SLI and the FAMILY STONE

[Bill]

A bundle of snakes, huh?  Since you didn't order a modular one, here's an idea.  Take a pair of wire cutters and cut the connectors off.  Then, when you're ready you can tape back together only the ones you really need.

Bill; pretty foolproof.

[Ace]

Oh, good idea, Mr. Jersey Wise Guy.  Why do I need a PAIR of wirecutters, huh??  Why can't I just use one dang wirecutter, answer me that?!

I guess the cable color is "titanium", hence the description of this as compared to "black."  I do have a description in the manual of each one, and for what; what I did last time was just look around and figure "huh.. this one looks like a four hole thingy, so I guess I should find a four hole thingy one for it."  So I'll probably go with that paradigm, again.

Ace; I suppose electricians tape, then...

[Ace]

Boy. Talk about a left turn.  From SLI malaise to how come they're a pair of pants.  Like you could find a pant, somewhere.
I blame Bill.

You know, maybe your barber uses scissors and a razor, but mine uses an electric trimmer with a whole bunch of little teeth seesawing away.  With the shortest guard.  Not like I'm letting my bangs grow out, ya know? 

Oh; and the new PSU is still doing just fine.  I moved it, on the kitchen table.

Ace; I suppose a pair of blonde twins is going to be a crowd, now.

[Bill]

Hey, it isn't my fault your barber uses a buffer, no sir. 

You know, maybe you should have ordered the second card when you ordered the first, like you mentioned to the poaster when you last trespassed into a tech room.  Nah, we would have missed all these 5 pages of fun, Still not my fault, either.  Someone told you so, then, I think.

Bill; heh.

[pat]

I'm surprised you got an order at all yesterday, it being President's day and all. My order from newegg sat on the loading docks in Jersy and California all day yesterday and won't be here until Thursday instead of Wednesday. Lucky You.

I don't go to have my hair professionally cut anymore, I just fire up the do-it-yourself job I bought a while back, put in the 3/4 and then 1/4 inch guard and go to it. Works for me.

[Ace]

B, that thing woulda cost a lot more, back then...  You know, the odds are it wouldn't have worked, if the PSU is the culprit, which woulda given me a brand new dead box.  But, yeah, if someone was gonna do it now sure.  Although TWO of those 8800GT's would just about be a house payment... I was amazed to get any delivery on a holiday, too.  I actually received it before I got the "your item has shipped" email.

Anyway, Pat and I have the same tonsorial method.  If I spread my fingers over my head after shampooing I'd be slapping myself on the head.  Not that I don't, or shouldn't, do that anyway.

I remember cutting my own hair, once; I think I was probably in 9th grade.  And didn't do it wet.  And, used a mirror.  My goodness, what a chop shop.  That was many shades of wrong.

I quit going to the barber when I cringed when she'd hold the mirror up, to show me the back... not like the front was anything to write home about, either.  I didn't like going to guys, to cut it, since that was just sorta creepy after awhile.  I have done it myself, with the trimmer.  But if my wife does it I don't have to reach as far, and I can sorta doze.

Ace; doze days.

[Ace]

Congrats on the Robin; that is my favorite, as the Bird of Spring.  We're way away from those.  If we saw one it would be a frozen carcass stuck to a peanut in my yard.

I did see a frozen deer carcass, upright, off Brownsville road on the way to Vandalia yesterday, on my way to Kalamazoo.  Not a good day for a drive, with death and mayhem on our AussieSpanish Trail Toll road and 94 in Michigan.  The mileage I'll get for the trip will pay for the PSU, so that's sweet.  It makes it "free" now.

I did not see Pat, on the trip, unless he was in one of the cars idling in the median in the snow or up on the bank in the snow.  Or around me, in the whiteout we hit around Portage and KZ.  Swiss Valley has hills, which we passed.  Otherwise, our glacier took out most of them here too.

Ace; I hope I see a robin by my birthday, or before.  Speaking of dear, did Buff have his birthday yet?

[Buffalo2102]

Hello dear.

No, no birthday yet.  Tomorrow.

I will be spending my birthday supervising the installers fitting a new boiler in my house.  We have been without hot water and heating for about 3 weeks now.  Even had one day without any water too, due to a burst water main.

Bad time of the year to be without heating.  Temperatures are around -4C at the moment.

Wouldn't mind a pair of 7600GTs - soon warm myself up on those bad boys.

Buff; Cold

[Ace]

Geez, Buff.  You should have mentioned that.  For I am a

BOILERMAKER

having attended and degreed at Purdue University.  US of A.  In fact, I mentioned that the other day, in that NASCAR poast.  So, also, I am happy to say
I told you so.
:P

I do hope you have a warm and jolly birthday, though.  I'd gladly lend you my pc or a space heater.  And you guys with your Celsius... geez louise, crank that thing up to Fahrenheit, will ya?  You'll feel the difference.

Ace; maybe you could light your candles, today.... that might help.

[Buffalo2102]

A boilermaker huh?  Hope you didn't make the boiler that just packed up on me.

Didn't see anything in the NASCAR post because I have stayed out of that one - we don't get NASCAR over here.  I'm not really a great motorsport fan, although I do like to see some good rallying now and then.  I scanned that post but none of it really made any sense to me.

Thanks for the good wishes.  The boiler is being installed as I type and hopefully I won't need to rely on the many candles on my cake!  That's a fire risk right there.

-4C is 24.8 in old money.  You're right, it does sound warmer.

Buff; sorry...how about getting back to that SLI thing?

[pat]

Looks like the Crossroads of America was closed for business yesterday what with the multiple pileups on the 94 and the toll road. Luckily no one was seriously injured.

There goes another funny, Buff not only tells ace so. He lets him know it's time to get on with it as well.

[Ace]

Well, Buff has certain privileges today, you know, to give him even more leeway...

It being a day that ends in "Y." 

Otherwise, I was glad I drove the day before as yesterday was even more horrific.  A nasty accident at the entrance to the Martin's supermarket I go to, too, in Granger.  Troll road blocked at the Mishawaka entrance, where I'd normally take it.  I am looking forward to the warm up, hopefully this week end.

And, really, there's no SLI news.  The PSU still sits on the dining table (actually, in the living room and not the kitchen) as Bill figured.  I'm waiting for it to crawl upstairs, yank out the old one with its titanium tentacles, and attach itself correctly. 

Ace; Colonel Mustard, in the living room, on the table, with a power supply..

[Ace]

What am I waiting for?  Well, for one thing, for Buff's birthday.  I'm not going to work on a holiday.

Secondly, I don't want to rip out a power supply and attempt the new one in the dim afternoon glow of Michiana, by the time I get home.  Especially I'm usually working on this idiot thing on the floor between my old faux scandinavian computer table desk and the new.  So, probably Saturday.  Unless I get really motivated tomorrow.

Fifthly, the thing is really working well right now, so I don't want to talk about that.  Also, this shiny chrome thing really makes a nice centerpiece, so maybe I might just keep it there.  Heck of a paper weight, too.

And, hey J, I loved the photos.  Those were great.  That red one is a stunner...

Now; go say happy birthday to Buffalo.  Poor guy is having tea and toast and a room full of strange servicemen, for his birthday. 

Ace; I guess that would be a surprise party.

[Ace]

I saw Angry Red Planet...  I usually get noise whenever I point my camera at anybody.

On the subject of SLI; this won't take long.

Yanked out the Antec 450 watt and with some ado installed the chrome dome Ultra 600 watt.  One cruel thing is I could NOT find a 4 pin board plug... Nothing on it.  Finally discovered they'd stuck two together as an 8 pin.  Once I saw it and pulled it apart, had that.  The other 12v are 6 pins and I really don't have any such target on this mobo.  And the cards don't have any means to have a direct plug in.

So, cranked it up.  Booted fine.  Enabled SLI; and
same old same old.

Goes to the Welcome; then disables.  Then reboots.  Then goes to Welcome; then disables.  Have to safe surf it back, pick a restore.  So still won't hold or kick in on SLI.

checked and installed video drivers, again.  Even got the "You have an SLI configuration" balloon to pop up.  But again, applying it requires reboot, and reboot won't go through.

I've got the latest 169 NVidia drivers; both downloaded on file and disk, and they ALL show as "corrupt".  Using a 12/5/07 set of drivers, and both cards are set with them and you'd think that'd be current enough anyway. 

So; stuck.  I am really sans ideas.  Anything from this point would just be senseless jiggling things around for the fun of it.  Only thing Software would be somehow get the latest drivers to actually be of use (although doubt that'd matter); do another Mobo BiOS update/flash (cringe); attempt the gpu bios flash (which is still mostly a mystery, to me, and no obvious answer).  Everything's been attempted on the software, and everything says hardware is working and configured.  and yet...

Ace; may as well discuss food, and LED flashlights, or BluRay technology at this point.  Or Buff's birthday boiler.

[Ace]

Thanks, Johnny.  You guided me expertly in that previously, as I had no clue.  Hopefully, it won't be necessary but a sensible move under the circumstances.  I have done a BIOS "use the dang defaults" setting.

Aye; here's the rub;  I may have this thing going SLI now.

Albeit, it's hard to tell.  The problem with the NView NVidia program is it seems to show SLI enabled and then show it as the default "nought."  So, I really don't think I can trust going to it to see if it's "on" or if it's just showing "set here for the time being." 

Here's what changed this PM; I swapped the cards.  Yes, Pat, you can tell me so. 

I gotta say, the new one was wedged in something fierce.. boy, can I set these things.  It was so locked in I used a glove, and pliers and tried to flip a screwdriver under the screw mount.  It was not budging.  But, finally, ripped it loose.  When I booted, it recognized both as new hardware.  Was set at an ugly default 800x600..  So I went to up it to the monitor's norm of 1024 and it says "your drivers are set to a previous version of Windows and we're not gonna go there."  Where, I reply "huh?" 

Same one's I've been having.  so I do an "update" (reload) off what I've got.  Then, pop up says "You know, your monitor would really be better suited to 1024xwhatever you know" so I say "ok."  So it upgrades.

So I go to NView Properties to try the SLI thing; hit the enable/Apply mode.  This time, it doesn't ask; it just goes to immediate reboot (like way back when).  And comes all the way back on... So I look back in NView, and it's on the "regular" setting and not SLI... So I try it again.  And, it reboots immediately and comes all the way on (no stall at the Welcome screen/no need to restore or Safe it).

I look, and NView shows the default standard setting.. so I begin to wonder if it's showing what IS, or what is the next choice...?

So, I go to Call of Duty 4.  I choose the 2 card graphic option, max setting 1200 something, pretty much all the video choices... And I've been playing it this afternoon glitch free, pause free, absolutely highest grade visuals with max frame rate with no dropoffs or pauses or any probs...

Which, I figure Buff would say; "The proof is in the pudding."  I am seriously doubting the NView tool will show what IS.  I'll look for 3DMark or some such utility that might show me what I'm really running...  But I don't think I can trust the card utility to show what's going on.  And, at this moment. I've gotta figure I've got SLI since I NEVER was able to max out this game, with one card.  And this game is so demanding there's no way it will go this smooth and clear unless something special is happening.  So, for all practical purposes, I believe I've got an SLI set up.

Bill, I understand if you're hesitant to give an "Atta Boy" on this.. Heck, I am too.  I wish I could find a "Yo, you've got SLI" pop up.  Unfortunately, not on this.  But my hunch is "it is."

Ace; go figure.

[Buffalo2102]

Sounds like a success and a Merlot is well deserved.

Doesn't sound like you've become a SLI expert though.

Buff; I pity the fool

[Ace]

There's got to be a morning after, so I'm having coffee since it's 7:20 here.  Thankjs, J and B.  Hey, that sounds like a drink...

This is ironic as heck...  The thing is, you can't TELL if both cards are working in cahoots... Not like just looking at the screen is going to reveal it.  Can't see anything going on, except through the NVidia Settings tool.  And that does enough suspicious things to not trust it.  There were times when you click on the "Enable SLI" screen, and then the "reboot now" button, and as you're watching things shut down the last view of it has the dot with "do not use SLI" marked... right before the computer shuts down! 

If youse guys know of a tool or utility that will show if something like this is really operational, lemme know.  Only thing I can think of, past the actual game test I mentioned with COD4, is a system tester like 3D Mark that stresses and reports the results.  As a reminder from this non-expert, device manager will always show the cards as working normally, the NView system settings tab will show each cards slot, assignment, speed (still 16x and 8x), card BIOS, drivers...  But all that is true even without the bridge in place.  It's not like you can just slap on the bridge and they're "on."  The only software trigger is by NVidia.  So if it's by nature glitchy... 

Ace; we oughta hire a dang SLI expert... where's Nestor?

[Bill]

"Atta boy."  You get it to work and now your fussing over a message in a stoopid bit of software?  I mean, really,  those messages don't mean anything.  Just like "Windows caused a critical error and will terminate." or "Fatal error at 00000xxx060000001" or "Temperature exceeding maximum setting...." or "there are 151,000 fragments on the HHD degrading performance."  Who really cares as long as COD4 looks pretty, right? huh?

You could try some really intense graphics application, as a test, to stress the cards, like Word or somethin'.

Bill; good work.

[Ace]

Well, yeah, I guess that could work.  Maybe if I use clipart, too?  That would stress it.

Ooh.. or WordPerfect.  I can "reveal codes" PLUS typeset PLUS clip art...  If I do all that and then change the line spacing it's gotta put it to the test!

Ace; and run a spell check, at the same time... Or, heck, the Thesaurus!  And turn on BOTH printers!

[pat]

That is just so like you, run the topic out 5 pages and do the fix from 3 pages ago. "AttA BoY"

Glad to see (hear?) you got the thing going, great news, that's the best thing I've heard since, umm, well, the other day when I went up north and two hours from the bridge I see a sign that the bridge is closed on a beautiful sunny day due to falling ice. The good news was by the time we got there it was open again and we got over without delay.

Congratulations on a job well done.

[Ace]

Geez Louise, Pat, even a blind squirrel goes nuts sometimes.  You were going to have me flip the whole dang thing around.  At least Johnny would've been satisfied with me just yanking the battery and counting to 50.

I'll tell ya, the old card came out ok.  But there was awhile I saw the distinct possibility of having the new one break in two. You'd have thought I epoxied it in.  Oh, and then I'm trying to attach the digital plug on the new one and one screw is just spinning... the stupid mounting post nut was gone.  So I had to detach one from the one to stick in there.

I've been looking at forums about ways one can TELL if one's dang SLI is working.  Not the only one who found the NVidia desktop manager tool suspect, and inconsistent.  And even activating the "green bars" for performance gives results that aren't necessarily clear.  And testing it (Futuremark/3D Mark) just tells you how it performs against other pcs.  Not itself.  Seems every way to verify is cryptic, or secondary. 

I downloaded the newest 169 NVidia drivers (again...).  Might try an install (again...).

This "the" bridge?  The Mackinac SLI bridge? 

Ace; how do you know if your refrigerator light is off....

[pat]

Page 6, good grief.

Yeah, the Mighty Mac, did you know there is over 40 thousand miles of wire in the cables that support that thing and that we here in the lower half are affectionately known as trolls. Because................ yep, you guessed it, we live below the bridge. Just a couple of bridge facts for you to add up with all the other bridge facts you've been collecting in these past few days.

The fridge one is easy, you just open the door really fast and watch to see. 

[Ace]

Look, you don't just get handed 6,122 poasts.  You've got to earn them...

We've got a troll road, you've got a troll bridge.  Cool.  This thing takes as long to read as it did me to write I mean work on the dang computer. 

I gotta say, I really DON'T want to open up the NVidia View or the case, and look to see what's on, because I'm afraid of what it'll show me.  I guess Faith is believing in things you can't see.

Ace; I believe in Faith.  Hill.