Second graphics cards question

ykfc · Mar 19, 2013

If I like to put two graphics cards onto a motherboard (to support multiple monitors) and assume they are both PCI-E standard. Is that possible and will they conflict with each other?
I notice on a normal motherboard (such as ASUS P8Z77-V) there are two PCI-E slots: PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 and the other one is PCIe 2.0 x16 card slot.

Novuake · Mar 19, 2013

ykfc :

Its very much possible if your motherbaord supports it(the board you mentioned does support Xfire/SLI.

What are your full system specs?
Especially PSU and motherboard?

larrym · Mar 19, 2013

Most newer GPU's support multiple monitors. What exactly are you trying to do? What is your current card and setup?

willard · Mar 19, 2013

Yes, this is possible. Does your current video card not have multiple display outputs? Also, keep in mind that you can't use the cards together to boost your framerate in games unless they're the same type of card. You can still use the display ports otherwise, but the card won't be doing much else except sucking power.

Also, keep in mind that video cards are far and away the most power hungry components in your computer. You'll need to determine if your PSU can handle the extra load. If you post detailed system specs, we can help you with that.

ykfc · Mar 19, 2013

Hi, thank you for your reply. I am only planning to build a new computer and is mainly for business application. Gaming is not of high importance. I am thinking to pull one old graphics cards from the old computer. (It is a evga nvidia GEforce 8400GS) and buy an additional one for the new computer. The ASUS motherboard I mentioned is what I intended to buy. I prefer to use more common monitors with DVI or VGA input port. I don't want to spent extra $ for a monitor with Displayport support.

The shop says normally people install two graphics cards to support 4 monitors. That's the reason for the question. I am a bit lost since most m/b have on-board video. How does the system choose?

willard · Mar 20, 2013

ykfc :

That actually works quite well from what I've heard. The lower end video cards like the 8400GS use much less power than the top of the line ones, and probably won't be much of an additional burden to the PSU since you won't be gaming on it.

The shop says normally people install two graphics cards to support 4 monitors. That's the reason for the question. I am a bit lost since most m/b have on-board video. How does the system choose?

First of all, the system knows what ports have things plugged into them. So you can plug it into either the onboard or dedicated GPU and the computer will figure it out. However, which one you plug it into does make a difference, and you should generally plug your monitors into your discrete GPU if you have one.

That said, typically one video card doesn't support that many monitors. There are cards that do, however. If you tell me your price range and brand I can see if I can find you a single GPU that will do four monitors on DVI.

Lord Tumnas · Mar 20, 2013

willard :

ykfc :

That actually works quite well from what I've heard. The lower end video cards like the 8400GS use much less power than the top of the line ones, and probably won't be much of an additional burden to the PSU since you won't be gaming on it.

The shop says normally people install two graphics cards to support 4 monitors. That's the reason for the question. I am a bit lost since most m/b have on-board video. How does the system choose?

First of all, the system knows what ports have things plugged into them. So you can plug it into either the onboard or dedicated GPU and the computer will figure it out. However, which one you plug it into does make a difference, and you should generally plug your monitors into your discrete GPU if you have one.

That said, typically one video card doesn't support that many monitors. There are cards that do, however. If you tell me your price range and brand I can see if I can find you a single GPU that will do four monitors on DVI.

are you sure that CPU graphics still work with a discrete card connected? i always thought they didnt...

willard · Mar 20, 2013

It's complicated, but yes, you can plug your monitor into the onboard graphics with a discrete card enabled. It in effect turns off your discrete card, unless you also plug a monitor into it. People used this as a workaround briefly to make Intel's QuickSync work with discrete cards, because it was tied to the iGPU. That's no longer necessary as Virtu comes on most good motherboards these days, and alleviates the need to connect a monitor to the iGPU to get QuickSync enabled.

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