Can I have two different resolution monitors hooked up to same rig?

[DayQuil_Man]

So I'm going to be building a new rig soon and have a question about monitor setup. I will be purchasing a 1440p 144hz G-Sync monitor to use as my primary for gaming, but I also own a 1080p 60hz monitor that I use now and would rather use it in my next build than throw it away. Can I have both monitors hooked up to my rig but only use the 1440p one for gaming and the 1080p one as a secondary to have some programs running like twitch or excel? Will this affect the performance in any way? Also, the 1080p monitor is DVI and the 1440p one uses Display port and I will be running off of a single 1080ti (Which has a single DVI port as well as 3 display ports).

 

[captaincharisma]

short answer.....yes

 

[nukemaster]

It will work(mixed resolutions/refresh rates are supported by many programs).

Some things to take note of.

Some games do not play well with second screens(the second screen may even fail to update at times). These types of issues are generally greatly reduced when running a game in Windowed mode. You can use an option called maximized window, boarderless window, fake full screen, ect to get the full screen look without these issues. Please note in some types of games you may be able to leave the game with your mouse, but most should capture it and keep it on the main screen while focused.

The performance hit will vary from program/games to program/game. Some programs may not run as smooth while a game is running, while others may be fine. You have a very fast video card so performance should be very good(unless you run into a cranky program).

One example of a cranky program would be Windows Media Center(but very few people use it anymore.) On top of the fact that it will trap the mouse(rate for media player), running separate refresh rates tends to make it skip noticeably.

 

[Ditt44]

To add to Nukemaster... The 'fake' full screen modes are great. I play Elite Dangerous on a 27" 1440p in 'borderless' mode; then have a 24" 1080p on the side. BUT, both are set to 60hz to eliminate any vertigo inducing issues that can arise from different refresh rates. You may or may not experience that, but if you start feeling odd, a little dizzy, etc, set both monitors the same hz and it should correct... I can take my mouse back and forth without issue.

OR... depending on performance or vertigo or whatever, you may need to turn off the non-game monitor when playing some games. You'll have to experiment and see how it goes game by game.