SLI similar cards

[Baldwin90]

I know that you can run the same card from different manufacturers in SLI. However, I have an EVGA 560 Ti with 1GB and I want to get one with 2GB of RAM. I know that you are limited to V-RAM from only one card, but if I make the 2GB card the one that has the actual connection, will it mean that my I will have access to a 2GB frame-buffer, or would I be limited to 1GB?

[Lord Pantaloons]

I know that you can run the same card from different manufacturers in SLI. However, I have an EVGA 560 Ti with 1GB and I want to get one with 2GB of RAM. I know that you are limited to V-RAM from only one card, but if I make the 2GB card the one that has the actual connection, will it mean that my I will have access to a 2GB frame-buffer, or would I be limited to 1GB?

doesn't matter which one you make primary you're limited to the lowest amount of VRAM.

[SymphonyX7]

I know that you can run the same card from different manufacturers in SLI. However, I have an EVGA 560 Ti with 1GB and I want to get one with 2GB of RAM. I know that you are limited to V-RAM from only one card, but if I make the 2GB card the one that has the actual connection, will it mean that my I will have access to a 2GB frame-buffer, or would I be limited to 1GB?

You can't SLI two cards with different memory configurations, even if they are using the same chip. i.e. You can't SLI a 2 GB GTX 760 and a 4 GB GTX 760. Has to be both 2 GB GTX 760. 

You might have mistaken it for Crossfire. On Crossfire, you can mix up different memory configurations, as long as they use the same chip. i.e. You can Crossfire a 1 GB HD 7850 with a 2 GB R9 270 because cards are from the Pitcairn family.

[Paralectic]

You can't SLI two cards with different memory configurations, even if they are using the same chip. i.e. You can't SLI a 2 GB GTX 760 and a 4 GB GTX 760. Has to be both 2 GB GTX 760. 

You might have mistaken it for Crossfire. On Crossfire, you can mix up different memory configurations, as long as they use the same chip. i.e. You can Crossfire a 1 GB HD 7850 with a 2 GB R9 270 because cards are from the Pitcairn family.

Your information is incorrect, you certainly can SLI GPU 1 with 2GB vRam with GPU 2 with 4GB vRam, it will only be able to use 2gb vRam but you can without a doubt SLI these two cards.

[Baldwin90]

Would it be better to get a 2GB 560 Ti and then just use the 1GB card for PhysX? I imagine that would allow me to use the extra GB of VRAM for frame-buffering

[H4X3R]

NO. nVidia SLI has to be between cards with the same amount of vRAM. Mixing different vRAMs only works with AMD crossfire.

[hiyayhi]

Would it be better to get a 2GB 560 Ti and then just use the 1GB card for PhysX? I imagine that would allow me to use the extra GB of VRAM for frame-buffering

It would probably be better to sell both cards and buy yourself something new like a 760 or 750ti.

You could use the 1gb card for physX but depending on how many games you play that are actually physX enabled I'm not sure you will see much to any performance benefit.

[Baldwin90]

It would probably be better to sell both cards and buy yourself something new like a 760 or 750ti.

You could use the 1gb card for physX but depending on how many games you play that are actually physX enabled I'm not sure you will see much to any performance benefit.

I thought about getting a 750 Ti, but it only performs slightly better than my current card. I actually checked to see how well this card scales, and it's pretty darn close to double the performance. It would cost about half as much as a 750 Ti to pretty much double my performance with another 560 Ti. I guess I'll have to deal with the fact that I won't have as large of a frame-buffer.

[JoshM]

NO. nVidia SLI has to be between cards with the same amount of vRAM. Mixing different vRAMs only works with AMD crossfire.

Wrong as stated earlier 

[SymphonyX7]

Your information is incorrect, you certainly can SLI GPU 1 with 2GB vRam with GPU 2 with 4GB vRam, it will only be able to use 2gb vRam but you can without a doubt SLI these two cards.

Actually, you're dead wrong with that one, at least for now. SLI used to work with different memory configurations, but now with the latest drivers, only pairing the same card with the same memory configuration works.

Even if they enable it again, it would be a total waste because the SLI pairing will align itself with the card that has the least memory. SLI does alternate frame rendering and if the card with the smaller VRAM chokes, it will bottleneck. The second card doesn't just "pitch in" and help. I'll be quoting Nvidia directly on this one:

 

When I configure two graphics cards in SLI mode, do the graphics cards work together to create double the memory size?

No. In SLI mode, each graphics card uses its own frame buffer memory to render a 3D application. The operating system will report a graphics card frame buffer memory size that is found on a single graphics board.

[Paralectic]

Actually, you're dead wrong with that one, at least for now. SLI used to work with different memory configurations, but now with the latest drivers, only pairing the same card with the same memory configuration works.

Even if they enable it again, it would be a total waste because the SLI pairing will align itself with the card that has the least memory. SLI does alternate frame rendering and if the card with the smaller VRAM chokes, it will bottleneck. The second card doesn't just "pitch in" and help. I'll be quoting Nvidia directly on this one:

 

Source?

[SymphonyX7]

Source?

We tried hooking up a Palit GTX 760 4 GB with a GTX 760 2 GB variant just last week. No go. Attempted on Forceware 337.50 drivers. We were baffled as well. SLI used to work properly regardless of memory configurations, even years ago.

[Paralectic]

We tried hooking up a Palit GTX 760 4 GB with a GTX 760 2 GB variant just last week. No go. Attempted on Forceware 337.50 drivers. We were baffled as well. SLI used to work properly regardless of memory configurations, even years ago.

So only because yours didn't work out it means it doesn't work at all? I can't believe it would suddenly just not work anymore.

[SymphonyX7]

So only because yours didn't work out it means it doesn't work at all? I can't believe it would suddenly just not work anymore.

I've consulted this with others as well. Apparently this is the case now, perhaps just with the new cards. Everyone I contacted who attempted to SLI cards of different memory configurations used Geforce 7 series cards. I don't think this is an isolated incident.