Gtx 560 sli

[deathfromace]

So I bought a GTX 560 a couple of months ago for 124.99 and just bought another one today for 81$ (brand new) and I was thinking of doing SLI with them but have never done it before and have heard mixed things about SLI. Such as some games not being compatible with it and it just not being great all of the time from slowing down games and not giving a huge benefit above just a single card. Is any of that true...I expect not or people wouldn't do it but it's what I've been told before even though it sounds wrong.

Also is there anything I would need to know before I hook them both up? I know I need a little SLI attachment but my card didn't come with one so was wondering if there is a specific one I need or would any SLI work assuming it's a Nvidia one.

Thanks for any and all help

[David (PassMark)]

Such as some games not being compatible with it and it just not being great all of the time from slowing down games and not giving a huge benefit above just a single card. Is any of that true...

Yes it is totally true, unfortunately.
Not to mention the additional power usage, heat and fan noise. Plus often you need to buy a bigger power supply as well.

It works with a reasonable number of top line 'AAA' games. Sometimes the difference is marginal (especially with a slow CPU at low resolutions). But on a few games with the right setup it can give great results.

I don't think you ever need the SLI bridge connector with newer cards.

[deathfromace]

So I could just plug it in and just go?

My computer set-up is

i7-3770k
Windows 7
12 gigs ram
resolution I currently do is 1600x900
850 Watt PSU

Edit: If I find a game it does not work well with is there an easy way to disable one without going to BIOS...or if I even need to go to BIOS. Maybe something the Nvidia program can alter?

[David (PassMark)]

You can make profiles for each application in the device driver console window. Generally this takes a bit of time to do, as there is a bunch of different settings that can be selected and you need to measure the impact of each settings before deciding on the best profile per application.

[i7Baby]

Gtx560 sli

So I could just plug it in and just go?

My computer set-up is

i7-3770k
Windows 7
12 gigs ram
resolution I currently do is 1600x900
850 Watt PSU

Edit: If I find a game it does not work well with is there an easy way to disable one without going to BIOS...or if I even need to go to BIOS. Maybe something the Nvidia program can alter?

I added another 560 to my PC about 6 months ago. And you do need a (flexible) SLI bridge (about $10 on eBay or ask a mate who isn't using theirs). And you should space the cards apart as much as possible on your motherboard to get good cooling.

You get SLI up and running via the NVidia Control Panel which you should already have on your PC seeing you already have one 560. You can find it via the Windows Control Panel under Hardware and Sound.

If you look on the Geforce website, under optimisation, you will see the optimum settings for various games (with or without SLI). Not all games are set up to use SLI. The Control Panel will also let you attempt to try various SLI settings (eg Alternate Frame rendering) for games on your PC.

[i7Baby]

Gtx560 sli

I added another 560 to my PC about 6 months ago. And you do need a (flexible) SLI bridge (about $10 on eBay or ask a mate who isn't using theirs). And you should space the cards apart as much as possible on your motherboard to get good cooling.

You get SLI up and running via the NVidia Control Panel which you should already have on your PC seeing you already have one 560. You can find it via the Windows Control Panel under Hardware and Sound.

If you look on the Geforce website, under optimisation, you will see the optimum settings for various games (with or without SLI). Not all games are set up to use SLI. The Control Panel will also let you attempt to try various SLI settings (eg Alternate Frame rendering) for games on your PC.

Oh yeah - make sure your Power Supply can handle the extra card eg check out your system using http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp