Are three cards the only option?

HDriscoll

HDriscoll

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 18, 2012
Messages
416
I have two GTX580's and three 22" displays. I wanted to activate SLI and have the two outer displays go black while I game on the center display. No matter how I connect the displays, it doesn't work.
Will adding a third GTX580 solve the issue I'm having with multiple displays and SLI?
 
You shouldn't require any specific number of cards to do what you want.

How are you setting up your displays? Are you trying to set them up as a surround group? Don't do that, just set them as 3 independent displays via windows, with your center screen as primary.

I'm doing just that with my 2x GTX680 in SLI, although my 3rd monitor is connected to my onboard Intel video instead.
 
I have the center and left displays connected to card #1, the right display is connected to card #2.

I have them setup as independent displays using "activate all displays" in NVidia control panel. My center display is the primary, but I cannot activate SLI, If I do, the right display shuts off and the left one stays on. I thought both (L&R) were supposed to shut off.

I changed the cables around last night (left and right displays were on card 2, center was on card#1), the right display wouldn't turn on no matter what setting I used (Windows or NVidia).
 
I looked on NVidia's site for info on the GTX680 and 2-way SLI.
The max displays supported are 4. On my GTX580 the max is only 2.
 
You CAN NOT have SLI and 3 displays unless you run surround. You will need to shut off SLI and span displays again to have all three when you are done gaming, no way around that.
 
I don't want SLI and 3 displays, that's the problem. I want the two outer displays to be disabled and only the center display active while using dual SLI.

This is what the control panel looks like when I choose "maximize 3D performance" but do not click apply. The two displays are grayed out like they need to be.
SLI1_zps2050f89a.png


This is what the control panel looks like after I click apply. The right display is off but the left one stays on. SLI is infact working though.
SLI2_zps89992d68.png
 
I'm on another forum and the person said I need to go to "setup multiple displays" and disable the ones I don't want to use. That works but will I need to do this each time? Shouldn't the control panel do that?
 
HDriscoll said:
I'm on another forum and the person said I need to go to "setup multiple displays" and disable the ones I don't want to use. That works but will I need to do this each time? Shouldn't the control panel do that?
Click to expand...

Yes, you have to do it each time. Yes, it sucks. I went through the same thing with my surround setup. :( I found it way easier to set up the displays in windows rather than the Nvidia control panel, and then just use that to turn SLI on and off.
 
Can you explain the steps you take?
Do you use Windows to activate SLI or just disable certain displays?
 
I have been messing around with different display options, 2D surround, activate all displays, enable/disable SLI.
One that works is using 2D surround and playing a game (Dishonored), the left and right displays shut off and the game was on the center display. I had the SLI visual indicator enabled to show that it was infact working. I don't think this will work on a game that supports surround.

I just bought another GTX580. I'll wait for the new card to be delivered, install it and continue to mess with it.
 
Last edited:
Got the third card installed today.
Now when I choose "max 3D performance" it works like I thought it would, center display stays on and the left/right displays shut off without me having to do anything else.
 
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