How To: Enable SLI on pre-i7/i5 hardware

[Namtaro]

I have tried everything, now when I boot up I get a BSOD caused by nvlddmkm.sys

Any help?

 

[natethegreatess]

Hey people,

Been having some problems with my New install,
Before I formatted i had SLI Patch working, that with OCd CPU got me the Highest Q9400 Score on 3Dmark 11.
But i had stupidly forgotten to install anti virus, so i got a virus, and decided to format.
Since then i haven't been able to get it working since, Specs are in the thingy on the left.

have tried the following combinations of Drivers + Patches:

* 258.96 + 0.9 0.91 1.0
* 260.99 + 0.9 0.91 1.0
* 266.58 + 0.9 0.91 1.0
All BSOD with a 7E error code

Always been uninstalling in safe mode with driver sweeper too.....

Any help would be appreciated

EDIT: fixed it minutes after posting this...




Thanks to elbubi for mentioning bluescreenview, above.

I ran this, and noticed that all my BSODs where caused by one file. Googled that file, and it ends up being a part of AVAST antivirus.
Uninstalled avast, and SLI patch worked fine, loaded up wiht NO bsods
Now to install MS essentials antivirus thingy, and contact AVAST....


while running 3Dmark 11,
I just got a BSOD that was caused bu NTOSKRNP.exe+70740??

Read somewhere that that is part of SLipatch or something, not too sure...

I get the same BSOD NTOSKRNP.exe+70740, This only happens when I play crysis
I think its the sli patch also.
Not just you

EDIT** I figured out that if I overclock my video cards it gives me that error

 

[Sinzia]

I just got another 470, works great with SLi patch 1.0 final and 260.89 drivers on an asus P5Q Pro Turbo.
No BSOD's or the like, even after a monster folding@home 24 hour session.

 

[perah]

Hi first post here, first of all what an amazing job you have done!

I have question regarding the mch/ich, from the Compatibility list i can see that someone got a p5k to work but aren't they splitted 16 (MCH) + 6 (ICH)? How does that work? just a curious question.

Best regards

Per

 

[johnspack]

Even the p5q series (p45 chipset) splits the lanes. My motherboard provides 2 16x video slots, and 2 x pci-e 1 slots, and 1 4x pci-e slot. The northbridge only services 16 lanes, the southbridge chip controls the x1 and x4 slots. If I put in one video card, it gets 16x bandwidth, if I put in 2 video cards, it gets splitted, as you say, into 2 8x slots. Each one now gets 8 lanes. But it's still quite sufficient!

 

[perah]

Ok, is that how sli works, it needs both the lanes that are supposed to be used connected to the same bridge? Or is the patch that need it to work that way?

 

[RiC@RDOC]

Hi first post here, first of all what an amazing job you have done!

I have question regarding the mch/ich, from the Compatibility list i can see that someone got a p5k to work but aren't they splitted 16 (MCH) + 6 (ICH)? How does that work? just a curious question.

Best regards

Per

I had a P5K before this one and to my understanding the second pci-e is connected to the southbridge

The lanes aren't splited in the northbridge like the P5Q

 

[Sinzia]

Even the p5q series (p45 chipset) splits the lanes. My motherboard provides 2 16x video slots, and 2 x pci-e 1 slots, and 1 4x pci-e slot. The northbridge only services 16 lanes, the southbridge chip controls the x1 and x4 slots. If I put in one video card, it gets 16x bandwidth, if I put in 2 video cards, it gets splitted, as you say, into 2 8x slots. Each one now gets 8 lanes. But it's still quite sufficient!

No, John, I have the P5Q Pro Turbo, with the P45/ICH10R and the lanes are not split between the controllers, the other ones might, but not with the Turbo model.

 

[johnspack]

Nope, incorrect.. I have 3 pci-e 16x video slots, and 2 pci-e 1x slots. The first 2 slots are connected to the northbridge which has a total of 16 lanes, the southbridge deals with the 3rd 16x slot and the 2 1x slots for a total of 6 more lanes:

 

[perah]

I had a P5K before this one and to my understanding the second pci-e is connected to the southbridge

But how does that work, the ga-p35-ds4 shouldnt work according to some post i found and it has the second "16x" on the ich as the p5k.

 

[Sinzia]

Nope, incorrect.. I have 3 pci-e 16x video slots, and 2 pci-e 1x slots. The first 2 slots are connected to the northbridge which has a total of 16 lanes, the southbridge deals with the 3rd 16x slot and the 2 1x slots for a total of 6 more lanes:
http://img.techpowerup.org/110131/p45.jpg

Ok, follow the block chart as follows:

Processor, down to the P45MCH... on the left hand side you see two PCI-E 2.0 Graphics in purple?

The PCI-e x16 slots are wired into the P45, they do not have any lanes wired to the ICH10R.

Thats how, like I said before, the P5Q Pro Turbo motherboard has its lanes laid out.
Actually, you're right- I read your post wrong, I thought you were talking about one x16 lane wired to the MCH, and some other one wired to the ICH.

 

[ollie26]

P7P55D-E? SLI-Patch

Hey new to these forums but been trying to get this to work, I got an ASUS P7P55D-E Crosfire certified. I have tried to get the SLI PATCH to work with 2x GTX 460's, However i cannot get it to work I have tried Nvidia drivers versions: 258.96 & 260.99 with SLI PATCH version 1.0 & the older 9.01 beta. I get the option at boot to choose SLI (windows 7x64) however when i boot into windows all i get is the choice for Physix and no SLI option.

Also in Everest under motherboard - ACPI - DSDT it says there is SLI Certification is NOT present

Any ideas? does the P55 chipset work? my PCI-E lanes are 16x & 4x (low i know but with GTX 460's it only around 5% loss.

I really dont want to pay for the P7P55D-E Pro model but i might have to if i cant get this to work.

Appreciate any help.

Thanks

 

[RiC@RDOC]

But how does that work, the ga-p35-ds4 shouldnt work according to some post i found and it has the second "16x" on the ich as the p5k.

The ga-p35-ds4 is the same thing that the P5K, i think this is a P35 chipset limitation.

From gigabyte site:
2 x PCI Express x16 slots (The PCIE_16_1 slot supports x16; the PCIE_16_2 supports x4.)
3 x PCI Express x1 slots (share with the PCIE_16_2 slot)
2 x PCI slots

The connection(DMI) between the southbridge and the northbridge is only of 2GB/s = pci-e 1.0 x4.

 

[DroneHive]

Hi,

Finally got time to move the GTX480 boards to PCI2 and PCI3 on my Supermicro X8DTG-QF and retriend with a clean Windows7 64 install (drivers 260.99).

Still no luck after patching though. Both cards seen and working but NVIDIA control panel only proposes PhysX configuration, no SLI.

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

Peeps I installed two Palit Sonic Platinum GTX460s on my Gigabyte EP45-USB3.0 with the 260.99 forceware and SLIPATCH V1.0 FINAL...so far it looks like it works perfectly, I didn't use it too much but ran MSI KOMBUSTOR MULTI GPU and both cards went to 100% usage skyrocketing FPS.

I tried 5 minutes of DEAD SPACE 2 and I noticed that one GPU works at 90%+ and the other only at 7%, is that normal??

Do you guys know if the SLIPATCH V1.0 FINAL works with the latest forceware 266.xx?

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

Hi,

Finally got time to move the GTX480 boards to PCI2 and PCI3 on my Supermicro X8DTG-QF and retriend with a clean Windows7 64 install (drivers 260.99).

Still no luck after patching though. Both cards seen and working but NVIDIA control panel only proposes PhysX configuration, no SLI.

Are you sure you installed the SLI BRIDGE correctly? Be careful to put it the right side up.

Steps I took were:

Install forceware 260.99
Restart
Apply SLI PATCH V1.0 FINAL
Restart
Enable SLI from NVIDIA CONTROL PANEL at "SLI and PHYSX" menu

 

[RiC@RDOC]

Peeps I installed two Palit Sonic Platinum GTX460s on my Gigabyte EP45-USB3.0 with the 260.99 forceware and SLIPATCH V1.0 FINAL...so far it looks like it works perfectly, I didn't use it too much but ran MSI KOMBUSTOR MULTI GPU and both cards went to 100% usage skyrocketing FPS.

I tried 5 minutes of DEAD SPACE 2 and I noticed that one GPU works at 90%+ and the other only at 7%, is that normal??

Do you guys know if the SLIPATCH V1.0 FINAL works with the latest forceware 266.xx?

Yes, sli patch works with the latest drivers(266.xx).
The 260.99 don't have yet a sli profile to Dead Space 2 but you can create one in NV control panel if you want.
Just add Dead Space 2 in manage 3d settings and change Sli Rendering Mode to alternate frame rendering 2.
You can also enable v-sync in NV Control panel and disabling it in the game, this removes the 30fps framecap and makes the game smooth as butter

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

Yes, sli patch works with the latest drivers(266.xx).
The 260.99 don't have yet a sli profile to Dead Space 2 but you can create one in NV control panel if you want.
Just add Dead Space 2 in manage 3d settings and change Sli Rendering Mode to alternate frame rendering 2.
You can also enable v-sync in NV Control panel and disabling it in the game, this removes the 30fps framecap and makes the game smooth as butter

Thanks man! Do the 266.x have sli profile for Dead Space 2?

 

[RiC@RDOC]

Thanks man! Do the 266.x have sli profile for Dead Space 2?

The 266.58 WHQL driver already brings a Sli profile to Dead Space 2.

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

The 266.58 WHQL driver already brings a Sli profile to Dead Space 2.

Perfect! So does that mean that if I have those drivers it automatically uses SLI in the game, or must I enable some kind of setting? I'll try to install it later when i'm home. The 266 drivers were giving me problems with the slipatch 0.9beta version, I hope it was just because of the patch, haven't tried with the SLIPATCH 1.0 FINAL.

Edit: I installed the 266.x and indeed Dead Space 2 goes smooth as silk stuck at 60fps with forced 4x AA/Vsync and all maxed out at 1920x1200..I can hear the two babies working smoothly inside, increasing fan rpm when the heat goes up a notch Just finished a run of 3dmark Vantage(with all settings in nvdia control panel to default). I scored P29415 (GPU Score 26228-CPU Score 46285). Is this decent? I didn't touch any settings just turned on the program and hit "RUN BENCHMARK"

 

[RiC@RDOC]

Nice score indeed. Enjoy your Sli machine

 

[ollie26]

Hey new to these forums but been trying to get this to work, I got an ASUS P7P55D-E Crosfire certified. I have tried to get the SLI PATCH to work with 2x GTX 460's, However i cannot get it to work I have tried Nvidia drivers versions: 258.96 & 260.99 with SLI PATCH version 1.0 & the older 9.01 beta. I get the option at boot to choose SLI (windows 7x64) however when i boot into windows all i get is the choice for Physix and no SLI option.

Also in Everest under motherboard - ACPI - DSDT it says there is SLI Certification is NOT present

Any ideas? does the P55 chipset work? my PCI-E lanes are 16x & 4x (low i know but with GTX 460's it only around 5% loss.

I really dont want to pay for the P7P55D-E Pro model but i might have to if i cant get this to work.

Appreciate any help.

Thanks

I gave in trying and ordered an ASUS P7P55D-E PRO motherboard, be here first thing in the morning. No more patching and failures for me lol.

 

[johnspack]

Yes, I think the biggest issue is when motherboards use the ich for the 2nd card slot. The answer is simple, just use a nice cheap p45 based mobo for this! It should have a true 16x based north bridge at minimum.

 

[qu4k3r]

Maybe this is a silly question but I have a doubt.

I have this card but I'm tempted to SLI'ed with one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VKGZSM/?tag=tec06d-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00469WUAO/?tag=tec06d-20
All of them are 768mb version but clocks are differents: 675/900 (sparkle) - 700/954 (galaxy) - 750/900 (msi)

Can sli patch be used with different cards (model/brand/clocks)?
Or must be exactly the same model/brand?

 

[RiC@RDOC]

Maybe this is a silly question but I have a doubt.

I have this card but I'm tempted to SLI'ed with one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VKGZSM/?tag=tec06d-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00469WUAO/?tag=tec06d-20
All of them are 768mb version but clocks are differents: 675/900 (sparkle) - 700/954 (galaxy) - 750/900 (msi)

Can sli patch be used with different cards (model/brand/clocks)?
Or must be exactly the same model/brand?

I'm running a EVGA GTX460 1Gb EE and a Gigabyte GTX460 OC 1Gb and SliPatch works like a charm.