SLI Problems?

[It'sMeChipzy]

Hey people of LinusTechTipsForums. I need some help trying to enable Nvidia SLI but for whatever reason I just can't get it to work.

Here are my PC Specs CPU: i7-4790k Motherboard: ASUS Z97-A RAM: 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport PSU: Corsair CX750M Storage: 240GB SSD + Other HDDs GPUs: ASUS GTX 970 STRIX + EVGA GTX 970 SC

I hooked up the two GPU's like you normally would in an SLI configuration, but for whatever reason in Nvidia Control Panel the "Disable SLI" bubble is filled in by default, and the "Maximize 3D Performance" bubble is greyed out. I get an error message saying "To use Maximim 3D Performance, connect the SLI-Ready graphics cards with an SLI connector." I did indeed connect an SLI bridge to those two cards, and for whatever reason I still can't enable SLI. Both of the cards are in working condition, and they do show up in programs like MSI Afterburner which means that my system does recognize that they're even there. I have no idea what to do from here, and looking at old online threads regarding SLI doesn't help.

GPU-Z does recognize both of the cards, and they are both running at 8x.  Both graphics cards are running in the top two PCI Express slots. (The slot all the way at the bottom doesn't have enough clearance) I have tried switching their positions and it still doesn't work. I have also tried switching the position of the SLI Bridge and it still doesn't work. Please help. 

[EIijah]

8 minutes ago, It'sMeChipzy said:

Hey people of LinusTechTipsForums. I need some help trying to enable Nvidia SLI but for whatever reason I just can't get it to work.

Here are my PC Specs CPU: i7-4790k Motherboard: ASUS Z97-A RAM: 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport PSU: Corsair CX750M Storage: 240GB SSD + Other HDDs GPUs: ASUS GTX 970 STRIX + EVGA GTX 970 SC

I hooked up the two GPU's like you normally would in an SLI configuration, but for whatever reason in Nvidia Control Panel the "Disable SLI" bubble is filled in by default, and the "Maximize 3D Performance" bubble is greyed out. I get an error message saying "To use Maximim 3D Performance, connect the SLI-Ready graphics cards with an SLI connector." I did indeed connect an SLI bridge to those two cards, and for whatever reason I still can't enable SLI. Both of the cards are in working condition, and they do show up in programs like MSI Afterburner which means that my system does recognize that they're even there. I have no idea what to do from here, and looking at old online threads regarding SLI doesn't help.

GPU-Z does recognize both of the cards, and they are both running at 8x.  Both graphics cards are running in the top two PCI Express slots. (The slot all the way at the bottom doesn't have enough clearance) I have tried switching their positions and it still doesn't work. I have also tried switching the position of the SLI Bridge and it still doesn't work. Please help. 

Do you have a second SLI bridge you could try using?

Also try taking out any other PCI-E things you might have and check the BIOS for a setting (Might not be called SLI, could be like multi gpu support or something)

[It'sMeChipzy]

5 minutes ago, EIijah said:

Do you have a second SLI bridge you could try using?

Also try taking out any other PCI-E things you might have and check the BIOS for a setting (Might not be called SLI, could be like multi gpu support or something)

I unfortunately do not have a second SLI bridge I could use. All other expansion slots are clear except for those two graphics cards. I'll definitely try looking in my BIOS for a setting like that. Thanks so much for the advice. I'll reply back as soon as I get back from searching my BIOS. 

[EIijah]

2 minutes ago, It'sMeChipzy said:

I unfortunately do not have a second SLI bridge I could use. All other expansion slots are clear except for those two graphics cards. I'll definitely try looking in my BIOS for a setting like that. Thanks so much for the advice. I'll reply back as soon as I get back from searching my BIOS. 

Cool, if not there isn't a setting, or it's on, It's time to try update all the drivers, video cards and bios

[It'sMeChipzy]

8 minutes ago, EIijah said:

Cool, if not there isn't a setting, or it's on, It's time to try update all the drivers, video cards and bios

There wasn't a setting for enabling SLI in the BIOS. My drivers are all up to date as well. (GeForce Experience automatically updates drivers so I assume I'm up to date.) Anything else I could attempt?

[EIijah]

15 minutes ago, It'sMeChipzy said:

There wasn't a setting for enabling SLI in the BIOS. My drivers are all up to date as well. (GeForce Experience automatically updates drivers so I assume I'm up to date.) Anything else I could attempt?

At this point I'd go find the cheapest SLI bridge I could, just to see if it works.

 

I found this too: http://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/782/~/sli-troubleshooting-tips

[It'sMeChipzy]

1 minute ago, EIijah said:

At this point I'd go find the cheapest SLI bridge I could, just to see if it works.

Well I was hoping that I'd be able to solve this tonight.Oh well. Thanks so much for the help and I'll definitely try to find an extra SLI bridge. 

[EIijah]

18 minutes ago, It'sMeChipzy said:

Well I was hoping that I'd be able to solve this tonight.Oh well. Thanks so much for the help and I'll definitely try to find an extra SLI bridge. 

Double check video card boxes/motherboard boxes, I got one with my gigabyte 970 and my motherboard

[It'sMeChipzy]

Just now, EIijah said:

Double check video card boxes/motherboard boxes, I got one with my gigabyte 970 and my motherboard

I did. I actually trolled myself twice thinking I found some extra SLI bridges. They were actually Crossfire bridges...

[EIijah]

1 minute ago, It'sMeChipzy said:

I did. I actually trolled myself twice thinking I found some extra SLI bridges. They were actually Crossfire bridges...

Oh that's annoying

[SuicideAnomaly]

Check out this thread on the EVGA forums, as the poster had a similar issue. Perhaps the fix will work for you, as well. Good luck, and get back to us with any new developments! http://forums.evga.com/Cant-enable-SLI-with-EVGA-GTX-970s-and-Asus-z97A-m2255376.aspx

[afyeung]

If the vram chips are different then you can SLI. So you wanna check

[It'sMeChipzy]

13 hours ago, SuicideAnomaly said:

Check out this thread on the EVGA forums, as the poster had a similar issue. Perhaps the fix will work for you, as well. Good luck, and get back to us with any new developments! http://forums.evga.com/Cant-enable-SLI-with-EVGA-GTX-970s-and-Asus-z97A-m2255376.aspx

 

It didn't work for me. I'm just about to go make the 20 mile drive to the nearest electronics store that carries SLI bridges. 

[It'sMeChipzy]

I tried using a new SLI bridge. Still nothing. What else could possibly be the issue that's not letting me enable SLI?