A8N-SLI Deluxe: Can't get Windows to detect second graphics card!

Aenovae

Junior Member
Jan 18, 2005
2
0
0
My first pots on Anand!

Apologies for starting a new thread, but I haven't seen this issue mentioned in any of the others.

I have everything set up correctly (I think), but Windows isn't detecting SLI mode!

- ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe flashed to bios 1002
- BIOS SLI mode set to [Auto] (switching to [SLI] has no effect)
- Two eVGA GeForce 6800 Ultras, serial #'s match NVIDIA's SLI certification listing, both properly powered on two separate rails from a 520 PSU
- Power being supplied into the extra slot in the mainboard
- EZ selector set to Dual Video Cards
- SLI bridge firmly attached connecting both graphics cards
- latest chipset drivers installed from ASUS' site
- NVIDIA 66.93 drivers
- Windows XP SP2

The machine runs just fine, but when I view the NVIDIA display properties, the SLI tab displays this message:

Your graphics card features NVIDIA Scalable Link Iterfact (SLI)
technology
Add a second graphics card with SLI technology for significant
improvements in rendering performance.

Others have reported that they see an "Enable SLI mode" checkbox instead.

I really want that checkbox :)

I tried swapping my graphics cards (to test if second one was simply broken), but it had no effect other than requiring me to reinstall the NVIDIA drivers.

Can anyone propose some solutions to my machine's problem?

Thanks,
Aenovae
 

xtknight

Elite Member
Oct 15, 2004
12,974
0
71
Originally posted by: Aenovae
My first pots on Anand!

Apologies for starting a new thread, but I haven't seen this issue mentioned in any of the others.

I have everything set up correctly (I think), but Windows isn't detecting SLI mode!

- ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe flashed to bios 1002
- BIOS SLI mode set to [Auto] (switching to [SLI] has no effect)
- Two eVGA GeForce 6800 Ultras, serial #'s match NVIDIA's SLI certification listing, both properly powered on two separate rails from a 520 PSU
- Power being supplied into the extra slot in the mainboard
- EZ selector set to Dual Video Cards
- SLI bridge firmly attached connecting both graphics cards
- latest chipset drivers installed from ASUS' site
- NVIDIA 66.93 drivers
- Windows XP SP2

The machine runs just fine, but when I view the NVIDIA display properties, the SLI tab displays this message:

Your graphics card features NVIDIA Scalable Link Iterfact (SLI)
technology
Add a second graphics card with SLI technology for significant
improvements in rendering performance.

Others have reported that they see an "Enable SLI mode" checkbox instead.

I really want that checkbox :)

I tried swapping my graphics cards (to test if second one was simply broken), but it had no effect other than requiring me to reinstall the NVIDIA drivers.

Can anyone propose some solutions to my machine's problem?

Thanks,
Aenovae

Try different drivers or use RivaTuner to force SLI mode (it's in the advanced settings somewhere). See if you see two cards in your system hardware devices under the Windows control panel as well..?

P.S. Welcome to the forums.
 

Aenovae

Junior Member
Jan 18, 2005
2
0
0
Update:

I feel silly about figuring out the problem just an hour after posting, but it turns out the issue was in fact the other graphics card.

Switching the EZ selector to Single Graphics Card and testing both cards that way revealed one of them to be fragged. Its light lit up, the fan spun, but it caused the system to beep angrily three times at bootup and displayed no screen.

I'm sending this 6800 Ultra back to eVGA for an RMA. I hope they have one left to send me!