Using GTS 450 and GTX780 on the same M/B

[timAugustine]

Hi there,

Now that my 4 year old micro ATX motherboard is dead, I'm considering purchasing an ATX board. And I happen to own a GTX 780 and a GTS 450. Till now, because of my current m/b's form factor, I only used the 780. But now that I will soon get an ATX m/b, I would like to use the 450 as well. But will they work together? Being generations apart?

I only play a few games (like one a year) and the h/w will be used mostly for CG rendering. So I don't intend to connect them in (through...?) SLI. But rather, use the 450 for the monitor display and 780 for the rendering. Will such a configuration work?

Here is my current (and possibly future) set up:
AMD Phenom X II 1090T
An ATX motherboard
A Seasonic SS-750KM3
A GTS 450 for monitor display
A GTX 780 for 3D rendering

I don't know if any other parts that I own may hinder this configuration.

Could you let me know if this configuration will work?

I would be grateful for any response. Thanks a tonne!

Regards,
Tim

 

[SkywalkerHsu]

No, they shouldn't be able to work together. SLI needs the cards to have the same base components, and the architecture of the cards are different, For example, a GTX 780ti can't SLI with a GTX 960.

 

[timAugustine]

Thanks for your response!

No, they shouldn't be able to work together. SLI needs the cards to have the same base components, and the architecture of the cards are different, For example, a GTX 780ti can't SLI with a GTX 960.

I see... this makes me realize I don't understand another thing about SLI. Does it mean that I've connected two cards through SLI just because I have two similar cards on the m/b?

The reason I wonder is that I won't be using them for the same task at a time at all. As in, only one card will be used for the 3d computations while the other will be used only for the display. So the cards won't be sharing the same load. But, rather, be working on different things at the same time.

 

[timAugustine]

Thanks for your response!

No, they shouldn't be able to work together. SLI needs the cards to have the same base components, and the architecture of the cards are different, For example, a GTX 780ti can't SLI with a GTX 960.

I see... this makes me realize I don't understand another thing about SLI. Does it mean that I've connected two cards through SLI just because I have two similar cards on the m/b?

The reason I wonder is that I won't be using them for the same task at a time at all. As in, only one card will be used for the 3d computations while the other will be used only for the display. So the cards won't be sharing the same load. But, rather, be working on different things at the same time.

 

[SkywalkerHsu]

Should you wish to go the route of different GPUs, I would presonally suggest getting a single high powered one rather than two decent ones.
But, using the GPUs INDIVIDUALLY from each other is not unheard of, so I would say it is possible.

Just not in SLI.

Another note about SLI is that it does not work like it is 1+1=2. It is more like 1+1+1.4. VRAM doesn't combine in SLI, it works like 1+1=1.

A GTX 970 or up can preform near a GTX 780 and display onto your moniter. It's just about efficiency.

But, I do believe what you are trying to say is indeed possible, but to answer your question, no, you can't throw them into SLI.

 

[timAugustine]

Should you wish to go the route of different GPUs, I would presonally suggest getting a single high powered one rather than two decent ones.
But, using the GPUs INDIVIDUALLY from each other is not unheard of, so I would say it is possible.

Just not in SLI.

Another note about SLI is that it does not work like it is 1+1=2. It is more like 1+1+1.4. VRAM doesn't combine in SLI, it works like 1+1=1.

A GTX 970 or up can preform near a GTX 780 and display onto your moniter. It's just about efficiency.

But, I do believe what you are trying to say is indeed possible, but to answer your question, no, you can't throw them into SLI.

Ok. I understand now. I find my 780 very adepqate for my requirements, that IS the card I use. Since I'm getting an m/b upgrade I figured it'd be best to use the 450 which I no longer use. So if my attempts at making them work at the same time fail, I still won't lose anything compared to what I have now.

Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it!

-Tim

 

[SkywalkerHsu]

No problem, happy computing!

 

[K-Hype]

I think you can use the GTS 450 as a physx card if your new motherboard has an extra PCIE slot.