HydraLogix Vs. SLI And CrossFire: MSI's P55A Fuzion Tested
LucidLogix forges ahead with its promise of multi-GPU compatibility across multiple graphics architectures and platforms. Today we see how its latest drivers stand up to the performance standards of CrossFire and SLI on a much more cost-sensitive board.
P55A Fuzion BIOS, Overclocking, And Accessories
| P55A Fuzion Basic O/C Settings | |
|---|---|
| BIOS Version | V1.1 (09-09-2010) |
| CPU Core | 0.87-2.07 Volts (6.25 mV), 100-600 MHz BCLK (1 MHz) |
| CPU IMC | 0.45-2.02 Volts (5.3 mV), Auto Frequency by DRAM |
| Memory | 1.50-2.41 Volts (~7 mV), 3x-6x BCLK (1x) |
| Memory Timing | tCL 4-15, tRCD 3-15, tRP 3-15, tRAS 9-31 Cycles (1c) |
| Chipset | 0.45-1.95 Volts PCH (~5 mV) |
Overclockers don’t like to be limited by BIOS, so the P55A Fuzion includes frequency and voltage limits that exceed those of most hardware configurations by a wide margin.
Most of the P55A Fuzion’s frequency and voltage settings can be found by scrolling through its Cell Menu, including a few advanced controls such as DRAM reference voltage.
The Advanced DRAM Configuration menu allows per-channel settings, though most users will find the best results by having both channels set identically.
The retail-boxed P55A Fuzion contains twice as many cables as found in this press sample, but no SLI or CrossFire bridges. MSI believes that its users will always prefer HydraLogix multi-GPU control (which doesn't require bridges) over proprietary SLI and CrossFire, but we really don’t think MSI should be adding any restrictions to a board that otherwise supports all three technologies.
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duk3 Looks good on the 1st 2 games and synthetics.Reply
I hope Lucid gets all the issues worked out. -
anacandor So basically it's just a universal CF/SLI connecter built into the motherboard? Seems odd that it's taken this long to be developed, but great nonetheless :)Reply -
Darkerson Looks like it has some promise, if they can further work the kinks out. Something to keep an eye on in the future.Reply -
punnar I can see it as a standard in the future. I think I will buy a board with Hydralogix on my next build.Reply -
Yargnit It would have been nice to see how well this works with two differing AMD/ATI cards and two Nvidia cards. For instance someone has a GTX260 and wants to add a GTX460, or someone with a AMD5850 who wants to pick up a new 6870 (damn numbering change) to go with it.Reply
Also comparing performance pairing two cards from the same generation (say GTX 460 + GTX 470) vs differing generations. (GTX 260 + GTX460)
Lastly what affect would pairing a two cards with varying amounts of memory have? (two regular versions of a card vs 1 reg + 1 dbl memory vs 2 dbl memory) Since it isn't clear from what I've read if both cards would be limited to lowest memory level or not.
Interesting tech for sure -
sudeshc this should become a standard, allowing us to enjoy features from both manufacturers. I would also be prepared to pay few extra bucks for this as well.Reply
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Maziar Overall,Lucid is a great idea of mixing different cards but it still needs quite a lot of work with drivers.Reply -
Yargnit Ah, thank you. It was posted before I was frequently following the site, I'll give it a look.Reply