Widescreen Gaming Forum

Ok, my specs:

Core i7 920
DX58SO motherboard
6gb dd3
2 crossfired HD 5770s

My motherboard has 2 PCI Express x16 slots, 2 PCI Espress x1 slots, 1 PCI 2.2 slot, and 1 PCI Express x4 slot.

Because of my 5770s, I don't have access to the PCI Express x1 slots. And while I could put a card on the PCI 2.2, it would be pretty close to the exhaust fan of one of my cards, so I'm avoiding it. So, I was thinking that I could put a video card on my PCI Express x4 slot just for a 4th monitor. This monitor will be extended, so I don't have to keep switching between Eyefinity and extended desktop everytime I leave/enter a game.

So my question is: Is this even possible? Mind you, this is the first time I've had crossfire cards, and I am learning a lot as I go (such as I can't use the secondary card for monitor output.)

And with that being said, if you look you can see the x4 slot has a gap on the end, so I could put a x1, x4, or a physical x16 that only uses an electrical x4 I believe:



So if I really can add the 3rd card for the extra monitor, what cards would you guys recommend, considering it wouldn't need much power from it?

Edit: removed old picture.

I'd say get a Nvidia GT200 Series Card to work as a PhysX PPU as well as 2 extra ports for monitors.

_________________
System Core: | Intel Core i5-2500K + ASUS P8Z68-V + 16GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333 MHz | Win7 x64 | MSI R7970 Lightning 3GB [1105/1400] |
Display: | 3 x Dell Ultrasharp 3007WFP-HC @ 7680x1600 | Dell u3011 |

I'd say get a Nvidia GT200 Series Card to work as a PhysX PPU as well as 2 extra ports for monitors.

Yes that would be the way to go just for that little extra in PhysX games.

I did some work on a computer for a friend and got an XFX 8800GTX 512MB out of the deal.
That is what I am using and it is nice. I am only running a RADEON 4870 1GB over it and SoftTH for me triple screens. :rockout

I'd say get a Nvidia GT200 Series Card to work as a PhysX PPU as well as 2 extra ports for monitors.

I thought that Nvidia disabled support for PhysX while you have a ATI card, didn't they? Also, since I would have 2 cards crossfired, would adding another card actually "play nice" with my current cards? The reason I am asking is back in the day (before SLI and Crossfire were around) if you had 2 video cards on the system, essentially one would take over. They wouldn't work in tandem. In fact, I thought that was the case when you had 2 cards that weren't crossfired. In that case, doesn't the PC simply rely on the primary gpu? You might have to break it down a bit more for me, since (like I said) in my original most, I'm pretty noobish to the whole multiple-gpu thing. :?

[quote]I'd say get a Nvidia GT200 Series Card to work as a PhysX PPU as well as 2 extra ports for monitors.

I thought that Nvidia disabled support for PhysX while you have a ATI card, didn't they? Also, since I would have 2 cards crossfired, would adding another card actually "play nice" with my current cards? The reason I am asking is back in the day (before SLI and Crossfire were around) if you had 2 video cards on the system, essentially one would take over. They wouldn't work in tandem. In fact, I thought that was the case when you had 2 cards that weren't crossfired. In that case, doesn't the PC simply rely on the primary gpu? You might have to break it down a bit more for me, since (like I said) in my original most, I'm pretty noobish to the whole multiple-gpu thing. :?


First, only games that support multiple card setups will benefit from multiple cards. any other game will in fact only use one card. Unless another card is dedicated to Physx.

Second, to my knowledge, Nvidia has disabled the use of their cards with ATI cards, but with modified drivers, you can solve the issue. Check out: http://www.ngohq.com/graphic-cards/16223-nvidia-disables-physx-when-ati-card-is-present-78.html

Third, SLI has been around for a very very long time. 3DFX introduced SLI on their Voodoo chipsets for the arcade, and then to the personal computer mark with their Voodoo 2 line of cards. 3Dfx was the father of Scan-Line Interleave (SLI) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo2


Hope that helps.

-Tanshin


Edit: Here is another link on getting a dedicated Physx card going. http://physxinfo.com/news/568/ati-hd-5870-nv-gt220-physx-benchmarks/

Once again, Tanshin comes to my rescue.

First, only games that support multiple card setups will benefit from multiple cards. any other game will in fact only use one card. Unless another card is dedicated to Physx.

Just to clarify, a game like Mass Effect 2 is benefiting from my Crossfired 5770s but a game like Starcraft will only use one graphics card. That makes sense, and really I can't imagining that it would matter considering that graphic intensive games nowadays should support multiple gpus. But if I threw in a GT220 for dedicated PhysX, then I could still get the benefit of Crossfired cards, Eyefinity, AND PhysX (with the proper drivers) would be working with each other?

Also (and this is what I was really going for), would this setup support 3 monitors in Eyefinity with a 4th, possibly a 5th extended? I could live without the PhysX (while nice to have) but that is what I was trying to go for.

Third, SLI has been around for a very very long time. 3DFX introduced SLI on their Voodoo chipsets for the arcade, and then to the personal computer mark with their Voodoo 2 line of cards. 3Dfx was the father of Scan-Line Interleave (SLI) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo2

This I didn't know. Man, I'm so out of the loop.

[quote][quote]I'd say get a Nvidia GT200 Series Card to work as a PhysX PPU as well as 2 extra ports for monitors.

I thought that Nvidia disabled support for PhysX while you have a ATI card, didn't they? Also, since I would have 2 cards crossfired, would adding another card actually "play nice" with my current cards? The reason I am asking is back in the day (before SLI and Crossfire were around) if you had 2 video cards on the system, essentially one would take over. They wouldn't work in tandem. In fact, I thought that was the case when you had 2 cards that weren't crossfired. In that case, doesn't the PC simply rely on the primary gpu? You might have to break it down a bit more for me, since (like I said) in my original most, I'm pretty noobish to the whole multiple-gpu thing. :?


First, only games that support multiple card setups will benefit from multiple cards. any other game will in fact only use one card. Unless another card is dedicated to Physx.

Second, to my knowledge, Nvidia has disabled the use of their cards with ATI cards, but with modified drivers, you can solve the issue. Check out: http://www.ngohq.com/graphic-cards/16223-nvidia-disables-physx-when-ati-card-is-present-78.html

Third, SLI has been around for a very very long time. 3DFX introduced SLI on their Voodoo chipsets for the arcade, and then to the personal computer mark with their Voodoo 2 line of cards. 3Dfx was the father of Scan-Line Interleave (SLI) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo2


Hope that helps.

-Tanshin


Edit: Here is another link on getting a dedicated Physx card going. http://physxinfo.com/news/568/ati-hd-5870-nv-gt220-physx-benchmarks/


Also you can only use two sets of proprietary drivers in Win7 or Xp. (Nvidia and ATI drivers side by side) Take into consideration that xp is only dx9.

So if you want dx10 Win7 is the way to go. I use old 1.81 or 1.85 I cannot remember right now but it is a huge difference between hardware and software rendering for PhysX.

Games like Cryostasis or mass effect even Dark Void play nicely.

Just install both sets of drivers disable the ATI card or just disable the monitors plugged into it. (You have to have another monitor or to switch plugs on your one monitor a few times)

Make the Nvidia monitor primary.

Then enable PhysX in the Nvidia control panel. Leave everything else the way it is and re enable the ATI display. (or displays)

Make the ATI display Primary again.

Then you can run this test to see if you are running Hardware or Software PhysX. http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/physx-fluidmark/

Should be Hardware PhysX then ! :rockout

...Also you can only use two sets of proprietary drivers in Win7 or Xp. (Nvidia and ATI drivers side by side) Take into consideration that xp is only dx9.

So if you want dx10 Win7 is the way to go...

I must correct you here. WinXp Does DX10.

_________________
System Core: | Intel Core i5-2500K + ASUS P8Z68-V + 16GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333 MHz | Win7 x64 | MSI R7970 Lightning 3GB [1105/1400] |
Display: | 3 x Dell Ultrasharp 3007WFP-HC @ 7680x1600 | Dell u3011 |

[quote]...Also you can only use two sets of proprietary drivers in Win7 or Xp. (Nvidia and ATI drivers side by side) Take into consideration that xp is only dx9.

So if you want dx10 Win7 is the way to go...

I must correct you here. WinXp Does DX10.

:?:

[quote][quote]...Also you can only use two sets of proprietary drivers in Win7 or Xp. (Nvidia and ATI drivers side by side) Take into consideration that xp is only dx9.

So if you want dx10 Win7 is the way to go...

I must correct you here. WinXp Does DX10.

:?:
http://www.technospot.net/blogs/download-directx-10-for-windows-xp-from-alky-project/

_________________
System Core: | Intel Core i5-2500K + ASUS P8Z68-V + 16GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333 MHz | Win7 x64 | MSI R7970 Lightning 3GB [1105/1400] |
Display: | 3 x Dell Ultrasharp 3007WFP-HC @ 7680x1600 | Dell u3011 |