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SLI / CrossFire FAQs - Page 7

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Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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December 22, 2008 3:58:00 PM

Maziar said:
No,the 9600 card is used as a PhysX card.


Yeah.. So is it possible that i could use my onboard nVidia 8300 as PhysX card and ATi HD4850 as primary...?
(Note: My board support Hybrid SLi)
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
December 23, 2008 7:41:50 AM

I dont think you can(i am not sure though)
Related resources
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December 23, 2008 9:59:35 AM

This is not SLi..... but PhysX........


December 26, 2008 3:20:57 PM

hello Maziar..
Thanks for all the info on crossfire..very insightful.....I was having problem myself to understand how to get most from my mobo crossfire potential... I need your help to find a good but not very expensive video card from my Asus P5Q Pro...it seems to me you really know this stuff...I have BFG 8400 GS, but i would really upgrade it to something more powerful for my gaming experience....I have a dual CPU, 2GB memory ram ddr2, 300GB hard disk.
Thanks Maz...I appreciate..Decibel
December 26, 2008 8:14:39 PM

:hello:  hey thanks....you would not believe but i am registered on that forum! :)  ...Good eh!! But i would like to have your opinion, what you think i should do!!!!Because you mentioned few of the Asus mobos previously, i was wondering if you could gave me an hint of which graphic card would do good on my pc.... :)  i appreciate Maz....Thanks for the heads up about tom hardwareweb..... ;)  :hello: 
January 9, 2009 9:17:21 AM

Hi, i have a question:
im looking to go crossfire with 2xHD4870's, i already have one at the moment and im looking to get another one, my current card is 512MB, and im going to get another 512MB card. Will i see any performance gain if a game wants more than 512MB of memory? (am i write in thinking that the memory from both cards will NOT be combined ?)

Ive looked on some benchmarks and ive seen that the 1gb card does better than the 512MB card when the game wants more than 512MB's, also when the resolution is high and theres AA and AF enabled.

I have a second question:
If i get the 1GB version and use it with my current 512MB card in crossfire, and use the 1gb card as the primary card will my memory be 1GB?, or will it go down to 512mb?

please help im so confussed >.<

P.S i game @ 1920x1080
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
January 9, 2009 3:19:12 PM

to decibel:
I dont know your budget but an ATI HD 4850/4870 would be good for you.

to OMG:
Hello mate :) 
Well first of all,the difference between 1GB cards and 512MB cards aren't much son don't worry much about it.also when you combine 2 HD 4870s cards which both have 512MB memory,you still will have 512MB memory,as multiGPU won't double the memory.


About mixing a 512MB 4870 with a 1GB 4870 ,read this thread:
http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?p=2935216

5. What happens when graphics cards with varying memory speeds and engine clocks are paired together?

A. In this scenario, overall performance will be adjusted to match the memory speeds and engine clocks of the lower clocked card. To obtain ideal performance, graphics cards should be paired correctly.

If u alreayd haven't purchased your VGAs,go for 1 HD 4870X2 instead,because it has an overall better performance,i myself have the same monitor like you and went for HD 4870X2,because its basically 2 HD 4870's on one card but it produces less heat,requires one slot and has better performance in some cases.
January 9, 2009 6:30:45 PM

ok thanks, thats really helpful
:D 
ill check out that link now
January 9, 2009 6:39:26 PM

ok just read the link you gave me.

but i still have a problem, by the sounds of it, if i crossfire 2x4870 512 ill only have 512mb of memory so i still will not be able to go to 1920x1080 with AA and AF on am i correct?

is it going to be worth it for me?

your help would be much appreciated!!!
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
January 9, 2009 7:13:35 PM

Who says you cant ? you can enable AA and AF.
January 9, 2009 7:18:39 PM

yeah of course, but because its a 512mb card it cant handle it well. i turn on AA and AF on farcry 2 and my FPS goes out the window >.<
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
January 9, 2009 7:27:50 PM

Does that happen in other games?
Do you have the latest VGA drivers installed?
January 9, 2009 7:40:03 PM

yeah ive got 8.12

well i can play fallout 3 with al the bells and whistles (8xAA and 15xAF samples).

urrr obviously crysis kills my hole system

GRID i ran play on max with everyytihing on.

COD4 i can play on max with AA and AF max @ 1920x1080

it seems to be the newer, more demanding games that my card doesnt handle well.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
January 10, 2009 7:20:58 AM

If you dont have problems with GRID and COD4,then there isnt a problem with your card,your card is a solid card who says your card can't handle games with it? about Crysis,its strange,however adding AA with 1920x1080 resolution won't make alot of difference since it doesn't have noticeable jaggies.
I tested it myself.
January 10, 2009 8:06:56 AM

ok, but my question still remains, will i see noticable difference if i were to crossfire with another 4870 512mb card when playing @1920x1080 with AA and AF on?

Also if i were to crossfire with a 1gb card and use it as my primary card will i then have 1gb of video memory?
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
January 10, 2009 10:53:21 AM

1_Yes you will get a decent boost in FPS,since you play at a high resolution.but i again say this:90% of games won't need AA for 1920x1080 resolution,because you won't see a lot of jaggies.

2_I answered you :)  if you crossfire a HD 4870 512MB with a HD 4870 1GB,you will have 512MB still,read my postes above.
January 11, 2009 7:46:48 PM

So.. 4870 1GB would be recognised as 4870 512MB by its CrossFire partner 4879 512MB???
January 11, 2009 7:49:41 PM

++type mismatch..read last as 4870
a b Î Nvidia
a c 118 U Graphics card
January 11, 2009 8:21:31 PM

For crossfire it would only use the first 512MB's of memory. The card would still have all the ram, but not be able to use it

In crossfire BOTH cards always hold the same textures and information. As such it will have to go with the memory of the lowest card(512). If the card was on its own it would have both.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
January 12, 2009 8:10:24 AM

nuke is right.
The card still has 1GB memory but uses 512MB when its in CrossFire(when a 4870 512MB is CrossFired with 4870 1GB)
January 13, 2009 7:58:43 PM

(Sorry if this is mentioned earlier, but this post is extremely long.)

Notes:

1. I would distinguish between the 680i and the 680i lt MB, in regard to the 3-way SLI and duel x16 lanes. The 680i lt has 2 PCI-E x16 slots, so it can't 3-way SLI...but does have the duel x16 lanes.

2. You may or may not want to include a note regarding 8800 GT and 9800 GT video cards being "the same," and thus being able to SLI them together. (I know the difference is in the BIOS... and the manufacturing process of "new" 9800 GTs...thus Hybridpower support.) For the common user, they can't be SLI'ed together. However, if someone wants to risk flashing the bios of one of the cards, they can be SLI'ed. (I am not one of those people to risk it though.)

3. You may want to include a note regarding PCI-E 1.0/1.1/2.0 as well.
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
January 14, 2009 8:18:33 AM

This things that you mentioned are mostly for motherboards but i will add some of them.

1_That was necessary i added it,thanks

2_You can't SLI a 8800GT with 9800GT,but with hacking its other story,you can do many things with hacking but its not recommended and it may hurt the cards too.

3_Thats not very related to SLI/CrossFire, about motherboards,i mention which chipset support MultiGPU and in which ways and things like this,my main focus is on MultiGPU technology and VGA cards not on motherboards.

However thanks alot mate :) 
January 14, 2009 3:39:32 PM

Hi;

Can I use this card as SLİ ? because this card's fan is very big. ?
(SPARKLE CALIBRE 9600GT 512MB 256Bit)

a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
January 14, 2009 7:01:58 PM

Hello and welcome to the forums mate :) 
What card do you currently ahve ?
January 14, 2009 8:43:18 PM

Thanks Maziar.
I dont use this card now.just my friend is want will buy this card.but my idea was changed.waste ı want buy a thıs card.(just single).

SPARKLE
Calibre 9800GTX+ GDDR3 512Mb 256Bit Nvidia

what you think ? I will post complete system configuration.Thank you...
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
January 15, 2009 9:33:43 AM

9800GTX+ is a good card,another option would be ATI HD 4850.
No problem mate :)  glad i could help u :) 
January 15, 2009 3:30:57 PM

well.you think? 9800gtx+ or HD 4850 ?
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
January 15, 2009 4:25:14 PM

I would choose HD 4850 because in most games it has a lead over its nvidia's rival.
January 21, 2009 12:31:57 AM

Yes yes, very sweet looking card. The flow is eloquent. Wish my $400 Xfx 8800 GTX looked as nice. I cannot wait to SLI two of them! Thanks for the cool pic!
January 23, 2009 5:13:51 PM

sorry for such a noob question but here go;s : i have a 3870x2 -1gig-512 card and was wondering if i could xfire it with a cheaper 3870-512-256 card for a boost ? or will the x2 then lower itself to the 256 mb card ? if i understand the guide correctly then the bigger card will lower itself down to the smaller card ? just need to clarify before i buy a smaller card instead of buying another 3870x2 and then xfire them . also , how stable is sli and xfire ? been browsing ati site and a lot of people seem to be having problems putting 2 or 3 cards together .

once again sorry if i am probably answering my own question but just not realising it .

radeonman .

a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
January 24, 2009 8:24:50 AM

Its not anything noob mate :)  asking is not a noob thing :) 
You got it right,whe your crossfire a HD 3870X2 1GB with a HD 3870 512 or 256,the HD 3870X2 will only use 512MB/256MB of its memory when in SLI.
January 26, 2009 4:30:57 AM

thanks maziar ,

i think maybe a better thing would be to just get a 2g card and save myself the hassle . seems a lot of folks have trouble getting their xfire/sli setups working easily although i can see the benifit it does present with maybe 2 x medium range cards .

thanks for your help again .

may i inquire about your 4870x2 card ? im not sure wether i should go for the new 295 from nvidia or get a 4870x2 - i like the fact that the 4870 seems to be a full 2g card although many folks have told me to wait until nvidia comes up with its own version of a full 2g card . im sure with such feirce competition the price's will drop on the 4870x2 as they are still darn expensive here in south africa .

radeonman .

a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
January 26, 2009 7:33:56 AM

Well it depends on what resolution you play too.

For me i am happy with my HD 4870X2s performance,this card and GTX 295 are very good cards,in some games the HD takes the lead and in some games GTX 295 has a lead,if you want to wait,you can't ever buy anything.
Also if you are satisfied with your current card,then there is no need to upgrade.Upgrade something when you really dont get the performance you need.
February 5, 2009 2:57:53 PM

hello

I currently have a 9600gt and I´m planning to buy another one next month but first I want to know if the are enough games that support SLI, specially racing, g.e: grid, burnout, nfs undercover. also tomb rider underworld and prince of persia.

Thanks
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
February 5, 2009 3:50:23 PM

Hello mate :) 
What resolution do you play at ?
February 5, 2009 4:18:46 PM

currently at 1280x1024, but I´m also considering buying a samsung 22", thats my main concern. will the 9600gt put out for that monitor (1680 x 1050).

thanks
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
February 5, 2009 5:56:38 PM

For that resolution,i recommend you getting a better single card instead like
HD 4850
February 5, 2009 6:53:14 PM

may I ask why?
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
February 6, 2009 5:17:21 AM

Because 1 HD 4850 has the power or even more power than 9600GT in SLI,also in 1680x1050 resolution,you wont benefit much from SLI.
February 6, 2009 9:57:32 AM

OK
thanks
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
February 6, 2009 10:27:24 AM

No problem mate :)  glad i could help you :) 
February 6, 2009 3:57:44 PM

I think 9800GTX+ would be better than ATi HD4850..

Reason:
1)Performance
2)Nvidia 3D View with Zalman ZM-M220W LCD monitor(described in nVidia website)

3)Nvidia PhysX support.
4)Nvidia Hybrid SLi support.

What do you think?
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
February 7, 2009 4:24:20 AM

1)No,the difference isn't much and they perform near each other also in some games the ATI rival has a lead over its Nvidia competitor,especially when AA and AF are turned on.

2)Mostly advertising.
3)PhysX wont make a lot of difference in gaming.
4)ATI has Hybrid CrossFire(CrossFireX) too.
February 8, 2009 3:05:10 PM

You say, nVideo 3D View is just advertising?
February 8, 2009 3:41:17 PM

Does 'iz3D anaglyph driver' help ATi with 3D view?
a b Î Nvidia
a c 169 U Graphics card
February 8, 2009 5:45:45 PM

3D view has a long way to become mainstream so its mostly advertising now

About your second question,i dont know.

But these things like 3Dview or so,doesnt make a VGA perform better in games.
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