[SOLVED] Need help with running a kinda dual GPU support.

[Chris David]

The title is in poor taste. I will explain elaborately.

I am running a 8700K on a ASUS Z270X Prime A-II, the board offers two PCIe slots for Dual GPU/SLI/NVLink setups.

I hooked up a 1650 Super on the first slot, the second slot as of now is empty. What I wish to do is to throw my 1060 on the second slot.

However, my PSU is a 650W PSU and I do not think it would be capable of handling two GPUs, alongside my gargantuan cooler, overclocked processor and all.

What I wish to do is to disable one of the PCIe slots, like I want to use the 1650 Super, the 1060 will be plugged in, but the PCIe Slot of 1060 will be disabled, so the 1060 doesn't receive any power but it is still present there. When I wish to use the 1060, I'd just disable the top slot and allow the bottom slot to receive power, thus disabling any power going to my 1650 Super while I use my 1060.

I know this entire idea seems to be a bit confusing and needless, but I want to use them at will, opening the case and taking out the GPU everytime doesn't seem plausible or comfortable. I haven't tried anything like this before and I do not wish to brick my motherboard or set my PSU on fire. So I'd like some help if this is possible to do at all.

 

[DSzymborski]

I'm very confused by the whole thing. So let's start at the top.

Why?

In any case, GPUs draw little power at idle; about 10W. It's only a concern if you're actively using both. But you'd only be running both in a mining or compute-type situation and you don't seem to indicate any desire to run them simultaneously.

But...again, why? I can't think of any cognizable reason to want what you want to do to be an actual thing, but perhaps you have some kind of usage plan I never envisioned. As far as I can see, the best solution is to use the 1650 Super all the time and sell the 1060.

 

[Chris David]

I'm very confused by the whole thing. So let's start at the top.

Why?

In any case, GPUs draw little power at idle; about 10W. It's only a concern if you're actively using both. But you'd only be running both in a mining or compute-type situation and you don't seem to indicate any desire to run them simultaneously.

But...again, why? I can't think of any cognizable reason to want what you want to do to be an actual thing, but perhaps you have some kind of usage plan I never envisioned. As far as I can see, the best solution is to use the 1650 Super all the time and sell the 1060.

I've run into a VRAM issue that requires me to use a GPU that has more than 4 GB, my 1060 6GB will do the job just fine, but at the same time, the 1060 has less performance than the 1650 Super which means it wont be ideal for me to use the 1060 at all times where VRAM isn't a concern.

I do not wish to run them simultaneously, but at the same time I do not want to accidentally trigger something that would push both cards out of idle at the same time.

So if I were use the cards, one would be in idle, the other would be working full-time, so I have to apply the OC settings I'd use for each card every time ? that seems less complicated than fiddling around the BIOS. Is it safe to run it the way you suggested ?

 

[DSzymborski]

I've run into a VRAM issue that requires me to use a GPU that has more than 4 GB, my 1060 6GB will do the job just fine, but at the same time, the 1060 has less performance than the 1650 Super which means it wont be ideal for me to use the 1060 at all times where VRAM isn't a concern.

I do not wish to run them simultaneously, but at the same time I do not want to accidentally trigger something that would push both cards out of idle at the same time.

So if I were use the cards, one would be in idle, the other would be working full-time, so I have to apply the OC settings I'd use for each card every time ? that seems less complicated than fiddling around the BIOS. Is it safe to run it the way you suggested ?

The 1060 and 1650 Super are quite close in performance, so this seems extraordinarily fiddly for a few FPS. It's a bit like having a car and a second nearly identical car for trips to the grocery store because the trunk is 10% larger. I've never seen someone use a setup like this, and I was already an adult when Voodoo was a thing. I won't risk guessing the exact wattage used under the odd scenario of having two overclocked cards swapping back and forth while a second has no load; I'd recommend using a Kill A Watt or similar device to measure.

But in any case, the 1650 Super and GTX 1060 combined at load are only 250W. The modern Corsair CXs are relatively competent, so you're likely worrying needlessly in any case.

If you actually need 6 GB as opposed to 4 GB (meaning that you're seeing actual performance consequences, not simply VRAM allocation which differs from VRAM usage), I'd keep the 1060 and sell the 1650 Super. Or sell both for inflated costs and use the proceeds to buy a single GPU at an inflated cost.

 

[geofelt]

Agree ^^^^

What is the VRAM issue that you think you have?

 

[Chris David]

The 1060 and 1650 Super are quite close in performance, so this seems extraordinarily fiddly for a few FPS. It's a bit like having a car and a second nearly identical car for trips to the grocery store because the trunk is 10% larger. I've never seen someone use a setup like this, and I was already an adult when Voodoo was a thing. I won't risk guessing the exact wattage used under the odd scenario of having two overclocked cards swapping back and forth while a second has no load; I'd recommend using a Kill A Watt or similar device to measure.

But in any case, the 1650 Super and GTX 1060 combined at load are only 250W. The modern Corsair CXs are relatively competent, so you're likely worrying needlessly in any case.

If you actually need 6 GB as opposed to 4 GB (meaning that you're seeing actual performance consequences, not simply VRAM allocation which differs from VRAM usage), I'd keep the 1060 and sell the 1650 Super. Or sell both for inflated costs and use the proceeds to buy a single GPU at an inflated cost.

I wouldn't have had this issue if I had money to buy a RTX 2060 Super at the time it came out, or a RTX 3060 Ti being available at its MSRP when I actually have money to go for it.
No way I am gambling two of my GPUs to try and get a card, even a 1660 Super is at the MSRP of a 2070 Super in my country right now (inflation aside, India likes slapping %40 taxes on things it really doesn't care or understand)

Its all good tho, both my cards are in and nothing has blown up yet, the Gigabyte OC tool automatically adjusts clocks and sends a card into 2D mode if I load up a OC profile for the other one. Thanks for your help and time and any possible brain melts. I swear my PC was properly configured a year or two back, now with the upgrades and stuff that I want to buy going out of stock, its hard to maintain the consistency.