Dual-monitor/dual-GPU question (no SLI/Crossfire)

[Dodecadevin]

I run a dual-monitor setup, and like many attention-deficient folks these days I like to have a li'l somethin' somethin' (either VLC or browser-based streaming) playing on my second monitor when I play WoW. In my current system, I run both monitors off an nvidia 8800GTS, and the performance hit to WoW is obviously quite noticeable when I run video. I'm currently in the process of upgrading, and this is my question:

My new motherboard, Asus M4A87TD EVO, supports two PCI-e 2.0 graphics cards (one at x16, one at x4). If I have two different graphics cards, my intuition leads me to expect that the best way to set this up is to have the monitor for WoW plugged into the "good" graphics card in the x16 slot, and the monitor for browsing/youtubing/porning/etc plugged into the weaker card in the x4 slot. However, my experience also leads me to expect that my intuition will be wrong. Can anyone who knows what they're talking about offer advice on this setup? Does having a one-monitor-per-card offer any advantages over plugging both monitors into a single card?

[FlawlessSoul]

As far as PCI-E goes, it should be fine. The last time I used different cards for different monitors was back when AGP was becoming popular, and the main problem back then was some motherboards being a pain by making a PCI card primary over the more powerful AGP cards.

As far as using your two cards, your intuition would be correct in this case, though do double check that using the x4 slot will not affect the x16 slot.

Setting it up may be more of a hassle (as far as running an extra card in your system) than a single card running both screens, but if you are getting a new graphics card you can simply have your 8800GTS as the secondary and give it a try.

[Marrowwind]

If you run SLI/Crossfire you will get more performance in WoW. A 2nd monitor just browsing doesn't really use too much processing power unless its 1920×1080 or higher and even then it doesn't warrant its own card because you're cutting your main card off from the power of the 2nd one.

[denominator]

Except that he only has one x16 lane and perhaps he doesn't want to downclock the bandwidth on his main card. Not to mention power may or not be an issue, hard to judge without finding what he is using as a psu..

[Marrowwind]

Except that he only has one x16 lane and perhaps he doesn't want to downclock the bandwidth on his main card. Not to mention power may or not be an issue, hard to judge without finding what he is using as a psu..

If it were me, I'd use one decent card in the x16 slot and just plug both monitors into it. The only reason that the 8800gts takes a noticeable hit is because its pretty outdated.

[BicycleMafioso]

If you run SLI/Crossfire you will get more performance in WoW.

Not at all.

[denominator]

If it were me, I'd use one decent card in the x16 slot and just plug both monitors into it. The only reason that the 8800gts takes a noticeable hit is because its pretty outdated.

As would I, but if he has no intention of pairing two cards: why not keep the old one around as an offshoot?

[Saithes]

Not at all.

You do, just nothing major.

[stahlhammer89]

Running 2 cards non SLI/Crossfire will probably end up causing you more headaches than it is worth. I currently run 2 monitors @ 1680x1050 off of one Nvidia GTX 280. It's an already outdated card but I can run wow on one monitor on ultra (windowed mode) at 100+ fps as well as running either netflix or windows media player playing videos on the second monitor. It also might not be your GPU that's causing the bottleneck, it could be an outdated processor or something else.

Win 7 x64
6GB RAM
GTX 280
Intel Core2Quad @2.66ghz

[BicycleMafioso]

You do, just nothing major.

You'd need to run non-windowed, full-screen, which kind of rules out watching movies on the second monitor.

Also, some cards decrease performance.

[Saithes]

You'd need to run non-windowed, full-screen, which kind of rules out watching movies on the second monitor.

Also, some cards decrease performance.

I get a good 15-20 fps increase from SLi in Windowed Fullscreen... Going to Fullscreen increases the fps by another 5.

[BicycleMafioso]

I get a good 15-20 fps increase from SLi in Windowed Fullscreen... Going to Fullscreen increases the fps by another 5.

Unless something changed when I wasn't looking, SLI shouldn't work on any windowed application ;o
And since fulllscreen always increase fps by a fair bunch (not to mention improving image-quality), that can be written off as fluctuation.

[Saithes]

Unless something changed when I wasn't looking, SLI shouldn't work on any windowed application ;o
And since fulllscreen always increase fps by a fair bunch (not to mention improving image-quality), that can be written off as fluctuation.

lol, SLi works in Crysis 2 windowed as well and Crysis... Even Call of Duty MW/MW2/WaW/Black Ops, Metro 2033, NFS Undercover all work in windowed mode SLi.

So something must have changed

[ispano]

SLI will work in windowed mode, Crossfire however will not.
As for the one monitor per card thing, i've only done it in Linux. Had two GTX280s that I ran, with one monitor on each.
Played EVE Online(VIA Wine of Course), two accounts, with one per monitor. Though EVE allows you to choose which card it uses.

[Dodecadevin]

If you run SLI/Crossfire you will get more performance in WoW.

It also might not be your GPU that's causing the bottleneck, it could be an outdated processor or something else

Not to mention power may or not be an issue, hard to judge without finding what he is using as a psu..

The current card is the 8800gts and the secondary would be my old 8600gt. No SLI/crossfire 'cause it would be more trouble than it's worth/probably wouldn't work. The 8800 is definitely not the bottleneck in my current system (Dell pentium4, more RAM than my OS can even use, blech) but it should be in the new one. PSU is 650W and should be overkill even once I get a new GPU.

So basically, as long as there's no distinct downside from running the second monitor off the 8600 in the x4 slot instead of a single-card setup, I'ma do it. Thanks for the help you guys are great :3