SLI QUESTION!

[PsychoJamz]

How much performance can I get if I add another 980 ti in my rig, some build vlogs in yt says that you dont really get much if you're adding another card??

[Riv]

Its exponential. I would say 30% frame rate increase at the very worse and 100% at the very best.

[manikyath]

0% if the game at hand doesnt support sli at all.

100% if the game has perfect scaling.

 

somewhere in between is where its usually at.

[LeapFrogMasterRace]

Depends on the game, you can either get almost double, a decent boost, not noticeable/loss in performance + stuttering. 

[UpsetPeck]

Depends on the game sometimes it will be double and sometimes it will be 0% if you are playing just cause 3 that is. 

[byalexandr]

Its exponential. I would say 30% frame rate increase at the very worse and 100% at the very best.

I'd say it's more logarithmic. The more cards you add the lesser performance boost you get.

 

Single card - 100% Performance

SLI - 180% (+80%)

3-way SLI - 240% (+60%)

4-way SLI - 270% (+30%)

 

See what I mean? It's not exactly like that but the scaling decreases, if it was exponential then everyone would strive for four way SLI.

[JLCitadel]

I'd say it's more logarithmic. The more cards you add the lesser performance boost you get.

 

Single card - 100% Performance

SLI - 180% (+80%)

3-way SLI - 240% (+60%)

4-way SLI - 270% (+30%)

 

See what I mean? It's not exactly like that but the scaling decreases, if it was exponential then everyone would strive for four way SLI.

 

I was under the impression:

1-way SLI - 100%

2-way SLI - 160% (+60%)

3-way SLI - 190% (+30%)

4-way SLI - 200% (+10%)

[byalexandr]

 

I was under the impression:

1-way SLI - 100%

2-way SLI - 160% (+60%)

3-way SLI - 190% (+30%)

4-way SLI - 200% (+10%)

 

Like I said my scale is not accurate. I was just trying to make a point. If it was exponential:

 

1-way - 100%

2-way - 200% (+100%)

3-way - 400% (+200%)

4-way - 800% (+400%)

[peterleo]

How much performance can I get if I add another 980 ti in my rig, some build vlogs in yt says that you dont really get much if you're adding another card??

 

The best way to go about deciding if sli is for you:

1. make a list of the games you play/ want to play

2. look at reviews/benchmarks where those games were used - Google "name of game" + "sli"

3. see which ones performed well, and if they did, by how much they scaled

4. see which ones lack support or have issues with sli

5. make an informed decision

 

as the other guys said, some games will really benefit from sli, while others will run worse due to no sli support

[JLCitadel]

Like I said my scale is not accurate. I was just trying to make a point. If it was exponential:

 

1-way - 100%

2-way - 200% (+100%)

3-way - 400% (+200%)

4-way - 800% (+400%)

 

My mistake, was lazy didn't read last sentence. 

[DannyRyu]

Also Refer to this

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/197327-the-sli-information-guide/

[PsychoJamz]

I'd say it's more logarithmic. The more cards you add the lesser performance boost you get.

Single card - 100% Performance

SLI - 180% (+80%)

3-way SLI - 240% (+60%)

4-way SLI - 270% (+30%)

See what I mean? It's not exactly like that but the scaling decreases, if it was exponential then everyone would strive for four way SLI.

So if it works that way am i losing performance per dollar and it seems that 2 way sli is the best way to maximize performance without spending way too much on 4 way sli??

[PsychoJamz]

The best way to go about deciding if sli is for you:

1. make a list of the games you play/ want to play

2. look at reviews/benchmarks where those games were used - Google "name of game" + "sli"

3. see which ones performed well, and if they did, by how much they scaled

4. see which ones lack support or have issues with sli

5. make an informed decision

as the other guys said, some games will really benefit from sli, while others will run worse due to no sli support

I play every game that I get my hands on every genre of online and single player games and all of the triple a titles.

[PsychoJamz]

Depends on the game, you can either get almost double, a decent boost, not noticeable/loss in performance + stuttering.

Could SLI possibly decrease the overall performance of my pc?

[BrightCandle]

I wish it was 0-100%. At best it can absolutely be 2x and its typically that when you have a game that really needs it. Crysis is one of those examples where its clearly pretty and clearly a big user of GPU effects and it tends to scale well as a result. One of the things people don't often mention is it turns out the games with the best graphics also tend to scale the best!

 

But at worst it can be negative, some games will genuinely negatively scale and you will have to turn SLI off in them and run on 1 card. Its rare, its usually things like F1 and some lesser known games but it happens every now and then. What you will find is that SLI means you see CPU bottlenecks a lot more often.

[byalexandr]

So if it works that way am i losing performance per dollar and it seems that 2 way sli is the best way to maximize performance without spending way too much on 4 way sli??

Yes, you'll be getting less performance per dollar. 2-way SLI is a great option for the 980 Ti, it's already one of the most powerful cards out there.

[PsychoJamz]

I'd say it's more logarithmic. The more cards you add the lesser performance boost you get.

Single card - 100% Performance

SLI - 180% (+80%)

3-way SLI - 240% (+60%)

4-way SLI - 270% (+30%)

See what I mean? It's not exactly like that but the scaling decreases, if it was exponential then everyone would strive for four way SLI.

Best answer so far it describes how much performance I can get tnx for the answer..

[byalexandr]

Could SLI possibly decrease the overall performance of my pc?

No, but it can introduce micro stuttering which can be slightly annoying. This gets worse when you add more and more cards. Also, some games and applications don't support SLI, so the second GPU would not even be used.

[PsychoJamz]

I wish it was 0-100%. At best it can absolutely be 2x and its typically that when you have a game that really needs it. Crysis is one of those examples where its clearly pretty and clearly a big user of GPU effects and it tends to scale well as a result. One of the things people don't often mention is it turns out the games with the best graphics also tend to scale the best!

But at worst it can be negative, some games will genuinely negatively scale and you will have to turn SLI off in them and run on 1 card. Its rare, its usually things like F1 and some lesser known games but it happens every now and then. What you will find is that SLI means you see CPU bottlenecks a lot more often.

So it really depends on what game I will be playing? Damn thats a problem.

[PsychoJamz]

No, but it can introduce micro stuttering which can be slightly annoying. This gets worse when you add more and more cards. Also, some games and applications don't support SLI, so the second GPU would not even be used.

No I see it this way If I go 2 way sli and play a game that doesnt fully support sli could it like decrease performance by hotter temp because of 2 gpus or will it increase performance if I just leave it there..

[byalexandr]

No I see it this way If I go 2 way sli and play a game that doesnt fully support sli could it like decrease performance by hotter temp because of 2 gpus or will it increase performance if I just leave it there..

No. If the game doesn't support SLI, then the second GPU won't be used. That means it won't create any heat because it's idling.

[don_svetlio]

No. If the game doesn't support SLI, then the second GPU won't be used. That means it won't create any heat because it's idling.

Unless the game is so poorly coded that it puts both at 100% but only uses one

[Najuno]

I´m using SLI/CF systems for a long while already. And honestly there was a time when I gladly skipped it, due to a lack of profiles in 3D applications or micro stuttering. Well that being said the micro stuttering isn´t that much of deal anylonger as long as you don´t go over a 2way CF/SLI. With 3 or more cards the scaling goes down the drain as well. This is more for epeen or pure benchmarking system, but for a daily machine a 2way CF/SLI can be very beneficial if you use it right.

 

With right I mean if you go get a 2way CF/SLI do yourself a favor and don´t buy budget or performance cards and try to link them... waste of money because a fast highend chip is always preferred over that, just because it doesn´t hold any of the SLI/CF downfalls. BUT today to CF/SLI makes sense in very demanding games, that support of course a profile, in higher resolution like 1440p with 144Hz or 4K or an Eyefinity/Surround setup. This is where the linked GPUs start to shine. And the microstuttering is at least for nVidia´s GTX9xx and Titan X almost completely gone. I´m very sensitive to ms and cards like the HD7990 almost made me through up. But I play in native 4K with G-Sync and it makes games like The Witcher3 so damn beautiful, that you stop in certain areas just to sit in front of your PC and admire the environment.

[BrightCandle]

So it really depends on what game I will be playing? Damn thats a problem.

Its like that with all games. If you play Arma 3 or Squad then there is no apparent difference in frame rate going from a 960 to a 980 ti at all, SLI just makes no difference there. Games have always had CPU bottlenecks and what SLI does is show that quite a number of games were only a few frames away from being quite CPU limited. I use it to get more FPS but if its about graphics for you then SLI will be better at achieving high quality AA/settings than it is at higher FPS.

[PsychoJamz]

No. If the game doesn't support SLI, then the second GPU won't be used. That means it won't create any heat because it's idling.

Thats what i wanted to know tnx