But how to use two graphics cards at once?
I bet this question is poking your mind!
And this article will show you how to mount two GPUs on one PC.
So, keep reading until the end line.
Is it Possible to Install Two GPUs in One PC?
AMD offers CrossFireX & Nvidia offers SLI & NVLink to mount two cards in a single computer.
And two cards will work simultaneously to give you better graphics rendering power.
Before getting into the main part, you must knowwho should run dual graphics cards.
Heavy gamers who stream and play games benefit from the two cards.
Unless youre that person, you wont notice any performance improvement after installing two GPUs.
Plus, the cost of an extra GPU and monitor will dry up the wallet.
3D modelers and animation makers need additional monitors to work with several apps.
Cause dual cards will buy them some time by rendering those massive calculations faster.
To add more, cryptocurrency miners need a bank of GPUs.
These mining MOBOs support mounting 6, 8, or even 12 video cards.
Technically speaking, you cant set up multiple graphics cards on every PC.
There are some requirements to install two GPUs.
Lets take a look at those prerequisites.
After installing multiple cards, you should run apps like 3DMark, PassMark, or Cinebench tobenchmark graphics cards.
What are the Ways to Mount Multiple GPUs in a Single PC?
Using Nvidias SLI & AMDs CrossFire technology, you might install dual video cards.
you could install more than two graphics cards using these technologies.
These cards work as a master-slave formation.
However, PCI Express bifurcation is another way to install multiple GPUs.
So, let me give you a quick overview of these multi-graphics card installing technologies.
With this tech, anyone can mount up to4 GPUsto distribute massive workloads within these video cards.
There are four different SLI modes which are:
The SLI anit-aliasing ensures better graphics quality.
On the other hand,SFR&AFRconcentrate on how the GPU aligns frames and renders them.
Among these, the last one, theHybrid SLI, combines two technologies:GeForce Boost&HyrbidPower.
The GeForce Boost combined both iGPU and dGPU to increase performance.
The HybridPower focuses on laptop battery consumption when using the discrete graphics card.
Later, Nvidia renamed the HybridPower toNvidia Optimus.
However, you must need anSLI bridge cableto link GPUs.
The most crucial factor is that you should probably install two same-model Nvidia GPUs for SLI.
After interlinking both cards with the bridge connector, you mustenable SLI from the BIOS.
You cant SLI a GTX 1080Ti with a GTX 1060 or other cards.
The latest few cards from Nvidia offer limited SLI support.
AMDs CrossFire is also known asCrossFireX.
In this mGPU setup, one card gets the Master, and others get the Slave label.
The master card receives the output from the slave cards, merges all, and outputs all unified.
You must use aCrossFireX bridge interconnectorlike the SLI bridge connector to use the multiple AMD graphics card.
AHybridmode in CrossFireX combines APUs iGPU to achieve better graphics power.
This is the most advanced CrossFire tech from AMD, and selected GPUs like7and8 seriesgraphics cards support thisHybrid CorssFireXtechnology.
However, merging both A-series APUs with the dedicated video cards technique is renamedAMD Radeon Dual Graphics.
To achieve AMDs CrossFire, you must need two same-model AMD cards.
For example, you must need two RX 590 cards to make the CrossFire successful.
To use this, the motherboard and the BIOS should be compatible.
However, splitting one PCI Express slot into multiple wont diminish the performance.
Youll find aPCI Express Risercard to split a single PCIe lane into many.
So, these are the perfect ways to put two graphics cards in one PC.
Go for SLI if you own two same models of Nvidia cards.
Otherwise, CrossFire is the only option left for installing two same models of AMD GPUs.
Can I Install Two Different Graphics Cards on One PC?
However, one GPU will drive the display while another will do all the GPGPU tasks.
You must install different drivers for cards like AMD & Nvidia.
Therefore, you might ask what to do with the old graphics card.
Well, dont throw away any old cards because you might install and run that besides the new card.
Do this if you have two or more displays.
So, when one graphics card handles the gaming workloads, the second will handle other GPU-intensive tasks.
Thats why having two graphics cards is better than one.
Suppose you install two graphics cards: one is RX 590 & the other is GTX 1650.
The primary card will handle all the high-GPU-intensive workloads like gaming, video rendering, etc.
you’re able to use the GTX for CUDA acceleration when youre not doing SLI.
Plus, more VRAM will help the streamers a lot.
On the negative side, you must face too much hassle, and multiple cards will produce more heat.
Furthermore, you must know theGPU power cable guideto power up those multiple video cards.
Now, take a look at the ups & downs of using multiple GPUs.
Plus, they also stopped the SLI profiles for RTX 20 series cards.
For SLI, go for the GTX 10 series cards.
FAQs
Can I put two graphics cards on a motherboard?
it’s possible for you to put two graphics cards on a motherboard with multiple PCI Express slots.
Plus, you need a powerful PSU to power up those graphics cards.
Can I run two GPUs without SLI?
But, a limited number of applications and games can use two GPUs.
How many graphics cards can I run at once?
Most motherboards support running a maximum of four GPUs.
But check that there is enough space between those PCIe slots because most graphics cards are wide.
Modern cards are so powerful that one is enough for any AAA-titled games.
Plus, Nvidia and AMD stop supporting SLI & CrossFire for newer cards.
