One PC Two Graphic Cards

I switched on the power half expected my computer to go kaboom. I saw three fans were moving but wait, what happened to the other two? A journal of my got-nothing-better-to-do-and-brainlessly-added-a-second-graphic-card adventure.

If technology bores you, at least admire the beautiful picture on the left taken right after I am the official proud owner of a computer that has two graphic cards. Can you see the characters “SLi”? If you wonder where are the two graphic cards, they are on either side of those characters.

I kept telling myself that I hold a Master degree in the field of computing. But the reality is when it comes down to the computer and me, something supernatural in nature bounds to happen. And in my opinion, all these hardware installation and configuration and manuals and all are written by the geekest of the geeks and only the geekest of the geeks can operate and understand them at ease.
When I upgraded my computer couple of months ago, I have this vision of having two graphic cards taking my gaming experience beyond the wildest of my imagination. Think of this like a car. Imagine there exists a car that, if it pleases you, can fit not just one, but two engines underneath the bonnet. It runs like a sport car with one engine. With two engines, you feel as though you are no longer driving but rather, flying.

Why didn’t I get 2 graphic cards in the first place? Well, back then, the price for one card was S$450. Spending S$900 on graphic cards seemed a bit excessive back then. Today, the card is less than S$340. The price is dropping but so is product (dropping off the shelf that is). The cards have to be identical. Otherwise, it won’t work.

Over Chinese takeaway, I was looking at my new graphic card and then at my computer and I was trying to figure out how the hack I was going to power my new card. In the old days, I just needed to plug the card into the slot and it would work. You see, this wonderful card requires a supplementary power supply that takes not just one, but two “power plugs”. I was searching high and low for spare “power plugs” but found none. After dinner, I creatively freed up some and ended up having two fans not working (hence the beginning of this journal). I swear I found two plugs saying “Fans Only” but somehow, supernaturally, the idea did not work.

And I was compelled to try to search for the manual of my power supply unit. I was in tears (of joy) when I found three “extension plugs” that convert one “power plug” into two.

Without reading the graphic card manual in details (who read manuals these days?!), I plugged the new identical card into the allocated slot. In doing so, I had to move the sound card down and removed the extra USB outlets in order to make space for my “new engine”. Not a problem. If my car can fly, I can do with 2 lesser USB outlets.

Like a kid with new puzzle, I found a “bridge” that straddle across the two cards. I read the manual once more and realized that I have to flip one of the big chips on board upside down! Oh no! That chip was located right in the middle of the two cards and since I had difficulties in removing the cards from the slots, I squeezed my fingers into the tight space, released the chip, and turned it the other way round. Now, instead of reading “Single Video Processor”, it read “Dual Video Processor”. Make sense, isn’t it?

After placing the “bridge” on my two beloved cards, according to the manual, there was a “mechanical device” to lock the “bridge” in place. I found the device in the box and installed it as per instructed.

Just when I thought that was it, I discovered another step in the manual asking me to power this wonderful mechanism or else the entire system would go unstable. How could I miss that?! Now, I have used up my last “extension plug”.

When all were in place, I did a sign of the cross and powered up my computer yet again. So far so good, no kaboom at all. In fact, the computer just booted up like every other days. Then I realized that I have to instruct the “brain” of my computer (read: BIOS) that I now am a proud owner of two graphic cards. Restarted the computer and set the instruction properly. Still, the operating system did not register the fact that I have a 2nd graphic card. Oh no! S$350 has gone to waste! Not to turn this already boring journal into something lower than a bored read, I have tried an hour and in desperation, I swapped the two identical cards around and viola, the operating system finally “discovered” that I have a new hardware. All of a sudden, my computer is “SLi enabled” (technical details can be found by clicking here)! Thanks to the invisible supernatural force.

To be honest, after taking my new car now fitted with two engines out for test driving, I hardly see any difference at all. Perhaps I am ahead of time. After reading up a bit more on SLi, I realised that not all the games and applications are built to utilize two graphic cards. The analogy is that there are only certain “roads” whereby my new car can fly.

In a way, it was a confidence boosting experience (after messed up on my very first assembled computer). And in a way, I know in the future, I won’t say to myself: If only I had two graphic cards …