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Do I care about SLI?

PRB

PRB

Administrator
Staff member
Ok, my computer has two of these video cards: They are MSI 9800GTX+ with 512 MB of ram.

17154_msi-9800-gtx-plus.jpg


These cards are SLI capable. So, if I “use” SLI, the two video cards work together and I get better performance. I get that. I think. I'm “assuming” that to “use” SLI I have to connect the two video cards together using the small cable that came with the motherboard. It connects the two cards via one of the two small connectors at the top of the card, at the left end of this picture. But, if you notice, there are two such connectors, and they are identical. But, they are not labeled. So which one do I use? I'd hate to get it wrong and blow up the video card.

But what if I don't connect the two cards together? Are they still working together to increase performance? Will not connecting them together damage the computer and/or the motherboard? Will they just sit there as isolated video cards unaware of each other? Will only one even work if they're not connected?

I've been searching Nvidia, MSI, and anywhere else I can think of and I can't find a manual for this card and anything that explains how to do this.

The reason I ask is: When I opened the box to troubleshoot my computer problem, the small cable was connected to only one of the video cards, with the other end just flopping around in the case. So I connected the other end to the other video card. It had no affect on the problem.

Are those small connectors even related to SLI at all? What the heck is that connector for?
 
PRB said:
Ok, my computer has two of these video cards: They are MSI 9800GTX+ with 512 MB of ram.

17154_msi-9800-gtx-plus.jpg


These cards are SLI capable. So, if I “use” SLI, the two video cards work together and I get better performance. I get that. I think. I'm “assuming” that to “use” SLI I have to connect the two video cards together using the small cable that came with the motherboard. It connects the two cards via one of the two small connectors at the top of the card, at the left end of this picture. But, if you notice, there are two such connectors, and they are identical. But, they are not labeled. So which one do I use? I'd hate to get it wrong and blow up the video card.

But what if I don't connect the two cards together? Are they still working together to increase performance? Will not connecting them together damage the computer and/or the motherboard? Will they just sit there as isolated video cards unaware of each other? Will only one even work if they're not connected?

I've been searching Nvidia, MSI, and anywhere else I can think of and I can't find a manual for this card and anything that explains how to do this.

The reason I ask is: When I opened the box to troubleshoot my computer problem, the small cable was connected to only one of the video cards, with the other end just flopping around in the case. So I connected the other end to the other video card. It had no affect on the problem.

Are those small connectors even related to SLI at all? What the heck is that connector for?
Click to expand...

You need an SLI bridge that connects between each card, it should have already been on the cards unless you purchased them new and installed them yourself, in which case, a bridge should have been supplied. Looking at the card shown, you have two SLI bridge slats opposite the PCI-e hookup. The reason there are two is because some systems now utilize up to four video cards in a four-way SLI hook-up. If you just have the two card, the SLI bridge could be used on either one.

Don't expect wonders with SLI and FS9 or FSX, neither are truly SLI compatible. However, with FSX in an SLI set-up you can assign one card to do the actual video work and the other to handle PhysX, which will help in frame rates. Get the latest nVidia drivers for the cards, the new nVidia Control Panel will allow you to do just that.

With the new control panel and latest drivers, I have uninstalled nHancer, it's redundant and not needed anymore.

Hope this helps,
Caz
 
I think this does help. Is the "SLI bridge" a small ribbon type cable with connectors that fit those connectors on the top of the card? If so, then I have it, and it's been there all along. I just removed it during the course of troubleshooting my computer woes, and failed to note which connectors it was attached to. With only two cards, you're saying I can use either one, and that answers my question.

Thanks, Cazz.
 
PRB said:
I think this does help. Is the "SLI bridge" a small ribbon type cable with connectors that fit those connectors on the top of the card? If so, then I have it, and it's been there all along. I just removed it during the course of troubleshooting my computer woes, and failed to note which connectors it was attached to. With only two cards, you're saying I can use either one, and that answers my question.

Thanks, Cazz.
Click to expand...

That's the one PBR, connect them and open your nVidia Control Panel and click Enable SLI and PhysX, that's all.

Caz
 
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