quad display and SLI

L

liquidoblivion

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Feb 21, 2003
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Im building one monster of a computer for a client of mine and ran into this important question. I am using the Tyan k8we motherboard for its dual pci-x graphics slots, my question is, if i get two Geforce 6800s or 7800s can I run them in SLI and still use all four video outputs?? Or should i just get a 7800 and some other dual head cheaper pci-x geforce to run the other two displays. Four displays is a must, SLI is not, this computer is mainly going to run photoshop so he really wants the desktop space. Thanks.
 
IIRC, if SLI is enabled then you can't use 4 monitors.

Thats going off my extremely bad memory though.
 
can you go back and forth, just enable SLI when you want to play a game. I'm not trying to game on four monitors or anything. Or would you have to open up the computer and remove the SLI bridge?
 
I imagine you could just disable SLI in the NV control panel. Not 100% sure on that though. I can try it when I get home. (Can't verify with 4 monitors, but I can with 2.)
 
yeah you can't run in sli with more than one monitor, get a high end pci-e card like the 7800gtx for the first slot and main 2 monitors and get something like a 6600 pci-e for the other slot for the other 2 monitors.
 
darkhorse said:
yeah you can't run in sli with more than one monitor, get a high end pci-e card like the 7800gtx for the first slot and main 2 monitors and get something like a 6600 pci-e for the other slot for the other 2 monitors.
Click to expand...

Why would he have to mix cards? Why not just SLI 7800GTX's and disable SLI when you
want to use 4 monitors?

I'm wondering if there is and improvement with running SLI on two 16x lanes instead of having to combine 16+1 for two 8x lanes.
 
At first I had a problem with the lack of running mulit-display in SLI mode, but then I thought about it and why would you need to? You only play games on one monitor, so there's really no need to have it enabled. The only real problem is the way in which you have to switch between modes. Having to enable>restart>reboot is a pain in the ass. But i do like the ability to have muli-monitors.
 
Gillette said:
They make PCI-X graphics cards now!? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Only Matrox AFAIK. They've got a 66Mhz PCI-X Parhelia 256MB card. I think it's $700.

If you don't want to have to flip SLI on and off just get a PCI card for the second screen. Personally I think they should figure out how to support at least 3 connectors in SLI mode so I could use an SLI rig for Parhelia style surround gaming on three screens. That was f'n cool, but unfortunately the board just hasn't been fast enough for a while.
 
JohnAddisonUK said:
I've got this problem myself. It's forced me to forgot SLI for now and have a single 7800GTX for my main monitor and i'm having top get a 6800GT to run my extra monitors :(

I hope they fix it soon...
Click to expand...

Fix what?
SLI was alway inteded for 1 monitor gaming?
You sound like it's "broken" :confused:

Terra...
 
darkhorse said:
yeah you can't run in sli with more than one monitor, get a high end pci-e card like the 7800gtx for the first slot and main 2 monitors and get something like a 6600 pci-e for the other slot for the other 2 monitors.
Click to expand...

How about you get a 7800GTX for the first slot, then you get a ATI X850XT PE for the second. No one will never call you a Fan boy again. :D

Wasn't THG.com who did that? I know I read somewhere when they mixed the cards together (6800 & X800) and they got it to work. There was just a lot of problems getting the drivers to cooperate w/ each other.
 
eX_835 said:
How about you get a 7800GTX for the first slot, then you get a ATI X850XT PE for the second. No one will never call you a Fan boy again. :D

Wasn't THG.com who did that? I know I read somewhere when they mixed the cards together (6800 & X800) and they got it to work. There was just a lot of problems getting the drivers to cooperate w/ each other.
Click to expand...

It was THG yes, remeber reading that article...

Terra - But it was back in the FX5900/9800 days as I remember...
 
[em]HEAT said:
At first I had a problem with the lack of running mulit-display in SLI mode, but then I thought about it and why would you need to? You only play games on one monitor, so there's really no need to have it enabled. The only real problem is the way in which you have to switch between modes. Having to enable>restart>reboot is a pain in the ass. But i do like the ability to have muli-monitors.
Click to expand...

multimonitor gaming is awesome..

almost all current games will run on multiple monitors using the horizontal span (at least i havent' found one yet i couldn't get to work)..

its too bad you can't run MM in SLI, the SLI would really help when gaming on multiple monitors..
 
Terra said:
Fix what?
SLI was alway inteded for 1 monitor gaming?
You sound like it's "broken" :confused:

Terra...
Click to expand...


I read that the 8. drivers will allow for multy monitor, maybe not for gaming but all I need is 1 monitor for gaming and the rest of my monitors for work
 
Try

SLI 7800GTX's

1 BFG FX5500 pci

That way the main monitor is in SLI and the FX5500 can run 2 monitors!
 
Terra said:
It was THG yes, remeber reading that article...

Terra - But it was back in the FX5900/9800 days as I remember...
Click to expand...

...how could it have been with those cards when those cards only existed as AGP?
 
kuyaglen said:
Why would he have to mix cards? Why not just SLI 7800GTX's and disable SLI when you
want to use 4 monitors?
Click to expand...
because you don't need dual 7800s for photoshop, if you read it won't be used primarily as a gaming computer, switching off sli and rebooting sounds like a hassle for someone who isn't building their own computer, and might as well keep the price down where you can, he might have a lot of cash but it doesn't mean he should pay for something he isn't going to take advantage of.
 
On the topic of running nVidia and ATi video cards in the same computer . . . it's a hassle. An annoying hassle . . .

I ran a 9800Pro (AGP) w/ a GeForce MX 4000 (PCI), and the drivers got annoying so I bought a Radeon 9250 instead.

Then I bought another 9250 . . . :).
 
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