Good AMD SLI motherboard

[yRaz]

I've been having a hard time finding SLi boards to go with my socket AM3. I've been thinking about going with this Asus board:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131636

I'm planning on buying a GTX 570 soon and would like to SLi when summer comes around. Thing is, there are only 2 boards like this on newegg. I'm not sure of there quality and I would just like a little reassurance that this is a good choice.

 

[Benny26]

Hmm..You're right, there isn't alot of good choice through the net. It seems to come back to the M4N98TD EVO (which you have linked).

There are loads of reviews to have a look at so it's not too bad.

 

[yRaz]

I wanted something with 3 PCI-e 16x slots. I wanted something with at least x16/x8/x8

 

[Benny26]

What about the MSI NF980-G65 board? (x16/x16/x8)

I must admit, it looks the part ...Here's a review link, if you want it.

 

[DokkRokken]

If you're adventurous, perhaps consider the 'SLI Hack?'

My GTX 470's are in SLI on a MSI 790FX-GD70, and operate without a hitch. The main limitation is new drivers, as it takes the team responsible for the patch a little time to get things ironed out with the new releases. For example, my 260.99 driver-set is compatible, but the website has yet to mention that the current 263.09 can be worked-around.

Still, if you already possess an AMD board with the amount of PCIe x16 slots you desire, it's worth a shot. Saves a bit of money, and it means you don't have to move to a comparatively bad nVidia chipset. Naturally, you'll likely need to purchase an SLI bridge; I got a 10cm one for cheap off of eBay, which was entirely new.

Here is a link to the page about the hack. (Moderators, I perused the 'ToS' and forum rules and didn't see if posting something of this nature is disallowed. If it is, then I apologize in advance.)

http://www.xdevs.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.30

 

[yRaz]

What about the MSI NF980-G65 board? (x16/x16/x8)

I must admit, it looks the part ...Here's a review link, if you want it.

I remember reading about that board and read some reviews that i didn't like. I don't remember what exactly it was, but it was a deal breaker.

Anyone know when the new nVidia chipsets will come out? I really want gtx 570 SLi with Physx.

 

[DokkRokken]

None. nVidia is done with chipsets for the forseeable future. If you want SLI out of the box, you'll need an Intel chipset.

Frankly, that's the way to go, as an Intel CPU like an i5-760 or 2500K will allow the SLI'd 570's to stretch their legs. My 955 at 3.7Ghz bottlenecks the 470's in benchmarks, and by looking at a thread on Overclock.net, this bottleneck extends to games as well.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

PhysX isn't a huge increase in performance.
I'd just sell your old card.
Not only that, but SLI is just easier with intel platforms; IMO sandy bridge, unless you already have an AMD system, then a 890GX and two 6870's.

 

[yRaz]

So tell me then, is this SLI patch a sure thing? Is it just tinkering around with enough stuff to get it to work or is it hit or miss?

Are you running a 980 chipset in the 470 benchmark?

I may be adventurous and go with an AMD motherboard if there is an SLi hack/patch

 

[DokkRokken]

So tell me then, is this SLI patch a sure thing? Is it just tinkering around with enough stuff to get it to work or is it hit or miss?

So far, it has been rock solid. If you peruse the 'xDevs' website, you'll see the list of boards and card combinations that have worked. Really, the patch couldn't be simpler to implement, as long as you follow the instructions laid out on the website I posted before.

Have your driver installed (one that is able to be patched), download the patch, disable UAC, double click the .exe, and hit 'update' or 'install'. The program will tell you if the patch can be installed beforehand.

Afterwards, reboot, and you'll come up to an OS selection screen, where you can pick your 'original' OS or the one with the patch applied. Just boot into the proper OS, and everything should be cool.

Then, turn off your PC, plug in your second card, slap on the SLI bridge, and boot into the proper OS. If all goes as planned, you'll get a pop-up saying your system can use SLI. Simply configure your options in nVidia Control Panel, and you're rolling.

As far as I'm aware, you can update Forceware without needing to uninstall the patch, but of course, you'll want to wait until the patch's developers post that it's fine to do so. You will need to re-enable the patch if you do a BIOS update though.

I've had zero issues since the install. If you don't like it, you can uninstall the patch. They make it simple.

Are you running a 980 chipset in the 470 benchmark?

I'm running an AMD 790FX chipset, which has four PCIe x16 slots.

Here's the Overclock.net thread:

http://www.overclock.net/nvidia/881040-first-gtx-470-sli-unigine-benchmarks.html

By the looks of things, there's a mix of people using nVidia chipsets, and hacked AMD chipsets, plus a couple with Intel's for comparison's sake. One guy with an AMD cpu is using an x4 slot, though, so his results are reflecting the lack of bandwidth in that area too. Barring that, the thread gives a relatively good idea of what to expect.

It's worth investigating the hack. But I'd only suggest using it if you already have an AMD chipset with two PCIe x16 slots. If you want something entirely new, then opt for an nVidia 980a board to prevent any potential hassles.

But if you're aiming to SLI in the summer, perhaps wait and see how Bulldozer materializes. Intel's offerings will have also dropped in price.

 

[dividebyzero]

The xdevs patch works fine in my experience. I've patched P45, X38, X48 and recently a 790FX.
Works as advertised. I would backup your data in any case -no sense in leaving anything to chance.


-All the boards I work with are either Gigabyte or Asus (and EVGA, but they obviously already have SLI support)

 

[yRaz]

That is quite a lot to think about. I mainly want more than one videocard just because it's cool. I guess it is just easier to do that on AMD in my case. I'm not really interested in a new CPU at this point. Mine isn't great, but I am more than satisfied with it.

I was thinking of nvidia because I currently have an mAXT motherboard with one PCI-e slot. My 8800GT is on it's last leg and I need a new videocard now. I was planning on an SLi or crossfire system from the start. I just needed to know what way to go as far as an upgrade path. If nvidia is done with chipsets then I'm going crossfire. Think I might pick up a 6950 and an 890FX at some point.

 

[dividebyzero]

Nvidia have been done with chipsets for quite a while (discounting the Ion). Last Nvidia chipset was the 790Ultra/790i SLI (LGA775 socket).

SLI on the other hand should be available on all Intel chipsets going forward (dual PCIE slots permitting). AMD boards will only be Crossfire capable from the 990X onwards by all accounts.

 

[DokkRokken]

Picking the 6950 would be a great decision, especially if you do want a second card, now that Crossfire has begun to scale very well. SLI was believed to be superior, but after the 5xxx series, it's safe to say that's no longer true.

At least you know there are options out there. It's a real shame that neither AMD nor nVidia are keen on allowing AMD users to utilize SLI. Hopefully that will change; I'd love to see some NF200's on AM3+ boards, so I'll have a choice come upgrade time, instead of having to rely on a bypass.

 

[yRaz]

No SLi on AMD is a bummer...I remember had 8800GT SLi way back when on my M2N32-SLi Deluxe. Crap, lol, i really wanted some 570's. There are only reference 6950's and 6970's. The 6970 isn't that much more expensive than the 570, so I'd probably just go with the 6970. It's not the answer I wanted, but I got an answer. I just like nvidia drivers so much more. Control panel makes sense, CCC is confusing as all hell.

At the same time there are the 980a's...whatever......

 

[DokkRokken]

I've an idea. How about installing the patch on your current PC, and getting a feel for the process. It does not require two GPU's if you just want to see how it installs, and the changes it makes to your system. In fact, if your current board has two PCIe x16 slots, you can use the 8800GT with the 570 for some PhysX. No SLI bridge is needed.

At least then you'll know if the hack is for you or not. Then you can decide whether to go with a 980a board, or a nice 890FX. Even better, you can wait for Bulldozer to debut, and likely use the patch on a 990FX board. My understanding is that your AM3 CPU will plug into a 990FX, so you can nab a nice board, and then grab an AM3+ CPU once you're ready.

 

[yRaz]

well, i can't use Physx because my 8800GT is dying. It artifacts like mad! I can only get killing floor, alien swarm, and super meat boy to work. Everything else crashes. I need this thing ASAP. may have to deal with it for a few weeks, but I'm going to try to pick up a 6970. Do crossfire later this summer or something.