SLI or not ?

[RedKipper]

Hi there.. Seen this asked a few times down the threads, but anyone any ideas ? (I didn't see any - sorry if I missed them !!)

I have an ASUS A8N-SLi board with twin ASUS 6600GT Extreme cards.. All bought around the same time but from different suppliers...

I've installed XP Pro SR1+RU1 an upgraded to SP2 (all official licensed copies), installed latest ASUS Nforce drivers and installed Nvidia GPU driver v66.97 as suggested in the setup manuals... And tried Auto and SLi modes in the SLi option in BIOS..

Both cards seem in a working fine, the are bridged properly (right way around !) and the mobo light goes out... Excellent ! BUT when I stat windows I get a dialogue from the Nvidia system tray icon saying:

'This system is properly configured.... [blah, blah] Click on this box to fix tis problem (restart is required)'.

So I clicks on the box, checks the 'Enable Multi GPU' option and hit apply... I get a warning:

'Your displays that are connected to your second card will appear blank when SLi is enabled. This is because yor secondary graphics card will be used to accelerate your primary card when the system re-starts. Please connect your display to the primary card when the syetm re-starts.'

When I okay this, the 'Enable Milti-GPU SLi' option from before unchecks itself, and keeps doing so in this loop no mater how many times you try it... even if you hit 'Okay' and not 'Apply'.

Stranger still, is that despite running 2 LCD panels (1 through a DVI to D-Sub converter), both on the primary card, when I go to Display Properties it appears that Window3s thinks there is 3 monitors, though one is 'Not Active'... There is a phantom second monitor where my secondary display is actually monitor 3 ?! Sure enough in System 'Device Manager', Windows seems to see 5 monitors, 2 plug and play (as the should be) and 3 phanton 'Default Monitors'.... (if you uninstall the Default monitors XP only adds them again before you've finished Uninstalling them..).

Again, stranger still, if I do restart having moved one (or both) monitors to the bottom card, which would be the secondary, of course, no output is seen at all... It's almost like the sytem is running in SLi mode but XP don't see it ?!?!

Have I gone mad (or very stupid) or have I missed something ?

Please Help ?!?!

(3500+ 130; A8N SLi; Corsair XMS 512 x 2; 2 x ASUS 6600GT Extreme; Akasa Paxpower 460W; 2 x IDE; 2 x SATA; etc etc etc)

 

[docshadow]

Have you tried running just one display to make sure it will work at all?

You might also try starting from the drivers they give you with the cards, see what works.doesn't work and update from there. Although if XP is having issues it might need a format and reinstall to fix.

 

[RedKipper]

Thanks for your reply.... :thumbsup:

Well, I started my first install (about 8 complete re-builds ago) with all the stock drivers as provided on the disks.. (66.72) but when I read accross onto the ASUS website (cards and mobo are ASUS) they advise to use 66.97 for SLi to work properly.. I was also updated to the latest (Gold) BIOS 1002..

I've now tried all drivers and BIOS's up to (and including - where I am at present) 67.03 for the card and 1003.005 for the BIOS... NFORCE drivers seem to be steady at 5.10 (from what I have found)..

If I try 1 monitor, all is as you would expect.. In 'Display Properties' XP see's 2 monitors, 1 Unattached....

My XP disk should be okay too, it's pukka AND worked perfectly well with my old 3200 Barton and ASUS A7N8X Deluxe setup thingy.... Also, I have installed this on sevral different confgurations, SATA primary (no partition), SATA Primary (small windows partition) and currently IDE primary (60Gb Windows partition)...

Good job I don't have problems with SATA drives, IDE drives an RAID sets, huh ?

Interesting, though...... Loaded Doom3 for the first time tonight just to see if it runs okay.... Well it seems to run very nicely thankyou - even in 'Extreme' mode.....

The only other thng I have in the system is a Hauppauge WIN NOVA-T TV card.... Though whether present (or not) and installed (or not) it makes no difference, it seems.....

I was wondering if the hardware works, and the SLi is working, BUT XP is at too higher 'layer' to see it ?!
:Q

 

[twinfan]

I wish I could be the guy with the solution. I have the exact same problem: Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe, FX-55, 2 XFX 6800GT PCIE cards. I have talked extensively to Asus and XFX. Ryan Dumas at XFX (909.230.9800 x 111) talked to nVidia ( they must be in a fine mood after Anandtech modded out their NForce4 Ultra) and NONE of them have an answer. It does seem thatt nVidia claims Asus' SLI Bridge is out of spec. That IS possible- the system reacts the same way whether the bridge is installed or not. I've RMAed the cards, XFX is cross shipping them. If that does not solve it, I'll get an nVidia SLI Bridge and try that. I'll post back after those arrive. In the interim- I'm all ears if ANYBODY has solved it!

 

[dodjer42]

I have the exact same problem with the ASUS SLI Deluxe, and two XFX 6800GTs. Its bloody frustrating.

 

[twinfan]

The problem IS monitor related. This is from Jerry Dien, Field Application Engineer, ASUS Computer International:
" When enabling the SLI function for the A8N-SLI Deluxe motherboard, you only can have one video output from video card 1. If you have a non-SLI setup, then you can have up to 4 monitors with both video cards."
This is from a report that one of their people e-mailed to me. I have the whole report available if anyone is interested. Also, many older CRT monitors will not support SLI.

 

[dodjer42]

Strange, I have the problem, and I have a brand new Apple Cinema display plugged into port 1 on the primary card. Did they have any more information?

 

[twinfan]

You can E-Mail me at compsales@amdsys.net for a copy of the report but I suspect that it is the Apple Cinema and SLI that do not get along. Here is the link to another forum:

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:j1...1763+Apple+Cinema+sli&hl=en&lr=lang_en

It seems that you cannot connect via a DVI connector and have SLI function. You would need to connect with an adapter using the analog cable.

 

[dodjer42]

Sounds like it could be true... but what a bitch!

I noticed that my machine has two monitors in the control panel. The 'default monitor' and 'plug and play monitor' (cinema display).

I did see that post before during one of my fruitless troubleshooting sessions... but I find it hard to believe it would be monitor specific. I can understand it being DVI in general though, but that doesn't seem to be true.

Did you fix the problem on your system?

 

[dodjer42]

Oh and by the waym the XFX cards that I have, only have DVI outputs. Can you get cables that do DVI to RGB?

 

[dodjer42]

Damn you are right. I connected up my Dell 2001 LCD and it worked fine. I'm shocked. You would think that DVI is DVI. I have a feeling, judging by the other LCD issues around, that NVIDIA haven't done their DVI QA with the SLI setups. Very dodgy.

 

[twinfan]

Hi! Here is a link to a company that has all sorts of adapters, Newegg also should have some.:
http://www.dcables.com/catalog/dvi_cables___adapters_322034_products.htm

I did get my set up going. In my case I have an older Dell CRT that I use for the systems I build. When I switched to a newer Samsung CRT- Voila! As to nVidia not doing their homework- what's new? There are massive issues with SLI, not the least of which being the fact that it functions properly only if the Moon is aligned with Orion and your toes are crossed...

 

[ahurtt]

Originally posted by: twinfan

It seems that you cannot connect via a DVI connector and have SLI function. You would need to connect with an adapter using the analog cable.

In the statement above, are you referring only to the specific Apple monitor in question? I have 2 BFG 6600 GT OC cards which claim on the box to be nVidia SLI ready and each one has 2 DVI outputs ONLY. No analog outs but they come with DVI to analog adapter plugs. I assume you are talking about SLI will not work on DVI for that particular monitor and not in general. Correct?

 

[twinfan]

It is my understanding that SLI will not function on ANY DVI display via the DVI connection without an analog adapter, you would need to use the adapter and connect with an analog cable. So you would not get the full benefit of your digital display- but it will function.Have you tried yours?

 

[bob661]

Originally posted by: dodjer42
Oh and by the waym the XFX cards that I have, only have DVI outputs. Can you get cables that do DVI to RGB?

Your cards should have come with two DVI to RGB each.

 

[bob661]

In the statement above, are you referring only to the specific Apple monitor in question?

It works on his Dell panel so I would assume the problem is just with the Apple monitor.

 

[twinfan]

Well, it is obviously not JUST the Apple monitor- there are many others that are not compatible with SLI. nVidia must be an FDA subsidiary- throw it out there and see what happens. Nobody, not Asus, not the card manufacturers-nobody- did any thorough testing of SLI in real time. Ryan Dumas, one of the lead engineers for XFX, was very accomodating but knew nothing of ANY of the issues that have been raised in countless forums. All of these people are in development and sales. The Tech Support departments are virtually unstaffed. THERE AIN'T NO MONEY IN AFTERSALES, FOLKS.
CRTs are better for gaming anyway. A new one is cheap.

 

[JuanT]

Well, that kinda takes the wind out of my SLI sails.

I'll just stick with plain ol' PCI-Express then.

 

[quattro1]

Originally posted by: twinfan
It is my understanding that SLI will not function on ANY DVI display via the DVI connection without an analog adapter, you would need to use the adapter and connect with an analog cable. So you would not get the full benefit of your digital display- but it will function.Have you tried yours?

Your understanding is fasle. SLI does work with straight DVI to DVI connections. I would suggest using 67.66 drivers for SLI.

 

[twinfan]

And you are begging the issue- it may work with SOME. There are dozens of models of screens, CRT, LCD, TFT- that it does not function on- PERIOD. And there is no FAQ on this from any of the involved parties. It is a total crapshoot.And if you are using 67.66 drivers and still boot, you are one of the few. The bottom line is that there is NOT an answer at the end of the rainbow- SLI MAY function on your display and it may not, I sure wouldn't buy an expensive display with SLI in mind. Besides- one 6800 Ultra beats two GTs anyway. Why bother? SLI has a hell of a lot more issues than the monitor anyway. It is a BETA technology without the tag.

 

[bob661]

Which GT's are you refering to? 6800GT's or 6600GT's?

 

[bob661]

Well, it is obviously not JUST the Apple monitor

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooook angry man. I'm only helping to troubleshoot his particular problem not Nvidia's or Apple's problem. If the Dell works for him then it's the Dell he should use. Sell the Apple on ebay or RMA it and see if a new one will work.

 

[bob661]

Originally posted by: JuanT
Well, that kinda takes the wind out of my SLI sails.

Why? Do you have an Apple monitor? Do you have significant data that supports twinfan's statements?