- 19 - Hardware Installation
1-6 Setting up AMD CrossFireX™/NVIDIA SLI Conguration
A. System Requirements
The 2-Way CrossFireX and 2-Way SLI technologies currently support Windows 7, Vista, XP operating systems-
The 3-Way/4-Way CrossFireX/SLI technologies currently support Windows 7 and Vista operating systems
-
A CrossFireX/SLI-supported motherboard with two/three/four PCI Express x16 slots and correct driver
-
Two/three/four CrossFireX/SLI-ready graphics cards of identical brand and chip and correct driver
-
(Current GPUs that support 3-Way/4-Way CrossFireX technology include the ATI Radeon HD 3800, HD 4800, HD 5800
series, and AMD Radeon HD 6800 and HD 6900 series. Current GPUs that support 3-Way/4-Way SLI technology include
the NVIDIA 8800 GTX, 8800 Ultra, 9800 GTX, GTX 260, GTX 280, GTX 470, GTX 480, GTX 570, GTX 580, and GTX
590 series.)
CrossFireX
-(Note 1)/SLI bridge connectors
A power supply with sufcient power is recommended
-(Note 2) (Refer to the manual of your graphics cards for the power
requirement)
B. Connecting the Graphics Cards
Step 1:
Observe the steps in "1-5 Installing an Expansion Card" and install CrossFireX/SLI graphics cards on the PCI Express x16 slots.
(To set up a 2-Way conguration, we recommend installing the graphics cards on the PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 slots. )
Step 2:
Insert the CrossFireX (Note 1)/SLI bridge connectors in the CrossFireX/SLI gold edge connectors on top of the cards.
Step 3:
Plug the display cable into the graphics card on the PCIEX16_1 slot.
C. Conguring the Graphics Card Driver
C-1. To Enable CrossFireX Function
After installing the graphics card driver in the operating system, go to the Catalyst
Control Center. Browse to Performance\AMD CrossFireX™ Conguration
and ensure the Enable CrossFireX™check box is selected and click Apply.
(Available combination options are dependent on the number of graphics cards
you install.)
C-2. To Enable SLI Function
After installing the graphics card driver in the operating system, go to the NVIDIA
Control Panel. Browse to the Set SLI and Physx Conguration screen and
ensure Maximize 3D performance is enabled.
(Note 1) The bridge connectors may be needed or not depending on your
graphics cards.
(Note 2) When two or more graphics cards are installed, we recommend that you connect the SATA power cable(s) from the
power supply to the ATX4P1/ATX4P4 connector to ensure system stability. For 4-way CrossFireX™/SLI, you must
connect at least one of the ATX4P1 and ATX4P4 connectors.
Procedure and driver screen for enabling CrossFireX/SLI technology may differ by graphics cards. Refer to the manual
that came with your graphics cards for more information about enabling CrossFireX/SLI technology.