Can i use two different nVidia GPUs at the same time WITHOUT SLI? + Random Quick Questions so that i don't overpost

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ISetsunaI

ISetsunaI

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*if you are too lazy to read ill just try to ask a simple 1-3 sentence question at the very bottom



Sorry, i don't know how dumb this question is, but i was told a two-way SLI between the same cards is kinda like having 160-180% of the clockspeed a normal one would have if it's connected, but have the same VRAM (so if both have 3GB, it will stay 3GB and not 6GB).

But what happens if u connect two GPUs in the same motherboard WITHOUT making it SLI? Is that even a thing? Personally, i haven't built a computer myself, but would it be possible? Im going to be making a computer and hoping to finish it by Christmas (Im waiting for the whole Christmas sale type of thing). Now if it is by any chance possible, how useful would it be when it comes to gaming?

I believe the nVidia Control Panel can make certain applications use certain GPUs (if you have more than 1 GPU, but again, idk if u can make it non-SLI. I heard AMD has Crossfire which can have 2 different cards connect to each other) so for example, if i were to play a low graphical game like GunZ2:The Second Duel by MAIET on a GTX 660 and a high-graphical game like Battlecry Alpha by Bethesda (I like brawler/fighting type of games ha) on a Zotac AMP GTX 980, will it work or is this completely ridicilous and will never work. The one think i question myself is that if let's say the monitor is hooked up to the 980, how will the 660 play GunZ2 on the same monitor? Please, i am sorry if i sound completely retarded right now, that's because again, i never built a computer, but i have been researching about building one, how to avoid bottlenecks, and etc, but this is a question i am really really fond of so i had to ask you guys.



-Lazy Question/Summary


Can i play/stream games on the same monitor without using SLI with two totally different nVidia cards?

(Remember this is an example it's kinda stupid to play 2 games at once without two or more monitors)
Ex: GTX 980 playing Arkham Knight on Max settings and running the monitor while GTX 660 playing GunZ2 (How will that work out if it CAN work? The second GPU wont be connected to the monitor or is there a way to connect the same GPUs to the same monitor? Albeit thats kinda dumb lol)
 
Solution
jossrik
And top answer the game question, you can run both games, but only one will be front and center at a time, unless you run each one in windowed mode, and then you'd have to manually drag the cursor from one game to the other. You could use the second GPU to run another monitor and watch TV or keep websites up or what not while you game on the primary monitor. Other than that, you're probably better off running one GPU, also, with AMD cards you can crossfire different cards if they've got the same chip in there, so you can't just willy nilly mix and match, Nvidia on the other hand, you really NEED the same card, even different vendor versions of the same card some times don't play nice with each other.
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gamer1357

gamer1357

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Well, you can have to difference gpu's at the same time not running in SLI but when you game only one will be used. Some people use the second weaker one to run PhysX but with a 980 you shouldn't need to do that.

I would not recommend having two gpu's in there. The second will just suck up power and create more heat.
 
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ISetsunaI

ISetsunaI

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Another Quick Question:

Which GPU of the same chipset (970)

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#c=186&sort=a8

If that link doesn't work basically which Brand + Model of the 970 should i get? I planned on getting the MSI Gaming 4G because many of my friends that have the 970 said that's the one they got and it's perfect, but it doesn't have as fast of a clockspeed as a Zotac Extreme AMP. With that in mind, if i had an Overclocked Factory edition of the 970 by Zotac, does that mean 1200mhz is the clockspeed or it's already overclocked and overclocking it will be harder?
 
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jossrik

jossrik

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And top answer the game question, you can run both games, but only one will be front and center at a time, unless you run each one in windowed mode, and then you'd have to manually drag the cursor from one game to the other. You could use the second GPU to run another monitor and watch TV or keep websites up or what not while you game on the primary monitor. Other than that, you're probably better off running one GPU, also, with AMD cards you can crossfire different cards if they've got the same chip in there, so you can't just willy nilly mix and match, Nvidia on the other hand, you really NEED the same card, even different vendor versions of the same card some times don't play nice with each other.
 
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jossrik

jossrik

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Depending on what you're coming from it's kinda moot, they're all great cards. 1200 is the clockspeed, also you can overclock more if you desire, but that's not from the factory, which can mess up warranties, not sure though, warranties vary from card to card. I'd get something with a good cooler like the MSI Gaming, Overclock from there.
 
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ISetsunaI

ISetsunaI

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Quick Question #2:

Is overclocking easy? If so, how easy is it? I had never had the opportunity to overclock a GPU before ,but when Christmas strikes, im going to blow all my budget on everything I can put my hands on. Right now, i heard the 970 is tremendously more significant than the 980 in terms of budget so i have my eyes on them :). I plan on playing games like Arkham Knight on 1440p on Max (without FXAA or Antialiasing, but with PhysX) on a single 970 card with around 1400-1500mhz. Is it possible? Oh and how long can i overclock my cards for? So if i overclock a card to 1500 mhz will it fry up in an hour? Maybe even less? If that's the case what's the "green" zone for overclocking. (1325-1400 for the 970 MSI or Gigabyte?)
 
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jossrik

jossrik

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There is no right answer to that. With overclocking, the more heat, the lower the lifetime, BUT, it's a toss up. You can overclock to 2Ghz, but that might last a few minutes, might last a year, you could overclock to 1.015 and have to have the card warranties within the week. It's just a crap shoot. The 970 should handle 1440P with some AA in there without too much of an overclock, especially if you have a couple of them. From what I understand, the 970s overckocked are around the 290x which is what I have Xfired. and they eat *anything*. Your stable overclock is going to be where ever the particular card thermally takes you, also, the top card will be ten degrees or so hotter just being the top card. I have two Windforce 450 cards, and the top card sits around that ten degree, your mileage may vary though. Windforce is a good cooler, so I tend to think most cards with a good cooler should be around the same, then again, the 970 is only a 145W part, whereas my cards are around twice that. So maybe like a 5 degree difference... Not sure there...
 
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