Lucid Hydra Logix - CrossLinx 3
Version 1.0.6c (January 31, 2011)
I wanted to start off with the fact that I don't work for Lucid and anything
I say can be wrong (although rare =D) or subject to change.
I am in no way an expert.
With that in mind, let us begin with some simple facts and information
about Lucid Hydra Logix engine.
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Lucid Can/Can't Do's
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What It Can Do:
- Allows use of tri-GPU setups at full x16 PCI-E 2.0 speeds.
- Allows multi-GPU setups with ATi AND nVidia cards running together.
- Allows multi-GPU setups with non-matching architecture (Eg. Radeon 4870 + Radeon 5870)
- Intuitive software that configures everything on the fly.
What It Doesn't Do/Needs Work On:
- Create magical fairy performance, it will not be any more powerful than what your cards can do.
- Has a peculiar slot assignment with auto-disabling feature.
- It currently does not have Quad-GPU support.
- It currently does not support single board, dual-GPU cards.
- It currently does not beat ATi CrossfireX or nVidia SLi in performance.
- Intuitive software that configures everything on the fly (with out letting you know or showing you.)
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LHL General Information
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There is a way to fail immediately with Hydra Logix: that is failing to read the
instructions. This little post is in no way a replacement for the manual or driver release
notes, just an addendum.
With that said, there is something askew I found when I read the manuals and PDFs.
In the instructions, everything is made suggestively. For instance: For best performance,
use slot x and y, which to me implies that you will get performance from other slots, but
just not the best. Well it turns out, if you need/want to use slot z for space/heat reasons
and choose to do so, you may get no performance. In the case of LHL, if you don't use
the right slots, you could end up setting LHL to 0 or default mode (single GPU use only.)
LHL has three modes (and a hidden 4th default mode)
A - ATi Only Cards
N - nVidia Only Cards
X - Mixed Branded Cards
0 - Single GPU (master GPU) Mode
Frame Rendering:
LHL utilizes all of the frame rendering techniques such as Alternate Frame Rendering
1 & 2, Scissors, and Checker board. While AFR is the most compatible one with
software, it is also subject to the worse defect of multi-GPU solutions: micro stutter.
This is arguably the best advantage of LHL n200 chip, CrossfireX and SLi while using
components on the cards themselves, they are primarily driven by software. LHL on the
other hand is primarily driven by physical hardware. In time, we may even see new
frame rendering methods, and of course, mature performance through drivers.
Lucid Hydra Logix Scaling:
As of right now, in most benchmarks we have seen the results are always just shy
5~15% behind CrossfireX or SLi. Don't be disheartened though, you can easily
switch from LHL to CrossfireX/SLi on the fly (without rebooting) to get that extra
performance. Lucid's main purpose is to provide performance gains to video cards
that were previously incompatible: AMD/ATi with nVidia or different architectures
of the same manufacturer such as a GTX 580 with a GTX 280 for example.
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Game Support
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Note: If it says Dual-GPU,
IT WILL ONLY USE DUAL-GPU even if you have
5 GPUs installed.
Official 3-GPU Approved Benchmarks:
3DMark 06
3DMark Vantage
Unigine Heaven 2.1
Un-official 3-GPU Approved Benchmarks:
FurMark 1.8.0 - Works some of the time with all 3 GPUs ~ RagingCain
You can quickly find which games are 3-GPU ready as they are green.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AgLiKaiBbWsXdF8yb050WlZ0VFdrU0R0QzlFc2xmd0E&w=93&h=500&gid=0&single=true Google Spreadsheet
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GPU - Mix/Match Chart Recommendation
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(October 30th, 2010 - Information)
Note: Slightly edited by Raging. These are no longer the official charts by Lucid and
we will note any problems discovered by users.
Color Scheme:
Grey = Lucid approved.
Yellow = Predicted to work.
Green = Verified by us to work well!
Red = Cards detected by not playable.
Black = Cards are supposed to work, but driver update broked da cards!
A-Mode Card Recommendations (ATi Cards)
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AgLiKaiBbWsXdF8yb050WlZ0VFdrU0R0QzlFc2xmd0E&w=68&h=475&gid=1&single=true Google Spreadsheet
N-Mode Card Recommendations (nVidia Cards)
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AgLiKaiBbWsXdF8yb050WlZ0VFdrU0R0QzlFc2xmd0E&w=75&h=555&gid=2&single=true Google Spreadsheet
X-Mode Card Recommendations (Mixing Brands)
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AgLiKaiBbWsXdF8yb050WlZ0VFdrU0R0QzlFc2xmd0E&w=73&h=540&gid=3&single=true Google Spreadsheet
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Dual-GPU Installation Guide
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Step One: Determine your configuration in advance and which slots you intend to use, if you are an ATi/AMD GPU user and you would like to use Slot 1 + Slot 3 AND incorporate Lucid Hydra Logix, go to Step Alpha. If not go to Step Two.
PCI Slot Configurations to Avoid Prior to Lucid Driver's Installation:
ATi Cards in Slot #1 + Slot #3 + Lucid Install (It can be done, follow Alpha Steps)
Slot #x + Slot #5 (Slot #5 99% of the time does not detect the GPU in Windows correctly until Lucid has been installed.)
Once you have determined the Dual/Tri GPU slot configuration, its upto you if you want to install the 2x 4-Pin Molex connections on the motherboard for extra PCI-E juice. I haven't done the benchmarks to compare with it plugged in or not, but I have always used them. I suspect a Tri-GPU / Quad-GPU setups would be where this may or may not be more of an issue. The EZ_Plugs as they are called are supposed to provide extra juice to the PCI-E slots. I have no idea if it is truly effective or not, but I am sure there must be some benefit to using them if not having a steadier flow of current.
- Step Alpha 0: For ATI/AMD GPU users to use Slot 1 and Slot 3 and Lucid Hydra Logix, you are going to have to circumvent the auto disable feature. THIS IS COUNTER TO HOW YOU PROPERLY INSTALL LUCID HYDRALOGIX. To do this, you have to place (mandatory) the MASTER GPU in Slot 1, and attach monitor. Note: I assume you are picking TWO cards that are confirmed by LUCID to work together nicely.
- Step Alpha 1: Turn on the computer and I am assuming you are doing FRESH install of Windows Vista (32/64) or Windows 7 (32/64). If you don't, then I really can't help you if it gets borked up but you may proceed at your own caution. Get to your minty clean Windows desktop.
- Step Alpha 2: At this point, you want to install ALL the drivers & software associated with the motherboard (ASUS disc is fine since there has been no updates on FTP ASUS yet. (January 1st, 2011.) DO NOT INSTALL LUCID AT THIS POINT. Primarily, I just recommend getting the majority of your "Unknown Devices" known.
- Step Alpha 3: Do whatever you need to get internet up and running. Then go and download the latest GPU drivers. If you have another brand of GPU, then download those drivers too but wait on installing them. Also download the latest LUCID Logix drivers. All you want to do for this step is to cleanly install your main GPU drivers (the GPU with the monitor attached) and reboot when finished.
- Step Alpha 4: After reboot, the card should be visible in device manager and everything should appear as normal. This is when you attempt to install Lucid Hydra Logix. If it fails, go to step Alpha 5. Only if it succeeds first attempt, shut down the computer, install the second card into Slot 3, then turn it on. Once in Windows install the GPUs drivers if necessary, then reboot again. If everything appears in Device Manager and Lucid Hydra Logix is installed, you are done!
- Step Alpha 5: So it failed, no worries. Turn the computer off, grab your second GPU and physically install this card to slot 2 or 4, NOT SLOT 5. Once you have all the cables in and screws tightened, turn on the computer, and let it automatically install the driver if its the same brand of card. If its a different brand, you will need to download the latest drivers if you didn't have them ready, then install them. It will ask you to reboot. Say no (Reboot Later.) Attempt to install Lucid Hydra Logix one more time, if it fails OR succeeds continue.
- Step Alpha 6: If LHL failed to install, check your GPUs, make sure they are plugged in (lol Eclipse) and also make sure they are in all the way in the motherboard. Also, if the GPUs are possibly dead, stop wasting your time and make sure they work first on their own. After it fails, go ahead and reboot once, and try installing again. For all intents and purposes, it should succeed and after it does it will ask you to Reboot, click the option that does not restart. Now shut down the computer.
- Step Alpha 7: We have Lucid installed, NOW we physically install/move the secondary GPU (i.e. Non-master GPU) to Slot 3, like you wanted. Then just turn the computer on after it is properly installed. Let it boot into Windows, it should auto configure your card (without need for re-installing the drivers.) Once you think its finished auto-installing drivers, restart your computer immediately. Once the computer turns back on, you should have the cards where you want them and Lucid Chipset driver should be installed under System Device (all can be confirmed with Device Manager.) Also check your taskbar for Lucids control panel, this is how you enable disable Lucid.
Step Two: Physically install the cards avoiding slot 1 and slot 3 combination at this time, refer to Step Alpha 0 if you want to try and use that slot combinations. Make sure everything is connected and installed correctly. I am assuming you are installing a fresh copy of Windows in this step, if you are adding a new card go to Step Three. You need to install all the relevant software pertaining to your motherboard (i.e. ASUS Disk.)
DO NOT INSTALL LUCID DRIVERS. When that is completed and you have done all your reboots, make sure you have internet connections setupz and have access to the internebulous.
Step Three: Begin by downloading the latest drivers for you GPU (or ones you know work well for you.) I recommend latest nVidia drivers always and currently version 10.10c~d for Catalyst drivers and 58xx ATi cards. Install Catalyst profiles if you want as well. Properly install (cleanly) all relevant drivers AND reboot every single time it asks.
Step Four: Once you have gotten everything installed and confirmed this with Device Manager. Download the latest Lucid drivers and begin installation. It should install fine, and ask you to reboot so go ahead and do so. Let everything startup on its own, give it a few minutes to sit idle on desktop, and just reboot one more time. That should complete the Lucid installation and it should work smoothly after this point.
Note: There should be no error message saying that you can not install Lucid at this point. Should, being the optimal word, if there is an issue, verify and double verify that both cards are properly installed. If they appear to be working and it still won't install, you have to verify its working by switching monitor cable after all just because the card is installed doesn't mean its working right. Reboot, then if you have a good display, and everything appears normal post on here so we can trouble shoot.
Step Five: Profit or Prophet... hahaha silly me and my Crysis joke.
Word on Tri-GPUs: Pretty much cut and dry everything is the same for Tri-GPU except you can use any slot assignment
except for 1 + 3 + 5 right off the bat. You have to to do it 1+2+4 or 1+2+5 and then after complete installation then you can consider moving the cards around.
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Troubleshooting
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Q.
How do I properly install Lucid HydraLogix?
A. Depends. Read installation guide.
Q.
What cards do you recommend for the Tri-GPU titles?
A. The EXACT same Brand, revision (reference or non-ref), and model
number.
So identical cards.
Q.
Why is that?
A. Lucid's Tri-GPU support is very ALPHA and even they recommend for the
best performance, use identical GPUs. I tried it myself with 5870s and had quite
a few glitches just because I didn't run the exact same models (reference vs.
non-reference.)
Q.
Can I use a 5970 with a 295?
A. No, no single board/slot dual-GPUs are currently supported.
Q.
So can I use a Quad-GPU setup?
A. Yes you can
but not Quad-GPU + Lucid + rendering. You may
use three
cards for rendering video and an extra maybe used for Physx if it
is nVidia. You can also also try QuadFirex / Quad-SLi, however I
do not believe it will work on our motherboard. Not sure exactly
why, but it has to do with Slot 5. Slot 5 configuration doesn't seem
to work with GPUs and non-Lucid setups.
I would go as far as saying
its a Lucid only PCI-E slot but people have gotten the OCZ Revo Drive
other PCI-E peripherals to work there.
Q.
Number 12 of my 1,307 GPUs is not being used?!?!
A. Simple really, only supports two/three GPU setups. Read the
compatibility charts above!
Q.
No wai!!! Just because my game doesn't say Tri-GPU support
I can't use it?
A. Yes wai!!! The drivers lock it down.
Q.
BUT I BOUGHT THE CARDS ALREADY?!
A. Well why did you do that?
Q.
BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T WRITE THE GUIDE YET?!
A. Uh... instruction manual.
Q.
My game isn't on that list, what can I expect?
A. You should expect default mode, however, if you feel like trying to
make DUAL-GPU profiles, they can be manually configured it the software
under the second tab.
Don't expect miracles though.
Q.
When I hit print screen for a screenie, its all black, how come?
A. A screenshot is much more complicated when using Lucid. As of
right now there isn't away to take a screenie unless the game or
program itself has it built in such as Unigine or WoW.
Q.
Do I need CrossfireX or SLi Bridges?
A. No, but I recommend them so you can switch to CrossfireX or SLi
(with SLI-Hack installed) whenever you have issues with Lucid. They
DO NOT affect performance in anyway. Note:
THIS IS ONLY
FOR CARDS THAT CAN CROSSFIREX OR SLI TOGETHER, DO NOT
CONNECT CARDS THAT DON'T MIX TOGETHER.
Q.
I am trying to use CrossfireX or SLi but games keep crashing/games
keep artifacting/games show up as black only?
A. This is a tough one, but your best bet is to disable Hydra Logix in
in Device Manager. If that does not work, try re-enabling it, just so
you can uninstall all the software, and reboot. If there is an unknown
device in Device Manager that you are sure is Hydra Logix, go ahead
and disable it too. Note:
This should disable PCI-E slot 5 if using a
GPU, just for your info.
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Current Driver Information
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Lucid Hydra Logix v 1.7.1.0.4a (January 17th, 2011)
Hotfix:
Improved performance in Mid and Low end GPUs.
Changes:
- 3DMark11 support.
- NVIDIA GTX570 GPU support.
- ATI HD69xx support.
- Nvidia WHQL Driver 263.09 issues fixed.
- ATI WHQL driver 10.12 support.
- Batman: Arkham Asylum bug fixed.
- Optimization Indicator bar feature added.
- GUI new look and features.
- Passmark test tool on Vista - fixed.
- Devil May Cry 4 benchmark issue fixed.
- ALT+TAB issues fixed.
- GTS250 + HD5670 configuration supported.
Known Issues:
- Unigine DX11 can take a long time to exit.
- Starcraft 2 performance.
- 3DMark06 may crash with ATi driver 10.12a.
- Rebooting after uninstalling older Hydra revision may cause user to manually restart installation.
- No support for windowed mode.
- It is recommended to connect the display to the strongest GPU.
- 3x GPUs mode performs best with 3 identical GPUs.
- Running 3DMark and Unigine benchmarks with FRAPS application is active my cause crash (even if HydraLogix is disabled.)
- With HydraLogix driver installed, QuadfireX may cause some games to crash.
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Handy Dandy Links
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Lucid Logix -=-
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Official FAQ -=-
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Latest Drivers -=-
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OMG CAIN I NEED HELP STILL (Lucid Tech Support) =-
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nVidia Drivers =-
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ATi Drivers =-
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Custom ATi Driver (Von Dach's) =-
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Custom nVidia Drivers (LaptopVideo2Go) =-