Is it possible to use the secondary GPU as primary in SLI?

[JerryJack]

(before you ask why read the full post)

 

Is there a way set the second GPU as primary in a SLI configuration via Nvidia Panel or somewhere in the bios?

I recently got a second 660 Ti, one is a Zotac (short pcb) and the other a PNY (reference card), the thing is, my case is old and kind of small, also it doesnt have room for cable management so in order to fit everything inside the PNY has to be in the first PCI-E slot and the Zotac on the second slot making the PNY card reach around 88ºC (Its summer here, ambient temps are arround 35ºC-39ºC max) for being the primary card, and so the question. Also, before I had the Zotac on the first slot and the PNY on the second but to achieve that I had to move my hard drives away from the front fan making them go about 50+ºC.

[C1intFunWood]

Theres no difference on order

[Oshino Shinobu]

I don't think so. I've had to change the cables for my monitors around on my cards, and even when I had them all in the second one, it was still the secondary. I think it assigns the card in the first slot to primary by default. 

 

If you could change it, it would have to be through Windows I think, or maybe somewhere deep in the BIOS. Don't think it's possible though.

[JerryJack]

There IS actually a difference on usage, when I had the Zotac as primary both cards will reach around 75ºC, now the PNY 88ºC and the Zotac 70º, meaning: the primary card gets hotter.

[Oshino Shinobu]

There IS actually, when I had the Zotac as primary both cards will reach around 75ºC, now the PNY 88ºC and the Zotac 70º, meaning: the primary card gets hotter.

Did you have the cards in the same slots as you have now? The primary card is by default the top card, which is why is gets hotter. Unless you're dedicating one to PhysX, they should share the load more or less equally. 

 

EDIT: I think I see what you mean, but it's due to the placement of the cards, rather than which card is the primary.

[C1intFunWood]

There IS actually a difference on usage, when I had the Zotac as primary both cards will reach around 75ºC, now the PNY 88ºC and the Zotac 70º, meaning: the primary card gets hotter.

Hotter doesnt mean more usage it just means bad airflow

[JerryJack]

Well Total GPU Power on first card is 109 and secondary 98

[C1intFunWood]

Well Total GPU Power on first card is 109 and secondary 98

Its probably GPU boost but i've never owned a nvidia card so I dont know for sure

[JerryJack]

Did you have the cards in the same slots as you have now? The primary card is by default the top card, which is why is gets hotter. Unless you're dedicating one to PhysX, they should share the load more or less equally. 

 

EDIT: I think I see what you mean, but it's due to the placement of the cards, rather than which card is the primary.

Read the full post man, I had them inverted at first

[Oshino Shinobu]

Read the full post man, I had them inverted at first

I did read it. It's because of the placement of the cards, not which is primary. The only solution is to be able to move the Zotac one to the top. The top card is always going to get hotter/less fresh air.

[JerryJack]

I did read it. It's because of the placement of the cards, not which is primary. The only solution is to be able to move the Zotac one to the top. The top card is always going to get hotter/less fresh air.

So you think I should sacrifice Hard Drive temps to get better GPU temps?

[Oshino Shinobu]

So you think I should sacrifice Hard Drive temps to get better GPU temps?

Personally, I would move them in order to get better GPU temps. You may have to ghetto mount them so they they're not getting too hot, but hard drives tent not to get too hot unless you're moving large files 24/7.

[Prophet of Entropy]

any reason to not take off your side panel have a household fan blowing into your case for the summer?

[JerryJack]

any reason to not take off your side panel have a household fan blowing into your case for the summer?

Right now I don't have enough room to have a fan blowing case but I might take that side panel off, all tho right now there's a lot of dust around here specially since half my house is under construction, but that's another story...

[Prophet of Entropy]

I think you have an airflow problem, since one card is a blower and the other isn't, which mean your pny card is ingesting waste heat from your zotac, but not vise versa.

 

you might want to add a filtered intake fan to the side of your case over your gpus.  depending on your case you also might want to add a bottom exhaust fan also so your cpu wont eat the gpu's heat.

 

a good case can make a big difference in temps. or you can mod the crap out of an old one.

[JerryJack]

Believe me, after this, "new case" is first on my buy list.

Well, my case actually had a 250mm side fan but, due to being a small case and my PSU PCIE cables impossible to bend, I had to take it off.
As for now, I just pop both side panels off and with an ambient temp of 28ºC the PNY was at 71ºC after a few minutes of Skyrim (full of mods). So, I think I just gonna wait and buy a new case.
I'll be good to know tho if someone does know to change the gpu priority, after looking arround some forums some ppl said they did it but never explained how, not sure if they're just trolling