are used so it means you have 2 cards and they use the 512MB of memory so you won't have 1GB memory :) 


Thanks for the reply, and I am not trying to sound daft, but your reply basically says the same thing to which I inquired initially. Doesn't both cards total 1g of memory. As I ask before, what is the point of having (as in your example) two cards of 512mgs for a total of 1g, if all of the memory from both cards isn't going to be used? It also makes moot even the x2s.
October 19, 2009 1:16:13 AM

Can you SLI a 9800+ and a GTX 250?

a b Î Nvidia
a c 119 U Graphics card
October 19, 2009 1:36:17 AM

Nope, the cards for SLI must be the same.

But you can use the 9800+ for physx :) 
EDIT

@ Maziar, grats on mod status!!
October 19, 2009 1:57:50 AM

Thanks. I just thought since they were so similar...
a b Î Nvidia
a c 119 U Graphics card
October 19, 2009 3:01:06 AM

Mereel said:
Thanks. I just thought since they were so similar...

They are both die shrunk G92's but i think the only way one could remotely do it would be to flash them both to 9800GTX+'s, but i would not recommend it, incase there are other side effects.
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