Is THG gonna test SLI Card on SLI Board

[RickRose]

Is there someone at Tom's Hardware guide gonna test out whether the Two Dual SLI Cards from Gigabyte will work in a SLI board. Wouldn't this give effectively 4 GPUs working on the graphics rendering. This should be a worthwhile test just for the hardcore graphics weenies out there.

If it ain't broke, you haven't tweaked it enough!

<i>Rick plopped here</i>

 

[eden]

They just did, today. It does not work.

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[spitoon]

Also, I don't think the link is there, so there's no way to connect the two cards. (can't remember what they are calling it, but it's the little card/cable that connects the two cards together).

 

[johnnyinternet]

i just refer to it as "the bridge", donno what its really called. i am sure someone will tell us.

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

 

[Crashman]

That configuration CANNOT work.

nVidia's "SLI" configuration doesn't give you two true x16 slots. Instead, it gives you two x8 connections in two x16 physical brackets.

There are only 20 pathways on the chipset, 16 are sent to the graphics, 4 to the PCIe hub on the southbridge. So you only get one x16 slot, which the SLI configuration splits.

The Dual GPU card does the same thing from one slot. It sends one set of 8 pathways to the first GPU and the other set of 8 pathways to the second. Since all 16 pathways are used, there are NO pathways left for the second slot.

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[RickRose]

Looks like someone has some work to do for the world to be truely enlightened. I want a cheap solution to creating real life! Oh well, I've gotta go and play with my 3 kids, I guess I'll never find it.

<i>Rick plopped here...Does anyone have a scoop?</i>

 

[Crashman]

You have kids and if you're spending this kind of money, you probably have a good job. Family, and the means to support them, are the best part of life. So you don't need to "make life" you already have one.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[Vapor]

What everyone is saying about it being impossible to run the two cards together is actually slightly wrong. It IS possible, but the performance will be identical to two 6600GTs clocked at the same clocks (lower, actually). If you look at the PCB, the first half of the PCIe connection his connected to the first gpu/mem set and the second half (the half that constitutes the last 8 out of 16) goes to the second gpu/mem set. So until there are truly dual 16x slots, it will be impossible to run these two together and get the expected performance.

Essentially what you'd end up with is the performance of two 6600GTs at 500/1200, but without the SLI bridge being used (which is possible).

And I REALLY doubt the performance capabilities of two of these as they'd STILL be limited to 128MB of RAM--which is about the only thing slowing them down now.

Maxtor disgraces the six letters that make Matrox.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Just some additional information from Digit-Life on the ASUS solution, the cards do have SLI like connectors, and you can run them in SLI when used with something like the Tyan Thunder (advertised at the InQ) motherboard.

<A HREF="http://www.digit-life.com/archive.shtml?dl20050112#112573" target="_new">http://www.digit-life.com/archive.shtml?dl20050112#112573</A>


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[Vapor]

Those boards have two legit 16x slots and don't exactly exist (and cost a lot, and don't OC well, etc....). My point still stands about only having 128MB of RAM, anyway. That and I'm not too sure that the drivers can split the task into fourths (in either splitscreen or alternateframe). Two 6800GTs would offer better performance at a better price (mobo included). Not to mention that there is no guarantee of either of these cards working on a board other than that of their manufacturer.

I don't want to be a pessimist, but these dually 6600GT cards really do suck compared to other options. Mainstream parts should not be adapted for the enthusiast/high-end segment, IMO.

Maxtor disgraces the six letters that make Matrox.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

Oh yeah, I agree wtih you, just thought it interesting that they'd found a possible way to do it. I question the drivers first, then the architectural limitations. The drivers are already having trouble with full split screen and alyernate frame with 2 cards, 4 will make it worse, and the load balansing method will imply amplify the problems they are having with FartCry and others.

Anywhoo, just thought it'll be interesting if they do get it to work even if for only one application. May give us an idea of how ALX with the 4 vards would be.


- You need a licence to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp <i>(or internet account)</i> ! - <font color=green>RED </font color=green> <font color=red> GREEN</font color=red> GA to SK