Jump to content

Some SLI questions

Spev
By Spev
in Graphics Cards
 Share
Posted

Hi I am just wondering what happens in games when SLI is not supported? Does it just default to one card? I'm still debating SLI with my 970 or holding off till the next big card. Anyways I have heard SLI can cause a lot of problems too, so I'm just trying to get some feedback from those who have used it.

Current PC build: [CPU: Intel i7 8700k] [GPU: GTX 1070 Asus ROG Strix] [Ram: Corsair LPX 32GB 3000MHz] [Mobo: Asus Prime Z370-A] [SSD: Samsung 970 EVO 500GB primary + Samsung 860 Evo 1TB secondary] [PSU: EVGA SuperNova G2 750w 80plus] [Monitors: Dual Dell Ultrasharp U2718Qs, 4k IPS] [Case: Fractal Design R5]

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Yea, it just uses one card. You don't even have to turn off SLI.

SLI is really reliable for me and only sometimes causes problems.

 

CIV V was having some issues with people beards (Yes, beards) on SLI. But that's it.

Games that don't have good SLI support should be shamed anyways. 

 

Even if SLI is not supported 970s are not underpowered. 

5800X3D - RTX 4070 - 2K @ 165Hz

 

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3669598
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Hi I am just wondering what happens in games when SLI is not supported? Does it just default to one card? I'm still debating SLI with my 970 or holding off till the next big card. Anyways I have heard SLI can cause a lot of problems too, so I'm just trying to get some feedback from those who have used it.

When a game doesn't support SLI it will run on only 1 card with the other card idling and SLI has improved drastically its defiantly worth it..

|King Of The Lost|
Project Dark: i7 7820x 5.1GHz | X299 Dark | Trident Z 32GB 3200MHz | GTX 1080Ti Hybrid | Corsair 760t | 1TB Samsung 860 Pro | EVGA Supernova G2 850w | H110i GTX
Lava: i9 12900k 5.1GHz (Undervolted to 1.26v)| MSI z690 Pro DDR4| Dominator Platnium 32GB 3800MHz| Power Color Red Devil RX 6950 XT| Seasonic Focus Platnium 850w| NZXT Kraken Z53
Unholy Rampage: i7 5930k 4.7GHz 4.4 Ring| X99 Rampage|Ripjaws IV 16GB 2800 CL13| GTX 1080 Strix(Custom XOC Signed BIOS) | Seasonic Focus Platinum 850w |H100i v2 
Revenge of 775: Pentium 641 | Biostar TPower i45| Crucial Tracer 1066 DDR2 | GTX 580 Classified Ultra | EVGA 650 BQ | Noctua NH D14

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3669606
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Yea, it just uses one card. You don't even have to turn off SLI.

SLI is really reliable for me and only sometimes causes problems.

 

CIV V was having some issues with people beards (Yes, beards) on SLI. But that's it.

Games that don't have good SLI support should be shamed anyways. 

 

Even if SLI is not supported 970s are not underpowered. 

would you say going with 970's SLI necessarily means 2x graphics performance in optimized games ?

Snow Piercer - Build Log    CPU-Z Validation    Power Supply Whitelist

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3669612
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Hi I am just wondering what happens in games when SLI is not supported? Does it just default to one card? I'm still debating SLI with my 970 or holding off till the next big card. Anyways I have heard SLI can cause a lot of problems too, so I'm just trying to get some feedback from those who have used it.

 

Depending on the title it is anywhere in between not working at all and running okay but not scaling. You can turn off SLI in your NVIDIA control panel to play games that don't support SLI but as someone who's been there and done that I'm never going back. It's just such a big hassle for no real reason. A top of the line single GPU solution (as the 980) is easily enough to comfortably run everything and comes with none of the problems.

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3669619
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Depending on the title it is anywhere in between not working at all and running okay but not scaling. You can turn off SLI in your NVIDIA control panel to play games that don't support SLI but as someone who's been there and done that I'm never going back. It's just such a big hassle for no real reason. A top of the line single GPU solution (as the 980) is easily enough to comfortably run everything and comes with none of the problems.

 

The SLI life is not for everyone. 

5800X3D - RTX 4070 - 2K @ 165Hz

 

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3669631
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

Depending on the title it is anywhere in between not working at all and running okay but not scaling. You can turn off SLI in your NVIDIA control panel to play games that don't support SLI but as someone who's been there and done that I'm never going back. It's just such a big hassle for no real reason. A top of the line single GPU solution (as the 980) is easily enough to comfortably run everything and comes with none of the problems.

Yeah I kinda wish I bought the 980. 970 is much better cost solution and a better deal. I really like my 970 but I wish I could be bumping things up a little higher and getting some extra fps. I shoulda splurged for the 80.

That's also what I'm worried about it some people who said they have it haven't liked it or had issues. Still on the line here

Current PC build: [CPU: Intel i7 8700k] [GPU: GTX 1070 Asus ROG Strix] [Ram: Corsair LPX 32GB 3000MHz] [Mobo: Asus Prime Z370-A] [SSD: Samsung 970 EVO 500GB primary + Samsung 860 Evo 1TB secondary] [PSU: EVGA SuperNova G2 750w 80plus] [Monitors: Dual Dell Ultrasharp U2718Qs, 4k IPS] [Case: Fractal Design R5]

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3669636
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Yeah I kinda wish I bought the 980. 970 is much better cost solution and a better deal. I really like my 970 but I wish I could be bumping things up a little higher and getting some extra fps. I shoulda splurged for the 80.

 

SLI 970s is much more powerful though. 

5800X3D - RTX 4070 - 2K @ 165Hz

 

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3669643
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

SLI 970s is much more powerful though.

Ugh I just don't want to regret it if there's some new GPU powerhouse around the corner.

Current PC build: [CPU: Intel i7 8700k] [GPU: GTX 1070 Asus ROG Strix] [Ram: Corsair LPX 32GB 3000MHz] [Mobo: Asus Prime Z370-A] [SSD: Samsung 970 EVO 500GB primary + Samsung 860 Evo 1TB secondary] [PSU: EVGA SuperNova G2 750w 80plus] [Monitors: Dual Dell Ultrasharp U2718Qs, 4k IPS] [Case: Fractal Design R5]

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3669656
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

The SLI life is not for everyone. 

 

It definitely isn't, that's my point. In my opinion a computer should work all the time without having to mess with settings during use for it to run optimally or for that matter even run at all. Why you would want a system that's not always 100% ready for you to enjoy when the only gain you get is horsepower you're not going to use anyways I can not understand.

 

Edit: With regards to the just around the corner comment; There is ALWAYS something just around the corner. If you wait for the new generation when building a PC you're never going to get anything. Shop today instead of waiting 3 months for something that may or may not be scheduled to release. You're not going to see any new (enthusiast) NVIDIA cards for a while.

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3669680
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

It definitely isn't, that's my point. In my opinion a computer should work all the time without having to mess with settings during use for it to run optimally or for that matter even run at all. Why you would want a system that's not always 100% ready for you to enjoy when the only gain you get is horsepower you're not going to use anyways I can not understand.

 

I find computers fun to mess with and build, and SLI looks sexy and makes my friends 980s cry in shame. 

5800X3D - RTX 4070 - 2K @ 165Hz

 

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3669694
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Yeah I kinda wish I bought the 980. 970 is much better cost solution and a better deal. I really like my 970 but I wish I could be bumping things up a little higher and getting some extra fps. I shoulda splurged for the 80.

That's also what I'm worried about it some people who said they have it haven't liked it or had issues. Still on the line here

I personally went the same route only I bought a 770 instead of a 780. I debated sli a lot and asked many of the same questions. Most games will support some form of sli. Few games I play that actaully need the horsepower don't support sli, mabely Minecraft. Most of the time, if a game needs the power, it will on release or soon thereafter support sli. I love my sli rig with two 770s and on a well optimized game I have as much horsepower as a titan for 400$ less! For instance, when I recently got the crew and discovered it was very well optimized I maxed out settings and didn't even use all of my GPU power. The sli life is for me, go ahead and try it!!! I highly recommend it!
Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3669702
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Ugh I just don't want to regret it if there's some new GPU powerhouse around the corner.

GPUs with 20nm processors are set to be released in 2014, its the equivalent of having an extra shit ton of data being processed at one time. this will destroy quite a few other things in the market so if you're going to buy another graphics card, wait until the price of these cards come down - they're monsters! ;) 

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3669745
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

GPUs with 20nm processors are set to be released in 2014, its the equivalent of having an extra shit ton of data being processed at one time. this will destroy quite a few other things in the market so if you're going to buy another graphics card, wait until the price of these cards come down - they're monsters! ;)

 

If they're set to release in 2014 they're running out of time that's for sure.

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3669883
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

It really depends what you need the extra horse power for. I play games in 4k on high or ultra and without the second card, the performance would be terrible. I get about 30-40 fps on a single card and 60-85 with a second one in SLI. If you're playing on a single 60hz 1080p monitor then it wouldn't be worth the trouble. But if you plan to play at triple surround 1080p, 1440p at 144hz, or 4k 60hz then you really have no other option then deal with crossfire or SLI. Most modern games support it seamlessly and the games that don't will simply run off a single card. Heat and noise are the biggest issue that I run into, Just make sure your case is well ventilated.  

CPU: Intel i7 4770k 4.3ghz MOBO: Asus Z87 Sabertooth RAM: 2x8GB RipJaws 1866mhz GPU: 2x GTX780ti SLI 1.2ghz SSD: 960GB 2x Intel 730 RAID0 CASE: Fractal Design Define S COOLING: Custom EK watercooling loop

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3675145
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

The last game that I found not supporting SLI (it was an indie game) I got around it by enabling a profile for a different game in Nvidia Inspector. Raised fps from 24 to 40, so I was happy with that.

 

I've exclusively used SLI in one form or another since 2011 and not found it to be any particular issue generally.

Link to comment
https://linustechtips.com/topic/270420-some-sli-questions/#findComment-3675789
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing Graphics Cards

×