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Is the same bios revision needed for 7800 GTX SLI?

N

nippyjun

Diamond Member
Hi, I just purchased a BFG 7800 GTX. The bios are 5.70.02.11.01

If I get a second card to do SLI and it has a newer bios revision ( I see that 5.70.02.11.22 and 5.70.02.11.25 are already out there) will the 2 cards with different bios revisions work in SLI together, or do they need to have the same exact bios revision?

 
no you will need to have the exact bios version, atleast for the moment until nvidia gets out their new SLI2.
 
BroadbandGamer, Same make/model and bios of Cards is needed for SLI.

1) You check with a rightclick on desktop and choose NVIDIA DISPLAY, in sub menu choose your monitor (mines says mitsubishi) which opens the Graphics card desktop properties.

2) On the main screen make sure the left menu is in the viewable position if not hover on main window and it will appear.

3) The very top menu is the name of your GPU ie 6800Ultra, in the info in main window now, you can see lots of info incuding the bios revision.
 
Originally posted by: humey
BroadbandGamer, Same make/model and bios of Cards is needed for SLI.

1) You check with a rightclick on desktop and choose NVIDIA DISPLAY, in sub menu choose your monitor (mines says mitsubishi) which opens the Graphics card desktop properties.

2) On the main screen make sure the left menu is in the viewable position if not hover on main window and it will appear.

3) The very top menu is the name of your GPU ie 6800Ultra, in the info in main window now, you can see lots of info incuding the bios revision.
Click to expand...

So what happens if I decide to buy another 7800 GTX in six month and the BIOS on the new card is different?

Will I be able to flash the BIOS of the older card?

Now I'm starting to worry.
 
Yes you will beable/have to flash bios to be same on both cards.

Flashing gpus isnt as easy as mobo's i feel today it should have a auto tool to do in windows same as most good brands of mobo's for this issue with SLI, to make life easier for peeps not to clued up in bioses etc

But doing in windows aint bulletproof and can mess up as old dos is still best/safest way.
 
All it takes is for the card maker or nvidia to have tweaked a setting unseen in bios, ie memory timmings, not visable clocks speeds, and your 2 cards wont run together, you must for now use identical twins 😉
 
Originally posted by: nippyjun
It seems strange that you need the same exact bios, maybe the same company but not the same exact bios.
Click to expand...

I would have thought the exact opposite would have been stranger. I can understand cards needing the same bios, but not the same company. Most of the cards out there are reference cards anyways so they are usually physically the same. Some vendors have elaborat cooling on their cards and I can see them having a modified bios to control fan speed and such.

If you plan on SLI now, or later, I would stick to any card that uses nvidia's reference design before I would go with Leadtek for example, who most often uses their own cooling solutions and modded bios

 
I just read the SLI FAQ on nvidia's web site and it says that differnt bios work. Here is the quote:

"Can I mix and match graphics cards?
No. NVIDIA currently doesn't support SLI on two different models or from different vendors. SLI supports configurations with the same model (i.e. 6800 Ultra) from the same vendor (Vendor XYZ). A common misconception about SLI is that the BIOS revision has to be identical between the cards. This is not true. A manufacturer can revise the BIOS without affecting SLI. NVIDIA does however recommend that customers confirm SLI compatibility with the manufacturer before making a purchase. "
 
Yes not the "can" in the mod bios aprt, it dont mean it "will" run as if 1 cards diff bios alters say the ram timmings it will act up or not run fullstop in SLI.
 
BFG tech support emailed me and said that the bios needs to be the same version. The cards have to be sent in for flashing.
 
Originally posted by: nippyjun
BFG tech support emailed me and said that the bios needs to be the same version. The cards have to be sent in for flashing.
Click to expand...

You have got to be kidding me? Who in the world is going to want to deal with SLI if they have to send their card in to be flashed? This really sucks!

So lets say someone buys two 7800 GTX cards from newegg. Is newegg going to make sure the BIOS are identical?

What a pain in the @$$.

CrossFire is looking better and better. Wish I'd known this before jumping on the SLI bandwagon.

So there is no way to flash it yourself?
 
I contacted BFG and was told the BIOS have to match. They sent me the latest BIOS and detailed insructions on how to flash the card.

So if you need to flash the BIOS just contact BFG and they should take care of you.

BTW, I've got the 11.25 BIOS.
 
Originally posted by: BroadbandGamer
I contacted BFG and was told the BIOS have to match. They sent me the latest BIOS and detailed insructions on how to flash the card.

So if you need to flash the BIOS just contact BFG and they should take care of you.

BTW, I've got the 11.25 BIOS.
Click to expand...

Wow!! Talk about Sybil.

 
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