Question Having issues with my dual GPU setup.

[dmavro]

I built a new PC last July and when i did i chose to use an old Visiontek AMD Radeon 7750 SFF Single-Fan 2GB GDDR5 Eyefinity GPU alongside my new 6800XT. The computer is basically for work and runs 7 monitors but i wanted to be able to use my OCulus Quest 2 and play MS Flight Sim in VR and non-VR whenever i wanted too. So after asking here at Tom's I decided to split the monitors up between the two GPU's. That way i could game via the 6800XT and run my extra monitors on the HD7750. I already owned 2 of them and wasnt using one anymore so figured i could save some money going that route. Problem is i now after months ive constantly had little issues here and there. Just recently Ive had to reinstall the driver for 6800XT just about every other day to get my Oculus to work with computer and ive noticed some glitches here and there that i think have to be GPU related. Bottom line is i just dont like the setup the way it is. So i wanted to know if buying another card in the 6000 series (like a 6600 or 6600xt) to run alongside the 6800XT would maybe be a smart way to go? Or if i could possible buy something else that just uses the same driver package like a RX5600. I can get some of the 6000 series GPU's for a little over $200 and i could get a 5600for under $200.

Does it make sense to upgrade to a different GPU for my 2nd card? If i did would my HX1200 be enough to run both?

FYI-Im not OC'ing at moment but had plans to do a light one down the road.


specs-
i9-12900K
ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E Gaming WiFi 6E
SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe
MSI Gaming Radeon RX 6800 XT 16GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 Video Card RX 6800 XT Gaming Z Trio
Visiontek AMD Radeon 7750 SFF Single-Fan 2GB GDDR5 Eyefinity
Crucial 64GB (2 x 32GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 4800
CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX
CORSAIR HX Series HX1200

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

 

[Lutfij]

Your motherboard has two display output ports which can be used to tether two monitors, while there are 4 ports off of your discrete GPU, which leaves you with 1 at the end of the day. Perhaps a USB driven adapter would help alleviate the need for a secondary GPU in your build, IMHO.

 

[geofelt]

Windows is capable of using different display adapters.
But, there may be some sort of a driver related issue there.
A second 6800XT would likely work.
Your psu would be OK:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

What are the 7 monitors that you are now using?
How are they arranged?
As a solution, have you considered consolidating many small monitors into one single larger 4k monitor.
The motherboard integrated adapter is capable of driving one.

 

[dmavro]

Your motherboard has two display output ports which can be used to tether two monitors, while there are 4 ports off of your discrete GPU, which leaves you with 1 at the end of the day. Perhaps a USB driven adapter would help alleviate the need for a secondary GPU in your build, IMHO.

I ddnt think of that. In the past Ive always avoided video adapters like that. Not really sure why. Guess i was just uncomfortable using one when i knew i could always add a GPU instead. But I'll look into it as an option. Thanks.

 

[dmavro]

Windows is capable of using different display adapters.
But, there may be some sort of a driver related issue there.
A second 6800XT would likely work.
Your psu would be OK:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

What are the 7 monitors that you are now using?
How are they arranged?
As a solution, have you considered consolidating many small monitors into one single larger 4k monitor.
The motherboard integrated adapter is capable of driving one.

Thanks for responding. Beginning of this past week I reinstalled windows 11 and updated all drivers, Then I installed the 6800XT by itself and installation package from AMD site. After that i installed the 7750 and let windows install the driver when it discovered device. Then the first thing i did was try to use my Quest2 because that is the one thing that I have an issue with more than anything else and i got the 'Graphics card is not supported' screen that i usually get. Next I manually selected and updated driver via device manager like i always do to correct the issue and it worked fine. I usually have to go thru the process of reinstalling just the driver every other day. Sometimes it happens next afternoon.

I also had and still have automatic driver updates turned off.

The monitors are 6- 27" AOC 4k running at 3840x2160 res and 150% scaling. The 7th is an ASUS 24" running at 1920x1280. I have 4 of the AOC's on the 6800XT and the remaining monitors on the 7750. I only game on 1 monitor and use the entire array for my charting programs for work.
I want to get 2 ultra wides down the road but at the moment they just arent in my budget.

 

[dmavro]

I noticed a couple nights ago that i was getting some errors in Event Viewer that i wasnt getting previously. Another odd thing that started happening was that i kept seeing all of my monitors flicker(like the video drivers were being reinstalled again) each time i restarted PC. One of the errors that I just started getting that concerned me the most was an 'Event 16 WHEA-Logger' error stating that the component was the PCI Express Root Port. I was able to trace it back to the slot the 7750 is plugged into but there was one thing i couldnt figure out and that was if the error was related to the card plugged into the PCIe slot or the actual slot itself?

I ended up doing a lot of forum surfing and I stumbled upon a particular post that was discussing some similar issues to mine and one of the recommendations was to disable PCI Express Native Power Management in my bios. I did so last night and it seems to have stopped more than one of the errors i had just started getting. Ive also decided im going to remove 2nd GPU this weekend and use only 6 monitors beginning of next week to see if it fixes rest of my issues including my Oculus issue.

That made me start thinking about different options to connect my 7th monitor again. Especially if im forced to and have to start using the iGPU instead. Im assuming the usb-c port on my mobo isnt video capable so thats out but i do have a thunderbolt connection on my mobo and was wondering if there would be some way to implement an addon card? Also, if i do go with a USB to HDMI adapter instead like Lutfij mentioned would i have to worry about that being the weak link in my build and bottlenecking the pc at times or just slowing other things down in general?


Thanks in advance!

 

[Eximo]

Rather than a second 6800XT, why not something cheaper like an RX 6600 or even 6500XT. That would keep everything on the same drivers and reduce power consumption a little.

But if you just really need a 7th, USB is certainly an option. Or you can get a thunderbolt dock with a few display outputs. Same thing as USB, but potentially way more useful. You could then have 2 or 3 monitors, plus charging ports, audio, another network adapter, etc. These will run off the CPU and consume system memory though.

I rather like the idea of a large 4K display. A TV even, then just dock your files/etc to take up one quarter of the display.

 

[sonofjesse]

If you have DP monitors you can daisy chain them. Depending on your needs some people enjoy cheaper TV's for screens to display weather etc.

 

[dmavro]

Rather than a second 6800XT, why not something cheaper like an RX 6600 or even 6500XT. That would keep everything on the same drivers and reduce power consumption a little.

But if you just really need a 7th, USB is certainly an option. Or you can get a thunderbolt dock with a few display outputs. Same thing as USB, but potentially way more useful. You could then have 2 or 3 monitors, plus charging ports, audio, another network adapter, etc. These will run off the CPU and consume system memory though.

I rather like the idea of a large 4K display. A TV even, then just dock your files/etc to take up one quarter of the display.

Thats what i was originally thinking and why i asked when i started this thread. I just wasnt sure if getting something in the 6000 series made the most sense or if i could get away with something like a Rx5600 which looks like it uses same driver package too.

Looks like im going to have to make a decision and either go with 6500XT(or maybe a 5600Xt if i find out that will work) or something via thunderbolt whether it be an addon card or a dock. I like the idea of something via thunderbolt instead of a usb adapter because it could definitely be more useful just like u mentioned.

Thank you for responding!

 

[dmavro]

If you have DP monitors you can daisy chain them. Depending on your needs some people enjoy cheaper TV's for screens to display weather etc.

I do have DP monitors at the moment but they arent daisy chainable. When i upraded from my 24" screens a couple years ago I i ended up buying the cheapest 27" 4k's i could find at microcenter. I also have tried using Tv's in past but didnt really like it. I have charts and trade screens open all day and i didnt appreciate having to manually arrange things constantly. Much easier for me when i can just make things snap into their own monitor.

Thanks for chiming in. Appreciate it.

 

[sonofjesse]

Just thinking more out loud here. I have a 4070 TI (it has 5 out puts) my MB has 2 outputs, you should be able to get 7 native monitors with something like that too, Good video card and dual on board graphics.

they make some cool apps to help better control crazy amount of monitors.

The 5 Best Dual-Monitor Management Apps for Windows 10

Running two or more monitors? You need one of these multi-monitor management apps to make life easier.

www.makeuseof.com

1200 watt should run most 2 of any cards.

if you have "static screens" weather, certain stocks trades, wonder be best to get a cheap micro PC just to out put that stuff to two larger screens (50 inch TV's are cheap) and then have 4-5 main monitors (Active) off the main computer.

Hope you get the setup how you want it.

This is half the fun of the hobby