SLI Support

Comments

• Dictator93 Join Date: 2008-12-21 Member: 65833Members, Reinforced - Shadow

  September 2012

  <!--quoteo(post=1970109:date=Sep 2 2012, 01:18 PM:name=Fratous)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Fratous @ Sep 2 2012, 01:18 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1970109"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I did a quick search, didn't see anything, otherwise please delete this thread.
  
  I just wanted to post that you can enable SLI in NS2, and it does indeed improve performance by quite a fair bit. While an Nvidia optimised profile would probably give better performance, it is better than nothing.
  
  With the inclusion of Ambient Occlusion, my framerate difference with SLI ON/OFF is ~50% depending on the scene. My GPU usage usually hovers at 60% on both cards, but in very taxing areas both cards spike to high 80's.
  
  I have been using this method since mineshafts release (cant remember the build) and it has been working fine. I have not noticed any sort of graphical glitches outside the ones already present when i leave it on a single card. Only real issue i have had was that my loading time increased ALOT (about a min+ to load a map), however, this issue has been fixed in build 217.
  
  All that you have to do is create a custom profile either in the NVCP or Nvidia Inspector for the NS2.exe, and for "SLI Rendering Mode" select "Force Alternate Frame Rendering 2".
  
  I am using Driver 306.02, but I have used this profile in older driver revisions and it has worked fine.
  
  Here is SLI OFF
  <a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/405/slioff2.jpg/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/488/slioff2.th.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /></a>
  
  
  Here is SLI ON
  <a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/225/slion2.jpg/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/3760/slion2.th.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /></a>
  
  I would post screens of actual fights, but nobody is online in Australia atm :)
  
  Specs:
  2x EVGA GTX 580 SC 1.5GB
  I7 950 3.85ghz
  12GB RAM
  Windows 7 X64<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
  
  I have been having a problem with my SLI in the game on levels when I enter new areas. From room to room. My FPS cuts in half basically at these moments. Can you perchance show me that? I'll post more on what I mean (you can checkout my thread on it in these help forums actually).

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• Fratous Join Date: 2012-09-02 Member: 157350Members, Reinforced - Shadow

  September 2012

  hmm i just played an entire match of docking and didn't have any fps drops when entering a new area? ill check out your thread.

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• Sling_Blade Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 3412Members, Reinforced - Shadow

  September 2012

  I did some testing a while back, and SLI didn't help me (680 SLI). I just tested it with 221. When I get FPS drops in NS2 with SLI on, I see the utilization go way down on the cards. That's because they're idle waiting on the CPU. Looks like NS2 is still CPU bound.
  
  Also to enable SLI with nvidia inspector you also have to have something other than 0x00000000 for the compatibility bits. If you have zeroes then it isn't really enabling SLI. I used the Counter Strike Global Offensive compatibility bits.
  
  I think that any modern card is going to be able to hit 60FPS, as long as the CPU isn't a problem. Maybe those with lower end cards in SLI will benefit one day if optimizations remove the CPU as the bottleneck. As it is now, enabling SLI just means you may experience microstutter, so might as well leave it off for NS2.

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• phoenixbbs Join Date: 2003-02-10 Member: 13379Members, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Subnautica Playtester

  September 2012

  If you're seeing "hitches" when you move around a map, it might be that the game is loading textures.
  
  Although the "texture streaming" switch in the options is supposed to address this, I find leaving it "off" works better for me.

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