Sli compatibility

[Brandmuffin]

I have a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 and am wondering how sli works. I would like to get another graphics cards but do i have to get the exact same one or can i get a different 970?

[tt2468]

3 minutes ago, Brandmuffin said:

I have a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 and am wondering how sli works. I would like to get another graphics cards but do i have to get the exact same one or can i get a different 970?

As long as the GPU (GTX 970) and the amount of VRAM is the same, SLI *should* work.

[HPWebcamAble]

You should be able to use another 970 from a different manufacture, but it's best to get the exact same model.

 

Note that some games don't even support SLI, so your second card will be useless. A single, high powered card, like the 980ti would be better.

[Brandmuffin]

how do i know which games support sli?

 

[givegomezthegun]

Best to make sure your motherboard can handle SLI first... Some only handle crossfire.  

[Brandmuffin]

i know i am getting a new motherboard also so is it even worth it to get another gtx 970 or should i just have one gtx 980 or 980 ti

 

[HPWebcamAble]

3 minutes ago, Brandmuffin said:

i know i am getting a new motherboard also so is it even worth it to get another gtx 970 or should i just have one gtx 980 or 980 ti

If you can afford a 980 ti, get that. It's arguably the best single gaming card.

Two 970's ARE better in some situations, but they only have 4 GB of vram TOTAL, where as the 980 ti has 6 GB

 

Here's an official list of games that support SLI:

http://www.geforce.com/games-applications/technology/sli

[Brandmuffin]

ok thanks i dont even know how much a used 970 is worth but ill look into it thanks

 

[Moonzy]

compatibility check

1) does your motherboard support SLI

2) does it use the same GPU

3) does it have the same amount of vram

 

if it checks all the boxes, you can SLI

card manufacturer doesnt matter, gigabyte x EVGA is fine

 

but Titan Z + Titan Black = no, even though titan Z = 2x titan black `-`

[Moonzy]

1 minute ago, Brandmuffin said:

ok thanks i dont even know how much a used 970 is worth but ill look into it thanks

i would suggest you sell your 970 and get a 980ti

or use your 970 till pascal release then sell it and get whatever makes sense then

 

dont sli two mid-range cards, there are more cons than pros

here's a discussion about it

 

[thatguyyouknow75]

28 minutes ago, Brandmuffin said:

I have a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 and am wondering how sli works. I would like to get another graphics cards but do i have to get the exact same one or can i get a different 970?

You can get any 970 and they will run at the lower clock speed. It is however better to get the same exact model for aesthetics.