nForce SLI MCP versus what?

[Magic Carpet]

As I understand it, NVidia uses a special chip to drive multiple graphics cards. What makes AMD Crossfire work then? I've noticed many cheaper boards only come with CrossFire support and not SLI.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Nvidia simply requires an x8 lane for the second card, AMD does not. So 16x/4x is possible with CF, it is not with SLI.

Many of the lowest of the low boards are 16x/4x.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Ah, good to know. Thanks Balla. I wonder, if this requirement is what makes AMD CrossFire so inferior to SLI. I hope not

 

[nenforcer]

You don't actually need the NF100 or NF200 PCI-E bridge chips to enable SLI, that is just a BIOS firmware key ala the AMD 990FX chipsets (which already natively support PCI-E 2.0 x 16) and Intel X58 / P55 / P67 / Z67 / Z77 / X79.

Some high end motherboards would add one or two of these chips to enable triple or quadruple SLI when the native chipset didn't have enough PCI-E lanes to accomodate this.

 

[Magic Carpet]

You don't actually need the NF100 or NF200 PCI-E bridge chips to enable SLI, that is just a BIOS firmware key ala the AMD 990FX chipsets (which already natively support PCI-E 2.0 x 16) and Intel X58 / P55 / P67 / Z67 / Z77 / X79.

Some high end motherboards would add one or two of these chips to enable triple or quadruple SLI when the native chipset didn't have enough PCI-E lanes to accomodate this.

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/Z77A-G43.html

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/Z77A-G45.html

Meh, I should have gotten G45 instead. Even though, I am pretty sure G43 has enough bandwidth for a couple of 660 ti. No?

Is it just a bios hack to enable SLI?

Thanks for your time.

 

[nenforcer]

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/Z77A-G43.html

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/Z77A-G45.html

Meh, I should have gotten G45 instead. Even though, I am pretty sure G43 has enough bandwidth for a couple of 660 ti. No?

Is it just a bios hack to enable SLI?

Thanks for your time.

The G43 does have the slots and the bandwith for dual 660TI but it doesn't support SLI because its the lower priced model.

I wouldn't risk trying to flash the G45 BIOS on it either, that may not work and would hose y our board.

 

[Magic Carpet]

So apart from BIOS thing, anything else that make a board SLI compatible?

What's the problem of running SLI in G43 apart from it being cheaper. There should be enough b/w.