Setting up my two Sparkle 8600GT PCI-E for SLi ?

[drowsy]

Just a question...I got two brand new 8600GT PCI-E cards and downloaded the latest 8 Series Nvidia Drivers. How do you setup SLi with these two? From my 3D settings it says it will use multiple GPU performance...is it that one? Or is there any articular option?

How do I know i'm using both of them and not a single graphic card?
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A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[Google]

[fussnfeathers]

SLI is motherboard dependent, on how it works. Some use a jumper to enable SLI, some use BIOS settings, and some are automatic. You'll want to consult your motherboard manual to find out how SLI is enabled for you.
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Big enough to scare you

[drowsy]

Thanks mate...will give it a try. I have another problem...one of the cards was giving me headaches cause the fan was doing noises , you know where I can find a suitable VGA 4.5cm fan to put in the heatsink? Or a complete fanless heatsink compatible with 8600GT ?
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A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[mojo1340]

[drowsy]

Thanks in fact I bought a zerotherm fan. I cant get my cards to work...my second card isnt even being installed...from bios the only option i have is pcie1->pcie2 or pcie2->pcie1......

no sli option whatsoever...i have the latest 162.18 driver installed and cant find any sli option in it either...no jumper no nothing :S
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A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[drowsy]

I CANT GET THEM TO WORK THESE BLOODY CARDS!!!!!!!Im getting crazy!!!

I dont have to use the sli bridge as my cards dont support them they have to be enabled by software...but my second card isnt even getting installed!!!!!!! that the hell guys!?!?! i need answers im gonna throws these bastards in the bloody bin!!!!!

Theres no help whatsoever neither from sparkle nor from the bloody asus!!! all the money spent for sh*t!!!
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A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[Xal]

Is this your card?

http://www.sparkle.com.tw/product_detail.asp?id=63&sub_id=127

Acording to the manual available from that page the cards when installed should give you an "SLI" option in the Nvidia driver controll panel. Though sparkle seem to be a bit behind with the manual updates as usual, as you can see on that page, the manual is the same one they have been using since the geforce 6000 series.

Make sure you completely uninstall your old drivers and then download and use driver cleaner pro to delete all the leftover files and registry entries. Always do this when updating or changing your gfx drivers or configuration. It eliminates the possibility of driver error.

Incase you have lost your motherboard manual, heres the link to it

http://dlsvr01.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socket939/A8N32-SLI%20Deluxe/E2280_A8N32-SLI_Dlx.pdf

Read through carefuly and make sure to set everything up as it says. If you still have issues then you can reference the manual and tell us what step is not working for you.

Good luck.

[edit]

According to the manual SLI mode is only supported under Windows XP. What OS are you using? If you are using VISTA or XP 64 the manual states SLI will NOT work for you. There may be updates to the motherboard drivers which allow SLI in VISTA and xp64 so if you are using either of these OS's then look at ASUS website for the latest chipset drivers.

Failing that I would suggest you RMA both cards (if the option is still available to you) and get 2 cards with the SLI bridge. My ASUS EN8600GT came with a bridge for example. The software SLI is always a bit shakey.

Check if the system is posting with both cards, do so one at a time. Then try install both and connect the monitor to each card in turn and see if it posts on both, if it does then there is a setting in the bios that is incorrect. Only the card in slot 1 should post if SLI is active (as far as I know).
_________________
Phenom II x4 955 @ Stock
Asus M3N78-EM
4gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2 667 @ 800
1gb Powercolor Radeon HD 5850 @ Stock
X-fi Extreme Audio PCI E
Nexus 600W Silent PSU
Nexus Fans
Custom case

[drowsy]

Thanks a lot for your help... my card is the following, slightly different from the one you showed me..

http://www.sparkle.com.tw/product_detail.asp?id=63&sub_id=121

To my surprise...i dont know for what crazy reason, when I reset the bios to default settings, both my cards showed up in the system hardware in windows. Then gave me the SLi option from the Nview software and worked fine.

Before only 1 card was showing and when I tried using only the second pci-e slot, the motherboard gave me the beep signal like when you switch on withouth graphics card.

The only settings I change from the bios are raid controller cause I dont use it and disabled both onboard Lan adapters. When I set everything to default with all the things I didnt need, the cards showed immediately, and then I re-disabled the lan adapters and raid from the bios...and the SLi in windows kept working :S Very strange

I dont know but I think its something unstable from the Asus motherboard. I have the latest Bios, latest nforce and forceware drivers
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A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[Xal]

It was probably some setting somwhere that you overlooked It happens lol, I have often spent days fixing a PC with no progress only to solve a problem by reseting the bios to default and then tweaking it from there. Now I pretty much do that to start with to get it out of the way early

Post up some benchmarks, I'm really interested to see how the 8600gt works in SLI. I'll be get a second card in a few months if its a worth while boost in performance, if not I'll sell my current card and pick up an 8800gtx.

Glad you got it working
_________________
Phenom II x4 955 @ Stock
Asus M3N78-EM
4gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2 667 @ 800
1gb Powercolor Radeon HD 5850 @ Stock
X-fi Extreme Audio PCI E
Nexus 600W Silent PSU
Nexus Fans
Custom case

[drowsy]

well guess what...got back from work...switched on my pc...and poof! my second pci card disappeard from windows hardware list....and with it the Sli option from the Nview.

I havent touched anything...i left it working before switching it off....can it be a power problem? Not to be stupid...but I have a 480Watts power supply..can it be swinging and making my sli unstable?
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A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[Xal]

Unstable power can do a lot of things, not the least of which mess with SLI. These cards are not very power hungry but it is possible that your power supply is too small. Try and find a higher watt PSU to test with if you can and even if not a good PSU is always a good investment.

Try reset your bios again and see if it works as before.
_________________
Phenom II x4 955 @ Stock
Asus M3N78-EM
4gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2 667 @ 800
1gb Powercolor Radeon HD 5850 @ Stock
X-fi Extreme Audio PCI E
Nexus 600W Silent PSU
Nexus Fans
Custom case

[drowsy]

Well just fitted my spare 550W power supply...and reset the bios to defaults again...no luck...i've had enough of it really...this sh*tty asus motherboards have been giving me these stupid headaches as far as I remember even my last pc had a motherboard asus and once in a while lost its bios and had to reflash it...they're bloody unstable
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A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[drowsy]

Well, I think I found out what was causing the problem with my V.Cards. There is an option in BIOS called PEG. Dont know what it is apart from being some kind of tweak for PCI-E.

Normally its set to AUTO by default, switched it off and it worked fine after two restarts the cards were still showing in windows....hallelujaahhhhhhhhhhh !!

Cross fingers i'll still find them there when I switch my pc on after I get home. Had a couple of minutes time to try Rainbow 6 Vegas, it was unplayable 1024x768 with my old 7800GT 256MB DDR3. With SLI 8600GT 512MB DDR2 I set to normal graphics and 1024X768 and it played well. I am concerned about the looking around of them which what ever I do, its still remains a bit abnormal,not the smoothest of FPS to look around during the game, but I think its only a characteristic of the game. Will try to increase graphics and see what happens hope I can increase more graphics and still play well...would have made it worth all the work and hours to make these bloody cards to work!

Will keep you posted...Also what utility may I use to overclock 8699GTs ??
_________________
A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[drowsy]

EDIT Due to spelling mistakes :

Well, I think I found out what was causing the problem with my V.Cards. There is an option in BIOS called PEG. Dont know what it is apart from being some kind of tweak for PCI-E.

Normally its set to AUTO by default, switched it off and it worked fine after two restarts the cards were still showing in windows....hallelujaahhhhhhhhhhh !!

Cross fingers i'll still find them there when I switch my pc on after I get home. Had a couple of minutes time to try Rainbow 6 Vegas, it was unplayable 1024x768 with my old 7800GT 256MB DDR3. With SLI 8600GT 512MB DDR2 I set to normal graphics and 1024X768 and it played well. I am concerned about the looking around during the game which what ever I do, its still remains a bit abnormal,not the smoothest of FPS to look around during the game, but I think its only a characteristic of the game. Will try to increase graphics and see what happens hope I can increase more graphics and still play well...would have made it worth all the work and hours to make these bloody cards to work!

Will keep you posted...Also what utility may I use to overclock 8600GTs ??
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A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[Xal]

I use ATI tool with mine though I have never tried overclocking on an SLI setup. As far as I know you need to make sure the clocks are identical on both cards. So if one clocks higher than the other you will need to clock them to the lower cards max. I think they might OC together as one card but never having had a second card to try I can't be sure. Let us know how it works and what you did to make it work. If ATI tool won't work for you then try RivaTuner or Nvidia's own overclocking tool (download from their website).

Bare in mind that the drivers for 8600 and below cards are still very buggy. Whilst I can get amazingly high FPS in HL2 EP1, my FPS are terrible in WoW which is far less demanding in the FPS department. It has to do with the new tech not being used properly by the drivers yet. Basicly try a few different games and see if you get good FPS in any other newer titles.

My card easily outperforms a 7900gs and scores very close to a 7900gt at stock settings. In 3dmark 03/05/06 I mean. With an OC I pretty much obliterate those cards in 3dmark. BUT in older games and some newer ones they BOTH outperform my 8600gt. In some newer games that have been tweaked for the geforce 8000 series I smoke them again. This all tells me that for the mean time these are sleeper cards, the true performance is yet to be uleashed by the drivers. Hopefully soon game devs and Nvidia will get together and give us some proper drivers.
_________________
Phenom II x4 955 @ Stock
Asus M3N78-EM
4gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2 667 @ 800
1gb Powercolor Radeon HD 5850 @ Stock
X-fi Extreme Audio PCI E
Nexus 600W Silent PSU
Nexus Fans
Custom case

[drowsy]

thanks for the support.

As for FPS i meant First Preson Shooter hehe...but i guess that you have to judge a card over a number of games not one single game. I think rainbow six vegas has that characteristic that looking around is a bit humpy...not smooth

will keep you updated and will buy another zerotherm cooler so they are both the same
_________________
A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[drowsy]

well.....back home...guess what?......second sli went off again without touching any setting...i give up
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A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[drowsy]

seems like the second pci-e disappears when I switch off my pc for some time...once its detected it stays there after restarts.. Im thinking my Beta BIOS 1405 is the cause...i'll try to reflash to an earlier version..I really dont know..but at least once they work..games are fine
_________________
A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[Xal]

Thats really odd, almost as if it only detects once the chipset heats up..... Have you tried simply putting the PC on and leaving it for 10mins then turning it off and back on again?

Try the older BIOS and let us know how it goes.
_________________
Phenom II x4 955 @ Stock
Asus M3N78-EM
4gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2 667 @ 800
1gb Powercolor Radeon HD 5850 @ Stock
X-fi Extreme Audio PCI E
Nexus 600W Silent PSU
Nexus Fans
Custom case

[drowsy]

Thats its im really in a confusional state now...the pc has been on for more then an hour of course with the second PCI-E not detected...restarted and didnt work...so its not a heating of the chipset. Restarted it and defaulted the bios for a dozen times...and cannot get it to work

F*ck ASUS and its motherboards...i've had enough of it...its really unstable
_________________
A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[Xal]

Try Swapping the cards arround in the slots, you may have a defective card. I have always had good luck with ASUS, If I were you I'd be suspecting Sparkle as the problem cause. I have never been a fan of "software SLI" it seems to be notoriously buggy. Some people get it working without a hitch while others fail completely.

If you can find 2 other cards to test in SLI then I would say do that first before pointing a finger. The last thing you need is to go out and buy a new mobo to have it not work either. I'm not defending ASUS in any way, simply saying be sure of the problem before you go out and spend more money

Software SLI is something I would steer clear of, I buy all my cards with SLI bridge connectors in case I decide to go SLI later on. When something relies on software it is seldom as stable as the hardware solution.
_________________
Phenom II x4 955 @ Stock
Asus M3N78-EM
4gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2 667 @ 800
1gb Powercolor Radeon HD 5850 @ Stock
X-fi Extreme Audio PCI E
Nexus 600W Silent PSU
Nexus Fans
Custom case

[drowsy]

I have been swapping cards and still get the same problem...the cards work fine i also sent an email to asus...will see WHEN they answer me :S

I still get to detect both cards only after dozens of restarts and the second pci-e alone does not work it beeps like when I switch on the pc without a video card, when the manual of asus tells you can use either slots for single use. For me thats a bug with the mainboard nothing more . Dozens of bios flashed for nothing.
_________________
A8N32 SLi -Deluxe
AMD64 3700+ @ 2.20Ghz
8600GT 512MBS PCI-E DDR2

[Xal]

Good to see you have tried every angle.

Good luck with tech support. Heres hoping its something simple to sort out.
_________________
Phenom II x4 955 @ Stock
Asus M3N78-EM
4gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2 667 @ 800
1gb Powercolor Radeon HD 5850 @ Stock
X-fi Extreme Audio PCI E
Nexus 600W Silent PSU
Nexus Fans
Custom case