SLI / CrossFire FAQs

[apolloe11even]

Nothing that I know of. Chances are you would just not have the option in the Nvidia control panel.

Clearly make sure your system has the power supply requirements for both cards(not that these are exactly power hogs.).

yup . i'm completely sure about PSU . it's a 1000WATT O.C Gold Edition GREEN. i was double checked this item before in some HW forums but here. and they said my PSU is good for 2 980ti graphics cards.
but if you've more advises ,so i've two good ears to learn 😉
btw , this is my rig :
intel i7 4790K
Gigabyte gaming 3 Z97X Mobo
GTX 980 ti Xtreme Gaming 6GB
Monitor : ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q
1000WATT Green O.C Gold Edition PSU
1 x ssd 920s pro 256GB
1 x HDD 2TB Seagate Baracuda
2 x Gamepad : Xbox 360 + PS4 dual shock 4 controller,

i will be glad to hear your opinion .
Thanks a lot.

 

[nukemaster]

I am not sure of who makes that unit, but in general a 1000 watt power supply should run an awful lot of hardware

 

[apolloe11even]

I am not sure of who makes that unit, but in general a 1000 watt power supply should run an awful lot of hardware

why? but it work done efficiently .
you're gonna say , my psu is not suitable for my HW? you mean 1200 or 1500 is much better that mine?gimme a wattage though.

 

[nukemaster]

I am saying 1000 watts is lots of power.

I mean your 980ti would be hard pressed to pull 300 watts.

 

[turbopixel]

After reading the web, I would buy 1000 W psu for two cards. This is just, because after time the psu gets weaker and its always good not to run psu on its limits for a long time. Also, every psu is best efficient at its 50 % load and does not get very loud. Don't buy cheap brands and better buy platinum efficiency, at this class of Wattage this makes a huge difference.

GTX 980 TI SLI performance
> http://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/1970-gtx-980-ti-sli-benchmark-vs-sli-980-titan-x/Page-2

Official PSU recommendation on SINGLE card:
600 W or higher
A very good unit can have less power, as Nvidia just recommends something to be on safe side.
> http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-980-ti/specifications

Power consumption for SLI configuration for full system:
Max. 546 W
That seems very low in my opinion. This value is for a full setup of pc with two of these cards. It probably depends on the exact model and if the system is overclocked.
> http://us.hardware.info/reviews/6292/16/nvidia-geforce-gtx-980-ti-sli--3-way-sli--4-way-sli-review-ultra-hd-in-ultra-quality-test-resultsnpower-consumption

Another SLI power consumption for full system:
Max. 658 W
> http://www.techspot.com/review/1033-gtx-980-ti-sli-r9-fury-x-crossfire/page6.html

Last, Guru3Ds recommendation for 980 Ti SLI:
900 W is needed at least.
"
GTX 980 Ti SLI - On your average system the cards require you to have a 900 Watts power supply unit as minimum.

If you are going to overclock your GPU or processor, then we do recommend you purchase something with some more stamina.
"
> http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/msi-geforce-gtx-980-ti-gaming-oc-review,8.html

 

[apolloe11even]

After reading the web, I would buy 1000 W psu for two cards. This is just, because after time the psu gets weaker and its always good not to run psu on its limits for a long time. Also, every psu is best efficient at its 50 % load and does not get very loud. Don't buy cheap brands and better buy platinum efficiency, at this class of Wattage this makes a huge difference.

GTX 980 TI SLI performance
> http://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/1970-gtx-980-ti-sli-benchmark-vs-sli-980-titan-x/Page-2

Official PSU recommendation on SINGLE card:
600 W or higher
A very good unit can have less power, as Nvidia just recommends something to be on safe side.
> http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-980-ti/specifications

Power consumption for SLI configuration for full system:
Max. 546 W
That seems very low in my opinion. This value is for a full setup of pc with two of these cards. It probably depends on the exact model and if the system is overclocked.
> http://us.hardware.info/reviews/6292/16/nvidia-geforce-gtx-980-ti-sli--3-way-sli--4-way-sli-review-ultra-hd-in-ultra-quality-test-resultsnpower-consumption

Another SLI power consumption for full system:
Max. 658 W
> http://www.techspot.com/review/1033-gtx-980-ti-sli-r9-fury-x-crossfire/page6.html

Last, Guru3Ds recommendation for 980 Ti SLI:
900 W is needed at least.
"
GTX 980 Ti SLI - On your average system the cards require you to have a 900 Watts power supply unit as minimum.

If you are going to overclock your GPU or processor, then we do recommend you purchase something with some more stamina.
"
> http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/msi-geforce-gtx-980-ti-gaming-oc-review,8.html

Thanks a bunch , you bro. very very good stuff and info.

==

I am saying 1000 watts is lots of power.

I mean your 980ti would be hard pressed to pull 300 watts.

@ nukemaster
Thanks to you too.
i'll keep it in mind. yeah i also been noticed whatever you said before. but honestly i assembled these HW mostly bcz i thought i am planned for OCing and 2 x GTX 980ti SLI in near future .so i think it's enough to give such hardware.Also taking into account other accessories.

 

[RogMICA]

Is it possible to SLI two of the same model of graphics card, but with different speeds? What I was looking at was adding a second 980TI, but one that was a hybrid/liquid cooled card and has a slightly higher clock speed to the one I currently have. I was thinking of this configuration so that the second one wouldn't be blowing a ton of hot air at the other card. Any thoughts on a setup like this? I have the EVGA Superclocked 2.0, and was looking at the EVGA Hybrid. I'm not planning to overclock, but should I overclock the first one to match the speed of the hybrid card? Unfortunately, I don't know much about overclocking.

 

[chickenwings14]

is it possible to SLI with an i3? does SLI need a faster cpu?

 

[chickenwings14]

Is it possible to SLI two of the same model of graphics card, but with different speeds? What I was looking at was adding a second 980TI, but one that was a hybrid/liquid cooled card and has a slightly higher clock speed to the one I currently have. I was thinking of this configuration so that the second one wouldn't be blowing a ton of hot air at the other card. Any thoughts on a setup like this? I have the EVGA Superclocked 2.0, and was looking at the EVGA Hybrid. I'm not planning to overclock, but should I overclock the first one to match the speed of the hybrid card? Unfortunately, I don't know much about overclocking.

maybe, you can. just put the better gpu on the first pci.e x16 so it would be tha main gpu.

 

[Mrinal_2]

Superb info for new gamers like me. Gonna build a gaming pc of 1500$. This will be my first build. Which one should i go for - EVGA Hybrid 980 ti vs Asus Strix 980 ti vs Zotac AMP extreme? I am so confused. Any help is welcomed!

 

[turbopixel]

@Mrinal_2
Create a new thread with your question. This is about the FAQ and not specific questions. If everyone asks here and tries to help, it will get spaghetti like.
> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/forum-33.html

 

[Mrinal_2]

@Mrinal_2
Create a new thread with your question. This is about the FAQ and not specific questions. If everyone asks here and tries to help, it will get spaghetti like.
> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/forum-33.html

The thing is, I have already created a thread with that topic. And nobody replied.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2996522/advice-build-1500-2016.html

 

[Blaze Blazer]

does SLI/CROSSFIRE worth ?

 

[turbopixel]

does SLI/CROSSFIRE worth ?

It depends very heavily on what cards, system configuration, what you want do with that, what you expect and what other options are there and how expensive it is. This is too complex, but if you ask me that simple, I give you a simple answer: NO.

 

[Blaze Blazer]

does SLI/CROSSFIRE worth ?

It depends very heavily on what cards, system configuration, what you want do with that, what you expect and what other options are there and how expensive it is. This is too complex, but if you ask me that simple, I give you a simple answer: NO.

ok then,thank you!

 

[Prime_Vy]

Can i sli gtx 1080 vs 1080 ti in the future?

Can i sli gigabyte gtx 1080 G1 gaming vs Extreme or Asus strix gtx 1080 ?

 

[nukemaster]

Can i sli gtx 1080 vs 1080 ti in the future?

Can i sli gigabyte gtx 1080 G1 gaming vs Extreme or Asus strix gtx 1080 ?

If the ti has a different core, I think you will be out of luck. We will know more when/if they release it.

Various 1080's should work fine(just like other cards with the same core). Nvidia has a newer higher performance SLI bridge as well that works with these new cards.

 

[Inet]

Do you know any 1151 Mini ITX, ready to SLI?
Thanks

 

[nukemaster]

mITX boards only have a single slot. While some may support a bifurcation riser card, many will not.

mDTX is the 2 slot version of mITX, but unfortunately it does not get much attention.

Some Shuttle SFF systems use DTX boards, but those are deeper than mITX so will not fit in many cases.

 

[Thomas Maher]

This helped alot though can I cross fire or sli on a dell studio 1747? With 2 desktop gpu? Or integrated gpu and desktop gpu?

 

[nukemaster]

Notebooks do not tend to run SLI/Crossfire unless they are build primarily for gaming.

SLI does not work with integrated and dedicated cards like that. Some AMD integrated and lower end dedicated can be run in crossfire, but these are still lower end parts.

Some notebooks with accessible pci-e lanes can be used with adapters and enclosures for external desktop video cards. This is still not going to allow SLI/Xfire and the link speed tends to be limited. Thunderbolt adapters could remove this bandwidth limitation, but SLI and crossfire may be a way off still for external notebook use.

 

[Thomas Maher]

Notebooks do not tend to run SLI/Crossfire unless they are build primarily for gaming.

SLI does not work with integrated and dedicated cards like that. Some AMD integrated and lower end dedicated can be run in crossfire, but these are still lower end parts.

Some notebooks with accessible pci-e lanes can be used with adapters and enclosures for external desktop video cards. This is still not going to allow SLI/Xfire and the link speed tends to be limited. Thunderbolt adapters could remove this bandwidth limitation, but SLI and crossfire may be a way off still for external notebook use.

Thank you for your reply. So if I decided to run express card slot gpu and use one of the spare pcie network card places for another graphic card it would not work?

 

[nukemaster]

You can run a card(with the right adapters and a power supply for the video card), but it will not run in SLI/Crossfire with the existing card in the notebook. Many users who run egpu setups use them to allow gaming(or other demanding tasks) at home while still having a notebook for on the go.

 

[Thomas Maher]

You can run a card(with the right adapters and a power supply for the video card), but it will not run in SLI/Crossfire with the existing card in the notebook. Many users who run egpu setups use them to allow gaming(or other demanding tasks) at home while still having a notebook for on the go.

Trye I will take this into consideration as I already have the egpu device but just need the graphic card. Can you help me find really good dirextx 12 graphic card for $200 or less?

 

[nukemaster]

A card in that general price range is the recently released RX 480(should perform well in DX12). Other cards are DX12 ready and could also be used.

Nvidia has a new 1060 coming to the market that may or may not be better for your use.

If you want more user input(cards in a price range or even general egpu help/discussions), it may be better to start a thread since not as many users are actively reading this thread.