Using 2 different graphic cards non sli

DeumBelli

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Jun 24, 2014
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ok so i have a gtx 1080 and a 970 from before i bought the 1080. I dont plan on selling the 970 so i figured i would see what it would be like to have the 970 power my 2 outer monitors and the 1080 power the middle one for games. Since the psu shroud would make it a bit more difficult to add the extra power cable for it i was wondering if its really worth it. I know it wont be a performance increase but i thought it would be pretty cool to do.

My main question is what kind of functionality can i expect from this setup as i cant find a lot of it online. Such as would having 2 gpus increase the temps on both cards even if the 970 is at very low power usage most if not all of the time. For example i know that having 3 monitors at 144Hz increases the idle temps by a good bit, and I play this one game that even though it doesnt use full gpu power it causes the gpu(1080) to heat up more than it seems it should. Could this setup possibly alleviate that to some degree or would the extra heat from a a 2nd idle gpu add more heat making it sort of balance out.

Other than that what useful features can i take advantage of with the setup. I rather not have the 970 sit in my closet doing nothing.
 
Solution
I have done this before.
It makes no difference to gaming if you attach the side monitors to your gaming card or to a separate card.
The negative is that it adds heat to the case with the extra power it takes.

If you don't want to sell it keep it as a spare.
Or, use it in a second backup build.
I have done this before.
It makes no difference to gaming if you attach the side monitors to your gaming card or to a separate card.
The negative is that it adds heat to the case with the extra power it takes.

If you don't want to sell it keep it as a spare.
Or, use it in a second backup build.
 
Solution