3/4 way sli won't be enabled for GAMES

[Mauller]

Yep, and it makes sense to focus on the most common set up. Coding for more than 2 cards is surely coding for less than 1% of it's consumer base?

They can create a code path in drivers that is optimised for and focuses on Dual setups. So it simplify's the problem as you have less variables to take into account. therefore it should provide better performance overall for bolt on the top DX11 and OpenGL dual GPU setups.

 

[VincentHanna]

mgpu is bound to catch on once the majority of Devs move to DX12/Vulkan, now they are still using old engines, but when the new ones start rolling in, i expect most of them to be built from the ground up with the new APIs and mgpu in mind.

Can't see it myself.

Most games are developed on PS4 (occasionally Xbox One) and ported over. PS4 doesn't have multi GPU so engines won't be designed to take advantage.

DX11 has meant Nvidia's driver team have been heavily involved in SLI profiles.

With DX12 the onus is on the developer.

 

[Kaapstad]

Can't see it myself.

Most games are developed on PS4 (occasionally Xbox One) and ported over. PS4 doesn't have multi GPU so engines won't be designed to take advantage.

DX11 has meant Nvidia's driver team have been heavily involved in SLI profiles.

With DX12 the onus is on the developer.

When 144htz 4k monitors are available not even 2 way big Volta will be powerful enough to keep up.

mGPU will be needed more than ever with up coming monitor requirements.

 

[Final8y]

When 144htz 4k monitors are available not even 2 way big Volta will be powerful enough to keep up.

mGPU will be needed more than ever with up coming monitor requirements.

You read my mind.

 

[r7slayer]

How wrong you are.

I expect to see good 4 way SLI in quite a few games with the 1080s.

This is quite an easy statement to make as there is very good 4 way scaling in a number of the latest games. Unfortunately most people don't know this as they are not in a position to test it.

Something people should be very concerned about is DX12 based games as mGPU support is left to the devs. Unfortunately all the game devs care about is making money and this can mean no mGPU support at all and that includes 2 way.

If 3 and 4 way support does go it will very likely be that 2 way support goes too.

Nvidia explicitly said thy was only going to support 2way sli. They said 3-4 was possible with a key you request from them and that specific bridge but they never said they will support more than 2 way SLI which means they are going to leave it to the devs. I think your out of luck soon kaap. Also I can see why two way SLI will get more support because of VR which works better with 2cards.

 

[Radox-0]

Nvidia explicitly said thy was only going to support 2way sli. They said 3-4 was possible with a key you request from them and that specific bridge but they never said they will support more than 2 way SLI which means they are going to leave it to the devs. I think your out of luck soon kaap. Also I can see why two way SLI will get more support because of VR which works better with 2cards.

I do not believe there was ever anything specific about a new bridge for 3/4 way SLI. AFAIK the HB bridge was only ever going to be 2 way anyways. They have also removed the need for the specific key as per article posted.

In general, a shame that they got rid of 3/4 way SLI. I quiet liked my 3 way TX set up. In the event the third card was not supported well, just flick it to PhysX mode to have just 2 way running and was great.

 

[tavtavtav]

When 144htz 4k monitors are available not even 2 way big Volta will be powerful enough to keep up.

mGPU will be needed more than ever with up coming monitor requirements.

Why wouldn't 2 way big Volta be enough to keep up. If by big you mean 600mm^2.

It would be just under twice as big as a 1080, have hopefully twice the density (as volta is speculated to be on the 10nm node) and with any amount of scaling you have 2 of them.

Even then Volta is supposed to be a bigger architectural change (as opposed to pascal which slid in because volta was taking to long) and should be using 3D memory cube tech.
Yes the requirements of games will increase but devs still have to develop to the common market.

Chances are big Volta isn't coming til atleast 2019 or maybe even 2020 though.

 

[Mauller]

When 144htz 4k monitors are available not even 2 way big Volta will be powerful enough to keep up.

mGPU will be needed more than ever with up coming monitor requirements.

Monitors don't set the performance requirements. you can run games at 4k 144hz already, its the maximum graphics details of games constantly shifting the goalposts that set the performance requirements.

 

[Baboonanza]

Something people should be very concerned about is DX12 based games as mGPU support is left to the devs. Unfortunately all the game devs care about is making money and this can mean no mGPU support at all and that includes 2 way.

Sorry but comments like this drive me a bit crazy, along with 'the devs are too lazy' type comments.

In reality nobody makes games with unlimited time-frames and budgets. All that time (and yes, money)they spend optimising the game for 4-way SLi for the 0.01% that use it is almost always better spent making the game better for the other 99.9% of gamers. If Nvidia want to fund it then fine, they are the main beneficiaries of SLi after all, or maybe there should be a £200 SLi edition to cover the cost

 

[Diagro]

Why?

When the devs are too lazy?

They have also said exactly that "We don't have the time of resources to spend implementing Mgpu".

 

[Seanspeed]

Sorry but comments like this drive me a bit crazy, along with 'the devs are too lazy' type comments.

In reality nobody makes games with unlimited time-frames and budgets. All that time (and yes, money)they spend optimising the game for 4-way SLi for the 0.01% that use it is almost always better spent making the game better for the other 99.9% of gamers. If Nvidia want to fund it then fine, they are the main beneficiaries of SLi after all, or maybe there should be a £200 SLi edition to cover the cost

Thank you, I was just about to respond to that post saying basically the same thing.

Though I think he's worried about multi-GPU in general, meaning even 2-way SLI. But the same argument applies anyways. SLI is quite a niche setup and whereas before, they could get away with supporting this with a somewhat minimal effort, as much was handled in the Nvidia driver, now with DX12/Vulkan, it will require a very concentrated and not insignificant effort to program for multiple GPU's from the developers themselves. I cannot blame them for thinking that it's just not a big enough priority to sacrifice something else they could be working on instead.

 

[Final8y]

Monitors don't set the performance requirements. you can run games at 4k 144hz already, its the maximum graphics details of games constantly shifting the goalposts that set the performance requirements.

Monitors set the performance requirements at a given setting.

System Requirements

The official Rise of the Tomb Raider system requirements recommend gamers equip their systems with GeForce GTX 970 or GeForce GTX 980 Ti graphics cards for High-quality, 60 FPS gameplay at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, respectively. These settings deliver an excellent level of detail, and at 60 FPS it's a super smooth experience free from stuttering and stalls, translating to fluid, responsive gaming. Learn more here.

http://www.geforce.co.uk/whats-new/guides/rise-of-the-tomb-raider-graphics-and-performance-guide

The constantly shifting goalpost does not change the fact that for a higher res Monitor at the same setting has higher performance requirements.

 

[VincentHanna]

You only need to look at the DX12 titles (that have been out awhile) that don't have SLI support.

Hitman, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Quantum Break, Gears of war: Ultimate edition etc etc.

 

[Mauller]

Monitors set the performance requirements at a given setting.



http://www.geforce.co.uk/whats-new/guides/rise-of-the-tomb-raider-graphics-and-performance-guide

Games set the performance requirements for a given resolution, not monitors.

 

[Final8y]

Games set the performance requirements for a given resolution, not monitors.

Sorry but you are arguing semantics now, is a glass half full or half empty, its all the same it does not matter if a game is light or heavy the same game at a higher res will use more resources, the same game running at 1080 or 2560 will be making the GPU work harder at 2560 than 1080, the native resolution is dictated by the monitor not the game, fact and if you don't get that we will agree to disagree.

 

[Mauller]

Sorry but you are arguing semantics now, is a glass half full or half empty, its all the same it does not matter if a game is light or heavy the same game at a higher res will use more resources, the same game running at 1080 or 2560 will be working harder at 2560 than 1080, the native resolution is dictated by the monitor, fact and if you don't get that we will agree to disagree.

it's not semantics, resolutions can come and go, its always the game that determines the required performance for an IQ at a resolution, monitors don't determine performance.

 

[subbytna]

8 Packs Orion quad sli 1080s redundant then

 

[Seanspeed]

it's not semantics, resolutions can come and go, its always the game that determines the required performance for an IQ at a resolution, monitors don't determine performance.

You guys are saying the same thing in different ways and are both right, geez! lol

Just depends on which perspective you want to look at things with.

 

[Final8y]

You guys are saying the same thing in different ways and are both right, geez! lol

Just depends on which perspective you want to look at things with.

As i said semantics which from his reply to Kaapstad was based on as if Kaapstad said that no game can run at 4K 144 without multi GPU which Kaapstad was not claiming at all.
We all know it depends on the game that's a given and common knowledge so why even make a point about it.

 

[opethdisciple]

I think they've done this because at present SLI (and xfire) is a little it hit&miss.

By limiting it to just two cards they are going to give it some renewed attention and make it a technology worth using.

Should mean that the end customer has more reason to buy two cards and hence more revenue for Nvidia.

It's a good thing.