Bridgeless SLI has existed since before CrossFire was a thing. Seriously, look it up. ForceWare 77.76, dated July 2005, enables bridgeless SLI on the 6600LE. CrossFire was released in September 2005.
At least the 337 and 340 drivers still mention updates to it in release notes, so it has to be supported on more modern cards as well.
Considering they have the technology and continue to support it, yet don't enable it on anything remotely high end, I have to imagine that there's a reason for that and it's probably not sales of SLI bridges.
I'd be willing to bet it's the lack of availability of PCIE lanes... why be limited with that on most boards, when you can just have an external bridge, and guarantee a good experience?
In 4-way SLI, you connect cards 1-2, 1-3, and 3-4. You would need three 2-way bridges, and one of them would have to be 4-slots long, which isn't offered here.
If I wasn't completely uninterested in multi-GPU setups for games I wouldn't mind bridges, as long as they provide an advantage due to massive bandwidth. But, as we've learned from AMD, this does not really seem to be the case with PCIe 3.
Bridges don't matter either way, the reason AMD doesn't use them on their newer cards is because the bandwidth isn't necessary (so they'd rather save the money), it doesn't make Nvidia's solution worse. In fact AMD's older crossfire solution (with bridges) isn't really as good as Nvidia's current SLI (frame pacing is all over the place), that's the real reason they switched.
AMD's solution is noticbly worse, I switched from 2x Geforce 460s to 2x Radeon 7970 and I have to be much more careful tuning Crossfire than I ever did with SLI, not only that, the Radeons are actually slower in a few edge cases.
You're information is completely wrong. You really should read up on XDMA and the 290 series. The cards need more bandwidth, not less, which is why the bandwidth constrained crossfire bridges are useless (they provide too little bandwidth to be useful with 4K).
Yeah I was just thinking when I read his comment, he has no idea how little bandwidth those bridges really provide. The newer bridgeless XDMA setups are waaay better.
I am not sure if you are joking. You just said that you CAN tune the Radeons better but you have to be more careful. So how are they worse if they perform better in all but a few edge cases? It is true that crossfire had worse frame pacing and that is what they fixed considerably with the XDMA and eliminated the need to pack a bridge (flexible or shiny).
So what happens if I would like to combine red, AMD LEDs with these Nvidia GPUs? Will I get a Blue Screen of Death that will be sponsored by Intel? I'm confused.
Just bought 1 of each! Finally! I've been waiting for these for at least a year and half, ever since they came out in the battlebox promotions. So happy to finally see Nvidia is paying close attention to the enthusiasts who care about performance AND aesthetics.
He is dead serious, I suppose (see my post above about communities). Just go and see EVGA forum - there are tons of these guys there. It's kinda "Gucci in computers". First time I knew it was kind of a cultural shock :)
It's a hobby and a fun one to customize your PC. I've done it many times. Check out MDPC's gallery (million dollar PC.) For those that like to tinker and fabricate, its good times.
AMD makes a HUGE deal out of getting rid of bridges while nVidia pimps them out.
Somehow, I think nVidia may still have its hand on the pulse of PC gamers with this one, but never underestimate nVidia's savvy for selling something you'd think preposterous. After all, they did take a bunch of Tegra 4's that weren't selling and slapped them into a controller with a poorly sized screen with poor resolution and somehow sold decent numbers of it.
Elsewhere, AMD can't sell an APU to an eskimo in winter.
Interesting, they have one for 2 way, and 2 way with 2 spaces in between. but why not one with 2 way sli with one space inbetween? many motherboards (asus p8z77v pro, gigabyte m3, ece) place the ideal pcie slots with a single slot in between. Nvidia didnt consider this?
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41 Comments
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dragantoe - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
I still like AMD's crossfire bridge better.eanazag - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
Are talking about the PCIe bus on the newest cards? I would agree with that.dragantoe - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
yephojnikb - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
yep, nvidia needs to come to 2013 and dump the sli bridge alltogether.nathanddrews - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
Yup.dragantoe - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
woah woah woah, since when were there led's in 2013?invinciblegod - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
Hey, development cycles are 2 years! Got wait some time for the respective companies' photocopiers to warm up.Samus - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - link
AMD has severe microstutter issues in 2-way crossfire because of the lack of direct GPU syncing.wolrah - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - link
Bridgeless SLI has existed since before CrossFire was a thing. Seriously, look it up. ForceWare 77.76, dated July 2005, enables bridgeless SLI on the 6600LE. CrossFire was released in September 2005.At least the 337 and 340 drivers still mention updates to it in release notes, so it has to be supported on more modern cards as well.
Considering they have the technology and continue to support it, yet don't enable it on anything remotely high end, I have to imagine that there's a reason for that and it's probably not sales of SLI bridges.
WinterCharm - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - link
I'd be willing to bet it's the lack of availability of PCIE lanes... why be limited with that on most boards, when you can just have an external bridge, and guarantee a good experience?TiGr1982 - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
So no 4-Way SLI then?(presumably, because 4-way is the least common setup used)
Goty - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
Don't those setups still use staggered 2-device connections or am I just several years behind the times?The Von Matrices - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - link
In 4-way SLI, you connect cards 1-2, 1-3, and 3-4. You would need three 2-way bridges, and one of them would have to be 4-slots long, which isn't offered here.The Von Matrices - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - link
As a supplement, you aren't behind the times, you're just mistaking SLI with Crossfire because Crossfire bridges are connected this way.spencer.p - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
Probably because the 4-Way SLI is lit with natural fire already.ZeDestructor - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - link
4-card SLI was never an official thing. Consequently, no quad-card bridge from Nvidia.vred - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - link
4-way SLI is official with Titans.MrSpadge - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
If I wasn't completely uninterested in multi-GPU setups for games I wouldn't mind bridges, as long as they provide an advantage due to massive bandwidth. But, as we've learned from AMD, this does not really seem to be the case with PCIe 3.MrSpadge - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
Oh, and don't ask about spending 30$ for a few LED.. there's got to be a reason these are sold in North America first!TiGr1982 - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
I guess, California EVGA community and the likes will be happy."Look! Just $30 and these are shining!" :)
Flunk - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
Bridges don't matter either way, the reason AMD doesn't use them on their newer cards is because the bandwidth isn't necessary (so they'd rather save the money), it doesn't make Nvidia's solution worse. In fact AMD's older crossfire solution (with bridges) isn't really as good as Nvidia's current SLI (frame pacing is all over the place), that's the real reason they switched.AMD's solution is noticbly worse, I switched from 2x Geforce 460s to 2x Radeon 7970 and I have to be much more careful tuning Crossfire than I ever did with SLI, not only that, the Radeons are actually slower in a few edge cases.
The Von Matrices - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
You're information is completely wrong. You really should read up on XDMA and the 290 series. The cards need more bandwidth, not less, which is why the bandwidth constrained crossfire bridges are useless (they provide too little bandwidth to be useful with 4K).Alexvrb - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
Yeah I was just thinking when I read his comment, he has no idea how little bandwidth those bridges really provide. The newer bridgeless XDMA setups are waaay better.SleepyFE - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
I am not sure if you are joking. You just said that you CAN tune the Radeons better but you have to be more careful. So how are they worse if they perform better in all but a few edge cases? It is true that crossfire had worse frame pacing and that is what they fixed considerably with the XDMA and eliminated the need to pack a bridge (flexible or shiny).SantaAna12 - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
From what I have read AMD recent crossfire scales better."NVIDIA Announces SLI LED Bridges"!
"I don't need no stinking bridges!"
tipoo - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
LEDs make it faster!lkb - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
So what happens if I would like to combine red, AMD LEDs with these Nvidia GPUs? Will I get a Blue Screen of Death that will be sponsored by Intel? I'm confused.wwinter86 - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
Cool, but you can only get ones with the EVGA logo on.CowboyBradley - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
Just bought 1 of each! Finally! I've been waiting for these for at least a year and half, ever since they came out in the battlebox promotions. So happy to finally see Nvidia is paying close attention to the enthusiasts who care about performance AND aesthetics.Alexvrb - Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - link
...I can't tell if you're joking or not.TiGr1982 - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - link
He is dead serious, I suppose (see my post above about communities).Just go and see EVGA forum - there are tons of these guys there. It's kinda "Gucci in computers". First time I knew it was kind of a cultural shock :)
Alexvrb - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - link
I'd rather have function and features over flash and bling. But I guess if money is no object...Subyman - Thursday, September 25, 2014 - link
It's a hobby and a fun one to customize your PC. I've done it many times. Check out MDPC's gallery (million dollar PC.) For those that like to tinker and fabricate, its good times.HisDivineOrder - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - link
Curious, isn't it?AMD makes a HUGE deal out of getting rid of bridges while nVidia pimps them out.
Somehow, I think nVidia may still have its hand on the pulse of PC gamers with this one, but never underestimate nVidia's savvy for selling something you'd think preposterous. After all, they did take a bunch of Tegra 4's that weren't selling and slapped them into a controller with a poorly sized screen with poor resolution and somehow sold decent numbers of it.
Elsewhere, AMD can't sell an APU to an eskimo in winter.
ol1bit - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - link
That is way cooler than the ribbon cables!Etern205 - Friday, September 26, 2014 - link
I think it's still a ribbon cable on the inside of that hard shell.vred - Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - link
No 4-way bridge? Nooo!Etern205 - Friday, September 26, 2014 - link
Them LED SLI bridges gives a massive boost to FPS!Ozminer - Thursday, October 2, 2014 - link
SLI has always been cooler to meAntronman - Friday, October 3, 2014 - link
If you looked at the Parvum Systems Magnus project in RoG, you'd know that Nvidia has had prototypes for a couple of years.TheinsanegamerN - Saturday, October 4, 2014 - link
Interesting, they have one for 2 way, and 2 way with 2 spaces in between. but why not one with 2 way sli with one space inbetween? many motherboards (asus p8z77v pro, gigabyte m3, ece) place the ideal pcie slots with a single slot in between. Nvidia didnt consider this?