Four independent monitors on one Tower?

BennyB

BennyB

New Member
Whats the cheapest way to do this?

Buying two video cards with 2x DVI each? Can I run four independent monitors for graphs and stocks?
 
Thats a good find. Thanks! Those adapters are like 12.99 each from what I could find on newegg. All my LCDs are DVI so I would have so buy adapters for all of them.

I think am going to go with dual cards though, it seems more stable and much more powerful. I dont game so that is no issue but dual cards cost about the same as a single and I wont need adapters.

Here is what I decided to go with x2.

VIDOE CARD
 
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fail.
You can only run 2 cards if they are SLI or CF compatible. you can not run that card in SLI, because of the lack of the connector. Plus not that it matters, but if you add up two, they are no where near as powerful, and $8 more expensive + shipping.

GTS 450 and above are the ones that can run SLI I am pretty sure of it.
 
wolfeking said:
fail.
You can only run 2 cards if they are SLI or CF compatible. you can not run that card in SLI, because of the lack of the connector. Plus not that it matters, but if you add up two, they are no where near as powerful, and $8 more expensive + shipping.

GTS 450 and above are the ones that can run SLI I am pretty sure of it.
Click to expand...

I dont want to run SLI or crossfire. I never have had that type of configuration but isnt SLI or CF combining both cards to output one picture while benefiting from two GPUs? The graphics processing and displaying is divided among these two cards. One card processes and displays the odd number fields while the other handles the even number fields.


I dont want to do that, I just want to run 4 monitors. I do not need to cards to be SLI or cross fired because I do not play games. I simply need four data monitors.

Wont this work? My first attempt. I just hate the idea of mini display ports. Computer monitors rarely have HDMI ports.
 
The system will not output to 2 card at the same time unless you put them in SLI or CF unless you run one as physics will you won't need as your not gaming.

SLI does more than just combine the cards. It also enables (except for the GTX590, GTX670, GTX680 and GTX690) nvidia surround, which will allow the use of more than 2 monitors on a single card.

AMD allows eyefinity, the use of more than 2 monitors, with single cards as ling as you get one with the right number of ports.
 
wolfeking said:
The system will not output to 2 card at the same time unless you put them in SLI or CF unless you run one as physics will you won't need as your not gaming.

SLI does more than just combine the cards. It also enables (except for the GTX590, GTX670, GTX680 and GTX690) nvidia surround, which will allow the use of more than 2 monitors on a single card.

AMD allows eyefinity, the use of more than 2 monitors, with single cards as ling as you get one with the right number of ports.
Click to expand...

nVidia cards are limited to driving 2 independent displays per master GPU I thought? When you enable SLI, one GPU becomes a slave to the other, and is no longer capable of driving independent displays.

With SLI disabled, you can power/drive all four monitors just fine.
 
BennyB said:
nVidia cards are limited to driving 2 independent displays per master GPU I thought? When you enable SLI, one GPU becomes a slave to the other, and is no longer capable of driving independent displays.
Click to expand...
It does not work that way. You can only use the slave cards ports after the primarys displays are used. But don't believe us. But what you want. Its really getting old when we give people advice and they believe they know everything. If you knew what you wanted and how everything works, then please pray tell why the heck did you ask for help?

please do read how they actually work before you start again. http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d-vision-surround-technology.html
 
wolfeking said:
fail.
You can only run 2 cards if they are SLI or CF compatible. you can not run that card in SLI, because of the lack of the connector. Plus not that it matters, but if you add up two, they are no where near as powerful, and $8 more expensive + shipping.

GTS 450 and above are the ones that can run SLI I am pretty sure of it.
Click to expand...

no thats not right, even old 9500gt's and the like could sli, and i know the 8800 certainly could as i used to run 2 of them in sli (few years back mind you)
 
We are talking current cards. A 9500 or 8800 would be wasteful in todays standards as far as power used for what you get for it.
 
wolfeking said:
It does not work that way. You can only use the slave cards ports after the primarys displays are used.
Click to expand...


That is where I am confused then, I will be using the all four displays independently so the primary and slave will be used? Sorry, I just been reading tons a stuff online and people say it can be done fine and then people say it cant be done.

It just seems silly in my mind. I can not take two PCIe 2.0x16 cards, plug them into my board in individual PCIe slots and run four monitors for graphs and such?
 
As far as I know you can only run 2 cards two different ways. 1 is in CF/SLI and the other is 1 driving graphics and the other dedicated to physics.

in SLI you can use as many ports as both cards have, but you have to use the ones on the master card before the ones on the secondary card will work.
 
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