Eyefinity+crossfire+3rd video card for extended monitor.

[Elmakai]

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.

[suiken_2mieu]

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

[dread6969]

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

[Elmakai]

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. :?

[Tanshin]

[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/

[Elmakai]

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.

[dread6969]

[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

[suiken_2mieu]

...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.

[dread6969]

[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.

:?:

[suiken_2mieu]

[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/

[dread6969]

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

Well I be damned...They did say that it ran slower :wink: JP. That is great for people with nice ass hardware that still are running XP. I don't know many but still that's great. :rockout

[stangflyer]

If you are just wanting to get a extended 4th monitor to see teamspeak and other monitoring apps you can get a usb vga video card. I have the tritton SEE2 UV150. Install newest drivers from website then just hookup to usb and monitor. It will do a max of 1600x1200. It does widescreen like 1680x1050 also. I use it on my win 7 64bit system with my 5970 and 3x1680x1050 monitors for eyefinity. My fourth monitor is 1440x900. I got it at best buy on sale for $30. It is great for just having teamspeak or other monitoring windows open. Not so great for video etc. It does not even show up when opening your windows display tab which is great so it does not mess with the ati stuff. I have had it for about a month now with no issues at all. Just make sure you use the newest drivers off the tritton website and install the drivers BEFORE plugging it in the pc. Works great and not one issue.

[Elmakai]

If you are just wanting to get a extended 4th monitor to see teamspeak and other monitoring apps you can get a usb vga video card. I have the tritton SEE2 UV150. Install newest drivers from website then just hookup to usb and monitor. It will do a max of 1600x1200. It does widescreen like 1680x1050 also. I use it on my win 7 64bit system with my 5970 and 3x1680x1050 monitors for eyefinity. My fourth monitor is 1440x900. I got it at best buy on sale for $30. It is great for just having teamspeak or other monitoring windows open. Not so great for video etc. It does not even show up when opening your windows display tab which is great so it does not mess with the ati stuff. I have had it for about a month now with no issues at all. Just make sure you use the newest drivers off the tritton website and install the drivers BEFORE plugging it in the pc. Works great and not one issue.

Cool. Exactly what I needed. Thanks!

[stangflyer]

[quote]If you are just wanting to get a extended 4th monitor to see teamspeak and other monitoring apps you can get a usb vga video card. I have the tritton SEE2 UV150. Install newest drivers from website then just hookup to usb and monitor. It will do a max of 1600x1200. It does widescreen like 1680x1050 also. I use it on my win 7 64bit system with my 5970 and 3x1680x1050 monitors for eyefinity. My fourth monitor is 1440x900. I got it at best buy on sale for $30. It is great for just having teamspeak or other monitoring windows open. Not so great for video etc. It does not even show up when opening your windows display tab which is great so it does not mess with the ati stuff. I have had it for about a month now with no issues at all. Just make sure you use the newest drivers off the tritton website and install the drivers BEFORE plugging it in the pc. Works great and not one issue.

Cool. Exactly what I needed. Thanks!
If you have any questions pm me! I might not see it for a day or two but I will get to it!

[Elmakai]

Just to clarify a few things (since I'm still not sure and I don't think anyone has strictly said "yes" or "no"):

1. If I added a 3rd video card (internal) would I be able to use a 4th monitor for extended display?

2. If I added a PhysX card, would I be able to use Eyefinity and PhysX at the same time?

3. If the answer to 1 is "yes", and I got a card that had dual outputs, would I be able to have a 4th and 5th monitor for extended desktop?

4. By having a 3rd gpu, would that improve framerate at all?

Note: I'm not willing to disable Eyefinity to have any of the features, as was suggested to get PhysX. It would be pointless to have 3 monitors plus 2 HD5770s just to disable them all.

[suiken_2mieu]

Okay Lemme Break this Down:

1. If I added a 3rd video card (internal) would I be able to use a 4th monitor for extended display?

Yes (In Windows 7 as you can use more than one driver at a time if you want a different model)

2. If I added a PhysX card, would I be able to use Eyefinity and PhysX at the same time?

Yes, But only if you use the hacked drivers that alow it.

3. If the answer to 1 is "yes", and I got a card that had dual outputs, would I be able to have a 4th and 5th monitor for extended desktop?

Yes

4. By having a 3rd gpu, would that improve framerate at all?

Depends how you set it up. If you have another ATI Card Compatible with the cards you have now and put it in CorssFireX sure it may help. But any other card, no it wont help your framerate. Unless of course, it's a PhysX card and you had PhysX enabled initially without a PhysX enabled card, but I doubt this highly. So Over All, I say "No."

This is indeed with Eyefinity Running At all times.

[Elmakai]

Okay Lemme Break this Down: . . .

Thank you sir. I've learned quite a bit from these forums and the people here who are eons above me (and I like to think of myself as tech savy :lol: ).

[dread6969]

I will be getting my 5870 in a few more weeks. (Tax Time :D) Then I will post my results on the difference between frames on PhysX games with my 8800 enabled or disabled. With eyefinity and extended displays on the 8800 of course. Right now I use my 8800 for my triple setup and PhysX. It is the difference in 13 or 40+ frames in some games.
In 3Dmark vantage I gain 10,000 points in my CPU score ! :twisted:

[Elmakai]

I will be getting my 5870 in a few more weeks. (Tax Time :D) Then I will post my results on the difference between frames on PhysX games with my 8800 enabled or disabled. With eyefinity and extended displays on the 8800 of course. Right now I use my 8800 for my triple setup and PhysX. It is the difference in 13 or 40+ frames in some games.
In 3Dmark vantage I gain 10,000 points in my CPU score ! :twisted:

Cool beans, looking forward to the update. I'm debating on what card I want to get, considering it will only be for PhysX and a extra monitor. Eventually, I will change my 5770s for better cards, but considering the benchmarks so far I think I will be happy for a couple of years, considering I don't think getting more than 60 fps is necessary.

[Elmakai]

Speaking of getting a 4th monitor, any suggestions on placement? I was considering doing something like the bottom left of this picture:




The only thing I would need is a monitor mount for the top monitor. I've looked at fry's website (because I could drive to pick one up), amazon, monoprice, newegg, tigerdirect (saw a couple that might work), but it seems that all the mounting arms are too short for the height I would need to set it at. My center monitor now is about 20.5" above the tabletop, so I would need something that would hold another monitor above that. So my guess is about 27". I also have my webcam above my center monitor, but I could easily move that.

Maybe someone has a suggestion on where else I could place a monitor. I could possibly place it beside the other monitors, but I would have to be turning my head completely to the side to see it, which would be uncomfortable to say the least. Any ideas?