Two GeForce GT640 Cards to run 3 Monitors - Is my system utilizing the power of both?

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rixtertrader

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I have two GeForce GT640 cards in my system in order to display out to 3 monitors. Two monitors are tied into one card, one monitor into the other.

Is my system taking advantage of two video cards as far as memory, power? Or is only one card really doing all the work and the other is pretty much just providing a way to display to the other monitor?

I'm asking because my video editing software (Cyberlink Powerdirector 16) seems to be hitting some kind of bottleneck during timeline editing. The vertical line that scrolls across the timeline during playback freezes, as well as the video, but the audio keeps on going. After a short period of time, the video starts up again by racing up to where it should be to match the audio.

So I'm concerned I don't have enough display card power to deal with this software. Or maybe it is something else? (I have Intel Quad Core i7-3770 and 16gb of DDR3 memory on Win 10 Pro 64.)

TIA
 
Solution
Wolfshadw
A single, higher end card is almost always going to be better than two lower-end cards. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised by the lack of performance of the GT640 as it *should* be sufficient for your needs. However, if you're looking to upgrade, I'd probably be looking at something like the Geforce GT1050Ti or the AMD Radeon RX560 (or better).

-Wolf sends
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Wolfshadw

Wolfshadw

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First off, the two cards are not working in conjunction with each other. Powedirector is only utilizing the graphic support of one graphics card. The issues you're experiencing are likely due to the lower capabilities of the card, but I have to ask. Are the end results ok? If so, I wouldn't worry about the scroll line.

-Wolf sends
 
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rixtertrader

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The final product renders fine. However, it is very difficult to edit the footage in the first place when you have the video stopping and the audio continuing without it. You can't line up where to cut, splice, add annotations, etc. You have to have a free flowing video/audio timeline in order to properly edit videos.

So unfortunately, I need to find a solution to my problem. Problem is, I don't know if it is due to my graphics card, CPU/Mem, or what?

When I looked at the specs for the GT640, it hypes up being good for video editing. Here I have two of them. But if what you say is the case, that it is only using one card and it doesn't have the capabilities to handle what I need for editing, then I guess the question is...

...what display card would fit into my Fatal1ty Z77 Pro-M Series motherboard that would also allow me to display out to 3 monitors? And preferably, just one card and not two (unless two is better and can work together as mine cannot, as you say)?

Thank you.
 
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Wolfshadw

Wolfshadw

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A single, higher end card is almost always going to be better than two lower-end cards. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised by the lack of performance of the GT640 as it *should* be sufficient for your needs. However, if you're looking to upgrade, I'd probably be looking at something like the Geforce GT1050Ti or the AMD Radeon RX560 (or better).

-Wolf sends
 
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dontlistentome

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The GT 640 comes in two versions, with the DDR5 version being faster. My experience in video editing, including Powerdirector, is when you can't scroll foward or backward in the timeline without issues in the video it's because your videocard is too slow. This assumes hardware acceleration is enabled.

This can also be affected by things like video resolution. Full HD will require more performance than 480p, for example, and 4k will require even more. Another possible performance hog are effects or features you may be using like picture in picture. The more stuff going on in your video, the more impact it will have on your ability to scrub forwards and backwards in real time. Most recommend 4gb vram videocards for 4k work, with 2gb being alright for 1080p, although if you like to use effects you'll want all the power and vram you can afford.

Pretty much all the modern cards support 3 monitors. The catch is what kind of inputs do your monitors have? Modern cards output digital only, so ideally you have HDMI/DVI/Display port monitors.
 
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rixtertrader

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I assume that these two cards you mentioned will drive 3 monitors and will fit my MB?
 
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Wolfshadw

Wolfshadw

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Yep.

-Wolf sends
 
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rixtertrader

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Thanks for the reply.

Do you believe that if I were to remove my two GT640 cards in favor of one of those cards you listed, that I would likely see a mark improvement in system performance, especially in video editing?



 
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rixtertrader

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I'll soon find out.
I've ordered the GT1050Ti card. Got it for $150 new because Amazon gave me $70 to apply for their credit card. :)

Thanks for the replies.

 
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