So, I had a prebuilt PC that had two Geforce 8800 GT 512MB video cards. When I got out of work today I turned on my PC and was browsing the forums when my monitor display started acting up. The screen froze but my mouse was still active, then the mouse froze, then the screen started freaking out (for lack of a better term) blocks appeared, etc. Then the blue screen of death. NV4_Disp driver had been caught in an infinite loop. So I powered down and restarted, same thing. Powered down, took out the main card and put the second card in the main slot. Powering it up, it seems to be working correctly now with the single video card. I'm pretty sure something on the first video card failed. I had them set up in SLI. I want to get a second video card again (need the GPU power for emulation!). Do I need identical graphics cards to set them up in SLI, or will a newer card work with my older card? In other words, can I buy one new card, and have it work with my 8800, or do I need to purchase two new cards? (Or find an older 8800?)
My teacher at school has a Nvidia Geforce GTX 460 and 480 in his computer, and has it set up to do that, so i don't see why it wouldn't work..but might wanna wait for someone with more info, because that could just be because they're both in the GTX series...
It seems that with my old 8800 GT cards, I can't even mix manufacturers... http://www.slizone.com/page/slizone_faq.html#c16 Since it was pre-built by Dell, I'm sure it's not one of the usual manufacturers, meaning I'll have to purchase two new ones, or try to find the manufacturer dell used. I guess I'll stick with one card for now, til I find out which one I want to upgrade to.
hmmm..that's interesting...couldn't you just open it up and see what brand dell used? or do they label it with dell? and also, even though my teacher told me that, i was in a rush that day and forgot to ask, so since it was mentioned, i'll ask >.> what exactly is SLI and it's benefits? cuz i may do it especially if it's good for emulation ^_^
SLI basically takes two video cards and splits the work between them. One renders half the display, the other does the other half. The main one still compiles everything and sends the info out to the monitor. I don't know how much it effects emulation exactly, but it can't hurt. It splits up the rendering workload. And I can't find any manufacturer marking on the video card. I'm trying to find it, but I suspect dell did something to them, cheapened them up, etc.
oh! give me a moment...i read somewhere a while ago on how to find the manufacturer of your cards and stuffs...it's a specific program that i can't remember! >=( EDIT: use this.. http://www.gtopala.com/ and you need to use a specific site...gimme a minute..
Meh. I'll probably end up purchasing two newer model cards. The 8800s are kind of outdated (I don't believe they are actually manufactured anymore.)
hmmm...i know for mine, when i do the following, it tells me intel for my card, but no manufacturer, but my friend says for a nvidia card, it will tell manufacturer (he has one) download the SIW i linked above, and after install, go to video under hardware.. type the VEN number found under that into here: http://www.pcidatabase.com/ and it should tell you! but i bet you can find a card just like it. EDIT: after looking over a TON of information...it seems you will be able to pair it with any XXXX GT cards with the same memory...i might see if i can find one for ya EDIT: If i read all the information on the site you linked correctly...the following should work for you if your card has 512MB memory.. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125288&nm_mc=OTC-Channel&cm_mmc=OTC-channel-_-Video+Cards-_-GIGABYTE-_-14125288&srccode=cii_7240466&cpncode=18-8645031&DEPA=0&refer=channel&CMP=OTC-
