So after many months I decided to purchase a second EVGA card and go SLI
 
Leaning on my previous knowledge of the subject, and weighing up my options.
Current card EVGA GTX 970 FTW (2978) got the free backplate ;)
 
New card EVGA GTX 970 FTW+ (3978)
 
I decided on the FTW+ as all specs the same as far as I could tell, and the only differences were pre-installed backplate and different outputs on the rear.
Not feeling like I needed to do further research as the cards featured the same specs you can only guess my surprise when I find that they don't work in SLI.
This only became apparent to me when searching for why it kept saying install the SLI link and yet I had installed it so started to google.
 
My questions are
Why was this not made more prominent to inform people that various cards don't SLI together?
And also WHY can't these cards work? they work well with DifferentSLI (but I want it properly not via third party modifications)
 
So feeling a little dismayed and out side of my first ftw step up what are my options?
is it a hardware thing stopping the cards?
Can the FTW+ bios be placed on the FTW card and sli then work?
 
I am quite dismayed and upset at the lack of highlighting this was given and my own lack of researching (but 970 ftw + 970 ftw+ ??? I was not expecting problems)

The reason they don't work is that the manufacture (EVGA) made them so they couldn't SLI. Going off that I don't think messing with the BIOS would be smart on any level, escspecially placing a BIOS on the card not made for it.

The only options are to use Diffrient SLI software or to sell one of the cards and buy a compatible card seen in Sajins post. You may also still be eligible for a Step-Up.

But you'd have thought that they would've made it more clear about being sli incompatible.
 
@ Sajin I found that information only after I was looking for why the two cards wouldn't sli
 
Would RMA be an option for a perfectly working card?
 
I'm just trying to get my head around it, as in the past the only issues with sli was clock speeds and vram so I wasn't expecting it to not work.
Even in the competition page one of the questions (albeit about the 980) was the + and the answer was backplate.
All the literature screams sli, and even the nvidia control panel says get your cards connected for greater performance.
 
yet I have two 970's same clock speed, same ram, same manufacturer and yet incompatible with no real mention of that.
 
Lesson learned here to fully research everything before laying down the goodies, but disappointed at the lack of this issue being pointed out.
It is not mentioned on the eu product page, which I had looked at, not the spec sheet, not the features or support link, and certainly not the web page where I finally purchased it.
Though afterwards during my searches I see it's a 970 issue affecting multiple brands.
And there I was expecting every other sli issue except being incompatible.

Just contact someone from eVGA and they will help you.  You aren't the first person to make this mistake.  eVGA has helped the others by stepping up the FTW to a FTW+ I believe (don't quote me on this though, but I do know they helped them).  You will just have to pay the difference between the two cards and shipping if they allow the step up.

Thank you James.
I'll drop them an email

Dwarfy
A massive thank you to EU EVGA
 
An RMA of my card and they sent me a matching one back
 
Now that is what we call customer service and just one of the reasons I stick with EVGA
 
Thank you

Customer service such as this is what develops brand loyalty!  EVGA strikes again!  
 

 
 

Dwarfy
A massive thank you to EU EVGA
 
An RMA of my card and they sent me a matching one back
 
Now that is what we call customer service and just one of the reasons I stick with EVGA
 
Thank you

Glad this worked out