I know this has been discussed in some detail in the past and many simmers have indicated FSX does not run any faster or better in SLI mode and it's just a waste of money, etc., etc. I am a bit confused though in that my secondary 8800GTX crashed on me a month or so ago and I had to remove it and run my system with just one 8800GTX until I could get a replacement. I run 3DMark Vantage as a benchmark for my system and usually run it whenever there are driver updates or system updates just to see if things have improved or not. What I don't understand is the fact that I get a benchmark of 13918 when running my system in SLI mode but only 7843 (almost 50% less) when running my system with just ONE 8800GTX. Was ist los? Therefore, it appears to me that FSX should be running a bit smoother in a SLI config rather than single mode (as I know FSX is CPU dependent vs GPU dependent). Just my thoughts and anyone is encouraged to explain why I'm wrong if they can. Thanks!Jim Young

I know this has been discussed in some detail in the past and many simmers have indicated FSX does not run any faster or better in SLI mode and it's just a waste of money, etc., etc. I am a bit confused though in that my secondary 8800GTX crashed on me a month or so ago and I had to remove it and run my system with just one 8800GTX until I could get a replacement. I run 3DMark Vantage as a benchmark for my system and usually run it whenever there are driver updates or system updates just to see if things have improved or not. What I don't understand is the fact that I get a benchmark of 13918 when running my system in SLI mode but only 7843 (almost 50% less) when running my system with just ONE 8800GTX. Was ist los? Therefore, it appears to me that FSX should be running a bit smoother in a SLI config rather than single mode (as I know FSX is CPU dependent vs GPU dependent). Just my thoughts and anyone is encouraged to explain why I'm wrong if they can. Thanks!Jim Young

Jim..The reason your scores double in test scores is that they are designed to use both GPUs.As its a combined score of CPU and GPU..FSX and FS9 however are not built in such a way as to use two GPU's . Many cases SLI will limit FSX..While it might giver higher frames at times, it still is not able to be controlled by FSX, and usually just a hinderance...

Jim..The reason your scores double in test scores is that they are designed to use both GPUs.As its a combined score of CPU and GPU..FSX and FS9 however are not built in such a way as to use two GPU's . Many cases SLI will limit FSX..While it might giver higher frames at times, it still is not able to be controlled by FSX, and usually just a hinderance...

Sort of makes sense... Thanks harleyman for your explanation!Jim Young

I know this has been discussed in some detail in the past and many simmers have indicated FSX does not run any faster or better in SLI mode and it's just a waste of money, etc., etc. I am a bit confused though in that my secondary 8800GTX crashed on me a month or so ago and I had to remove it and run my system with just one 8800GTX until I could get a replacement. I run 3DMark Vantage as a benchmark for my system and usually run it whenever there are driver updates or system updates just to see if things have improved or not. What I don't understand is the fact that I get a benchmark of 13918 when running my system in SLI mode but only 7843 (almost 50% less) when running my system with just ONE 8800GTX. Was ist los? Therefore, it appears to me that FSX should be running a bit smoother in a SLI config rather than single mode (as I know FSX is CPU dependent vs GPU dependent). Just my thoughts and anyone is encouraged to explain why I'm wrong if they can. Thanks!Jim Young

Programmers don't have to worry about supporting multiple graphics cores in programs, I have no idea where that started, just like I have no idea where the SLi/FSx rumours started either. FS9 works perfectly fine in SLi mode and SLi wasn't even invented back in 2004 nor did graphics cards have as many cores as they do today. And given the fact that Nvidia cards have always been multicore from day one the statements are even more absurd. To me anyways :) It really does depends on a number of factors with FSX and CPU/RAM speed is one of the most important. You are going to get much better SLi results on your particular chip or an i7. Slow rendering of panels onto the virtual cockpit itself is one of the biggest overlooked factors. Along with that complex visual model, you probably have 10 guage dll's all running fine until you watch them render all at once in the VC... sound familiar? :)I doubt it's in your best interest to get another 8800GTX at this point but don't rule out SLi. I use it in both fsx and x-plane and plan my next cards on being a 300 series pair..

Programmers don't have to worry about supporting multiple graphics cores in programs, I have no idea where that started, just like I have no idea where the SLi/FSx rumours started either. FS9 works perfectly fine in SLi mode and SLi wasn't even invented back in 2004 nor did graphics cards have as many cores as they do today. And given the fact that Nvidia cards have always been multicore from day one the statements are even more absurd. To me anyways :) It really does depends on a number of factors with FSX and CPU/RAM speed is one of the most important. You are going to get much better SLi results on your particular chip or an i7. Slow rendering of panels onto the virtual cockpit itself is one of the biggest overlooked factors. Along with that complex visual model, you probably have 10 guage dll's all running fine until you watch them render all at once in the VC... sound familiar? :)I doubt it's in your best interest to get another 8800GTX at this point but don't rule out SLi. I use it in both fsx and x-plane and plan my next cards on being a 300 series pair..

Anyone else want to take a shot at this? I'm not in the best of moods right now so any comment I make here may not come off well. Suffice it to say that everything you just said was wrong.

Programmers don't have to worry about supporting multiple graphics cores in programs, I have no idea where that started, just like I have no idea where the SLi/FSx rumours started either. FS9 I doubt it's in your best interest to get another 8800GTX at this point but don't rule out SLi. I use it in both fsx and x-plane and plan my next cards on being a 300 series pair..

Thanks AVN8tr for your comments. I already replaced the bad 8800GTX so I'm back to SLI mode. I got my rig when FSX first came out and got two video cards instead of one thinking FSX would utilize this new technology better than ever! Of course I was wrong but Nvidia continues to update their drivers to support products, both old and new. Nvidia has a SLI mode profile for FSX and FS9 that is automatically enabled when you install the drivers (http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone2_game.html). I have noticed smoother performance than from the days when FSX was first released so I think Nvidia has done something to improve graphics and performance in FSX. I do know my graphics have never been better. I remember Phil Taylor, the lead developer on the MS ACES Team, stated that he was working with techs at Nvidia to improve performance and problems with the drivers. For instance, DX10 Preview mode causes many graphics problems like runway lines flashing or no taxi arrows when you ask for taxi directions. Those have not been fixed (at least for the 8800 series) but I hope the problems can be fixed one day. I will be upgrading someday soon but see no reason to do an expensive upgrade unless a new flight sim program is ever developed. Best regards,Jim Young

Yeah you gotta treat the drivers like Operating systems, once in awhile they figure out how to improve something and they end up breaking everything else in the process. I try to stay away from the latest drivers for a reason.. especially if you don't have the latest product there's really no point. When it comes to AutoCAD sometimes they use the same driver for the entire length of the project. But I remember when I first got SLI it had all those annoying artifacts from when the cards combine the images but that was fixed eventually with better drivers. Also another problem with FSX is complex airports sometimes those really kill overall performance especially if you are already sitting in a PMDG. I think the golden rule to remember with SLi as long as everything else is working and running smoothly so should the additonal GPU. I miss Phil Taylor he was always optimistic that technology would catch up. And when it comes to blog's his was great in general. But I think Austin Meyer's from x-plane is a bit better. Probably cause I enjoy reading about the physics engine more than the graphics part of the equation. :) But there are tidbits in there that point out a lot of fundamental flaws in MS approach to development, none of which I would blame on Phil Taylor.