Actually SLI has been around for a long time, and was honestly it's most capable and most-impressive in it's early iterations. The first cards to take advantage of SLI in the 90's (and arguably the inventors of SLI in general) were the 3DFX Voodoo cards, which were 3D-only video accelerator cards (meaning that you had to passthrough video from your 2D-only video card via a VGA passthrough cable). Running two cards in SLI (also using a hardware bridge at the time, which looked like a modified floppy cable) would pretty-much literally *double* the performance you could get, and this stayed mostly true through all of the 3DFX cards that supported it. Once Nvidia and ATi / AMD gave it a go themselves, they quickly ran into a couple of noticeable problems: 1. GPUs were *much* more complex than their earlier 3DFX counterparts, being entire graphics cards rather than simply "3D accelerators", and dealing with much more complex pipeline structures, software support, hardware features, and ever-changing APIs (especially with the emergence of things like OpenGL and later DirectX). 2. Due to reason 1, SLI couldn't be achieved the same way as the earlier 3DFX cards, and required support on a driver, API, OS, software, and game level in order to work. This was in stark contrast to the 3DFX implementations which effectively tied the two video accelerators together into one card, and thus the task of managing resources across both GPUs was done almost entirely in hardware, *not* in software as it mostly is now. 3. "GPUs" in the 3DFX days were expensive, premium, and were outclassed way faster simply due to how quickly computing hardware was improving as a whole. SLI was done because GPUs were so expensive back then and the gains possible for SLI were so good at the time (and compatibility pretty close to that of a single 3DFX card due to how it worked) that it was a viable alternative to that of buying a new card, especially since this was before things like DirectX, so each new video card that came out had to have games and software designed to use it (otherwise it would almost-exclusively use the CPU for rendering, if it would use the video accelerator at all). A company that had already bought all this expensive hardware and software to pair with it wouldn't really want to have to then rip all of it out a year or two later just because the new video accelerator was much *much* faster, so SLI was honestly a good choice for people who already had "drank the Voodo 1 koolaid", and this was also true of later Voodoo cards (though less so as 3DFX sought to keep their GPUs compatible and were really one of the first to try to standardize GPUs and how they worked). By the time Nvidia and Ati were taking a crack at it themselves, GPUs were now cheaper, much more powerful, and much more applicable to mass-consumers (not just hyper-nerds with blank checks). SLI changed into a premium feature for enthusiasts who wanted "the best FPS possible cost-no-object", and since SLI / CrossFire was still delivering respectable gains even with the aforementioned issues, it stuck around as that kind of "MOAR POWAR" option. Some programs took advantage of this for workstation applications to great success (there's still a couple of programs out there that can take advantage of SLI for increased rendering or other gains), and this also contributed to the extending lifecycle of SLI even well after the "traditional benefits" of SLI had long gone out the window for the mainstream masses. The closest we ever really got to "mainstream SLI" was CrossFire X in the late 2000's - early 2010's, since ATi / AMD really pushed that feature into not just their high-end cards but even a lot of their budget options, too (Nvidia did this, too but ATi / AMD definitely pushed the most for trying to make SLI mainstream). In general, I wouldn't say that "SLI never got it's chance". More like it absolutely did, and it absolutely slapped, but every passing year made SLI harder-and-harder to improve (and even maintain). GPUs just got too good. Consumers just got too budget-conscious. Power requirements, space constraints, rising development and maintenance costs -- all of these factors and more contributed to SLI / Crossfire's downfall. SLI is dying because *it just doesn't make sense* unless you have a niche use case for it where it gives you an advantage over just "buying a better GPU" or even just "building a second PC and running both of them together".
Just lost my best friend (not dead, just a mess up) Thanks man you picked me up when I was out of sorts. Love your videos man they deserve more attention
I built a PC back in 2010 as a present to myself and PC gamer recommended SLI instead of a more powerful card. I can't remember which card it was but I didn't have any issues in games for a few years until I upgraded. This was a fun memory that you unlocked and I agree on why the tech was basically doomed from the start
Just saw another video of yours thought i'd subscribe to your channel because I miss those channels that used to do the use p c's it sees they've all become corporate shills no offense To them I know they have to make money I love how you're going back to PC gaming roots using office p c's as gaming p c's on the cheap And keeping o PC's Out of landfill is always a good thing Keep up the great work you definitely deserve more subscribers Or by the way your voice sounds cool Wish your channel off success
Love your videos and they way you present the information. I had 2 GTX 580's from new and ran those in SLI. They ran really well and with a big overclock gave some awesome FPS numbers. Ran without SLI for basic games and would enable it on the new games for the time. SLI was great but its in the past now...
Yeah I would like to see SLI be revisited, it had so much potential but developers just didn't jump onboard and found it difficult to code for. Sadly it will fade away just like other technology's have but it will be remembered by enthusiasts.
If i had to guess, it's because sli/crossfire put a lot of hardware interaction work onto the developers, who don't have access to hardware information.
What I would love is if NVIDIA made a new form of sli, but instead of using both gpus as one it just uses the vram from the other and adds it. Would be a great way to breath new life into something like a 970 due to the fact that games are requiring more and more vram. Also, I have to say you are funny, which is not something you find anywhere else. Seriously underrated channel.
You're the only tech youtuber who integrates accual FUNNY humour in videos. Plus you have the perfect personality. Continue with the great work. Also I've been subbed since like 300 subs :)
@@LowcastleTech They say rgb gives you more fps, but the real secret is to build a pc on chair desk, chair desk will enchant the pc with the POWER OF CHAIR DESK
@@appsaucetech I really appreciate that, glad you are liking the content. And I know you've been around a while, I recognize your name from comments going way back. 🙂 Thank you for hanging with me along the way!
Honestly, SLI never really seemed geared towards budget minded people from what I saw. Everybody I knew on a budget just went with a single solid performing card. The only people I ever saw bothering with it were the ultra performance gotta have the best of the best kind of people.
Yeah makes sense. I'm sure it just depends on each individual person. I was just trying to approach it as a concept from a budget perspective, since that is what I mainly focus on.
Forgot to congratulate you on now having over 2000 of us fellow UNSTABLE beings watching your EVERY MOVE on TH-cam AND CLIMBING! That's a lot of instability right there! I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.....🤔😂
The issue (or I should say, «my issue») is that SLI isn't new. It's actually over 20 years old, and neither Nvidia nor Radeon ever truly figured it out, being for technical reasons or, as you said, lack of motivation. It was also extra work for developers as well. If they can barely make a decent port today (as in «kinda-sorta-but-not-really-gimme-all-your-vram»), imagine what SLI support would be right now... Our expectations were high as well. For example, I have a 1080p running a game at 60 FPS. If I throw another card, I'd expect to see almost 120 FPS at 1080p, or 1440p at a decent framerate. In practice, that ain't happening... but my mind screams «it should». Twice the power, twice the resources. But the technology worked. It actually worked like a charm on 3dfx cards, enabling faster framerate and higher resolution support. I had the chance to play the original Unreal at 1024x768 with two Voodoo2 cards back in 1998, and it was insane. I was there Gandalf, 3000 years ago...
All fair points. The angle from game development is especially valid, I should have thought to say something about that. It is hard to tell how that would pan out. I would like to think (if SLI was solid and practical and widely adopted), that developers who put in the extra effort to support it in games would be rewarded with higher sales, and be more inclined to put effort into it... but that probably is all wishful thinking. The same way I wouldn't have faith in GPU companies to perfect SLI, I wouldn't really expect game companies to go the extra mile for people who ran it. At least, most of them. But I'm just speculating about what may have been, so who knows.
Awesome video, in my opinion you are absolutely hilarious. Quick question what cpu cooler do you have on the motherboard and the retro wall mount Mine recently stopped working
I appreciate that 🙂. The CPU cooler is a "Tronwire". It is pretty cheap, only about $15 on Amazon, but also so-so. Has kept up pretty well with what I use it for, but running something newer/more powerful might be a chore for it. There is another cooler I like, the "Cooler Master i71c". It seems a bit more powerful, and also a little quieter. And it is only a few dollars more, at a little over 20 bucks. Really just depends on your preference/what you need, but I have found those 2 to both be pretty good budget options. Thank you for watching!
I Ran SLi till GTX 1080 but was sick of all the issues, Turning on G-sync with Sli caused a big performance impact that Nvidia never got working after a few years they abandoned us. Nvidia advertised G-Sync as working seamlessly with Sli when they had internal testing they already knew it was broken really pissed me off.
ran SLI on a s939 AMD with dual 6600GT's for Half Life 2 launch and then years later on an i7 860 with dual GTX 570's....only complaint was the heat output
Was I seeing double?... I need to get out of this chairDesk and stop drinking 🤮..... Some great points in the video.. very enlightening and entertaining.... Now where did I put that drink ( burp!)..
The the pcie upgrades are basically that in the mother board now, try with the 4090 and your building graphics cards , you should be on my team . Let's build home tower PC in portable Nintendo switch docking station quality with OLED ECT . On an Android platform power consumption level as well. VR capabilities mandatory as well. ? All hail Lowcastle and Chair Desk!🍻
Currently all of my PCs carry 2 cards. I used AMD, everything. RX 580 + WX7100 / Vega 56 + WX7100 / RX 490 + WX3200. I run right at 130 fps, at 4k - 1080. AMD Crossfire is awesome. Not as awesome as Lawn Chair Desk Chair though.
You don't see SLI anymore I used it a while back and did not see enough performance to buy two expensive graphic cards a good single is much better for me
I'm conflicted on SLI really, if it became a viable technology then maybe it prevents old cards from becoming e-waste for a little longer as you could combine them together to maintain playable FPS (though missing feature sets probably diminish this quite a lot), but on the other hand the power draw on SLI'd 3090 Tis sounds disgusting. Overall I think it's probably for the best it didn't become mainstream.
![LISA - ROCKSTAR (Official Music Video) REACTION [SHE'S BACK!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QBxE30vavMQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Actually SLI has been around for a long time, and was honestly it's most capable and most-impressive in it's early iterations. The first cards to take advantage of SLI in the 90's (and arguably the inventors of SLI in general) were the 3DFX Voodoo cards, which were 3D-only video accelerator cards (meaning that you had to passthrough video from your 2D-only video card via a VGA passthrough cable). Running two cards in SLI (also using a hardware bridge at the time, which looked like a modified floppy cable) would pretty-much literally *double* the performance you could get, and this stayed mostly true through all of the 3DFX cards that supported it. Once Nvidia and ATi / AMD gave it a go themselves, they quickly ran into a couple of noticeable problems:
1. GPUs were *much* more complex than their earlier 3DFX counterparts, being entire graphics cards rather than simply "3D accelerators", and dealing with much more complex pipeline structures, software support, hardware features, and ever-changing APIs (especially with the emergence of things like OpenGL and later DirectX).
2. Due to reason 1, SLI couldn't be achieved the same way as the earlier 3DFX cards, and required support on a driver, API, OS, software, and game level in order to work. This was in stark contrast to the 3DFX implementations which effectively tied the two video accelerators together into one card, and thus the task of managing resources across both GPUs was done almost entirely in hardware, *not* in software as it mostly is now.
3. "GPUs" in the 3DFX days were expensive, premium, and were outclassed way faster simply due to how quickly computing hardware was improving as a whole. SLI was done because GPUs were so expensive back then and the gains possible for SLI were so good at the time (and compatibility pretty close to that of a single 3DFX card due to how it worked) that it was a viable alternative to that of buying a new card, especially since this was before things like DirectX, so each new video card that came out had to have games and software designed to use it (otherwise it would almost-exclusively use the CPU for rendering, if it would use the video accelerator at all). A company that had already bought all this expensive hardware and software to pair with it wouldn't really want to have to then rip all of it out a year or two later just because the new video accelerator was much *much* faster, so SLI was honestly a good choice for people who already had "drank the Voodo 1 koolaid", and this was also true of later Voodoo cards (though less so as 3DFX sought to keep their GPUs compatible and were really one of the first to try to standardize GPUs and how they worked). By the time Nvidia and Ati were taking a crack at it themselves, GPUs were now cheaper, much more powerful, and much more applicable to mass-consumers (not just hyper-nerds with blank checks).
SLI changed into a premium feature for enthusiasts who wanted "the best FPS possible cost-no-object", and since SLI / CrossFire was still delivering respectable gains even with the aforementioned issues, it stuck around as that kind of "MOAR POWAR" option. Some programs took advantage of this for workstation applications to great success (there's still a couple of programs out there that can take advantage of SLI for increased rendering or other gains), and this also contributed to the extending lifecycle of SLI even well after the "traditional benefits" of SLI had long gone out the window for the mainstream masses. The closest we ever really got to "mainstream SLI" was CrossFire X in the late 2000's - early 2010's, since ATi / AMD really pushed that feature into not just their high-end cards but even a lot of their budget options, too (Nvidia did this, too but ATi / AMD definitely pushed the most for trying to make SLI mainstream).
In general, I wouldn't say that "SLI never got it's chance". More like it absolutely did, and it absolutely slapped, but every passing year made SLI harder-and-harder to improve (and even maintain). GPUs just got too good. Consumers just got too budget-conscious. Power requirements, space constraints, rising development and maintenance costs -- all of these factors and more contributed to SLI / Crossfire's downfall. SLI is dying because *it just doesn't make sense* unless you have a niche use case for it where it gives you an advantage over just "buying a better GPU" or even just "building a second PC and running both of them together".
Just lost my best friend (not dead, just a mess up) Thanks man you picked me up when I was out of sorts. Love your videos man they deserve more attention
Sorry to hear that, hope you're doing alright. I'm glad you are enjoying the videos, and I appreciate you watching!
The puns were very punny😂😅.
😄 Nice
I built a PC back in 2010 as a present to myself and PC gamer recommended SLI instead of a more powerful card. I can't remember which card it was but I didn't have any issues in games for a few years until I upgraded. This was a fun memory that you unlocked and I agree on why the tech was basically doomed from the start
Just saw another video of yours thought i'd subscribe to your channel because I miss those channels that used to do the use p c's it sees they've all become corporate shills no offense To them I know they have to make money I love how you're going back to PC gaming roots using office p c's as gaming p c's on the cheap And keeping o PC's Out of landfill is always a good thing Keep up the great work you definitely deserve more subscribers Or by the way your voice sounds cool Wish your channel off success
I appreciate that, and thank you for the sub!
Every SLI pun made me ask SLWhy
😂
Love your videos and they way you present the information.
I had 2 GTX 580's from new and ran those in SLI. They ran really well and with a big overclock gave some awesome FPS numbers. Ran without SLI for basic games and would enable it on the new games for the time. SLI was great but its in the past now...
ihad two 680's 4gb edt it was good when it worked.
Yeah I would like to see SLI be revisited, it had so much potential but developers just didn't jump onboard and found it difficult to code for. Sadly it will fade away just like other technology's have but it will be remembered by enthusiasts.
Please no, I ran it for years and while it was amazing at the time I really don't want to be spending $4000 on SLI 5090's
You really SLI’d this video🎉
If i had to guess, it's because sli/crossfire put a lot of hardware interaction work onto the developers, who don't have access to hardware information.
Sli could have been Fly
But what is cool
Is the noodle from the pool
😂
What I would love is if NVIDIA made a new form of sli, but instead of using both gpus as one it just uses the vram from the other and adds it. Would be a great way to breath new life into something like a 970 due to the fact that games are requiring more and more vram. Also, I have to say you are funny, which is not something you find anywhere else. Seriously underrated channel.
That is an interesting idea, would definitely be pretty cool. And I'm glad you're liking the channel, thank you 🙂
You're the only tech youtuber who integrates accual FUNNY humour in videos. Plus you have the perfect personality. Continue with the great work. Also I've been subbed since like 300 subs :)
@@LowcastleTech They say rgb gives you more fps, but the real secret is to build a pc on chair desk, chair desk will enchant the pc with the POWER OF CHAIR DESK
@@appsaucetech I really appreciate that, glad you are liking the content. And I know you've been around a while, I recognize your name from comments going way back. 🙂 Thank you for hanging with me along the way!
@@appsaucetech 😄 So true, the power of ChairDesk cannot be contained or quantified! 🪑!!!
Sli is still viable for video editors and game designers who need a large amount of vram but don't want to sped tons of money on it.
Also, there were a bunch of really cheap 1070s on ebay, so not buying at least a couple sounded like a crime 😁
😃 Heck yeah
Honestly, SLI never really seemed geared towards budget minded people from what I saw. Everybody I knew on a budget just went with a single solid performing card. The only people I ever saw bothering with it were the ultra performance gotta have the best of the best kind of people.
Yeah makes sense. I'm sure it just depends on each individual person. I was just trying to approach it as a concept from a budget perspective, since that is what I mainly focus on.
Forgot to congratulate you on now having over 2000 of us fellow UNSTABLE beings watching your EVERY MOVE on TH-cam AND CLIMBING! That's a lot of instability right there!
I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.....🤔😂
😄I appreciate that!
The issue (or I should say, «my issue») is that SLI isn't new. It's actually over 20 years old, and neither Nvidia nor Radeon ever truly figured it out, being for technical reasons or, as you said, lack of motivation. It was also extra work for developers as well. If they can barely make a decent port today (as in «kinda-sorta-but-not-really-gimme-all-your-vram»), imagine what SLI support would be right now...
Our expectations were high as well. For example, I have a 1080p running a game at 60 FPS. If I throw another card, I'd expect to see almost 120 FPS at 1080p, or 1440p at a decent framerate. In practice, that ain't happening... but my mind screams «it should». Twice the power, twice the resources.
But the technology worked. It actually worked like a charm on 3dfx cards, enabling faster framerate and higher resolution support. I had the chance to play the original Unreal at 1024x768 with two Voodoo2 cards back in 1998, and it was insane. I was there Gandalf, 3000 years ago...
All fair points. The angle from game development is especially valid, I should have thought to say something about that. It is hard to tell how that would pan out. I would like to think (if SLI was solid and practical and widely adopted), that developers who put in the extra effort to support it in games would be rewarded with higher sales, and be more inclined to put effort into it... but that probably is all wishful thinking. The same way I wouldn't have faith in GPU companies to perfect SLI, I wouldn't really expect game companies to go the extra mile for people who ran it. At least, most of them. But I'm just speculating about what may have been, so who knows.
Awesome video, in my opinion you are absolutely hilarious.
Quick question what cpu cooler do you have on the motherboard and the retro wall mount
Mine recently stopped working
I appreciate that 🙂. The CPU cooler is a "Tronwire". It is pretty cheap, only about $15 on Amazon, but also so-so. Has kept up pretty well with what I use it for, but running something newer/more powerful might be a chore for it. There is another cooler I like, the "Cooler Master i71c". It seems a bit more powerful, and also a little quieter. And it is only a few dollars more, at a little over 20 bucks. Really just depends on your preference/what you need, but I have found those 2 to both be pretty good budget options. Thank you for watching!
Thanks
@@paytonrr2476 No problem!
I Ran SLi till GTX 1080 but was sick of all the issues, Turning on G-sync with Sli caused a big performance impact that Nvidia never got working after a few years they abandoned us. Nvidia advertised G-Sync as working seamlessly with Sli when they had internal testing they already knew it was broken really pissed me off.
Bro. You are the fly lets get a little crazy but hilarious . pc wizard guy, no rime intended
😄I like it!
Sadly it's gone the same way as ATI's crossfire. How about dual wielding Chair Desks??
😂Dual-wielded Chairdesks, that's too OP! The world is not ready!!!
ran SLI on a s939 AMD with dual 6600GT's for Half Life 2 launch and then years later on an i7 860 with dual GTX 570's....only complaint was the heat output
Used back in the day two nvidia 6800 GT in SLI worked well got 40 percent boost in most games.But I have always prefered crossfire.
Im hoping for a comeback witg multi chip gpus
SLI because that's why!
Dual ChairDesk via SLi could Fly high...😆
😂 Yes it would, yes indeed!
@@LowcastleTech The power of dual ChairDesk united as one would be unstoppable!
@@appsaucetech 😄So true!
Was I seeing double?... I need to get out of this chairDesk and stop drinking 🤮..... Some great points in the video.. very enlightening and entertaining.... Now where did I put that drink ( burp!)..
Chairdesk and alcohol... just too extreme 😄
This is my specific type of obscure PC content, have a sub and some engagement!
My last SLI machine was dual 8600GTS and uh… it sucked. A lot.
Thank you!
0:13 that pun was SL NO.
😄
The the pcie upgrades are basically that in the mother board now, try with the 4090 and your building graphics cards , you should be on my team . Let's build home tower PC in portable Nintendo switch docking station quality with OLED ECT . On an Android platform power consumption level as well. VR capabilities mandatory as well. ? All hail Lowcastle and Chair Desk!🍻
Pretty fly ... for an SLI 😁
😄Hahah, very nice!
Now ya gaming
Currently all of my PCs carry 2 cards. I used AMD, everything. RX 580 + WX7100 / Vega 56 + WX7100 / RX 490 + WX3200. I run right at 130 fps, at 4k - 1080. AMD Crossfire is awesome. Not as awesome as Lawn Chair Desk Chair though.
Lawn Chair Desk Chair is hard to beat!
Try it with a Xeon ! All hail Chair Desk !🍻🍻🍻
Heck yeah, Xeons are pretty cool ⚡🪑⚡
if norman bates took crack and messed with pcs 🙂 you da man
😂🤣
You don't see SLI anymore I used it a while back and did not see enough performance to buy two expensive graphic cards a good single is much better for me
Faster card does video output
Power supplies
...👏👍🖖
You should ask chat gpt to make software to enable sli on modern games
That would be pretty sweet🙂
Yup! I'm not too shy to deny that SLI could have been fly....bye! 🙄😁
😄 Noice!
haha i SLike the punns :D
😄
6:05 then cut out the corporats, and do it open source. Duh.
I'm conflicted on SLI really, if it became a viable technology then maybe it prevents old cards from becoming e-waste for a little longer as you could combine them together to maintain playable FPS (though missing feature sets probably diminish this quite a lot), but on the other hand the power draw on SLI'd 3090 Tis sounds disgusting. Overall I think it's probably for the best it didn't become mainstream.