Sli Question:

Exploded_Monitor said:
Is it possible to buy an SLI Motherboard, and not run 2 video cards(I need to save up lol..)
Thanks for helping a computer newbie.

Yes it will run fine with just one video card in it
 
What is SLI? does that mean it can handle 2 video cards??? whats the point in that? you only use one screen at a time...
i am very confused!
 
Livzz said:
What is SLI? does that mean it can handle 2 video cards??? whats the point in that? you only use one screen at a time...
i am very confused!

Scanline Interleave is a mode in which two Pixelfx are connected and render in alternate turns, one handling odd, the other handling even scanlines of the actual output. Each Pixelfx stores only half of the image and half of the depth buffer data in its own local framebuffer, effectively doubling the number of pixels.

In otherwise it greatly increases the performance in video games by each video card only having to do half the work it used to.

Also it quite possiable for a computer to have 2 screens but that not the point of SLI.
 
In otherwise it greatly increases the performance in video games by each video card only having to do half the work it used to.
To a point, it also increases the load on the CPU so unless you're playing a graphically heavy game that is light on the CPU with graphically heavy settings (ie. 8xAA + 16xAF) there isn't much advantage
 
Exploded_Monitor said:
Is it possible to buy an SLI Motherboard, and not run 2 video cards(I need to save up lol..)
Thanks for helping a computer newbie.

There is a card for u to set use dual PCI-Express 8X or PCI-Express 16X. SLI techology change a PCI-Express 16X to dual PCI-Express 8X. When u just use one display card, u use the card to set the motherboard using PCI-Express 16X. When u use SLI, u must set the card to use dual PCI-Express 8X.
 
Yes there really is not much advantage using SLI when it comes to the higher end cards anyway but you can always use 2 lower end vid cards (saving little though) and have it perform "Closer" to a higher end video card. Sli has it's advantages but not really necessary as I say if you purchase a high end videocard at which point it becomes way too expensive.
 
Cromewell said:
To a point, it also increases the load on the CPU so unless you're playing a graphically heavy game that is light on the CPU with graphically heavy settings (ie. 8xAA + 16xAF) there isn't much advantage

Well you would hope if the person spent the money to buy two graphic cards that he would be planning on playing it 1600X1200 with 8XAA and 16Xaf or something close to that otherwise he wasted his money.
 
Well you would hope if the person spent the money to buy two graphic cards that he would be planning on playing it 1600X1200 with 8XAA and 16Xaf or something close to that otherwise he wasted his money.
but even then the gain is almost solely limited to Doom3 and other light CPU games
 
There is a card for u to set use dual PCI-Express 8X or PCI-Express 16X. SLI techology change a PCI-Express 16X to dual PCI-Express 8X. When u just use one display card, u use the card to set the motherboard using PCI-Express 16X. When u use SLI, u must set the card to use dual PCI-Express 8X.
SLI isnt the only thing that drops the PCIx16 ... runnning dual cards will do the same

Well you would hope if the person spent the money to buy two graphic cards that he would be planning on playing it 1600X1200 with 8XAA and 16Xaf or something close to that otherwise he wasted his money.
Individuals are intelligent. People arent :P
 
Praetor said:
Individuals are intelligent. People arent :P

It took me a mounth of doing tech support to relize that. I finally figured out to ask the stupid questions first because things like voulume control on mute was the problem 90% of the time.
 
mgoldb2 said:
Scanline Interleave is a mode in which two Pixelfx are connected and render in alternate turns, one handling odd, the other handling even scanlines of the actual output. Each Pixelfx stores only half of the image and half of the depth buffer data in its own local framebuffer, effectively doubling the number of pixels.
While SLI used to stand for scanline interleave, Nvidia has simply taken the acronym but changed its meaning to Scalable Link Interface. Scalable Link Interface is not the same thing as Scanline Interleave.
 
While SLI used to stand for scanline interleave, Nvidia has simply taken the acronym but changed its meaning to Scalable Link Interface
Uh .... SLI still stands for scanline interleave .... (i.e., acronyms can have multiple expansions ... consider AC for instance) :)
 
AC = autocannon, armour class, area code, adult contemporary, absolute ceiling, air-craft .. but the point is still the same :P
 
Praetor said:
Uh .... SLI still stands for scanline interleave .... (i.e., acronyms can have multiple expansions ... consider AC for instance) :)
It may have multiple meanings but unless he wants a pair of voodoo 2's (lets play doom 3 at 0.5 FPS!!! (if it can even run):P) scanline interleave has nothing to do with what we are talking about.
 
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