SLI Warning as an upgrade path

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TantrumusMaximus

TantrumusMaximus

Senior member
Dec 27, 2004
515
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For anyone that is planning on using SLI as an upgrade path please take a look at my experience and be prepared for a long wait for your configuration to work properly.

I bought an A8N-SLI and a BFG 6800GT video card at first. A month later I ordered another 6800GT when the prices kind of stabilized from another vendor. Same card same manufacturer should be a piece of cake.

Well my SLI configuration was a snap but I wasn't getting the gains everyone was posting on the net.

Turns out my BIOS revs are way off between the 2 and there is a newer one than both of them. Now I have to send in one card have it flashed, then wait for that card to return and send the other card in to get flashed...then I chance them flashing the second card to a newer version than the first card and you see my concern.

My first call to BFG left me very impressed they answer the phone very quick and are 24/7 which rocks. However after we determined the BIOS revs were off I asked can't you just provide a flash for me to down load? "SURE!" was the response. So I was told it would take up to 24 hours to wait for the flash in my email. OK no problem. Next day nothing, so I call..."Ok the product MGR is out. Expect it today sometime." Nothing...by evening so I call again same thing you are all scheduled to get the bios in email OK I'll wait. This morning nothing.... I call again. Please send in your board because we don't have a way for you to flash it with a PC. F@#$K I got the worst luck man.

There you go: if you are planning on using SLI as an upgrade path. You will be guaranteed having to go through this because if you wait a year you can guarantee a newer BIOS will be on your second card.

<Insert all anti-SLI "I TOLD YOU SO's" here>
 
TantrumusMaximus

TantrumusMaximus

Senior member
Dec 27, 2004
515
0
0
More than that.... Send one in get it flashed...then send the second in to be flashed.... worse thing is.... I replaced the stock coolers with NVSilencer 5's and in my haste I threw one of the coolers away in the trash by accident when I first bought the first cooler DOH!! I'm glad I saved the second one. So now I have a lot of cooler swapping to do before I send them back LOL.
 
C

Creig

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,170
13
81
"Please send in your board because we don't have a way for you to flash it with a PC."


Never heard of that before.
 
HeroOfPellinor

HeroOfPellinor

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
11,272
1
0
Originally posted by: TantrumusMaximus
More than that.... Send one in get it flashed...then send the second in to be flashed.... worse thing is.... I replaced the stock coolers with NVSilencer 5's and in my haste I threw one of the coolers away in the trash by accident when I first bought the first cooler DOH!! I'm glad I saved the second one. So now I have a lot of cooler swapping to do before I send them back LOL.
Click to expand...

Ouch.

Anyway, BFG may have no app that does it for you magically, but I can't believe it wouldn't be possible to flash the BIOS yourself. I'll just grab the latest one from my cards and drop it on the other.
 
TantrumusMaximus

TantrumusMaximus

Senior member
Dec 27, 2004
515
0
0
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: TantrumusMaximus
More than that.... Send one in get it flashed...then send the second in to be flashed.... worse thing is.... I replaced the stock coolers with NVSilencer 5's and in my haste I threw one of the coolers away in the trash by accident when I first bought the first cooler DOH!! I'm glad I saved the second one. So now I have a lot of cooler swapping to do before I send them back LOL.
Click to expand...

Ouch.

Anyway, BFG may have no app that does it for you magically, but I can't believe it wouldn't be possible to flash the BIOS yourself. I'll just grab the latest one from my cards and drop it on the other.
Click to expand...

Is there a rogue utility out there to do this? I gave them hell already for not being able to supply me with something I don't believe it either.

 
R

r00tcause

Member
Dec 10, 2004
63
0
0
Originally posted by: TantrumusMaximus
For anyone that is planning on using SLI as an upgrade path please take a look at my experience and be prepared for a long wait for your configuration to work properly.

I bought an A8N-SLI and a BFG 6800GT video card at first. A month later I ordered another 6800GT when the prices kind of stabilized from another vendor. Same card same manufacturer should be a piece of cake.

Well my SLI configuration was a snap but I wasn't getting the gains everyone was posting on the net.

Turns out my BIOS revs are way off between the 2 and there is a newer one than both of them. Now I have to send in one card have it flashed, then wait for that card to return and send the other card in to get flashed...then I chance them flashing the second card to a newer version than the first card and you see my concern.

My first call to BFG left me very impressed they answer the phone very quick and are 24/7 which rocks. However after we determined the BIOS revs were off I asked can't you just provide a flash for me to down load? "SURE!" was the response. So I was told it would take up to 24 hours to wait for the flash in my email. OK no problem. Next day nothing, so I call..."Ok the product MGR is out. Expect it today sometime." Nothing...by evening so I call again same thing you are all scheduled to get the bios in email OK I'll wait. This morning nothing.... I call again. Please send in your board because we don't have a way for you to flash it with a PC. F@#$K I got the worst luck man.

There you go: if you are planning on using SLI as an upgrade path. You will be guaranteed having to go through this because if you wait a year you can guarantee a newer BIOS will be on your second card.

<Insert all anti-SLI "I TOLD YOU SO's" here>
Click to expand...


Thats fascinating, really, except its not everyones problem, just yours.

I bought the BFG 6800GT back in January. I bought a second one 2 weeks ago. I installed the second one and used the newest beta nvidia drivers. I scored 10105 on 3dmark2005. Ive had no issues.

 
TantrumusMaximus

TantrumusMaximus

Senior member
Dec 27, 2004
515
0
0
Thank you for the link.

I will try this tonight. I like the fact that you can test the flash before actually flashing.
 
R

r00tcause

Member
Dec 10, 2004
63
0
0
Originally posted by: TantrumusMaximus
Are your BIOS revs the same? Please could you check for me?
Click to expand...

No, they are not the same!

In fact, my 2 cards aren't even the same color!

Old Card (Green Motherboard) - 5.40.02.30.03
New Card (Blue Motherboard) - 5.40.02.36.10

FYI I used the leaked 76.10 forceware drivers to post the 10105.

I wonder if BIOS matching will give me a performance increase.



 
Regs

Regs

Lifer
Aug 9, 2002
16,665
21
81
I think you SLI fan's should just buy 4 cards at a time or at least wait and see what ATi is packing.
 
TantrumusMaximus

TantrumusMaximus

Senior member
Dec 27, 2004
515
0
0
Originally posted by: Regs
I think you SLI fan's should just buy 4 cards at a time or at least wait and see what ATi is packing.
Click to expand...


I don't know how much of a fan I am anymore. Until I see an improvement I consider this the biggest waste of money on PC equipment I ever made.
 
Regs

Regs

Lifer
Aug 9, 2002
16,665
21
81
Originally posted by: TantrumusMaximus
Originally posted by: Regs
I think you SLI fan's should just buy 4 cards at a time or at least wait and see what ATi is packing.
Click to expand...
I don't know how much of a fan I am anymore. Until I see an improvement I consider this the biggest waste of money on PC equipment I ever made.
Click to expand...

I agree.
 
O

otispunkmeyer

Lifer
Jun 14, 2003
10,442
0
0
Originally posted by: TantrumusMaximus
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Originally posted by: TantrumusMaximus
More than that.... Send one in get it flashed...then send the second in to be flashed.... worse thing is.... I replaced the stock coolers with NVSilencer 5's and in my haste I threw one of the coolers away in the trash by accident when I first bought the first cooler DOH!! I'm glad I saved the second one. So now I have a lot of cooler swapping to do before I send them back LOL.
Click to expand...

Ouch.

Anyway, BFG may have no app that does it for you magically, but I can't believe it wouldn't be possible to flash the BIOS yourself. I'll just grab the latest one from my cards and drop it on the other.
Click to expand...

Is there a rogue utility out there to do this? I gave them hell already for not being able to supply me with something I don't believe it either.
Click to expand...


NVflash

and omniextreme

you should talk to thugsrook....he da man at this flashin and tweakin business
 
J

Jon855

Golden Member
Mar 24, 2005
1,214
0
0
Have you tried to flash your wang at the PC maybe that will knock the GPUs into place? ;)
 
A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
NVflash will work, you can use a bios from other cards as long as they have the same featureset. (the Gainward Golden sample bios is very popular here because it increases the core voltage by .1v and improves overclocking as well).
 
H

hans030390

Diamond Member
Feb 3, 2005
7,326
2
76
this should not prove anything about SLI other than, "make sure boths cards use the same bios" WHICH you can download bios from many places, and there are programs that will flash them for you (or at least with my leadtek)
 
P

Pete

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
4,953
0
0
I would email BFG and ask them why you could find this info on a message board and not from the horse's mouth.

BTW, they were going to pay for shipping both ways for the flashing, right?
 
3

302efi

Golden Member
Jul 16, 2004
1,539
1
81
Originally posted by: hans030390
this should not prove anything about SLI other than, "make sure boths cards use the same bios" WHICH you can download bios from many places, and there are programs that will flash them for you (or at least with my leadtek)
Click to expand...

But if you flash the card(s) bios you kill your warranty :roll:

"hmm..should I TRY to make my SLI setup work by flashing the bios's and maybe kill the cards ?..."

"...or should I keep my card's warrantys and and live with no improvment by going to SLI ?"

Since both cards bios's needs to match, then when doesnt card makers allow end users to flash the bios's ?..OXYMORON !!

 
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