Dual GPU Gaming Gives Up the Ghost as Nvidia Ends SLI Support

MrGuvernment

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Dual GPU Gaming Gives Up the Ghost as Nvidia Ends SLI Support​

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/...ual&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook
multi-GPU-SLI-640x354.jpg
SLI — an acronym that originally stood for Scan-Line Interleave, then later for Scalable Link Interface — is, as of today, effectively dead in the form we’ve known it the longest. Modern GPUs that support DX12 support two forms of SLI: implicit and explicit. Implicit SLI is the mode used in DirectX 11, as well as previous versions of Microsoft’s 3D API.

Nvidia made this announcement in the release notes for Version 456.38 of its GeForce Game Ready Software. Beginning on January 1, 2021, no new implicit SLI profiles will be provided for any RTX 2XXX or earlier GPU. All GPU support for SLI going forward will be via explicit SLI, which is to say, the game will have to support the mode directly rather than implementing the mode in-driver.

There’s little reason to expect game developers to consider doing this, however. Of the various Ampere GPUs, only the RTX 3090 has the appropriate bridge connection points. Game developers aren’t likely to invest in optimizing for the tiny percentage of the market that buys such cards, and while they may implement explicit support in a few games going forward to serve existing SLI owners, I expect the feature to die now that Nvidia won’t be providing implicit driver updates any longer.
 
They ended SLI via drivers. They have doubled down on enabling it at a hardware level using the built in multi GPU functions in DX12U and now Vulkan. AMD and Intel have also started supporting this functionality, dual GPU gaming is just changing form and it’s no longer in the GPU providers to customize the drivers for the game but on the developers to enable it at a hardware level. That said the changes in DX12U and the newer Vulkan libraries make it not as hard as before.
 
They ended SLI via drivers. They have doubled down on enabling it at a hardware level using the built in multi GPU functions in DX12U and now Vulkan. AMD and Intel have also started supporting this functionality, dual GPU gaming is just changing form and it’s no longer in the GPU providers to customize the drivers for the game but on the developers to enable it at a hardware level. That said the changes in DX12U and the newer Vulkan libraries make it not as hard as before.
That's what I thought..

Wtf is this thread?
 
Mega6 as it states, SLI as we knew it, is dead, no more SLI bridges and crap.

SLI — an acronym that originally stood for Scan-Line Interleave, then later for Scalable Link Interface — is, as of today, effectively dead in the form we’ve known it the longest. Modern GPUs that support DX12 support two forms of SLI: implicit and explicit. Implicit SLI is the mode used in DirectX 11, as well as previous versions of Microsoft’s 3D API.
 
You seriously just floated the term [H]ardTube....in this forum...with THESE members...... <<<<<---There's like 8000 Memes in there I'm sure for those far, far braver than I.

And let me just say...

In before the LockDown! Huzzah.
 
DX12 Explicit multi-GPU does not require the NVLink connector, so just because the 3090 is the only new card that has the connector doesn't really mean much. The GPUs can be used independently or they can be used as a "linked node adapter". The latter does require an NVLink connector, the former does not.

SLI died once DX12 became popular so this is really nothing new. I just hope that existing SLI profiles are retained at least. I'm still using 3x GTX680 in my backup computer. The games that I need to be able to play on there all still support DX11 SLI, and it actually works pretty well. Hopefully I don't have to stop updating drivers on there or something cheesy like that.
 
Quad-SLI GTX 480 GPUs - the true cause of global warming. :D

Would be interesting to run benchmarks on that. Is the system still in-use? Unfortunately those are Fermi cards that received their last driver update from nVidia (including SLI profiles) in mid 2018. My GTX680 cards are the oldest generation that are still supported by the current driver but I expect that they will be on the chopping block soon also.
 
Would be interesting to run benchmarks on that. Is the system still in-use? Unfortunately those are Fermi cards that received their last driver update from nVidia (including SLI profiles) in mid 2018. My GTX680 cards are the oldest generation that are still supported by the current driver but I expect that they will be on the chopping block soon also.
I pull mine out every once in a while (and 580s too) but while they work they're definitely hugely outclassed lol. 3-way was the maximum that really gave you any good scaling.

I ran FF14 shadowbringers bench last year at 720 and 1080 on my GTX 480s as an example just to see how it did on them, I originally played it with 3 480s before getting a 780 Ti. This game still is one that SLI actually works alright on.

4 way windowed 19864 4 way fullscreen 21288 4 way windowed 1080 14770 4 way fullscreen 1080 15987 3 way windowed 720 19019 3 way fullscreen 720 20474 3 way windowed 1080 11646 3 way fullscreen 1080 13269 2 way windowed 720 16294 2 way fullscreen 720 17532 2 way windowed 1080 8962 2 way fullscreen 1080 9717(edited)



[8:09 PM]
first 2 are 720
 
Why are only 3 connected? One is for physx?
That's bloody madness irregardless!! I wonder if I cn clock mine to 480 performance..
They’re all actually connected. From the direction we’re looking the SLI fingers are on the left edge of each card.
 
I am but an unwealthy peon and, the only SLI I was able to afford was when some Voodoo 2's were getting thrown out. And yes, that was late enough for those cards to end up in the "Retro Machine" before "Classic Computers" got priced to Stoooopid on Fleabay. :)
 
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