The total number of connectors needed to power the two cards needs to be factored into your configuration. Most PSU manufactures will clearly show if the PSU is SLI, CrossFire or multiple graphics card ready. It is in your best interests before embarking on the dual graphics card journey to ensure your PSU will be up to the task, otherwise it will not have the necessary power connectors, or worse yet, your system will crash. It is for that reason that PSU manufactures rate their products as SLI and/or CrossFire certified. So if you are pairing two of these high-powered behemoths, please ensure your motherboard has a suitable gap between PCIe lanes to accommodate them.Ī graphic card is a major user of power. What that means is the graphic card will take up three slots in the case, rather than two. It is worth noting that some of the modern super graphic cards, such as the MATRIX and DirectCU II ranges are triple slot graphic cards. The PCIe configuration of your particular motherboard will be laid out in the motherboard manual or you can physically check the markings on the motherboard itself if you like. It therefore does not always follow that the first two slots will be both 16x more often the first and third slot will be 16x. Those motherboards that do support 2 or more PCIe 16x will often place the two 16x where it best suits a mutli-GPU layout. If possible it is best to place each graphic card in a PCIe 16x slot, but not all motherboards will have that facility. The total number of lanes available is dependent on the CPU/chipset of the motherboard. CrossfireX is flexible enough to allow a pretty neat upgrade path for a gaming system.Įach motherboard will have its own unique PCIe lane configuration. I have paired a HD 5870 and a HD5850, but I could have used a HD 6850 and a HD 5850. Notwithstanding that option, it is still most common to pair two cards that are the same in CrossFire to maximize performance. The red team allow you to pair any two AMD graphic cards in CrossFireX. The same goes for a GeForce GTX 560 Ti or any other graphic card series. As long as they are both GeForce GTX 580 cards with the same memory capacity I will be able to use them in SLI configuration. For example I am going to use GeForce GTX 580 MATRIX 1.5GB and 580GTX DirectCU II 1.5GB in SLI. What that means is it is possible to pair to different variations of the same model. The two cards do not necessarily have to have the same clock speed, just the same model graphic card and memory capacity. Both these cards need to be of the same model for SLI. Obviously for dual graphics cards we will need two physical graphic cards. An easy way to find that out is to simply go to the product page and check the specifications of your motherboard. Not all motherboards will allow a dual graphics card set up, make sure that your motherboard is compatible. Part 1 - Physical Installation Process The Motherboard First we have to physically install the cards in the appropriate dual card configuration, and then we have to configure the cards in the OS to enable dual card operation. This guide is divided into two distinct parts. So you want to go multi-GPU for the first time, but are not a hundred percent sure what to do or how to go about it? Fear not intrepid gamer, this simple step by step walk-through will make the process of setting up a SLI or CrossFire system a breeze. Dual Graphics Card Step by Step Guide Nvidia SLI and AMD CrossFireX
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