Can you run dual monitors with SLI?

Joyce P · 03-20-2008, 09:12 AM

Hello everyone, my next comp is going to have two cards in SLI and I was curious how you'd set up two monitors into two video cards so I did a web search and I found info saying you can't dual monitors with SLI on?

Is this true? I am really surprised! Can someone give me some input? Thanks!

- Joyce

lovely? · 03-20-2008, 09:14 AM

you can run dual monitors with a single card and sli, it makes no difference because a single card has two video ports at least.

PC eye · 03-20-2008, 09:20 AM

With SLI or Crossfire setups you are syncing two cards together to go out to one display. That combines the two vpus to work together on the same task over what is seen with a single vpu on one card alone.

In order to see a dual monitor setup you have to disable the SLI mode since that is directed through one of the two card's outputs. You are simply adding the vpu power of a second card to the first in theory. One article has a good title for it on this.

"Nvidia explains lack of dual monitor support on SLI" http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquir...support-on-sli

Joyce P · 03-20-2008, 10:15 AM

Wow, well that's disappointing. So here's a dumb question, when you're running two cards with two DVI connectors a piece and you only have one monitor where do you plug it in? lol Common sense would tell me top card, left side input..... right? Thanks guys!

xoxo

- Joyce

Vizy93 · 03-20-2008, 10:22 AM

Plug it into one...if it doesnt work...plug it into a different one.

lovely? · 03-20-2008, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vizy93

Plug it into one...if it doesnt work...plug it into a different one.

nonono... that might be too complicated lol

jk

diroga · 03-20-2008, 12:11 PM

s/vpu/gpu

PC eye · 03-21-2008, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joyce P

Wow, well that's disappointing. So here's a dumb question, when you're running two cards with two DVI connectors a piece and you only have one monitor where do you plug it in? lol Common sense would tell me top card, left side input..... right? Thanks guys!

xoxo

- Joyce

With the SLI or Crossfire mode disabled the second vga or dvi port is considered the secondary display. You would then use your desktop manager to extend or clone the primary display's desktop. The top port when the card is vertical is generally the primary you would use for the first or only monitor.

g25racer · 03-21-2008, 12:14 AM

No matter what configuration of cards your running you could run 2 or 3 monitors with the TH2GO.

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/gxm/products/th2go/

PC eye · 03-21-2008, 03:23 AM

That's an addon device with no control panel for display setting to simply see a desktop cloning take place. Something like that won't work for seeing the desktop extended acroos two monitors if that is what you are looking for.

03-20-2008, 09:12 AM	#1 (permalink)
Joyce P Bronze Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Seekonk, MA Posts: 54	Can you run dual monitors with SLI? Hello everyone, my next comp is going to have two cards in SLI and I was curious how you'd set up two monitors into two video cards so I did a web search and I found info saying you can't dual monitors with SLI on? Is this true? I am really surprised! Can someone give me some input? Thanks! - Joyce

03-20-2008, 09:14 AM	#2 (permalink)
lovely? Diamond Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: California Age: 16 Posts: 4,070	you can run dual monitors with a single card and sli, it makes no difference because a single card has two video ports at least. __________________ E8400 @ 4GHZ ASUS P5K-DELUXE 2GB OCZ Reaper CL3 (new sticks broke!) eVGA 8800GT OZC GameXStream 700W PSU 320GB WD Caviar SATA, 80GB WD Caviar IDE

03-20-2008, 09:20 AM	#3 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 20,489	With SLI or Crossfire setups you are syncing two cards together to go out to one display. That combines the two vpus to work together on the same task over what is seen with a single vpu on one card alone. In order to see a dual monitor setup you have to disable the SLI mode since that is directed through one of the two card's outputs. You are simply adding the vpu power of a second card to the first in theory. One article has a good title for it on this. "Nvidia explains lack of dual monitor support on SLI" http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquir...support-on-sli __________________ What The Data Miners Are Digging Up About You http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Tec...6355541&page=1 Making an Old Brain Young http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Hea...6371136&page=1

03-20-2008, 12:11 PM	#7 (permalink)
diroga Platinum Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: WA,USA Posts: 891	s/vpu/gpu __________________ How to be a h@cker 1. turn off computer 2. read a book 3. ???? 4. proffit

03-21-2008, 12:14 AM	#9 (permalink)
g25racer Diamond Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Hamilton, MI Posts: 3,920	No matter what configuration of cards your running you could run 2 or 3 monitors with the TH2GO. http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/gxm/products/th2go/ __________________ CPU - AMD Athlon 64x2 5200+ @ 2.6ghz Ram - 2GB Stock clock HD - 320gb seagate & Samsung 750gb 32mb cache GPU - XFX 8600GT XXX Zalman @ 680 or 700mhz PSU - Ultra X-finity 600watt OS - Vista Home Premium(32) & Ubuntu (8.04) Ultimate Ed Audio - JVC 460watts Control - Logitech G25 Wheel & Logitech Rumblepad 2 Games - GTR2 and LFS -- Race Sim's for Life --

03-20-2008, 10:15 AM	#4 (permalink)
Joyce P Bronze Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Seekonk, MA Posts: 54	Wow, well that's disappointing. So here's a dumb question, when you're running two cards with two DVI connectors a piece and you only have one monitor where do you plug it in? lol Common sense would tell me top card, left side input..... right? Thanks guys! xoxo - Joyce

03-20-2008, 10:22 AM	#5 (permalink)
Vizy93 banned Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: The Angels Age: 15 Posts: 3,088	Plug it into one...if it doesnt work...plug it into a different one.

03-21-2008, 03:23 AM	#10 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 20,489	That's an addon device with no control panel for display setting to simply see a desktop cloning take place. Something like that won't work for seeing the desktop extended acroos two monitors if that is what you are looking for. __________________ What The Data Miners Are Digging Up About You http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Tec...6355541&page=1 Making an Old Brain Young http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Hea...6371136&page=1

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