Question Thinking of going to 5 monitors and 2 GPUs... Threadripper?

[Cameron R]

I have 4 monitors running off a 4070 Ti. One is a 4K projector (playing GSPro at 4K) and the others are 24" screens showing swing cameras and the launch monitor software with its video. Looking at the Activity Viewer, I can see that I'm often running the 4070 Ti at 100%.

I'm thinking of adding another monitor and wonder if I should add another GPU. I'd probably get a 4080 Super to run the 4K projector and let the 4070 Ti run the other 4 monitors.

Thoughts?

This question comes as I think about the possible things I may want out of a new motherboard and the available PCIe slots and lanes. An entry-level Threadripper system is not out of the question and has been suggested.

 

[Unolocogringo]

What is your current motherboard/processor?
If just for display a cheap 1030 or such will work fine.

 

[TerryLaze]

I might be wrong but isn't golf simulation a super small niche?! You should explain more what exactly the needs of the software are, I mean why are you thinking about a professional setup with a semi server CPU?
Is it just because of the lanes and because you think that the game/gpus will need them? Is every window like running a new instance of the game or something?

 

[Cameron R]

What is your current motherboard/processor?
If just for display a cheap 1030 or such will work fine.

It's a Prime B650M-A AX with a 7700x. I've got an ad-on USB card in the only available slot and 11 things connected thereto!

 

[Cameron R]

I might be wrong but isn't golf simulation a super small niche?! You should explain more what exactly the needs of the software are, I mean why are you thinking about a professional setup with a semi server CPU?
Is it just because of the lanes and because you think that the game/gpus will need them? Is every window like running a new instance of the game or something?

Thanks for the question! It is a small niche, but a very fun one. I will probably add at least one more USB device, making it 12 I think. And, I may add much better high-speed cameras that will need a POE card. It's possible that I can get it all jammed into the current MB by using a USB hub to free space.

The software (GSPro) is fairly graphics intensive at 4K, but nothing that a 4070 or better can't handle at 50 fps. But that is when it's rendering for just GSPro. I have two monitors mirroring the swing cameras so they are showing video, and the launch monitor software is on another monitor and has it's own high-speed video for every shot.

The fifth monitor, if I add it, would be to mirror the launch monitor software.

The arrangement probably needs an explanation. A table sits in the middle of my room, with two monitors facing the golfer, and the third monitor has its back to the two and faces a chair in which I sit when I'm not hitting balls. So the fifth monitor would be for my chair seat so that I can use two monitors when I'm just messing with the computer and so when I have people over playing golf, they can see more information from that area of the room.

Because I got taken by the marketing glitz, I purchased a PCIe 5.0 SSD and slapped it on the MB. I was thinking of fast boots and loading sizable golf course data. I see that I should have stuck with 4.0. But there it is.

Anway, that got me looking at PCIe lanes and to my surprise, Intel chokes at adding an SSD like that. AMD has 4 lanes at 5.0 for SSDs. But, I then started to think about other things I might want to add later on... and that's where I am now.

Hope this makes sense.

Does that help?

 

[TerryLaze]

Thanks for the question! It is a small niche, but a very fun one.

I'm just asking because you need some idea of what the software is doing to give any advice on it.

So what are all the usb devices? Are they all high speed cameras? That would explain the need for many lanes.

 

[Cameron R]

I'm just asking because you need some idea of what the software is doing to give any advice on it.

So what are all the usb devices? Are they all high speed cameras? That would explain the need for many lanes.

Two cameras that needed to be on separate controllers. Two mice, two keyboards, microphone, touch monitor, backup disk, launch monitor (also needed a separate controller). One more port is taken but runs to an open USB port at the base of the monitor stand. I expect to add a controller for the GSPro software.

If I go POE cameras, that opens back up two USB ports, but I'd have to pull my USB card with its 4 ports. So I'd be in trouble again.

I understand that current GPUs don't saturate PCIe 4.0 at x16. Or badly anyway. So x8 at 5.0 is currently no big deal. But... What about a 5090? Nobody knows yet. So, I have been reluctant to invest in a MB that forces the top PCIe slot to x8 if I do anything like keep my 5.0 SSD. That rules out Intel.

AMD will let me keep my 5.0 SSD without whacking the bandwidth of PCIe slots... But, no consumer board has better than x8 by x8 for two GPUs.