Additinal Graphics Card For Additional Monitors?

[Bocaj1994]

Hello EduGeeks,

I currently have an "EVGA GeForce GTX480 1536MB SuperClocked" and I have a 27" 1920x1080p and a 20" 1680x1050 connected to it, I am well aware that 2 monitors on my graphics card is the max.

 

If I buy an additional graphics card like a GT430 or a GT440, will I be able to put that in my setup and run two(or three with a DisplayPort) additional monitors as well as my current two on my GTX480 not in SLI(since they aren't the same card)?

 

Or will one cancel out the other?

 

Thank you in advance, Jacob.

[ZeroHour]

Yes you can mix and it should be fine but you I *think* you can use either the display port or a DVI not both (aka 2 monitor per card)

I know you can use ati and nvidia together but I have a friend that has experienced the pain with that though so I would stick to one manufacturer.

Also I would double check your PSU can handle the extra load

 

I too am thinking about getting a second card for more monitors but my primary is a GTX 580 currently.

[Bocaj1994]

My current specs are:

Monitor 1: ASUS MT276H

Monitor 2: NEC AccuSync LCD203WXM

Case: Lian Li Lancool Dark Armor K62

RAM: 12GB (2GBx6) DDR3 1600MHz Corsair Dominator

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 480 1536MB SuperClocked

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue SATA 160GB

HDD2: Western Digital Green SATA 640GB

External Hardrive: Western Digital Element 1TB

PSU: Corsair HX-750

CPU: i7-920

HeatSink: Noctua NH-D14

Thermal Paste: Arctic MX-4

Network Card: PCI-E Asus PCE-N13

Optical Drive: SATA Pioneer 216 DVDRW

OS: Windows 7 Professional 64bit Edition

Mouse: Logitech G9

Keyboard: Logitech G15

 

I also plan to get 2 SSD's in RAID at the same time as I purchase the graphics card. The graphics card I get will be very low performance, as long as it can support the 2 monitors, I don't plan to be gaming or anything like that was more than 1 monitor.

[Bocaj1994]

Can anyone give me alittle more reassurance on the subject?

[Duke]

As long as you have free slots on the motherboard (PCI-E or PCI), you buy the right card for the free slot, and you stick to the same card manufacturer (I know ZeroHour said it should work, but I also had a nightmare trying to mix ATI and Nvidia) then you should be fine.

 

Stick with Nvidia, update to the latest stable driver, download and install Nvidia Control Panel and nView Desktop Manager, then just whack the card in and connect it up. Use the Windows System tools to enable all the monitors you're using and get them in the right order, then use the Nvidia Control Panel to properly setup multiple displays. Use the nView Desktop Manager to set up wallpapers that span properly across the displays.

 

I currently have a GT240 in one PCI-E slot feeding a pair of Samsung T220's (one VGA, one DVI, both 1680x1050) and a Quadro NVS 290 (don't ask, it was spare) in a second PCI-E slot feeding an NEC 223WM (also 1680x1050) with a spare feed to hook up to a projector. Before the Quadro it was an 8400 until the fan broke.

 

At home I have a pair of 1920x1080 Samsungs fed from an (old, non-GT) GeForce 6600 and they run great.

 

Chris

Edited April 7, 2011 by Duke

[Bocaj1994]

Awesome, thanks for confirming that. I hate AMD with a passion anyway. Damn driver issues are everywhere.

 

I use UltraMon to configure my multiple monitors anyway, a bit more flexibility and features.

 

What about SSD's?

Should I get a OCZ Vertex 3 120GB or 2x OCZ Vertex 2 60GB?

If I get the two 60GB then I want one for my OS and one for my common programs and high priority/demanding programs

Or should I just get the twice the size and double the speed SSD for abit extra and chuck them all on one?

[SYNACK]

The limits on moniter numbers with displayport/DVI relate to the output clock, certain cards can run up to 6 moniters but only two can rely on an output clock. This means that there can only be two older style connections like DVI/HDMI or VGA as these all need an output clock. Native displayport does not need the clock as this is provided by the moniter, you can also use active displayport converters which provide a clock signal.

 

I agree with all of the others above, just adding another card of the same brand with the latest drivers should work well especially as you are using a modern OS.

 

As to the drivers I have actually had more issues lately with nVidia stuff but it all comes down to what you are using and the gear you manage to get.

 

As to the SSDs the bigger, newer faster one is likely to have much newer tech in it and as progress in SSDs is on such a steep curve at the moment it is almost certainly worth your while going for the newer of the two.

[Bocaj1994]

I have never been able to wrap my head around all this DisplayPort mumbo jumbo, but thanks for clearing some things up.

 

I have never had issues with nVidia before... Or any video related issues in general, but I only ever hear about AMD. But, I'm abit of a fanboy when it comes to computers.

 

Well, I think I might be putting my order in soon.

 

Thanks for the help.

[Dos_Box]

On the 'issues' from however, you may experience problems if you are using some Adobe products which insist that if you have multiple cards installed they must all use the same OpenGL version or else the program will just crash on starting. Both Photoshop Elements 9 and Premier Elements 9 do this. Not sure about the full CS versions, but I should imagine it is the same.

[difinity]

I run an NVIDIA 7300GT and a 8600GT in my work PC powering 4 monitors. 2 on DVI and 2 on VGA. I have to agree with the above to not mix ATI with NVIDIA.

[flyinghaggis]

I've currently got a Nvidia GTX470 and an Nvidia 880GT in my PC running Windows 7 with 3 monitors (1 @ 1920x1080 and 2 at 1680x1050). Works just fine!

 

It's a shame there isn't native support for triple monitor DVI-out on more cards as it makes for a really nice setup. Nvidia granted my wish by bringing out a GTX590 that can do it last month but at £600 it's sell your kidney money unfortunately!

[Arthur]

What about SSD's? Should I get a OCZ Vertex 3 120GB or 2x OCZ Vertex 2 60GB?

If you are thinking of buying either of those SSDs, make sure you read AnandTech's review of the 120GB Vertex 3. It covers both (it's worth reading all of it)...

 

 

Or should I just get the twice the size and double the speed SSD for abit extra and chuck them all on one?

See above review.

 

Can anyone give me a little more reassurance on the subject?

It's expensive, but the GTX 590 can support three DL-DVI LCDs plus a fourth monitor connected via either DisplayPort or a DP to SL/DL-DVI adapter (as flyinghaggis mentioned).

 

The GTX 590's expansion slot covers are pierced by three dual-link DVI ports, a mini-DisplayPort connector, and as much thermal venting as the card's designers could muster. That mini-DP output supports DisplayPort 1.1a, so it's less capable in several ways than the DisplayPort 1.2 outputs on newer Radeons. Then again, those Radeons can drive only one dual-link DVI display natively; connecting more will require expensive adapters.

 

When it comes to truly extreme display configurations, Nvidia and AMD have taken different paths. The GTX 590's dual-link outputs will allow it to power a trio of four-megapixel monitors at once—or three smaller (~2 MP) monitors at 120Hz for wrap-around stereoscopic gaming via Nvidia's 3D Vision scheme. That DisplayPort output enables the 590 to drive four displays simultaneously, but only for productivity; multi-monitor Surround Gaming is limited to a maximum of three displays. Meanwhile, AMD isn't nearly as far down the path of cultivating support for stereoscopic 3D, but its Eyefinity multi-monitor gaming scheme will happily support six displays at once. The 6990 can do it, too, thanks to five onboard outputs and the possibility of connecting more monitors via a DisplayPort 1.2 hub. True to this mission, the 6990 also comes with more video memory than the GTX 590—2GB per GPU and 4GB total, versus 1.5GB per and 3GB total on the 590. It's up to you to choose why you get a headache: from wearing flickery glasses, or from trying to track objects across display bezel boundaries. (Source)

 

As GF110 can only drive two displays, NVIDIA is tying together the display outputs of both GPUs to drive the card’s four display outputs. Unlike AMD who went heavy on DisplayPort and light in DVI, NVIDIA is going heavy on DVI and light on DisplayPort. Three DL-DVI ports adorn the card along with a single mini-DP port, making this the first time we’ve seen DP on an NVIDIA reference design. The port choice here seems to be heavily influenced by NVIDIA’s 3D Vision Surround—most compatible monitors are DL-DVI only, and DP to DL-DVI adapters are quite a bit more expensive than SL-DVI adapters, meaning going the adapter route like AMD would be impractical. As a consequence of this NVIDIA has to place one DVI port on the 2nd slot, taking up half of the card’s external ventilation slot. (Source)

[plexer]

I currently have 4 DVI monitors running from a FirePro 2460 using Active single link DVI adapters.

 

It's running multipoint server but when you switch to maintenance mode you just get one big desktop

 

Ben

[chazzy2501]

You could run more than 2 monitors with both these cards installed no problem. You can't however game using more than two.