SLI Tips and Optimization

[expl0itfinder]

So I built my friend a PC around september, and the machine was meant to be the top of the line beast of a PC. It turned out to be all of that, and then some. The specs are as follows:

CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K
GPU: EVGA GTX 680 Superclocked+
MOBO: MSI Z77A-GD65
RAM: G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB 2133MHz
SSD: Crucial M4 64GB
HDD: WD Caviar Black 1TB
PSU: Corsair HX850
All housed inside the wonderful NZXT Phantom.

Now today, for his birthday, my friend ordered a 2TB HDD, a 144Hz monitor, a few other peripherals, and another 680 for SLI. So this leads to the main point of this thread...what should I know? What should I expect? I want to hear from others who use SLI and are willing to share their experiences. Also, if there are any tips on how to get the most performance out of the SLI setup, I would really appreciate it.

 

[Intel God]

Everything looks good. What is the 3770K clocked at?

 

[expl0itfinder]

Clocked at stock right now. But we can easily bump that up as high as 4.6, but it was put back to stock because of the summer heat.

 

[Neospiral]

These days nVidia's control panel makes setting up SLI basically a one step process. Seat and adequately power both cards, make sure the SLI bridge is securely connected, and connect your monitor(s). Note that you can plug them into any port on either of the cards. I usually keep all my screens connected to the primary card to keep it simple. To enable SLI, open nVidia control panel. Under Configure SLI, Surround, PhysX, select Maximize 3D performance. Done. The power supply in that rig is plenty and then some for SLI.

First thing to do is run GeForce experience. It will detect the games installed, read your hardware, and determine the optimal settings for your games.

Next, back to nVidia control panel, in the 3D Settings menu up top, check to Enable SLI indicator. This will enable an overlay in games that shows you your rough GPU scaling (i.e., how much of your 2nd GPU is being utilized). The bar should appear mostly full during gameplay. If it doesn't, you might want to fiddle with your CPU's clock speed some and do some research online about CPU/GPU timing in SLI. nVidia's website has a great guide explaining it in easy terms.

Otherwise, that's basically it. The only thing I noticed about your setup there is that you didn't mention your cooling solution. While SLI doesn't directly affect your CPU's temperature, having two GPU's can increase ambient temperature some in most cases. Make sure you've got good air flow in the case and plenty of space around for ambient dissipation and you're in good shape.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[expl0itfinder]

Thanks for the response! As for cooling, I've got an H100 for the CPU in push, and I have a 120mm front intake fan and 120mm rear exhaust fan, and I also have a 200mm side fan blowing on the graphics card area.

 

[dingo07]

Let me start off by suggesting he get a new 240GB SSD to use as the OS drive - http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-Technology-2-5-Inch-Acronis-Software/dp/B00CXKRWJ2?tag=hardfocom-20

Next let me suggest he get his monitors calibrated by an ISF certified tech that has first-hand experience and comes recommended by others in the display calibration community

The only reason I SLI is because I need to in order to get more out of my games. In his case, it's not a necessity so he'll probably be able to max out any game he wants to play, for some time.

If he's going to be using more than one monitor, I suggest he download actual multiple monitors. It's a great tool.

With regards to SLI, there's not much to it other than entering NVIDIA control panel and changing the SLI configuration button to Maximize 3D performance. He might also want to edit a couple options in the Manage 3D settings Global Settings - Multi-display/mixed-GPU acceleration set to Compatibility performance mode, and Power management mode set to Prefer maximum performance

 

[Neospiral]

More than enough cooling. You should be free to play with your CPU's speed with that cooler. Ivy Bridge is typically pretty flexible.

I agree with dingo07 about the OS drive. You'll get a tiny boost in performance installing games on an SSD and the 64GB just won't be enough for much more than the OS.

 

[expl0itfinder]

The SSD was only intended for the boot drive to start, and it does it's job well. And the WD Black 1TB is surprisingly snappy, and the money is better spent. He likes recording his games, the 2tb HDD was more important to him. And dingo, what do you mean when you say get the monitors calibrated? And he wants SLI so he can play games at reasonably high settings @144 FPS.

 

[dingo07]

Calibration is a near perfect method in making sure what's being displayed on the monitor is the real color in the RGB space.

Here's the minimum hardware I suggest if you want to do it yourself - http://xritephoto.com/ph_product_overview.aspx?id=1115

 

[expl0itfinder]

Oh I see what you mean. But the monitor color won't be a big enough issue to spend money on, as the windows color tweaking guide is sufficient for his needs.

 

[dingo07]

Oh I see what you mean. But the monitor color won't be a big enough issue to spend money on, as the windows color tweaking guide is sufficient for his needs.

That's the typical response. However, without a "device" to use as a reference, using any method to change how the colors and/or brightness and contrast are set is futile. There's absolutely no way to get it even near good quality. Unless its a professional display that's been calibrated at the factory. Using the method you say only makes it appeal to His eyes, it does not make it Correct.

 

[expl0itfinder]

Oh I see what you mean. But the monitor color won't be a big enough issue to spend money on, as the windows color tweaking guide is sufficient for his needs.

That's the typical response. However, without a "device" to use as a reference, using any method to change how the colors and/or brightness and contrast are set is futile. There's absolutely no way to get it even near good quality. Unless its a professional display that's been calibrated at the factory. Using the method you say only makes it appeal to His eyes, it does not make it Correct.

But what defines "correct"? Correct for him may be what looks good do his eyes. It may just be my incompetence, but I fail to see a need for a professional calibration.

 

[dingo07]

That's because you have your learning cap turned off. Correct is what's stated here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIE_1931_color_space as one example

Look, it's Very Simple - if the world operated like you're saying, every McDonald's sign would look different, the red would not be the red you see everywhere, and the same goes for every other logo, sign, everything.

Calibration makes sure what's being displayed is as true to the color space as mechanically possible by the display - because every display has its limitations in reproducing the sRGB color space

 

[expl0itfinder]

Ok, well you have intrigued me. I am still skeptical, however. What would something like this cost?

 

[dingo07]

It ranges from tech to tech, maybe from as little as $150 for a single monitor, to $450 for multiple monitors and your tv with multiple inputs

Check the AVS forum here - http://www.avsforum.com/f/139/display-calibration

 

[expl0itfinder]

Ooooo...I couldn't stretch that right now. But in the future, I will look into that, because you have peaked my interest to see how such a process compares to the default monitor color, and how it can actually benefit me.

 

[dingo07]

I thought this thread was for your friend... who seems to spare no expense for quality! At least that's what you indicate in the first post.

Unless of course, this friend of yours is a significant other that lives in the same home, or something similar.

 

[expl0itfinder]

I thought this thread was for your friend... who seems to spare no expense for quality! At least that's what you indicate in the first post.

Unless of course, this friend of yours is a significant other that lives in the same home, or something similar.

Lol, no. This is more something that has intrigued me personally

 

[expl0itfinder]

Ok, the setup is finished. The two 680's are an absolute dream in any game. Maxes out Metro Last Light with 60+ FPS, no problems. Also, in games that are more competitive, such as BF3, 144FPS that can actually be displayed is something else. My friend plays competitively, the the higher the framerate, the better. We ended up entertaining ourselves for half an hour just sliding windows around on the desktop. We also grabbed some red LED's, and they add a very nice accent to the red trim on the case. Had a few issues with fitting the graphics card in the PCIe slot on the MOBO, but it ended up being that the MOBO was bowing inward slightly, stopping the graphics card from going in all the way. It was solved with a simply push on the back of the case, back in to its natural shape.

 

[Ultisym]

It ranges from tech to tech, maybe from as little as $150 for a single monitor, to $450 for multiple monitors and your tv with multiple inputs

Check the AVS forum here - http://www.avsforum.com/f/139/display-calibration

What a waste of money. If one is inclined to play with the colors as much as you, there are usually guides for each monitor or tv out there with a general consensus on the proper settings for each color. Not to say its not worth a little research to find out the typical color settings for a unit, but spending 150 a monitor to calibrate is like buying the colossal power cables the moron pimps on the net saying it makes the sound all "alien" and brings out the true treble or bass or whatever, right by the rocks that say they enhance the sound too. Some people have too much money.