Two ATI Radeon Graphics Cards Together

[zerozeroseven]

Hello,
I am planning to use an ATI Radeon HD 4850 and another HD 3400 together, with only a single monitor connected to the 4850 one. Will the 3400 Card remain useless, since I don't see any CrossFireX connector on it and there's no monitor I am going to connect to it ?

 

[wannaturnuptheheat]

Hello,
I am planning to use an ATI Radeon HD 4850 and another HD 3400 together, with only a single monitor connected to the 4850 one. Will the 3400 Card remain useless, since I don't see any CrossFireX connector on it and there's no monitor I am going to connect to it ?

http://game.amd.com/us-en/content/images/crossfirex/CF_combo_chart.jpg

You're right that the 3400 can't Crossfire, and besides, you can't mix families like that.

 

[zerozeroseven]

http://game.amd.com/us-en/content/images/crossfirex/CF_combo_chart.jpg

You're right that the 3400 can't Crossfire, and besides, you can't mix families like that.

OK, so is there any way I could make use of the 3400 one ?

 

[wannaturnuptheheat]

OK, so is there any way I could make use of the 3400 one ?

I'm assuming that it is your old card and the 4850 is the new one? No, there isn't really anything you can do with it. Keep it as a backup in case your new GPU fails, maybe? You can't really resell it, as it's only 30 bucks new (assuming you have a 3450, there is no "3400" card). ATI/AMD doesn't have anything like NVidia's PhysX, so having a 'backup' GPU installed in the system doesn't do anything for you, I'm afraid.

 

[zerozeroseven]

I'm assuming that it is your old card and the 4850 is the new one? No, there isn't really anything you can do with it. Keep it as a backup in case your new GPU fails, maybe? You can't really resell it, as it's only 30 bucks new (assuming you have a 3450, there is no "3400" card). ATI/AMD doesn't have anything like NVidia's PhysX, so having a 'backup' GPU installed in the system doesn't do anything for you, I'm afraid.

Hmm, so you mean there are 2 options for me now:
1) remove the 3400 card and keep it aside.
2) buy a new monitor and use dual displays to make use of both the cards, otherwise the 3400 will just consume power.
Am I correct ?

 

[wannaturnuptheheat]

Hmm, so you mean there are 2 options for me now:
1) remove the 3400 card and keep it aside.
2) buy a new monitor and use dual displays to make use of both the cards, otherwise the 3400 will just consume power.
Am I correct ?

Correct on 1, unsure on 2. I'll be honest, I have no idea how multi-monitor support works for multiple video cards; that is, I'm not sure if you're thinking of doing an Eyefinity (extended display) or having the other monitor do something completely different. However, spending more money to get a new monitor is probably not in your best interests, because you will NOT be able to do extended display, ONLY a separate image (as far as I know). Crossfired video cards "cooperate" to work on one image, be it a single monitor or a spread. I do not recommend you get a new monitor to use a $30 GPU; instead, I recommend you get a better video card than the 4850 (if you haven't actually made the purchase yet), or if it's already in your possession, consider just getting a second 4850 and Crossfiring those (if you can afford a new monitor, you can probably afford a second 4850 for 90 bucks).

 

[zerozeroseven]

Best answer selected by zerozeroseven.

 

[zerozeroseven]

Thanks for all the info !!

 

[hunter315]

I wouldnt keep the 3400 in there, even if you got a second monitor i would suggest hooking it straight into the 4850, it doesnt affect the 4850's performance much(if at all, i havent noticed a difference) and giving the 3400 something to do would make it use more power when you could use a tiny bit extra power on the 4850 and accomplish more. Just pull the 3400 out, its time for it to move into a box.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey