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    M17X one card is running hotter than the other in SLI

    Discussion in 'Alienware' started by Rotsu, Sep 24, 2009.

  1. Rotsu

    Rotsu Notebook Consultant

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    Anyone notices that one card is always noticbly running hotter than the other when SLI is enabled? I am talking like one is about 60ish C and the other in 40ish C.

    This is using Dell's beta video drivers.

    I am wondering if anyone else have noticed this, and is it normal?
     
    Rotsu, Sep 24, 2009
    #1
  2. Snowm0bile

    Snowm0bile Starcraftologist

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    if its that high on one card and not the other, then one card isnt being utilized.
     
    Snowm0bile, Sep 24, 2009
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  3. Glzmo

    Glzmo Notebook Deity

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    Just checking, you do have two identical video cards in SLI, right? Not just a 9400M and one 280GTX or 260GTX in Hybrid SLI mode? The onboard 9400M usually runs a lot hotter than the proprietary video cards, which would be normal.

    If you have an SLI rig, then it's either that SLI isn't working properly in the game(s) you play or the cooling on one card doesn't work properly for some reason. You may want to observe if all the fans workproperly under load.

    To check if SLI is enabled, go to the Nvidia Control Panel. Click on Set SLI and PhysX configuration on the left and make sure Enable SLI (recommended) is selected.
    You could also go to Manage 3D Settings and set SLI Performance Mode to Nvidia recommended, but that usually isn't necessary.
    To check if SLI is truly working in games, choose 3D Settings and check Show SLI Visual Indicators in the Nvidia Control Panel's menu bar. Then start a game and see if the green SLI indicator overlay appears on the screen while playing it. If it doesn't, it means SLI isn't working with the game.
    If that's the case, download nHancer and create a new SLI profile for the game that it isn't working with and try again.
     
    Glzmo, Sep 24, 2009
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