SLI hack on Intel legacy chipsets (not X58)

[Talonman]

I have an X38 Maximus, and a few Nvidia cards...

I would like to know how to do this too.

[BulldogPO]

At last, waited for it about 2 to 3 years
Still have those old modded russian SLI drivers somewhere. They worked fine with 975X and P965 with 7900GTX and older cards.

[Salavat23]

What about X58s that don't support SLI?

How can it be only software to adjust it? Gigabyte used a BIOS update to add SLI to its UD3R.

[Jamesrt2004]

it removes some checks that the drivers do or something along those lines.. might be same sort of thing to x58 so I would expect it soon (if the guys silly enough to buy a x58 mobo lol)

[TiN_]

Salavat23

In general words, support of SLI depends like this:

NV Driver asks mobo BIOS - Hi, report your chipset model?
Chipset/BIOS: Here you are, Intel X48.
Driver: Go away, blocked chipset detected.
Chipset: Ok-ok, no sli, peace.

or

Driver asks: Chipset model?
Chipset: Intel 5400
Driver: Go away, blocked chipset detected.
Chipset: WTF, i have NF200 chips here, and paid for sli.
Driver: Huh, ok.
Driver asks videocards: Model names?
GPU1: GTX 285, xxx sp, xxxx memory, xxx gpu clocks, xxxx mem clocks.
GPU2: GTX 280, xxx sp, yyyy memory, yyy gpu clocks, zzzz mem clocks.
Driver: WTF, blocked combination, go away

And so on.
If we just answer any correct words to driver - then all that check-only fuctions will be passed, and driver core itself enable everything.

That's my idea, but I think it's quite close to real checks.

[xdan]

Very funny....
I think that MB producers have also a little part of guilt. I remember that a few monts ago Asrock have enbled CF support on a SLI chipset on a dirty MB N7AD-SLI LGA 775 through a bios update http://www.asrock.com/mb/download.as...N7AD-SLI&s=775
So i think that from the point of "hardware part" it can be supported it's more a bios/driver/software thing that stops SLI ... The thing is that all Asus, MSI, Gigabyte would do like Asrock and on to more expensive MB and on a large scale than Nvidia would rush out and say that it's not right they break the law they not have license and so on

[Diverge]

If people can create SLIC loaders for vista/win7, so windows can be activated as OEM version. Then if they knew enough of how nvidia drivers talked to the bios, they could create a loader for that as well.

[Vinas]

This use to work on the old 975 boards and was very unstable. So while it's technically possible it is not even close to the same experience as a true SLI rig.

Been there, done that... Several years ago. Huge waste of time IMO so it's surprising to see more people still using the hack.

Unless it's something new but it looks to be exactly the same hacked driver method.

[ShArKo]

Salavat23

In general words, support of SLI depends like this:

NV Driver asks mobo BIOS - Hi, report your chipset model?
Chipset/BIOS: Here you are, Intel X48.
Driver: Go away, blocked chipset detected.
Chipset: Ok-ok, no sli, peace.

or

Driver asks: Chipset model?
Chipset: Intel 5400
Driver: Go away, blocked chipset detected.
Chipset: WTF, i have NF200 chips here, and paid for sli.
Driver: Huh, ok.
Driver asks videocards: Model names?
GPU1: GTX 285, xxx sp, xxxx memory, xxx gpu clocks, xxxx mem clocks.
GPU2: GTX 280, xxx sp, yyyy memory, yyy gpu clocks, zzzz mem clocks.
Driver: WTF, blocked combination, go away

And so on.
If we just answer any correct words to driver - then all that check-only fuctions will be passed, and driver core itself enable everything.

That's my idea, but I think it's quite close to real checks.

Jajajaja that so funny... I never think that drivers, BIOS, chipset and video card can have that conversation

[TiN_]

If anybody can read and write chinese - here is forum thread
http://bbs.expreview.com/thread-22862-6-1.html

That guy who found hack is searching people to test mod, on different platforms.
Plz help him

[W1zzard]

If people can create SLIC loaders for vista/win7, so windows can be activated as OEM version. Then if they knew enough of how nvidia drivers talked to the bios, they could create a loader for that as well.

every software is crackable, plenty of knowledge out there. just need to get people interested. and then interested in living with the possible legal consequences.

[GAR]

Imo Nvidia realised how terrible dumb they were to on let a card with the same GPU... erm sorry with the right "sticker" to be able to do SLI.

GTX260/275/280/285/295 all is based on the same chip with different binning(?) so SLI should be possible.

Atleast that's what I love about AMD, the sticker doesn't matter it's the GPU under the hood.

You do know if you Crossfire a 4870 with 4850, you would actually get worse performance than dual 4850's? While it might seem like a nice idea, but the faster card is always slowed down by the slower card, so it makes no sense to do this, and i dont see anyone doing it because of this.

[Chickenfeed]

As interesting as this could be anything beyond dual gpu is way limited on 775. Tri and Quad see huge performance increases on I7. Regardless it would be pretty awesome to have a pair of 260s or 275s on a 775 intel chipset board. I'd much sooner be running 2 GTX260 216s than my 4870x2 (for a list of reasons longer than Saaya's post count )

And Tin, that is the funniest thing I've read here in some time. I might even have to sig that first part :P

[cegras]

http://en.expreview.com/img/2009/08/...li_3_large.jpg

expreview tested this with 2x GTX 260+ and managed to have SLI enabled, so it's not just a PhysX hack.

[tool_462]

I'd like to point out that the Expreview machine is running a Maximus II Formula, not a Maximus Formula. MIIF = P45 chipset, which excites me even more than X38

[SamHughe]

I have a p55-ws (x38) with two pci-e 2.0 slots and i'd be more than happy to give it a go with this hack. Any download links?

[aka1nas]

Salavat23

In general words, support of SLI depends like this:

NV Driver asks mobo BIOS - Hi, report your chipset model?
Chipset/BIOS: Here you are, Intel X48.
Driver: Go away, blocked chipset detected.
Chipset: Ok-ok, no sli, peace.

or

Driver asks: Chipset model?
Chipset: Intel 5400
Driver: Go away, blocked chipset detected.
Chipset: WTF, i have NF200 chips here, and paid for sli.
Driver: Huh, ok.
Driver asks videocards: Model names?
GPU1: GTX 285, xxx sp, xxxx memory, xxx gpu clocks, xxxx mem clocks.
GPU2: GTX 280, xxx sp, yyyy memory, yyy gpu clocks, zzzz mem clocks.
Driver: WTF, blocked combination, go away

And so on.
If we just answer any correct words to driver - then all that check-only fuctions will be passed, and driver core itself enable everything.

That's my idea, but I think it's quite close to real checks.

That's pretty much spot on, but IME the driver isn't even aware of the card specs, only that the model strings match.

[Russian]

I have a p55-ws (x38) with two pci-e 2.0 slots and i'd be more than happy to give it a go with this hack. Any download links?

Same here. I just need another GTX 260.

[Aerwidh]

Nice

[saaya]

That's pretty much spot on, but IME the driver isn't even aware of the card specs, only that the model strings match.

yeah, thats how the 4x gtx285 with dual nf200 on the mainboard hack works that fools the nvidia driver to think its 2 gtx295 cards and it allows quadsli

i wonder if this works without the need for one or two nf200 chips on the mainboard now

[Kain665]

We need a Chinese speaking member to translate the latest news on Exp forums...

[Sadasius]

Definitely interested in this.

[Talonman]

I could tell if tri-sli with (2) 275's in my 295, and (1) 280 worked. I would set all 3 clocks to the same speed on the GPU's, and cut a Vantage run loose. (I guess it would really be considered Dual-SLI, 295 and 280.)

If I can pull off more than 24K with PhysX enabled... SLI would officially be working.

[Sly Fox]

This will end up like the 6800 series SLI hack. Forgotten and outdated within a few months to the point of uselessness.

Props to the guys who made it work though.

[Kain665]

Why do you say that? Very many people are still on s775 who would like to give this a go I would think.