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SLI / CrossFire FAQs - Page 21

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  • Nvidia
  • Crossfire
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Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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January 13, 2013 9:52:30 PM

:o  :o  :o  :o 
Maziar said:
Hey guys/girls
I have seen many people making mistakes about MultiGPU technology or have difficulties understanding; therefore,I decided to write a guide that helps you understand it better.
So,let's start!

What is SLI ?
NVIDIA SLI is a platform that allows you to scale graphics performance by combining multiple NVIDIA graphics solutions in a single system.

What is Nvidia Hybrid SLI?
From Hothardware.com :
NVIDIA's Hybrid SLI technology gives users the ability to pair an IGP, or mGPU (motherboard GPU), with a discreet graphics card, or cards, for two new modes of operation. NVIDIA calls these new modes Hybrid Power and GeForce Boost.
GeForce Boost does what its name suggests. By coupling the motherboard's integrated GPU with a discreet graphics card, the 3D rendering workload is shared between the two GPUs for a boost in performance. Currently, GeForce Boost is only supported by GeForce 8400 GS and 8500 GT discreet cards, as for the IGP, only the next-gen nForce 700a series of chipsets due to arrive this quarter will be supported initially.

What is CrossFire ?
CrossFire is a high-performance PC Gaming Platform technology that enables multiple ATI Radeon graphics cards and a CrossFire-ready motherboard in a single computer to increase graphics quality and performance.

What is CrossFireX(Quad CrossFire)?
From Techreport.com:
CrossFireX is, quite simply, an extension of the CrossFire dual-GPU feature to three and four GPUs.
Here is a good chart about the cards and motherboards which support CrossFire,CrossFireX and the compatibility list:
http://sites.amd.com/PublishingImages/Public/Graphic_Illustrations/WebBannerJPEG/AMD_CrossfireX_Chart_1618W.jpg

What is AMD Hybrid CrossFire?
Hybrid CrossFire allows integrated graphics and low-end discrete graphics to be used in CrossFire mode.

Overall,both Hybrid CrossFire and Hybrid SLI are mainly for power savings and won't give users a great performance boost in games or intensive 3D applications.


Can you use SLI on a CrossFire board or CrossFire on a SLI board ?
Well , in general , the answer is NO;however,there are some methods(like driver hacks) that allows you to do this.
Caution:There is no guarantee that this driver hacks work,so do it at your own risk!

With the release of Core "i" CPUs,Intel announced chipsets(P55,X58,Z68,etc.) that allow users to use CrossFire and SLI on the same motherbard.(However,not all of these chipsets support SLI and Crossfire.Some of them only support one of these MultiGPU options)

Do the cards have to be same model?
For "Most" Nvidia cards the answer is yes,but there are some exceptions too,such as pairing a GTS 250 with a 9800GTX+,which can only be done if both cards have the same amount of memory. (It's possible because GTS 250 is actually a re-badged 9800GTX+)
But again there are some cards like 9800GT and 8800GT which have the same specifications but in general you can't pair them in SLI.(Some users have reported that by flashing a 8800GT's BIOS to a 9800GT's BIOS,you can do it,but its risky and not recommended.)

But for AMD/ATI cards,It's different.
For older models like X1900 cards,you have to use the same/master card in order to run them in CrossFire mode.
But for HD 2xxx cards and up,there are no master cards so you simply can use 2(or more) (same)cards in Crossfire.

You can find more info about mixing cards in SLI/Crossfire down this article(Where the GPU models are)

But what about the memory? Can you SLI 7800GTX 256MB with it's 512MB version ?
For Nvidia cards,the general answer is no.
http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_ask_mmm013.html
"Another misconception is that the GeForce 7800 GTX (256MB) graphics cards and the GeForce 78000 GTX 512 graphics cards can be paired together. Since these graphics cards use different GPUs, they unfortunately CAN'T be paired together. Always refer the Learn More or Build sections of SLIZone."
So,you generally can't pair a 7800GTX 256 with 7800GTX 512 or GTX 460 768MB with its 1GB version unless you use some 3rd party applications(which isn't recommended).
However,if you manage to run these cards in SLI,then the model,with higher amount of RAM,will reduce it's RAM to match the other card.

For ATI cards,it's different.
As an example,you can Crossfire HD 5870 2GB with it's 1GB version (but again the 2GB version lowers it's memory to 1GB)

What about brands ?
Brands don't matter.It's however recommended that the cards have the same amount of memory and speed.

What happens if the cards have different speed
For ATI cards;
One of the cards will raise/lower its clock speeds to reach the other card's speeds.
For Nvidia cards;
Well it "was" like ATI with older drivers, but with new drivers its quite different.If you use 2(or more) Nvidia cards with different clock speeds in SLI mode,none of them will change their clocks and they will perform at their default clock speed.


A Very important note about CrossFire:
Many users ask to use 1 brige or 2 briges when they want to use 2 cards in CrossFire mode.
The answer is that it will work with 1 bridge without any problems but I recommend using both bridges because:
1_You will never lose either of these bridges.
2_Some users have reported a minimal(not noticeable) performance increase.

Do SLI or CrossFire always improve performance ?
Not always.
There are some games that don't benefit from MultiGPU technology(or require a patch in order to utilize it).
For example,Flight simulator X doesn't benefit from either SLI or CrossFire.
Another example is StarCraft2 which barely benefits from more than 1 card
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crossfire-sli-scali...

What are SLI and CrossFire certified Motherboards?
SLI certified motherboards:
http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_mobo.html
CrossFire certified Motherboards:
http://ati.amd.com/technology/crossfire/buildyourown1.h...

What about RAMs ?
RAM's aren't important for SLI/Crossfire.Just make sure you buy something that's compatible with your CPU and Motherboard.

What are the power requirements for SLI or CrossFire ?
For every configuration,the power requirement is different.
Nvidia cards:
http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html
AMD/ATI cards:
http://sites.amd.com/us/game/products/certified/Pages/c...

There are some Power Supplies which aren't in the List , but they are compatible , you have to check the manufactures sites too.


Is it really necessary to use SLI or CrossFire ?
It all comes down to 2 factors:
1)The games that you play
2)The resolutions that you play on
As mentioned,there are some games that don't benefit from either SLI or Crossfire;also,I recommend using more than 1 card if you play on resolutions like 1080p or higher because on lower resolutions,you can achieve a great performance with a single card.

Is it better to get 2 mid-range cards or 1 high-end card?
It really depends on you.I myself prefer a single high-end card rather than 2 mid-range cards because usually,the single card produces less heat and has less power consumption but it may cost more too.
So it all comes down to personal preference and budget.

Do SLI or CrossFire double the memory ?
No.Adding another card with more memory doesn't double the overall memory of your cards.

Which is better , SLI or CrossFire ?
It again comes to personal preference and the games that you play.
There are some specific games that scale better under SLI and vice-versa.

A note about Motherboards
For 2-way SLI,motherboards either support CrossFire at dual x16,dual x8 or x16x4 speeds.
The first will give you the best performance.
Dual x8 is also good and performs on par with dual x16 in most games.
But x16x4 is kinda different.
On PCI-E 1.0 boards/cards,there is a huge difference between x16x4 and dual x16(and 8x).
On PCI-E 2.0 boards/cards;however,the performance gap isn't as high.(The performance is notable in some games though,especially on high resolutions)
I personally recommend dual x16 or dual x8 for MultiGPU setups.

Here is a good review which compares CrossFire performance between dual x16,dual x8 and x16x4
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crossfire-pci-expre...


List of NVIDIA and AMD/ATI MultiGPU compatible Graphic Cards: (All of them are PCI-EXPRESS cards,MutliGPU technology is for PCI-EXPRESS cards not for AGP cards.)

NVIDIA cards(Desktop models)

Geforce GTX 600 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 680

Geforce GTX 500 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 590(1 PCB*)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 580(Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 570(Supprts 3-way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 560Ti
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 560
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 550Ti
NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 520

Geforce 400 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 480(Supports 3-Way and 4-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 470(Supports 3-Way and 4-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 465
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 460
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTS 450
NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 440
NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 430

Geforce 200 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 295
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 285(Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 280 (Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 275(Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 260 Core 216(Supports 3-Way SLI too and also you can it with the Core 192 version.
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 260 Core 192 (Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 250(Supports 3-Way SLI too and also you can pair it with 9800GTX+ in SLI configuration,however make sure that both cards have the same amount of memory)

Geforce 9 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800GX2 (2 PCB's)
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800GTX+(Supports 3-Way SLI too and also you can pair it with a Nvidia 9800GTX in SLI configuration,but it's recommended to use the 9800GTX+ card in the first PCI-E 16x slot.)
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800GTX(Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9600GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9600GSO
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9500GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9400GT

Geforce 8 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800ULTRA (Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800GTX (Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800GTS 512
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800GTS 640
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800GTS 320
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800GS
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8600GTS
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8600GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8500GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8400GS

Geforce 7 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7950GX2 (2 PCB's)
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7900GTX
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7950GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7900GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7900GS
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7800GTX 512
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7800GTX 256
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7800GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7600GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7600GS
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7300GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7300GS
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7300LE

Geforce 6 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6800ULTRA
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6800GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6800GS
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6800
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6800LE
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6600GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6600
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6600LE



NVIDIA cards(Notebook models)



Geforce 400M Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 485M
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 480M
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 470M
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 460M



Geforce 200M Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 280M
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 260M

Geforce 100M series:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTS 160M
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTS 150M
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTS 130M

Geforce 9 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800MGTX
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800MGT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800MGTS

Geforce 8 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800MGTX
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8700MGT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8600MGT

Geforce 7 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7950GTX
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7900GTX
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7800GTX


AMD/ATI cards(Desktop models)

AMD/ATI HD 7xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 7970
AMD/ATI HD 7950
AMD/ATI HD 7870
AMD/ATI HD 7850
AMD/ATI HD 7770
AMD/ATI HD 7750


AMD/ATI HD 6xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 6990(1 PCB)
AMD/ATI HD 6970
AMD/ATI HD 6950
AMD/ATI HD 6870
AMD/ATI HD 6850
AMD/ATI HD 6670
AMD/ATI HD 6570

AMD/ATI HD 5xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 5970
AMD/ATI HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 edition(Can be used in CrossFire with the non-Eyefinity 6 version)
AMD/ATI HD 5870
AMD/ATI HD 5850
AMD/ATI HD 5830
AMD/ATI HD 5770
AMD/ATI HD 5750
AMD/ATI HD 5670
AMD/ATI HD 5570
AMD/ATI HD 5550
AMD/ATI HD 5450

AMD/ATI HD 4xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 4890
AMD/ATI HD 4870X2(1 PCB)
AMD/ATI HD 4870
AMD/ATI HD 4850
AMD/ATI HD 4830
AMD/ATI HD 4770
AMD/ATI HD 4750
AMD/ATI HD 4670
AMD/ATI HD 4650
AMD/ATI HD 4550
AMD/ATI HD 4350

AMD/ATI HD 3xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 3870X2(Read the extra information about HD 5970,its the same for HD 3870X2)
AMD/ATI HD3870
AMD/ATI HD 3850
AMD/ATI HD 3830
AMD/ATI HD 3650
AMD/ATI HD 3470
AMD/AT HD 3450

AMD/ATI HD 2xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 2900XT
AMD/ATI HD 2900PRO
AMD/ATI HD 2900GT
AMD/ATI HD 2600XT
AMD/ATI HD 2600 PRO
AMD/ATI HD 2400XT
AMD/ATI HD 2400 PRO

AMD/ATI X19xx Family:
AMD/ATI X1950XTX
AMD/ATI X1950PRO
AMD/ATI X1900XTX
AMD/ATI X1900XT
AMD/ATI X1900GT(Unlike X1900XT and 1900XTX which require a Master card to run in CrossFire,this card can be paired with another X1900GT card)

AMD/ATI X1xxx Family:
AMD/ATI X1800XT
AMD/ATI X1800GTO
AMD/ATI X1800XL
AMD/ATI X1650 PRO
AMD/ATI X1650XT
AMD/ATI X1600XT
AMD/ATI X1600PRO
AMD/ATI X1550
AMD/ATI X1300XT
AMD/ATI X1300PRO
AMD/ATI X1300

AMD/ATI X850 Family:
AMD/ATI X850XT-PE
AMD/ATI X850XT
AMD/ATI X850 PRO



AMD/ATI Cards(Notebook models)

AMD/ATI HD Family

AMD/ATI HH 6xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 6970M

AMD/ATI HD 5xx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 5870M
:o 
AMD/ATI HD 4xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 4870M

AMD/ATI HD 3xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 3870M


* PCB stands for Printed Circuit Board, its the hard "plastic-like" colored part in a graphics card/motherboard.


So,I hope reading this guide helps you understand MultiGPU technology better.I've kept this topic opened so that you can ask your questions and post your suggestions about the guide.
Special thanks to emp,4745454b,alias_the_​jester and MouseMonkey for helping me on this guide.

great imfo so what can video cards do you recomend me for 2 monitors please
a b Î Nvidia
a c 119 U Graphics card
January 13, 2013 11:12:26 PM

If you are just using 2 monitors for every day things like surfing the net and not gaming(something that tends to work better with 3), Almost any modern single card will run 2 displays(many 3).
January 25, 2013 8:21:33 PM

Answer still doesn't seem to be clear on whether or not two cards benefit games or not. Okay, so what about games release in the past year or two in GENERAL?

I'm really thinking about the 660 and getting anotherone later.
Related resources
Can't find your answer ? Ask !
a b Î Nvidia
a c 119 U Graphics card
January 25, 2013 9:44:18 PM

Most newer games DO get a performance boost with SLI/Crossfire. Nvidia and AMD work hard to keep up with application profiles to ensure both cards can be used to make games faster.
January 29, 2013 3:32:40 PM

So i can crossfire my 7950 with a 7970? Didn't know this, now I do....but i guess its more worth it to just get another 7950 since the 70 would clock down....thanks!
January 30, 2013 12:28:01 AM

solaris11 said:
So i can crossfire my 7950 with a 7970? Didn't know this, now I do....but i guess its more worth it to just get another 7950 since the 70 would clock down....thanks!





yeah you can defently team 7950 with 7970 , but it's going to go with the lower clock speed and disable the extra cores on the 7970 , you don't wana ever do this unless you have to.
January 30, 2013 2:09:39 PM

jesse-2010 said:
yeah you can defently team 7950 with 7970 , but it's going to go with the lower clock speed and disable the extra cores on the 7970 , you don't wana ever do this unless you have to.



Yeah after reading more I figured that out, I got excited when I saw that it could happen. Ah well. I'm very happy with my Sapphire 7950, it overclocks like a beast, and will get another one when I feel it necessary :-)
February 4, 2013 7:03:31 PM

Forgive me if this has been discussed before. I googled and googled and came up with no answers for these two questions. I read the OP and maybe these questions were indirectly answered by them not being covered.

Alright so here's the deets. First of all here's my setup posted on firefallthegame.com forums http://tinyurl.com/bqzl2r2. I won this PC and add a couple things. I am bran-spankin new to ati & crossfiring. I know nothing about running myltiple GPU's but am super excited to learn about everything including overclocking the 7950 since it's probably forcing the 7970 to run at a lower power to match the 7950.

1. I Didn't pay any money for anything other then the Samsung 840 Pro SSD so I did not wate any $$$$ before people start saying it was stupid of me to buy 2 different GPUs because they can't be used to their fullest. Now that's all out of the way and clear lets move on to the questions.

2. Is there a general rule/guide to follow when installing and running multiple GPU's? Should the lower end card be in the PCI slot 1 and then the higher card run in a more secondary slot? I know to try to use x16 slots first and then x8 slots when all x16 slots are used up.

3. Does it matter what card you use as your primary? I have my monitor plugged into the 7970 which is installed further away from the PCI slot 1. Maybe I should use the 7950 as primary?

I just feel a bit lost and maybe I'm not doing something right. Randomly after just sitting there the computer freezes up and I am forced to hard reboot the computer.
Thanks for your replies. Let me know if you have any questions or requests.
February 8, 2013 3:09:22 PM

My summary of what I have read. Please let me know if you agree.
SLI requires two similar cards. It would be good for a new build using the best cards available for the best performance. It would cost a lot. AMD bought ATI. Most new motherboards (AMD or Intel) support crossfire. Much fewer support SLI and if they do they also usually support crossfire.

Crossfire dose not require 2 similar cards. The performance is less than the best SLI configuration but using different cards is a significant advantage, especailly for casual computer builders such as myself.

For instance, if I build an economy system and buy a decent single crossfire card but later on want an upgraded video card I could link the two together and get an improved performance over a new video card alone. With SLI I would have to buy two new cards or the same older card that I had before. I have tried SLI in the past. I hunted for a similar old video card and found minimal improvement and plenty of glitches so I bought a single new card that out performed the two older cards linked with SLI.

So... if you are rich and a hardcore gamer or graphics person and want the very best, go with SLI. If you are a frugal hoarder that wants to keep and use all their old hardware, yet still wants to upgrade, then Crossfire is for you. How many people in thus forum fit into group 1 and how many fit into group 2?
February 10, 2013 10:17:04 PM

Okay, I'm new to SLI's, so I'm just gonna ask a question. I'm thinking of buying another ASUS GTX 680 Direct CU II OC card, and there are gonna be 2 HDMI ports now. I was wondering if I have to plug both HDMI cables into my moniter because of this. A reply would mean a lot.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 119 U Graphics card
February 10, 2013 10:41:08 PM

WunderWuffle said:
Okay, I'm new to SLI's, so I'm just gonna ask a question. I'm thinking of buying another ASUS GTX 680 Direct CU II OC card, and there are gonna be 2 HDMI ports now. I was wondering if I have to plug both HDMI cables into my moniter because of this. A reply would mean a lot.

No, you will just need the screen connected to the primary card(top in most cases). Then you just enable SLI in the Nvidia control panel and you are good to go(remember the SLI bridge connector from card to card as well).
February 10, 2013 11:10:42 PM

nukemaster said:
No, you will just need the screen connected to the primary card(top in most cases). Then you just enable SLI in the Nvidia control panel and you are good to go(remember the SLI bridge connector from card to card as well).

Oh thanks! I forgot all about the SLI bridge. Thanks for reply!
February 11, 2013 1:51:07 PM

Maziar said:
Hey guys/girls
I have seen many people making mistakes about MultiGPU technology or have difficulties understanding; therefore,I decided to write a guide that helps you understand it better.
So,let's start!

What is SLI ?
NVIDIA SLI is a platform that allows you to scale graphics performance by combining multiple NVIDIA graphics solutions in a single system.

What is Nvidia Hybrid SLI?
From Hothardware.com :
NVIDIA's Hybrid SLI technology gives users the ability to pair an IGP, or mGPU (motherboard GPU), with a discreet graphics card, or cards, for two new modes of operation. NVIDIA calls these new modes Hybrid Power and GeForce Boost.
GeForce Boost does what its name suggests. By coupling the motherboard's integrated GPU with a discreet graphics card, the 3D rendering workload is shared between the two GPUs for a boost in performance. Currently, GeForce Boost is only supported by GeForce 8400 GS and 8500 GT discreet cards, as for the IGP, only the next-gen nForce 700a series of chipsets due to arrive this quarter will be supported initially.

What is CrossFire ?
CrossFire is a high-performance PC Gaming Platform technology that enables multiple ATI Radeon graphics cards and a CrossFire-ready motherboard in a single computer to increase graphics quality and performance.

What is CrossFireX(Quad CrossFire)?
From Techreport.com:
CrossFireX is, quite simply, an extension of the CrossFire dual-GPU feature to three and four GPUs.
Here is a good chart about the cards and motherboards which support CrossFire,CrossFireX and the compatibility list:
http://sites.amd.com/PublishingImages/Public/Graphic_Illustrations/WebBannerJPEG/AMD_CrossfireX_Chart_1618W.jpg

What is AMD Hybrid CrossFire?
Hybrid CrossFire allows integrated graphics and low-end discrete graphics to be used in CrossFire mode.

Overall,both Hybrid CrossFire and Hybrid SLI are mainly for power savings and won't give users a great performance boost in games or intensive 3D applications.


Can you use SLI on a CrossFire board or CrossFire on a SLI board ?
Well , in general , the answer is NO;however,there are some methods(like driver hacks) that allows you to do this.
Caution:There is no guarantee that this driver hacks work,so do it at your own risk!

With the release of Core "i" CPUs,Intel announced chipsets(P55,X58,Z68,etc.) that allow users to use CrossFire and SLI on the same motherbard.(However,not all of these chipsets support SLI and Crossfire.Some of them only support one of these MultiGPU options)

Do the cards have to be same model?
For "Most" Nvidia cards the answer is yes,but there are some exceptions too,such as pairing a GTS 250 with a 9800GTX+,which can only be done if both cards have the same amount of memory. (It's possible because GTS 250 is actually a re-badged 9800GTX+)
But again there are some cards like 9800GT and 8800GT which have the same specifications but in general you can't pair them in SLI.(Some users have reported that by flashing a 8800GT's BIOS to a 9800GT's BIOS,you can do it,but its risky and not recommended.)

But for AMD/ATI cards,It's different.
For older models like X1900 cards,you have to use the same/master card in order to run them in CrossFire mode.
But for HD 2xxx cards and up,there are no master cards so you simply can use 2(or more) (same)cards in Crossfire.

You can find more info about mixing cards in SLI/Crossfire down this article(Where the GPU models are)

But what about the memory? Can you SLI 7800GTX 256MB with it's 512MB version ?
For Nvidia cards,the general answer is no.
http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_ask_mmm013.html
"Another misconception is that the GeForce 7800 GTX (256MB) graphics cards and the GeForce 78000 GTX 512 graphics cards can be paired together. Since these graphics cards use different GPUs, they unfortunately CAN'T be paired together. Always refer the Learn More or Build sections of SLIZone."
So,you generally can't pair a 7800GTX 256 with 7800GTX 512 or GTX 460 768MB with its 1GB version unless you use some 3rd party applications(which isn't recommended).
However,if you manage to run these cards in SLI,then the model,with higher amount of RAM,will reduce it's RAM to match the other card.

For ATI cards,it's different.
As an example,you can Crossfire HD 5870 2GB with it's 1GB version (but again the 2GB version lowers it's memory to 1GB)

What about brands ?
Brands don't matter.It's however recommended that the cards have the same amount of memory and speed.

What happens if the cards have different speed
For ATI cards;
One of the cards will raise/lower its clock speeds to reach the other card's speeds.
For Nvidia cards;
Well it "was" like ATI with older drivers, but with new drivers its quite different.If you use 2(or more) Nvidia cards with different clock speeds in SLI mode,none of them will change their clocks and they will perform at their default clock speed.


A Very important note about CrossFire:
Many users ask to use 1 brige or 2 briges when they want to use 2 cards in CrossFire mode.
The answer is that it will work with 1 bridge without any problems but I recommend using both bridges because:
1_You will never lose either of these bridges.
2_Some users have reported a minimal(not noticeable) performance increase.

Do SLI or CrossFire always improve performance ?
Not always.
There are some games that don't benefit from MultiGPU technology(or require a patch in order to utilize it).
For example,Flight simulator X doesn't benefit from either SLI or CrossFire.
Another example is StarCraft2 which barely benefits from more than 1 card
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crossfire-sli-scali...

What are SLI and CrossFire certified Motherboards?
SLI certified motherboards:
http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_mobo.html
CrossFire certified Motherboards:
http://ati.amd.com/technology/crossfire/buildyourown1.h...

What about RAMs ?
RAM's aren't important for SLI/Crossfire.Just make sure you buy something that's compatible with your CPU and Motherboard.

What are the power requirements for SLI or CrossFire ?
For every configuration,the power requirement is different.
Nvidia cards:
http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html
AMD/ATI cards:
http://sites.amd.com/us/game/products/certified/Pages/c...

There are some Power Supplies which aren't in the List , but they are compatible , you have to check the manufactures sites too.


Is it really necessary to use SLI or CrossFire ?
It all comes down to 2 factors:
1)The games that you play
2)The resolutions that you play on
As mentioned,there are some games that don't benefit from either SLI or Crossfire;also,I recommend using more than 1 card if you play on resolutions like 1080p or higher because on lower resolutions,you can achieve a great performance with a single card.

Is it better to get 2 mid-range cards or 1 high-end card?
It really depends on you.I myself prefer a single high-end card rather than 2 mid-range cards because usually,the single card produces less heat and has less power consumption but it may cost more too.
So it all comes down to personal preference and budget.

Do SLI or CrossFire double the memory ?
No.Adding another card with more memory doesn't double the overall memory of your cards.

Which is better , SLI or CrossFire ?
It again comes to personal preference and the games that you play.
There are some specific games that scale better under SLI and vice-versa.

A note about Motherboards
For 2-way SLI,motherboards either support CrossFire at dual x16,dual x8 or x16x4 speeds.
The first will give you the best performance.
Dual x8 is also good and performs on par with dual x16 in most games.
But x16x4 is kinda different.
On PCI-E 1.0 boards/cards,there is a huge difference between x16x4 and dual x16(and 8x).
On PCI-E 2.0 boards/cards;however,the performance gap isn't as high.(The performance is notable in some games though,especially on high resolutions)
I personally recommend dual x16 or dual x8 for MultiGPU setups.

Here is a good review which compares CrossFire performance between dual x16,dual x8 and x16x4
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crossfire-pci-expre...


List of NVIDIA and AMD/ATI MultiGPU compatible Graphic Cards: (All of them are PCI-EXPRESS cards,MutliGPU technology is for PCI-EXPRESS cards not for AGP cards.)

NVIDIA cards(Desktop models)

Geforce GTX 600 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 680

Geforce GTX 500 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 590(1 PCB*)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 580(Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 570(Supprts 3-way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 560Ti
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 560
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 550Ti
NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 520

Geforce 400 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 480(Supports 3-Way and 4-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 470(Supports 3-Way and 4-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 465
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 460
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTS 450
NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 440
NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 430

Geforce 200 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 295
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 285(Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 280 (Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 275(Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 260 Core 216(Supports 3-Way SLI too and also you can it with the Core 192 version.
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 260 Core 192 (Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 250(Supports 3-Way SLI too and also you can pair it with 9800GTX+ in SLI configuration,however make sure that both cards have the same amount of memory)

Geforce 9 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800GX2 (2 PCB's)
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800GTX+(Supports 3-Way SLI too and also you can pair it with a Nvidia 9800GTX in SLI configuration,but it's recommended to use the 9800GTX+ card in the first PCI-E 16x slot.)
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800GTX(Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9600GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9600GSO
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9500GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9400GT

Geforce 8 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800ULTRA (Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800GTX (Supports 3-Way SLI too)
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800GTS 512
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800GTS 640
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800GTS 320
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800GS
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8600GTS
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8600GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8500GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8400GS

Geforce 7 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7950GX2 (2 PCB's)
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7900GTX
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7950GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7900GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7900GS
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7800GTX 512
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7800GTX 256
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7800GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7600GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7600GS
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7300GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7300GS
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7300LE

Geforce 6 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6800ULTRA
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6800GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6800GS
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6800
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6800LE
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6600GT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6600
NVIDIA GEFORCE 6600LE



NVIDIA cards(Notebook models)



Geforce 400M Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 485M
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 480M
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 470M
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 460M



Geforce 200M Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 280M
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 260M

Geforce 100M series:
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTS 160M
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTS 150M
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTS 130M

Geforce 9 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800MGTX
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800MGT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800MGTS

Geforce 8 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800MGTX
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8700MGT
NVIDIA GEFORCE 8600MGT

Geforce 7 Family:
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7950GTX
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7900GTX
NVIDIA GEFORCE 7800GTX


AMD/ATI cards(Desktop models)

AMD/ATI HD 7xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 7970
AMD/ATI HD 7950
AMD/ATI HD 7870
AMD/ATI HD 7850
AMD/ATI HD 7770
AMD/ATI HD 7750


AMD/ATI HD 6xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 6990(1 PCB)
AMD/ATI HD 6970
AMD/ATI HD 6950
AMD/ATI HD 6870
AMD/ATI HD 6850
AMD/ATI HD 6670
AMD/ATI HD 6570

AMD/ATI HD 5xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 5970
AMD/ATI HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 edition(Can be used in CrossFire with the non-Eyefinity 6 version)
AMD/ATI HD 5870
AMD/ATI HD 5850
AMD/ATI HD 5830
AMD/ATI HD 5770
AMD/ATI HD 5750
AMD/ATI HD 5670
AMD/ATI HD 5570
AMD/ATI HD 5550
AMD/ATI HD 5450

AMD/ATI HD 4xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 4890
AMD/ATI HD 4870X2(1 PCB)
AMD/ATI HD 4870
AMD/ATI HD 4850
AMD/ATI HD 4830
AMD/ATI HD 4770
AMD/ATI HD 4750
AMD/ATI HD 4670
AMD/ATI HD 4650
AMD/ATI HD 4550
AMD/ATI HD 4350

AMD/ATI HD 3xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 3870X2(Read the extra information about HD 5970,its the same for HD 3870X2)
AMD/ATI HD3870
AMD/ATI HD 3850
AMD/ATI HD 3830
AMD/ATI HD 3650
AMD/ATI HD 3470
AMD/AT HD 3450

AMD/ATI HD 2xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 2900XT
AMD/ATI HD 2900PRO
AMD/ATI HD 2900GT
AMD/ATI HD 2600XT
AMD/ATI HD 2600 PRO
AMD/ATI HD 2400XT
AMD/ATI HD 2400 PRO

AMD/ATI X19xx Family:
AMD/ATI X1950XTX
AMD/ATI X1950PRO
AMD/ATI X1900XTX
AMD/ATI X1900XT
AMD/ATI X1900GT(Unlike X1900XT and 1900XTX which require a Master card to run in CrossFire,this card can be paired with another X1900GT card)

AMD/ATI X1xxx Family:
AMD/ATI X1800XT
AMD/ATI X1800GTO
AMD/ATI X1800XL
AMD/ATI X1650 PRO
AMD/ATI X1650XT
AMD/ATI X1600XT
AMD/ATI X1600PRO
AMD/ATI X1550
AMD/ATI X1300XT
AMD/ATI X1300PRO
AMD/ATI X1300

AMD/ATI X850 Family:
AMD/ATI X850XT-PE
AMD/ATI X850XT
AMD/ATI X850 PRO



AMD/ATI Cards(Notebook models)

AMD/ATI HD Family

AMD/ATI HH 6xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 6970M

AMD/ATI HD 5xx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 5870M

AMD/ATI HD 4xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 4870M

AMD/ATI HD 3xxx Family:
AMD/ATI HD 3870M


* PCB stands for Printed Circuit Board, its the hard "plastic-like" colored part in a graphics card/motherboard.


So,I hope reading this guide helps you understand MultiGPU technology better.I've kept this topic opened so that you can ask your questions and post your suggestions about the guide.
Special thanks to emp,4745454b,alias_the_​jester and MouseMonkey for helping me on this guide.




thanks for this info, for many months i tought that 2 video cards lets suppose, 2 5870 1 GB will mix and make 2 GB but the only thing that make the fusion is the core clock and the effective memory clock right? the memory cache still being the same.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 119 U Graphics card
February 11, 2013 2:32:56 PM

Eloy34 said:
thanks for this info, for many months i tought that 2 video cards lets suppose, 2 5870 1 GB will mix and make 2 GB but the only thing that make the fusion is the core clock and the effective memory clock right? the memory cache still being the same.

Yeah for the most part. It does not improve the core clock as such(it more or less splits the load), but look at one of the basic ways to use 2 cards, AFR(Alternative Frame Render).

So as the game wants frames rendered, it renders them in order 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and so on. The frames are render rather fast at a rate of 60 or more as second on many games

The video cards will do this.

GPU1 Frame 1
GPU2 Frame 2
GPU1 Frame 3
GPU2 Frame 4
GPU1 Frame 5
GPU2 Frame 6
GPU1 Frame 7
GPU2 Frame 8

Since both cards are still rendering the same scene, they need to both have ALL the textures and meshes in memory.
This is why memory is not doubled, it is just more easy and faster for both cards to both have a copy of everything.

Hope this clears it up for you.
February 19, 2013 3:16:15 AM

guess I'll post a question. I have a 2gb 7850 but play on 4800x1200 eyefinity. Would adding another 7850 help me out with the newer games? Older games are not an issue because I max them out well anyways. after its all said and done it'll cost me around 200 dollars to do a full upgrade (selling current mobo, psu, rebates etc).

I don't want to spend 400 dollars for a new card. I'd rather spend 400 dollars changing from a "budget build" to a more future proof one.
February 19, 2013 11:41:38 PM

nukemaster said:
Yeah for the most part. It does not improve the core clock as such(it more or less splits the load), but look at one of the basic ways to use 2 cards, AFR(Alternative Frame Render).

So as the game wants frames rendered, it renders them in order 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and so on. The frames are render rather fast at a rate of 60 or more as second on many games

The video cards will do this.

GPU1 Frame 1
GPU2 Frame 2
GPU1 Frame 3
GPU2 Frame 4
GPU1 Frame 5
GPU2 Frame 6
GPU1 Frame 7
GPU2 Frame 8

Since both cards are still rendering the same scene, they need to both have ALL the textures and meshes in memory.
This is why memory is not doubled, it is just more easy and faster for both cards to both have a copy of everything.

Hope this clears it up for you.



yes thank you very much i get it now :) 
a b Î Nvidia
a c 119 U Graphics card
February 20, 2013 12:40:21 AM

easyfame said:
guess I'll post a question. I have a 2gb 7850 but play on 4800x1200 eyefinity. Would adding another 7850 help me out with the newer games? Older games are not an issue because I max them out well anyways. after its all said and done it'll cost me around 200 dollars to do a full upgrade (selling current mobo, psu, rebates etc).

I don't want to spend 400 dollars for a new card. I'd rather spend 400 dollars changing from a "budget build" to a more future proof one.

Will you gain performance? Yes.
Will it be noticeable? It depends on the game.
Any game that is not running you low on memory should get a nice boost, but remember with both cards needing the same textures and meshes, if you exceed 2gigabytes of textures, no amount of card power will help.

4800 x 1200 seems to be a pretty good(heavy) load for a 7850.

I personally like to use a single faster card, but buying one now and another later gives many users the ability to jump in cheaper(as a higher end card cost more up front) and get an upgrade later.

While no ALL games use crossfire/sli well, AMD and Nvidia work hard to make most of them get a boost.
February 20, 2013 5:22:25 AM

nukemaster said:
Will you gain performance? Yes.
Will it be noticeable? It depends on the game.
Any game that is not running you low on memory should get a nice boost, but remember with both cards needing the same textures and meshes, if you exceed 2gigabytes of textures, no amount of card power will help.

4800 x 1200 seems to be a pretty good(heavy) load for a 7850.

I personally like to use a single faster card, but buying one now and another later gives many users the ability to jump in cheaper(as a higher end card cost more up front) and get an upgrade later.

While no ALL games use crossfire/sli well, AMD and Nvidia work hard to make most of them get a boost.

would you say a 7950 would suffice for 4800x1200 resolution? Or is 7970 the only way to go. They both have 3gb of vram if I'm not mistaken. Its just 130ish dollars is a huge jump between the two. is it worth it?
a b Î Nvidia
a c 119 U Graphics card
February 20, 2013 2:55:17 PM

Well the 7970 is faster either way you look at it with an extra 256 shaders. It depends on what you want to spend and if you are willing to tune down settings.

I simply do not have an eyefinity setup to give you good insight, It is best to check out some reviews.
February 22, 2013 9:10:13 AM

If I already have the latest nVidia drivers installed on my machine (curently 314.07), do I need to remove and reinstall before adding a second 670 in SLI?
I have a second card arriving next week and all the installation guides say to remove/ reinstall drivers but I think I should just be good to add the second card and enable SLI in the nVidia control panel?
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
February 22, 2013 11:28:49 AM

jonnyt78 said:
If I already have the latest nVidia drivers installed on my machine (curently 314.07), do I need to remove and reinstall before adding a second 670 in SLI?
I have a second card arriving next week and all the installation guides say to remove/ reinstall drivers but I think I should just be good to add the second card and enable SLI in the nVidia control panel?

Just add the second card and enable SLI from CP and you're good to go;however,if you ran in to any color corruptions/artifacts,uninstall the drivers and perform a clean install.
March 6, 2013 5:30:07 PM

d
March 6, 2013 5:30:15 PM

d
a c 85 Î Nvidia
a c 217 U Graphics card
March 11, 2013 9:20:06 AM

jesse-2010 said:
solaris11 said:
So i can crossfire my 7950 with a 7970? Didn't know this, now I do....but i guess its more worth it to just get another 7950 since the 70 would clock down....thanks!





yeah you can defently team 7950 with 7970 , but it's going to go with the lower clock speed and disable the extra cores on the 7970 , you don't wana ever do this unless you have to.


This is a common myth that has spread like wildfire, but not true. If you use any monitoring tools, you'll see that they operate at their own clocks and do not change. There is no reason to anyways, as each card renders their own frame in AFR at least. I can't monitor the cores, but I doubt that changes either.
March 18, 2013 11:40:12 PM

Also you should add that it is usually not worth it getting dual cards over a single higher end one and the reasons behind it, but still very good job.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
March 21, 2013 4:04:19 AM

Ro2bin3son9 said:
Also you should add that it is usually not worth it getting dual cards over a single higher end one and the reasons behind it, but still very good job.

I think I have mentioned that(indirectly)
April 3, 2013 2:56:53 PM

What about RAMs ?
RAM's aren't important for SLI/Crossfire.Just make sure you buy something that's compatible with your CPU and Motherboard.



So can I run a gtx 660 ti 4GB ram in sli with a gtx 660 ti 2GB ram and make the 4GB ram dominant. That is what I'm getting out of that statement ?
a c 85 Î Nvidia
a c 217 U Graphics card
April 3, 2013 3:57:53 PM

From Nvidia's site, you can SLI those cards, but you must use a program called Coolbits which will disable 2GB from the 4GB card. I believe all it does is update a registry entry.
April 3, 2013 6:01:52 PM

bystander said:
From Nvidia's site, you can SLI those cards, but you must use a program called Coolbits which will disable 2GB from the 4GB card. I believe all it does is update a registry entry.


so then I should just buy two of the 2gb cards if I cant utilize all 4gb? I am planing on buying one now and then the other one in a few months. I am running a gtx 570 right now. From all the studding I have done on the subject the 660 ti SLI is right up there with 670 SLI, kills the single 680
and is fairly! close to a gtx 690 . but I can buy the 660 for around $220.00 a peace so $440.00. a pare of 670's are about $600.00 to $700.00 one 680 is about $.550.00 the 690 is around $1000.000. so I think Lb for Lb $ for $ this is the way to go ?. I have been reading up on this for weeks, I am not going off of just one benchmark but this benchmark really gives a good look at what my learning quest has lead me to belive. http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_conten... ps. the only thing that gives me any doubt at this time is the 192bit instead of the 256bit. but I dont think that should be a factor in SLI?

Any thoughts Thank You for your time..
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
April 4, 2013 12:07:45 PM

trickedout said:
What about RAMs ?
RAM's aren't important for SLI/Crossfire.Just make sure you buy something that's compatible with your CPU and Motherboard.



So can I run a gtx 660 ti 4GB ram in sli with a gtx 660 ti 2GB ram and make the 4GB ram dominant. That is what I'm getting out of that statement ?


By RAM,I meant the computer's memory not the VGA's.

trickedout said:
bystander said:
From Nvidia's site, you can SLI those cards, but you must use a program called Coolbits which will disable 2GB from the 4GB card. I believe all it does is update a registry entry.


so then I should just buy two of the 2gb cards if I cant utilize all 4gb? I am planing on buying one now and then the other one in a few months. I am running a gtx 570 right now. From all the studding I have done on the subject the 660 ti SLI is right up there with 670 SLI, kills the single 680
and is fairly! close to a gtx 690 . but I can buy the 660 for around $220.00 a peace so $440.00. a pare of 670's are about $600.00 to $700.00 one 680 is about $.550.00 the 690 is around $1000.000. so I think Lb for Lb $ for $ this is the way to go ?. I have been reading up on this for weeks, I am not going off of just one benchmark but this benchmark really gives a good look at what my learning quest has lead me to belive. http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_conten... ps. the only thing that gives me any doubt at this time is the 192bit instead of the 256bit. but I dont think that should be a factor in SLI?

Any thoughts Thank You for your time..

I personally prefer a single card solution over 2 or more cards but 2 660's don't cost much and will give you a great performance,so yes they're a good choice.Just remember that having 2 2GB cards won't give a total of 4GB graphic memory

April 4, 2013 1:20:22 PM

The only way to get a single gpu to out perform a 660 ti in sli would be a gtx 690 at 1k or any other 1k card. a 690 is the only single card that will out perform a 660 in sli. I dont do amd cards. thanks again for your time.
April 18, 2013 12:14:02 AM

I am getting ready to build my own, I have a GTX650 on my current PC, Can I use it as a deicated Physx card with a 7950 or does it have to Be Nvidia??? I know I can't xfire/sli. The 650 doesn't Sli, I hate to let it go to waste. Thanks.
April 20, 2013 12:04:00 AM

trickedout said:
The only way to get a single gpu to out perform a 660 ti in sli would be a gtx 690 at 1k or any other 1k card. a 690 is the only single card that will out perform a 660 in sli. I dont do amd cards. thanks again for your time.


This is actually not correct. The GTX 690 is not a single GPU, it's a dual GPU (basically 2 680's in SLI on one board). And also the TITAN is a real single GPU that has been shown to perform better than the 660 TI in SLI especially at higher resolutions where a larger frame buffer is required.
April 23, 2013 12:30:23 AM

NVIDIA calls these new modes Hybrid Power and GeForce Boost.
May 3, 2013 3:07:17 PM

Justjuice12 said:
trickedout said:
The only way to get a single gpu to out perform a 660 ti in sli would be a gtx 690 at 1k or any other 1k card. a 690 is the only single card that will out perform a 660 in sli. I dont do amd cards. thanks again for your time.


This is actually not correct. The GTX 690 is not a single GPU, it's a dual GPU (basically 2 680's in SLI on one board). And also the TITAN is a real single GPU that has been shown to perform better than the 660 TI in SLI especially at higher resolutions where a larger frame buffer is required.


Thank You for the word correction I should have said single card not gpu. But I have done some testing with the TITAN and at the resolutions that we have tested on the 660ti in killing it. But I would agree with you having never tested in triple screen and such. but I picked my two new 660ti's for $440.00 for both cards. now it really is killing it..lol all I was trying to say was for those of us that can't afford 1k we can still get the performance of 1k. and now I'm benching 3way sli 660ti for a total of 598.00 I got a great steal off of ebay on the third one.yaaaa.. Thanks again for the correction!!

May 12, 2013 10:59:06 PM

can i crossfire amd hd7790 and amd hd7850?
May 15, 2013 9:56:26 AM

I currently have a EVGA GTX 560 Ti Superclocked. I want to add another and run in SLI. Is this recommended? I'm having trouble finding too many out there... Ebay being the only place that has them (around $100). But for the performance, the price is much less than comprable performance in a 6xx series card, correct?
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
May 18, 2013 8:11:31 AM

Lister Bos said:
can i crossfire amd hd7790 and amd hd7850?

No
mojorisin23 said:
I currently have a EVGA GTX 560 Ti Superclocked. I want to add another and run in SLI. Is this recommended? I'm having trouble finding too many out there... Ebay being the only place that has them (around $100). But for the performance, the price is much less than comprable performance in a 6xx series card, correct?


You better get a 6xx card or wait for 7xx ones(if you aren't in a hurry)
June 16, 2013 4:13:43 AM

Can Hybrid CrossFireX or Nvidia HybridPower be used with the latest graphics cards ? I'm not interested in using two graphics cards, but only to use the intelligent power management function, or, as they say, "unleashing graphics performance when needed, and switches to low-power operation for everyday computing " automatically.
Thanks
July 1, 2013 6:39:34 PM

So do you need an sli/crossfire psu when only using one graphics card? Or is it mainly for when you're using 2?
July 4, 2013 9:17:54 PM

I'm doing a new build. Would you recommend a single GTX 780 or Dual 770s? There's a bit of a price difference, but if it's worth it I'm not opposed. I'm going to be doing a lot of streaming as well if that makes a difference.
July 7, 2013 8:58:57 AM

Terakahn said:
I'm doing a new build. Would you recommend a single GTX 780 or Dual 770s? There's a bit of a price difference, but if it's worth it I'm not opposed. I'm going to be doing a lot of streaming as well if that makes a difference.


no, streaming won't affect gpu performance (as to prefer one configuration over the other), but it will definitely affect cpu performance, so better cpu, better handling with multitasking...

a sli of 2 gtx 770s performs better than a single gpu, be it the gtx 780 or any other single gpu at the moment. so, if you go for a multigpu setup, make sure you get a 120hz monitor, cause you will mostly be playing at a framerate higher than 60fps..
July 14, 2013 9:30:23 PM

I currently have a gtx 660. Should i just buy another 660 and sli it? It looks like you get near 680 performance..it will only cost me 190 dollars for the upgrade...it will hold me over until maxwell..whats your thoughts, guys?
July 14, 2013 9:30:27 PM

I currently have a gtx 660. Should i just buy another 660 and sli it? It looks like you get near 680 performance..it will only cost me 190 dollars for the upgrade...it will hold me over until maxwell..whats your thoughts, guys?
July 14, 2013 9:41:05 PM

eden2012 said:
I currently have a gtx 660. Should i just buy another 660 and sli it? It looks like you get near 680 performance..it will only cost me 190 dollars for the upgrade...it will hold me over until maxwell..whats your thoughts, guys?


well, that is up to you... if you feel like waiting for maxwell, buy one 660 now and save up for later.. you'd get near 680 hence 770.. that will be a boost in performance... i would do that.. though, personally i bought a 780 cause i had a gpu that wasn't directx 11 compatible and i couldnt play crysis 3 but that's another story...
July 14, 2013 9:43:32 PM

j0ndafr3ak said:
eden2012 said:
I currently have a gtx 660. Should i just buy another 660 and sli it? It looks like you get near 680 performance..it will only cost me 190 dollars for the upgrade...it will hold me over until maxwell..whats your thoughts, guys?


well, that is up to you... if you feel like waiting for maxwell, buy one 660 now and save up for later.. you'd get near 680 hence 770.. that will be a boost in performance... i would do that.. though, personally i bought a 780 cause i had a gpu that wasn't directx 11 compatible and i couldnt play crysis 3 but that's another story...


Oh well im 100% sure the 660 is dx11. I play far cry 3 on dxll..at 30-40fps..the reason i want sli :p 
July 14, 2013 9:49:12 PM

eden2012 said:
j0ndafr3ak said:
eden2012 said:
I currently have a gtx 660. Should i just buy another 660 and sli it? It looks like you get near 680 performance..it will only cost me 190 dollars for the upgrade...it will hold me over until maxwell..whats your thoughts, guys?


well, that is up to you... if you feel like waiting for maxwell, buy one 660 now and save up for later.. you'd get near 680 hence 770.. that will be a boost in performance... i would do that.. though, personally i bought a 780 cause i had a gpu that wasn't directx 11 compatible and i couldnt play crysis 3 but that's another story...


Oh well im 100% sure the 660 is dx11. I play far cry 3 on dxll..at 30-40fps..the reason i want sli :p 


well, i had a gtx 285... there needed to be an upgrade! yeah i guess you'll get stable 60 fps.. what's your cpu?
July 14, 2013 9:57:26 PM

j0ndafr3ak said:
eden2012 said:
j0ndafr3ak said:
eden2012 said:
I currently have a gtx 660. Should i just buy another 660 and sli it? It looks like you get near 680 performance..it will only cost me 190 dollars for the upgrade...it will hold me over until maxwell..whats your thoughts, guys?


well, that is up to you... if you feel like waiting for maxwell, buy one 660 now and save up for later.. you'd get near 680 hence 770.. that will be a boost in performance... i would do that.. though, personally i bought a 780 cause i had a gpu that wasn't directx 11 compatible and i couldnt play crysis 3 but that's another story...


Oh well im 100% sure the 660 is dx11. I play far cry 3 on dxll..at 30-40fps..the reason i want sli :p 


well, i had a gtx 285... there needed to be an upgrade! yeah i guess you'll get stable 60 fps.. what's your cpu?


i5 4670k...is that good?
July 15, 2013 11:46:08 AM

eden2012 said:
j0ndafr3ak said:
eden2012 said:
j0ndafr3ak said:
eden2012 said:
I currently have a gtx 660. Should i just buy another 660 and sli it? It looks like you get near 680 performance..it will only cost me 190 dollars for the upgrade...it will hold me over until maxwell..whats your thoughts, guys?


well, that is up to you... if you feel like waiting for maxwell, buy one 660 now and save up for later.. you'd get near 680 hence 770.. that will be a boost in performance... i would do that.. though, personally i bought a 780 cause i had a gpu that wasn't directx 11 compatible and i couldnt play crysis 3 but that's another story...


Oh well im 100% sure the 660 is dx11. I play far cry 3 on dxll..at 30-40fps..the reason i want sli :p 


well, i had a gtx 285... there needed to be an upgrade! yeah i guess you'll get stable 60 fps.. what's your cpu?


i5 4670k...is that good?


Not only is it good but your 660 holds it back. You definitely want to go sli. Your cpu has plenty of power still to be unleashed!
July 15, 2013 12:35:01 PM

j0ndafr3ak said:
eden2012 said:
j0ndafr3ak said:
eden2012 said:
j0ndafr3ak said:
eden2012 said:
I currently have a gtx 660. Should i just buy another 660 and sli it? It looks like you get near 680 performance..it will only cost me 190 dollars for the upgrade...it will hold me over until maxwell..whats your thoughts, guys?


well, that is up to you... if you feel like waiting for maxwell, buy one 660 now and save up for later.. you'd get near 680 hence 770.. that will be a boost in performance... i would do that.. though, personally i bought a 780 cause i had a gpu that wasn't directx 11 compatible and i couldnt play crysis 3 but that's another story...


Oh well im 100% sure the 660 is dx11. I play far cry 3 on dxll..at 30-40fps..the reason i want sli :p 


well, i had a gtx 285... there needed to be an upgrade! yeah i guess you'll get stable 60 fps.. what's your cpu?


i5 4670k...is that good?


Not only is it good but your 660 holds it back. You definitely want to go sli. Your cpu has plenty of power still to be unleashed!


Well thats good news :) . This sli setup will hold me over until maxwell
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