GPU backplates and bridges?

[Konrad]

I now have a pair of EVGA GTX980 Classified ACX2.0 cards (although the newer 04G-P4-3988-KR version, slightly revised VRM with a different BIOS part number).

But no backplate included. EVGA sells them as an optional accessory. I'm a little miffed that I need to pay $20 more (for each card) to "reinforce the product", "protect the components from damage", "help reduce heat", and (most insulting of all!) "include EVGA logo and markings" after already paying premium price for premium product. Cheap bastards at EVGA can't bolt on another 15 cents worth of metal after pumping the price up a few hundred bucks, eh? I guess I shoulda bought those ROG GTX980 Matrix Platinum cards instead - and I still might, it's still not too late to return/exchange my purchase.

But there were reasons (mostly performance/overclocking reasons) that I ultimately chose the Classifieds over the Matrixes/Matrices. So I do indeed intend to install backplates to "help reduce heat" by a few degrees - every little bit of added cooling helps - and, I confess, I want my toys to look more classy. But before giving EVGA any more money I plan to exhaust every other option.

If I purchase watercooling backplates, will they fit onto the card without fitting on a watercooling block? Are the dimensions, mounting holes, pad placements, etc, on a particular (non-reference) card model basically universal? I originally planned to stay with EVGA ACX2.0 air cooling (after all, I did pay extra for it ), but installing a loop and pushing higher MAXXTREME clocks isn't yet entirely off the table. I half expect the most critical detail (after dimensional specs) might just be the length and threading of the screws, but I honestly don't know.

[Konrad]

And I assume y'all have seen the fancy new NVidia SLI bridges? They add no real functionality whatsoever - just swag and bling and another purty little LED to play with! I think they add a lot of look simply because a lit up GPU bridge would be the first and most obvious thing people see when peering inside a case window.

Also available are EVGA PRO SLI bridges. They even look a wee bit better, to my eye, than their NVidia counterparts. But I refuse to buy EVGA again, I will patiently wait and suffer the hardship of continuing to use my "sucky" generic came-free-with-mobo SLI bridge, the one which was perfectly acceptable until yesterday ... wait until the even-prettier ROG SLI bridges become available. Screw you, EVGA, the same way you screw me! (Besides, your SLI bridge is kinda buggy. How hard is it to wire an LED onto the correct circuit trace, you greedy fools?)

I have seen people use two SLI bridges where one would suffice between two cards. Does this increase performance or is it just to make a system with otherwise unused/extra SLI headers look more "complete"?

This makes me wonder if redundant SLI bridges can reduce a bottleneck:

The SLI connector enables inter-GPU communication of up to 1GB/s, consuming no bandwidth over the PCI Express bus.

FWIW, I don't really subscribe to the belief that AMD's bridgeless/XDMA CrossFire is a good thing. More traffic across the PCIe bus can only mean more traffic jams on the PCIe bus, especially since CrossFire transfers will tend to occur when all the GPUs (and the rest of the system) are already straining under load. Even worse when the PCIe lane controllers are built into the CPU. Much better, I think, to directly wire the GPUs together; to not distract the mobo, processor, and any/all other PCIe devices with GPU details the GPUs can handle discreetly. What next, CrossFire links across Bluetooth?

[TLHarrell]

I've been making LED lit covers for the boring SLI bridges. Almost ready to start churning out many on the CNC. Still finalizing development a little as I'm trying to make them as thin as possible and end up sealing the LED strips inside.

In the case of two cards, the second bridge is not going to work. It is there for connecting three or more cards. On a three or four way SLI bridge, the connections are staggered.