New SLi GPUs not working - HELP please.

[simonjanda]

I am having great difficulty in getting 2x MSI NX8600GT GPU cards to work on my PC that I have just bought from Aria.
I initially installed one card and each time I booted the PC I would get the blue screen of death. So I started in Safe Mode and installed the new drivers. My PC now recognizes the new GPU. I have the second GPU that I want to insert and run in SLi configuration. In the nVidia Control Panel I used the Help section to see how to do this. It stated that so long as I had a SLi MB and at least 1 SLi GPU then I should be able to see the SLi Configuration Option under the 3D Settings in the Control Panel.
I have a SLi MB and 1 SLi GPU fitted but there is no option in the 3D settings or anywhere else for me to set up a second GPU and run it as SLi.
I then installed the 2nd GPU.
I rotated the small SLi interface, and have conected the SLi bridge.
On booting up the PC it now states PCI-E Link Width x8 as opposed to x16 when booting with 1 card. I dont know if that is normal?
In the properties for the card it only shows 256meg instead of 512.
Also in the control panel it still does not give me the option for SLi mode.
When I go to the MSI SLi web site it states that my PC is NOT SLi enabled.
I have received a RMA number to send these cards back but if it is something simple then it will save a lot of time and trouble for both parties.
Am I doing something incorrect????

Simon.

[Lynx]

Have you done a bios update? And also the 8x lanes is fine thats normal for SLi. I dont know anything else i can do.

[mac124]

Presumably as you have rotated the mobo sli connector thingy it has enabled the 2nd pcie slot and this is why you are seeing \"PCI-E Link Width x8\" as each slot is now running x8.

Also i wouldn't expect to see any options for setting up sli till the second card was fitted, have you looked since fitting the second card?

Have you tried each card seperately? If they work on their own i doubt there is any need to rma them, you just need to get it set up correctly.

Also why are you sli-ing 2 mid range cards? As you seem to be proving its more hassle than its worth, I would have spent the money on a single more powerful card, sell your original one (assuming you had one for a while then got a second one at a later date) and put the cash towards a new more powerful card.

[simonjanda]

As far asI am aware I have the latest BIOS available from MSI.
I do not know what to do.
1 card works fine on its own and if I swap the cards around then the other works OK too. So it cannot be the cards.
If I send them back with out any problem how do I stand with a refund?
Obviousely I would prefer to get them working.

Simon.

[mac124]

So they are both new?

Well there is the distance selling act, which basically states something along the lines of you can return anything bought online for whatever reason within a certain time of receiving it (you would need to find this time frame out) and get a full refund, if its outside this time frame you are basically going to have to sort the issue out or sell them.

[simonjanda]

Thank mac124 for your reply.
I have swapped them around and each works OK hence my previous post about RMA.
After installing both then the SLi option is still NOT available.
Two average cards - I didnt realise that they were average.
My original card was a MSI 6600GT so I thought that by going to a MSI 8800GT x2 would be fantastic.

But as you say I am having a lot of trouble.

[mac124]

I'm sure if you get it working it will be a huge performance boost like i said though i question the logic of sli-ing 2 mid range cards when a single card will probably give more performance for little more cost, in this case an 8800gts 320mb would cost around £40more than the 2 8600gt

[Lynx]

Shame you didnt get two ATis, theyve just managed to sort out their driver overhead with crossfire. Next release should give 80% performance boost. two 2600XTs sound nice.

[Hosser]

[quote:734ece8dbc=\"Lynx\"]Shame you didnt get two ATis, theyve just managed to sort out their driver overhead with crossfire. Next release should give 80% performance boost. two 2600XTs sound nice.[/quote:734ece8dbc]

The 2600XT is a piece of crap if you're a real gamer, but their price (about £60 if you know where to look) does make them attractive to low-end gamers, and the addition of the UVD makes them worthy of HTPC usage. I wish they'd do a 2600XT + UVD + TV Tuner; that would be enough for me to bin my X1800XL All-In-Wonder that I use in my HTPC.

[simonjanda]

To everyone that replied to my query - thanks - I do appreciate all the comments. The cards went back and now I am just looking for a single PCi-E card. I notice that 8800gts is recommended. So I will go with that. What is the difference between GT GTS - I thought that it was a Ford Escort to begin with...lol.

[Hosser]

[quote:a62e7a4492=\"simonjanda\"]To everyone that replied to my query - thanks - I do appreciate all the comments. The cards went back and now I am just looking for a single PCi-E card. I notice that 8800gts is recommended. So I will go with that. What is the difference between GT GTS - I thought that it was a Ford Escort to begin with...lol.[/quote:a62e7a4492]

There isn't an 8800GT yet, but it is coming soon.

And GTS is better than GT. Usually GTS cards will have higher clocks, more shaders and/or more frame buffer memory than their GT counterparts.

[SIMON11]

You have to be careful when you RMA with Aria and other companies. I hope you didn't return them as faulty. If so you are likely to get them back with a charge for testing them. I hope you sent them back under the distance selling terms.
Also did you attach the bridge connector to join the two cards?

[Lynx]

GT is far better than GTS at the moment, a revised GTS will be coming out later, but for now the GT is better.

[Nifty]

Stop resurfacing old topics :(

[Micky007]

thats what i felt like saying but decided not to

[simonjanda]

I know its been ages but I forgot about this blob. Anyhow I sorted it all out with the GPUs. They went back to Aria who stated that they were faulty, I had no problem with Aria at all. I have since bought a MSI NX8800GTX 768meg. Cost a fortune and takes up more room that 2 house bricks and then I have my daughter saying the graphics aren't any better or worse !!!!!

O well - live and learn.

Simon

[Nifty]

Daughter says the graphics aren't any better or worse? Whats she playing?! I bet its World of Warcraft...

[simonjanda]

Lord Of The Rings - Shadows Of Angmar Online.

[coiler]

You won't see a difference until you play a game with decent gfx. It will certainly wipe the floor with your previous setup and x2 8600gt's SLI'd! LOL