Can I use a new 670 inconjunction with the 560 I already have

[Guest]

So I am looking at basically buying a whole new upgraded rig and piecing it together. In my current rig I have a gtx560 (decent at the time). I was wondering if I am getting a whole new rig WITH dual monitors, can I just use the 670 SLI with a 560? or can you only SLI two of the same cards? or is it even worth it? I just dont wanna throw a perfectly fine card in the trash. Can I have the 560 only working one monitor and the 670 on the primary monitor I game on? I am not that savvy, so any info would be great.

Thanks,

Garrick

 

[casparolesen]

So I am looking at basically buying a whole new upgraded rig and piecing it together. In my current rig I have a gtx560 (decent at the time). I was wondering if I am getting a whole new rig WITH dual monitors, can I just use the 670 SLI with a 560? or can you only SLI two of the same cards? or is it even worth it? I just dont wanna throw a perfectly fine card in the trash. Can I have the 560 only working one monitor and the 670 on the primary monitor I game on? I am not that savvy, so any info would be great.

Thanks,

Garrick

Sorry, the cards have to be the same (670 can only be SLI'ed with another 670, and so on). There are multiple driver hacks, but it will just result in your 670 being slowed down by the 560. Sorry!

 

[Airm3n-1292454]

While you might get it to work running two cards with each on a separate monitor it would be better if you just ran the 670. You would need another identical 670 in order to sli. That being said you could keep the gtx 560 in the machine and use it as a physx card for what few games support that though but with the power of the 670 i don't think you would really notice much difference. And being that you are only going to game off of one monitor the 670 is more than strong enough to get the job done. My vote for you would be to leave the 560 out and just run the 670 on its own. List your old card in a used ad maybe you'll get a couple bucks out of it rather than throwing it away.

 

[bgunner]

No the 670 and the 560 CAN NOT sli together. SLI requires the same cards to go together 2x 670's or 2x 560's. brands can be different but the GPU has to be the same.

AMD's solution is a little bit more flexible. as long as they are the same series cards they can go together in Crossfire. 1x 7770 and 1x 7750 can work together, 1x 7850 and 1 7870 and work together.

 

[ikaz]

Yeah just use your old card as a PSX card thought I believe with a 670 you wouldn't need a seperate card but hey why not try.

 

[Airm3n-1292454]

Yea i wouldn't recommend different brands though if you can help it since you know they could have a couple of differences in the cards that might not at first glance be noticeable.

 

[Kindredsouls]

Yeah just use your old card as a PSX card thought I believe with a 670 you wouldn't need a seperate card but hey why not try.

He could, but most of the time the card would sit idling wasting electricity since most games don't use Phyx. Not to mention generating the extra heat in the case/room. I wouldn't recommend setting up the 560 as a Phyx card.

You could probably sell it on ebay or craig's list for $50-$90. Check and see what other people are selling them for online and price accordingly.

 

[doubletake]

I'm guessing nobody here has ever actually run a dedicated PhysX card and seen the difference it can make. It can significantly improve your minimum FPS when there is a boatload of effects onscreen, and especially when you're already running max/near max settings in whatever game you're playing and your main GPU has to struggle with the combined load.

-EDIT-
Sorry, I forgot to mention, while I support using a dedicated PPU, I'd have to agree that a 560 for that is completely unnecessary. I'd sell that card and maybe buy a more efficient, modern card such as a GT 640/50 for PhysX. I was just trying to dispel the notion that a GTX 670 is powerful enough to run games maxed + PhysX, at least if you're looking to maintain more than 30FPS at all times.

 

[Airm3n-1292454]

Gaming with just a single monitor though doubletake even if he has a second plugged in isn't gonna drag it down much. If he is able to get his game settings high enough on the 670 to completely tax the card out chances are it will be because of the smaller memory bus rather than the card not being powerful enough. I had a 670 for about a week before trading it in for a titan and i had no issues running medium settings with 3 asus 144hz monitors in surround with 3d vision with the few games i played(tomb raider, dead space bioshock infinite). I went for the bigger card so i could go up to high settings. I would say that depending on how well ventilated his case is would depend on whether to run another card for physx. If it means the second card is gonna impede airflow to the 670 and cause it to throttle down i don't think having it in would be worthwhile.

 

[bryonhowley]

I'm guessing nobody here has ever actually run a dedicated PhysX card and seen the difference it can make. It can significantly improve your minimum FPS when there is a boatload of effects onscreen, and especially when you're already running max/near max settings in whatever game you're playing and your main GPU has to struggle with the combined load.

-EDIT-
Sorry, I forgot to mention, while I support using a dedicated PPU, I'd have to agree that a 560 for that is completely unnecessary. I'd sell that card and maybe buy a more efficient, modern card such as a GT 640/50 for PhysX. I was just trying to dispel the notion that a GTX 670 is powerful enough to run games maxed + PhysX, at least if you're looking to maintain more than 30FPS at all times.

Well I have run a dedicated GPU as a Physx card and on a single monitor the difference between that and just the GTX 670 was so small that it was not worth it at all. Now runnning 2 GTX 670's in SLI does make a big difference and that is how I have my triple 27" Surround setup running. There is nothing quite like gaming at 5760x1080 on three 27" monitors I just wish more games would support Eyefinity/Surround gaming.