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Anyone SLI 980ti's on diffrent brands?

hobib_ali

hobib_ali

hobib_ali

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26 Jan 2010
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can you mix n match different 980ti cards of different brands in sli configuration?

coz i want to go sli but if i get a 2nd Zotac amp extreme then it will take up a much needed pcie slot, that is if i get a 2nd identical card, each card takes up 3 slots.

However if i get a different 980ti brand that is the thinner cards that takes 2 pcie slots, will that run ok? or will the drivers play up?


also 2 cards equals less power drawn from each card which means less heat? am I right?

people say sli gets hotter to which i dont get? wont it be cooler?
 
You can use any two 980 Ti cards in SLI

Unfortunately non reference cards dump their heat into the case which tends to heat everything up especially the top card.

It does not matter how you configure your cards in SLI, two cards will draw more power than a single card and therefore produce more heat.

Some of the problems with SLIing non reference cards can be reduced by having good spacing between the cards and good airflow through the case.
 
ahhh, then its a no go with the zotac amp extreme on a sli set up, both cards eating up 6 pcie slots will sit next to each other with on 1 or 2 mm space in between them, it will be a oven in my PC, thats why im thinking of a 980ti thats only 2 pcie slots in width, it will give me 1 inch of space between both cards....

you know when people go 980ti sli do they notice a difference on graphics visually?, im not bothered with the fps and scores, well higher fps is better graphics....
 
Im in the same boat of consideration. However i own a single G1 but the same logic will apply. Perhaps put your existing card on the lower slot, so it wont matter how deep it is. Buy a hybrid for the top card. Im thinking of matching the Gigabyte Hybrid when it comes out. The top card being watercooled will have the headroom for extra degrees pushed up from your current air card and will be much more able to take the heat. I think also both will add a little extra to your CPU temps too. Something to consider.
 
Ignore my last advice, go for a Hybrid card as it'll keep noise and temps in check. I was going to do that with my G1 but went for the MSI's instead. Given the option now I'd get at least 1 Hybrid...
 
You can mix the cards but I must say that be careful with Zotac cards. In my experience they do not Sli with the other brands. In past I bought a Zotac 970 card to Sli with a Palit and it didn't work in Sli. On the other hand I was able to Sli the Palit 970 with PNY 970 without any issues. For 980ti, they might have changed their approach.
 
JediFragger said:
Ignore my last advice, go for a Hybrid card as it'll keep noise and temps in check. I was going to do that with my G1 but went for the MSI's instead. Given the option now I'd get at least 1 Hybrid...
Click to expand...

How are temps on the 6g's? Currently got one here and might get a second at some point. But it states in my boards manual that I would have to use slots 1 and 3 for sli. Very tight spacing, unsure if I could use a lower slot for the second card which would leave a much bigger gap.
 
setter said:
How are temps on the 6g's? Currently got one here and might get a second at some point. But it states in my boards manual that I would have to use slots 1 and 3 for sli. Very tight spacing, unsure if I could use a lower slot for the second card which would leave a much bigger gap.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't advise that - my mobo dictates slot 1 and 4 so there is a full slot gap, and even then I find it best to use an extra 120mm fan aimed at the gap between the two... with no slot gap your top card will be drawing air straight off the backplate

looking at your manual, for 3 way PCIe you can use slot 5... at worst that could mean that slot 1 will drop down to x8, but I don't think that would make a massive difference
 
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setter said:
How are temps on the 6g's? Currently got one here and might get a second at some point. But it states in my boards manual that I would have to use slots 1 and 3 for sli. Very tight spacing, unsure if I could use a lower slot for the second card which would leave a much bigger gap.
Click to expand...

Coolers are built for quietness and not effectiveness mate. I need a side fan just to stop it throttling! BUT I test with Firestrike Ultra on a loop, games aren't so harsh ;)

Get a Hybrid/Ref with fitted Hybrid instead :)
 
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Slot 5 looks like it would be ideal for a second card, but I'm not sure if you can do sli in this way. I've had non reference windforce 670's and 780's in the past. On a Z77 Asus v pro, the 2 slot gap really helped with the 670's. My previous Z87 Maximus 6 formula was used with the 670's for a while then the 780's. Only a one slot gap on it. Temps with the 670's weren't too bad at 76c max on the top one. But quite often on the top 780 I got temps as high as 85c even with a custom fan profile, and x2 120mm fans directly behind the cards.
 
andybird123 said:
Your board does support using slot 5 for SLI, it just might pull slot 1 down to x8 in the process, but I don't think that will make a big difference
Click to expand...
Mmmm, i thought you could only use 5 in tri sli with a 40 lane chip such as the 5930/60? Having used sli at x8 on several occasions, the difference compared to x16 is tiny going by articles ive read.
 
looking at the Mpower manual, it says for a 28 lane CPU you can use E1/E3/E5 for x8/x8/x8... it recommends using E1 and E3 for x16/x8, but it will work if you use E1/E5 for x8/x8 ?

for 40 lanes it says to use E1/E3/E6 for X16/X16/X8
 
andybird123 said:
looking at the Mpower manual, it says for a 28 lane CPU you can use E1/E3/E5 for x8/x8/x8... it recommends using E1 and E3 for x16/x8, but it will work if you use E1/E5 for x8/x8 ?

for 40 lanes it says to use E1/E3/E6 for X16/X16/X8
Click to expand...
Looks like another spending spree may be on the cards soon, (quite literally).:D
 
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