WoW - now with DX12 Explicit Multi-GPU support. Anyone here tried this?

[GotNoRice]

https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wo...o-shadowlands/

I really hope this is true. I've played WoW with many different multi-GPU configs over the years including quad-crossfire and triple-SLI and WoW has always had great support for both technologies. Crossfire and SLI continue to work with DirectX 11, but do not work with DirectX 12. With DirectX 12, the API was changed so that multi-GPU support had to be added into each game by the game developers instead of handled at the driver level as it was with SLI and Crossfire. This is called Explicit Multi-GPU. When a game developer actually implements it, it's wonderful. It generally works much better than traditional SLI or Crossfire. In practice, it requires a lot of extra work from the developers in order to make it work and so it never happens. Very few games work with DirectX 12 Explicit Multi-GPU. This has lead many to claim that multi-GPU is essentially dead. But apparently (hopefully) the game developers have decided to implement it in WoW!

https://developer.nvidia.com/explici...ing-directx-12

DirectX 12 Explicit Multi-GPU is also very versatile, being able to work with mismatched GPUs, even GPUs from different companies. If your CPU has integrated video, you could potentially even use that in conjunction with your main GPU to boost your FPS.

https://www.gamersnexus.net/game-ben...icit-multi-gpu

I'm currently running a 2080 RTX. As everyone fights to get an out-of-stock 3xxx series nvidia card or 6xxx series AMD card, it would be nice to get a 2nd 2080 instead as everyone ends up selling their "older" cards. Again, I really hope this is true. Amazing how WoW, of all games, is making use of so many new graphics features these days.

[Unlimited Power]

That's somewhat ironic. I just switched from a dual 1070 TI setup to a 3080 this Monday. Would've been interesting to see the performance difference before switching though.

That said, my single 3080 will inevitably outperform my dual 1070 TI regardless, especially in games without Explicit multi-GPU support.

[mrgreenthump]

A few problems with this that I see. Explicit multi-GPU is support is rare. SLI is dead. WoW is very much CPU bound in most situations.

[Berri]

Thank you for drawing attention to this! I didn't know. I have dual 2080Ti's and I'm pretty sure I was still running in DX11. This looks great.

Also I didn't know about this function in general - does this mean that someone could (theoretically) jam two 3080's in their PC and see a performance boost in games which support DX12's Explicit Multi-GPU function? It would explain why the 3080 doesn't have an SLI bridge connector (though it's still confusing that the 3090 does?).

[GotNoRice]

A few problems with this that I see. Explicit multi-GPU is support is rare. SLI is dead. WoW is very much CPU bound in most situations.

Yes, SLI is dead starting with DirectX 12. DirectX 12 Explicit multi-GPU is different and has nothing to do with SLI.

GPU requirements can go up quick when using things like a resolution scale above 100%. With that you can render the game at 4K or above even if you only have a 1080P or 1440P monitor. This is expensive in terms of GPU resources but it's also the only way to get proper anti-aliasing in WoW, as the built-in AA methods do little if anything to help aliasing on transparent textures (such as the nameplates over each character's head). With my 3900X and 2080 RTX at max game settings I'm often around 50-80% GPU usage at 1440p, but if I set resolution scale to 150% (4K) for good anti-aliasing, then there are many cases where my GPU will be pegged at 100% usage. When I swap my 3900X for a 5900X in the very near future, there will be even more situations where I will become GPU limited with my single 2080.

That's somewhat ironic. I just switched from a dual 1070 TI setup to a 3080 this Monday. Would've been interesting to see the performance difference before switching though.

That said, my single 3080 will inevitably outperform my dual 1070 TI regardless, especially in games without Explicit multi-GPU support.

What's really cool about DX12 Explicit Multi-GPU is that you don't require matched GPUs. It lacks the strict requirements that SLI and Crossfire had. You could potentially even mix GPUs from different brands. It just has to support DirectX 12.

You could, for example, stick one of your old 1070 Ti cards back into your computer and run it as a secondary card alongside your 3080 for even better performance than you can get from your 3080 by itself. Not a bad deal to get extra free performance from something that might otherwise be sitting in a spare-parts bin.

Also I didn't know about this function in general - does this mean that someone could (theoretically) jam two 3080's in their PC and see a performance boost in games which support DX12's Explicit Multi-GPU function? It would explain why the 3080 doesn't have an SLI bridge connector (though it's still confusing that the 3090 does?).

DirectX 12 Explicit Multi-GPU does not require an NVLink or SLI or Crossfire bridge to function. It can work using just the PCIe bus. However, there is also a "linked mode" which can take advantage of the additional communication potential between cards that you get with something like an NVLink bridge. You can read more in the Nvidia article, about one paragraph down:

https://developer.nvidia.com/explici...ing-directx-12

NVLink has many other uses that have nothing to do with multi-GPU gaming, and it's probably for those reasons that the 3090 has one. Still, it's nice to have it if you go with a multi-GPU setup, because it's still required for DirectX 11 SLI and there are still a lot of DirectX 11 games that would benefit from being able to use SLI.

There are still so many questions about what exact features and configurations will work with WoW using this tech, or how well it even works at all. I'm just using a single 2080 but my brother is using 2x 1080 and I will try to test it on his computer the next time I see him.

My backup computer is running 3x GTX680. It still runs great with DirectX 11 SLI, but those cards are just one generation too old to support DirectX 12 in WoW

[Unlimited Power]

What's really cool about DX12 Explicit Multi-GPU is that you don't require matched GPUs. It lacks the strict requirements that SLI and Crossfire had. You could potentially even mix GPUs from different brands. It just has to support DirectX 12.

You could, for example, stick one of your old 1070 Ti cards back into your computer and run it as a secondary card alongside your 3080 for even better performance than you can get from your 3080 by itself. Not a bad deal to get extra free performance from something that might otherwise be sitting in a spare-parts bin.

While I would've probably considered this otherwise, I already sold both my 1070 TI so that option is no longer available to me. I would've liked to try it for a while just to see what kind of performance gains I might see, but for the most part I already hit my framerate cap of 120 with practically everything maxed on my 5120x1440p monitor.

[Zephire]

https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wo...o-shadowlands/

I really hope this is true. I've played WoW with many different multi-GPU configs over the years including quad-crossfire and triple-SLI and WoW has always had great support for both technologies. Crossfire and SLI continue to work with DirectX 11, but do not work with DirectX 12. With DirectX 12, the API was changed so that multi-GPU support had to be added into each game by the game developers instead of handled at the driver level as it was with SLI and Crossfire. This is called Explicit Multi-GPU. When a game developer actually implements it, it's wonderful. It generally works much better than traditional SLI or Crossfire. In practice, it requires a lot of extra work from the developers in order to make it work and so it never happens. Very few games work with DirectX 12 Explicit Multi-GPU. This has lead many to claim that multi-GPU is essentially dead. But apparently (hopefully) the game developers have decided to implement it in WoW!

https://developer.nvidia.com/explici...ing-directx-12

DirectX 12 Explicit Multi-GPU is also very versatile, being able to work with mismatched GPUs, even GPUs from different companies. If your CPU has integrated video, you could potentially even use that in conjunction with your main GPU to boost your FPS.

https://www.gamersnexus.net/game-ben...icit-multi-gpu

I'm currently running a 2080 RTX. As everyone fights to get an out-of-stock 3xxx series nvidia card or 6xxx series AMD card, it would be nice to get a 2nd 2080 instead as everyone ends up selling their "older" cards. Again, I really hope this is true. Amazing how WoW, of all games, is making use of so many new graphics features these days.

Dude... This post is great! I just have to point out how thankful I am that instead of a short question to which only those who know what your talking about can answer, you instead explain in a short detailed text more about the tech. I don't have much to add to this discussion other than that and that I've learnt something from it. Great post, great example of how a question should be formated. Thanks!

[Kagthul]

This is basically useless for WoW.

WoW is already extremely CPU bound and the GPU-dependent settings can be completely maxed out by a 2060 SUPER or so.

And i wouldn't throw down hundreds on a 2nd GPU for this - since like.. WoW is literally the only game i know with DX Multi GPU enabled.

Its not going to be a used feature going forward. Its existed since DX12 launched, technically, and devs dont give a shit. The list of games that support it is absurdly miniscule and will remain that way. Dont waste your cash on a 2nd GPU.

And if you're getting 100% GPU usage at 4k Render Scale on a 2080... i dunno what to tell you.

My 1080Ti FTW 3 (roughly = 2080 non-SUPER, give or take a few %) can easily handle 1440p at 200% (5K effective) and still never gets close to t 100% usage, usually hovering around ~40% in areas without a ton of players and about 70-75% at most in a busy capital with lots of stuff to draw.

Now, if you're also doing Enviro Detail, Draw Distance, and Ground Clutter at 10 instead of 7 or 8 (and shadows at the penultimate setting) like a sane human being, then maybe. But thats because you're literally telling your GPU to draw shit you cant even see - especially with the top Shadows setting which can make it so each object has multiple fully draw shadows. That you aren't seeing because Draw Distance 10 is forcing your GPU to draw stuff that is literally too far in the distance for you to actually make out.

[Frozenbeef]

So on one hand you're saying it's not gpu bound and the other yous re saying you don't have it at max settings?

The game is definitely gpu bound atm on my 2080ti, I have 200% render scaling, everything on max, a dozen reshade shaders and modified console settings and it's pretty much always at 100%

It's interesting regarding using the integrated GPU, currently that's just sat doing nothing and it's pretty much what everyone has by default they could utilise.

[GotNoRice]

And if you're getting 100% GPU usage at 4k Render Scale on a 2080... i dunno what to tell you.

Well there is certainly nothing wrong with my setup. Maybe it's because I'm using a 144hz monitor. Obviously, the GPU requirements to reliably hit 144fps are not the same as maintaining max FPS on a 60hz monitor.

But I don't see how you can say this is useless. Even if there isn't much use on the high-end, what about everyone else? My friend is still running a GTX 970 and is clearly GPU limited in more situations than I am. This would open up the option of picking up a 2nd cheap 970 instead of buying an overpriced newer card. I'm not saying everyone should try to follow that path, or start packing their computers with videocards, but having extra options is never a bad thing.

The cryptocurrency GPU price inflation peak occurred right as I was trying to upgrade from my GTX 680. It was stupid to pay the inflated prices for a new card at that point. Instead, I ended up getting a 2nd GTX 680, and then a 3rd, giving me a low-cost upgrade option that lasted me all the way until I got my 2080. I obviously would never have been able to pull that off without Multi-GPU, and it's nice to still have that option going forward.

[Biglog]

I have some spare graphics cards of different types sitting around and will try it to see the results. Not so much curious about 2 new 3080ti cards together ($1400 worth of new cards *should* be blazing fast, dx12 multi-gpu just removes the sli hassle), I'm more curious if throwing an older card like a 1070ti or the like as a secondary gpu actually helps add a little oomph to a newer primary card.

[Nahuel1991]

how can i enable it? just update drivers or something in wow options?

[Queen of Hamsters]

I was honestly considering trying my hand at a dual-GPU setup. Then the 3000-series came out. I'm guessing 1 3080 outperforms 2 1070 anyday.

That's somewhat ironic. I just switched from a dual 1070 TI setup to a 3080 this Monday. Would've been interesting to see the performance difference before switching though.

That said, my single 3080 will inevitably outperform my dual 1070 TI regardless, especially in games without Explicit multi-GPU support.

Well there I got an answer to that hypothesis!
A bit off-topic, but what CPU did you pair your 3080 with? Anyone else having gotten one of the new GPUs can also feel free to reply! ^_^

[Unlimited Power]

I was honestly considering trying my hand at a dual-GPU setup. Then the 3000-series came out. I'm guessing 1 3080 outperforms 2 1070 anyday.



Well there I got an answer to that hypothesis!
A bit off-topic, but what CPU did you pair your 3080 with? Anyone else having gotten one of the new GPUs can also feel free to reply! ^_^

I'm running a 8700K with all cores at 5GHz

[Kagthul]

So on one hand you're saying it's not gpu bound and the other yous re saying you don't have it at max settings?

Because they're pointless settings. They add ZERO visual fidelity because its drawing things you literally cannot see.

The game is definitely gpu bound atm on my 2080ti,

No it isnt.

I have 200% render scaling,

From what base resolution?

everything on max,

Which is stupid. As stated - its rendering things you literally cannot see.

a dozen reshade shaders

So you're running extra stuff that has nothing to do with WoW... huh.

and modified console settings and it's pretty much always at 100%

So, you're running the game with settings that Blizzard doesn't support and things not provided by Blizzard.

That isn't an argument. "The engine isn't CPU bound when i heavily modify the game with stuff unsupported by Blizzard".

It's interesting regarding using the integrated GPU, currently that's just sat doing nothing and it's pretty much what everyone has by default they could utilise.

Yeah the extra like... 5fps you're going to get would be AMAZING.

- - - Updated - - -

Well there is certainly nothing wrong with my setup. Maybe it's because I'm using a 144hz monitor.

So am I. 1440p 144hz Gsync

Obviously, the GPU requirements to reliably hit 144fps are not the same as maintaining max FPS on a 60hz monitor.

The GPU requiremets to hit 144fps "reliably" aren't the issue - your CPU will never let you. Will you get 144fps out in most zones/areas without a ton of stuff to draw? Sure. You wont get 144fps in major cities, anywhere with large populations of players in one spot, including raids (particularly during 'Lust) and large scale PvP.

This is PURELY a CPU limitation. ANd yes, even your special-sample ultra awesome CPU will still be CPU limited. I dont care if its running at 10ghz.

But I don't see how you can say this is useless.

Because your money is always better spent on just getting a better single card. More info on why below.

Even if there isn't much use on the high-end, what about everyone else? My friend is still running a GTX 970 and is clearly GPU limited in more situations than I am.

Not if he's running it at settings that a 0970 can realistically handle. I.E. 1080p Even if he is, he'd be better of getting even a used 1080.

This would open up the option of picking up a 2nd cheap 970 instead of buying an overpriced newer card. I'm not saying everyone should try to follow that path, or start packing their computers with videocards, but having extra options is never a bad thing.

Its a completely pointless thing. Multi-GPU support has to be added by developers. Even at the height of SLI and Crossfire, when AMD and nVidia were breaking their backs to support any game under the sun.... less than 1% of gamers ever ran multiple GPUs.

So developers aren't going to do it. So your friend wastes money on a 970, which works for... WoW. When he wants to play any OTHER game, that money is completely wasted, as the secoond 970 will do literally nothing. Might as well have just lit that money on fire.

The cryptocurrency GPU price inflation peak occurred right as I was trying to upgrade from my GTX 680. It was stupid to pay the inflated prices for a new card at that point. Instead, I ended up getting a 2nd GTX 680, and then a 3rd, giving me a low-cost upgrade option that lasted me all the way until I got my 2080. I obviously would never have been able to pull that off without Multi-GPU, and it's nice to still have that option going forward.

My takeaway is that the only game you EVER play(ed) is WoW. Because Triple-SLI 680s wouldn't have worked in pretty much ANY game released after 2015 or so.

You've got to remove your brain from "but muh WoW"... and realize that only a microscopic number of games will EVER support this. Its a waste of money. Multi-GPU nirvana is literally never going to be a thing while there are still massive gains to be made in single-GPU performance. (And since Intel's Xe is basically a riff on AMD's chiplet design as applied to GPUs (want a more powerful GPU? Just lay down and glue together more GPU chiplets) - single GPU performance can scale pretty much as far as it needs to. You can be sure AMD and nVidia will examine similar avenues (AMD already has, IIRC, and just didn't deem it necessary yet, but did say that doing chiplets on GPUs is totally a thing they could do).

Just buy a better single GPU.

[GotNoRice]

You've got to remove your brain from "but muh WoW"... and realize that only a microscopic number of games will EVER support this. Its a waste of money. Multi-GPU nirvana is literally never going to be a thing while there are still massive gains to be made in single-GPU performance. (And since Intel's Xe is basically a riff on AMD's chiplet design as applied to GPUs (want a more powerful GPU? Just lay down and glue together more GPU chiplets) - single GPU performance can scale pretty much as far as it needs to. You can be sure AMD and nVidia will examine similar avenues (AMD already has, IIRC, and just didn't deem it necessary yet, but did say that doing chiplets on GPUs is totally a thing they could do).

Just buy a better single GPU.

You seem like you're unleashing some kind of rant that you've been building up in your head for years. No one in this thread is advocating using multiple GPUs, nor has anyone asked for hardware advice. This is just a discussion about a feature that has potentially been integrated into WoW and about the results people may have had.

There is a potential for free performance here. My friend with the 970 for example. Even if he did upgrade to a new card like a 3070, he could potentially keep the 970 in there also for extra performance. I'm not advocating that, but depending on how well it works, it would be an interesting option to have instead of the 970 gathering dust in a spare parts bin.

[Biglog]

Upon further review and a little testing this is actually awfully underwhelming. Sometimes that happens when companies release shiny new features, but are subtle about pointing out the gotchas. The catch in this case is it ONLY works for DX12 ULTIMATE compatible cards. So no 10xx and older Nvidia cards will work at all for this.

In a couple years I could see where this might be more useful, when people have spares of different 3090's and 3080's laying around. But it only works for the RTX series and up cards on AMD and Nvidia, which are the newer and more expensive (and far less likely to be laying around unused right now) cards. So forget throwing in an old 980 or 1070 and having it work for this. The 2nd GPU sits at 0% unused in those cases.

TLDR it only works for newer Nvidia and AMD "DX 12 ULTIMATE" (not to be confused with "DX 12", brilliant marketing) cards, so if you have spares of those lying around give it a try.

[AMD Mickey]

Neat! I will have to give this a try.

[GotNoRice]

Upon further review and a little testing this is actually awfully underwhelming. Sometimes that happens when companies release shiny new features, but are subtle about pointing out the gotchas. The catch in this case is it ONLY works for DX12 ULTIMATE compatible cards. So no 10xx and older Nvidia cards will work at all for this.

What testing have you done exactly and what lead you to the conclusion that this requires DX12 Ultimate? I'm not trying to doubt you, but simply trying to understand. DX12 Explicit Multi-GPU has been a part of the DX12 spec for a long time and I've never previously heard of it being linked to DX12 Ultimate in any way. Again, I'm not claiming that it isn't true, I'm just trying to learn more about this.

Have you found any configuration where this actually works, even if the result is "underwhelming"? If it did work, which cards exactly were you using, and were you using them in linked mode or not?

[apluscarp]

I am currently running a RTX 2080 Super and a GTX 1050ti. I get about a 20% increase in fps. It really boosts fps when you have shadows set to high and are in an area with a lot of shadows. I did figure out that in order for WoW to use both cards you have to select the secondary card in the video Advanced configuration menu. The only drawback to running a 10xx card is that you can not enable Ray Tracing, because the 1050ti does not support it.