Question Can i use 2 different graphic cards simultaneously

[Twonkie]

I am upgrading my pc's graphics card from a "ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mini" to a "ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB GDDR5". my motherboard can support 2 graphics cards, can i use them both simultaneously? for example have each one run its own monitor?

 

[ဲJohn Smith]

I am upgrading my pc's graphics card from a "ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mini" to a "ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB GDDR5". my motherboard can support 2 graphics cards, can i use them both simultaneously? for example have each one run its own monitor?

No you can't use 1070ti and 1050ti in sli.Only 1070ti support sli

 

[oczdude8]

Using 2 different Graphics Cards for different monitors

So, I see that there is a similar question, but I'm not satisfied with the answer, so I'm re asking it. I have a GTX 1060, and a GTX 650. I want to know if I can use the 650 to run my 2 side monitors and the 1060 for my main gaming monitor. The two cards ARE from different brands if that...

forums.tomshardware.com

You can use them separately, but as previously mentioned you cannot use them in SLI .

 

[13thmonkey]

Using 2 different Graphics Cards for different monitors

So, I see that there is a similar question, but I'm not satisfied with the answer, so I'm re asking it. I have a GTX 1060, and a GTX 650. I want to know if I can use the 650 to run my 2 side monitors and the 1060 for my main gaming monitor. The two cards ARE from different brands if that...

forums.tomshardware.com

You can use them separately, but as previously mentioned you cannot use them in SLI .

Agree, running two separate screens, fine, both driving one screen for more performance will not work.
But if you have an igpu with your CPU then you could use that for your second screen quite happily.

 

[mgallo848]

You could just plug both monitors into the 1070 if you want to run dual monitors.

 

[Twonkie]

Let me ask this another way, to get better performance out of my pc, would it be better to have both installed (not sli) and use one for each monitor OR only have the better gpu installed and run both monitors off of the one?

 

[13thmonkey]

Running off the 1070 will be a tiny performance hit 1-2% that sort of scale. Running of the iGPU would be no performance hit. Running of a second card theoretically is also no performance hit, HOWEVER the extra heat generated by a second card in the case, could raise the temp of the 1070 enough that it turbo's to a lower level, or maybe the CPU turbo's to a low level. 2nd full card is not a great idea generally.

 

[mgallo848]

2 monitors, 1 video card.

 

[13thmonkey]

2 monitors, 1 video card.

Yes I know. Using the 2nd card could raise the case temps and make the performance worse for the 1070. That's a 'could' not a will, it's quite conceivable that it could create a minor decrease in performance.

 

[Twonkie]

Agree, running two separate screens, fine, both driving one screen for more performance will not work.
But if you have an igpu with your CPU then you could use that for your second screen quite happily.

Let me ask this another way, to get the best performance from my pc would it be better to have both gpu's installed(not sli) and run one to one monitor and one to another OR just ditch the old one and only use the new?

 

[mgallo848]

My response was just trying to keep the answers short and sweet. There are too many things to go wrong with running two completely different video cards in a non SLI setup just to run two monitors. You are better off taking a 1% hit in overall performance compared to trying to run two different video cards using two different video drivers just to display a second monitor

 

[13thmonkey]

My response was just trying to keep the answers short and sweet. There are too many things to go wrong with running two completely different video cards in a non SLI setup just to run two monitors. You are better off taking a 1% hit in overall performance compared to trying to run two different video cards using two different video drivers just to display a second monitor

Sorry got confused as to who was the OP

 

[Twonkie]

Thank you, everyone, who replied. Much appreciated

 

[13thmonkey]

Let me ask this another way, to get the best performance from my pc would it be better to have both gpu's installed(not sli) and run one to one monitor and one to another OR just ditch the old one and only use the new?

My answer stands, it's 50:50 as to whether it is better or worse, depending on your case cooling, it'll be a tiny drop running both of the 1070.

 

[mgallo848]

Sorry got confused as to who was the OP

LOL, no worries I kind of figured you meant to quote someone else