Dual GTX 670 to use 2x Cinema Displays?

[dsc106]

GTX 670 only has 1 displayport. means I'd need an $80 accessory to use my 2nd cinema display.

Could I get a second GTX 670 and use the displayport on that one to power two seperate displays for video editing? Or in SLI do they have to both be plugged in via one graphics card?

I wouldn't be using 2 displays for gaming, just desktop/graphics/etc, but I would have them SLI'ed for gaming and redirect to the main monitor for that.

Would this work?

 

[dsc106]

I have an EVGA GTX 670 FTW and an EVGA GTX 285. Could I install both into my Asus Rampage IV Extreme motherboard, and have them both plugged in/ready to go, but then just switch the monitor cable to the GTX 670 for windows, and my older GTX 285 for when I put into the hackintosh (still waiting on full GTX 670 drivers for hackintosh).

Would Windows know which GPU to use, and when I launch a game or do whatever, would the GTX 285 pretty much sit there idle/off and it would just use GTX 670? How does the OS know which card to use, is it just based on which one has a monitor cable plugged in?

Merging two threads since they're virtually identical. Please try to stick to one thread, dsc106
-ViRGE

 

[ShintaiDK]

Problem could be it want to both startup and use the card in the first slot.

 

[ViRGE]

What you propose will work just fine under Windows. As for Mac OS X, the last time I checked you had to do some serious config file editing to get two cards working on a Hackintosh.

 

[stuckinasquare3]

Does the cinema displayport have mini-displayport output?

 

[dsc106]

Guys sorry these are two very different conversations that got merged together... :/ Please answer with a number sign to keep them seperate (based on post #1 and post #2):

1.) Using SLI of GTX 670s: Can I run a monitor from each card seperately for non-gaming purposes? Because the Cinema Displays only take DisplayPort signals, this would give me two displayport out from the two cards. But for gaming, I would just use the main monitor from the card in slot 1... how would this work out?

2.) Using two different GPUS (GTX 285, GTX 670) plugged into the computer, I would want the GTX 670 to be "on" in Windows and the GTX 285 to basically be off/ignored. Could I just disable the GTX 285 in device manager? For Hackintosh, could I just drop the GTX 285 into slot 1 since hackintosh is picky, and let it ignore the GTX 670 in slot 2/no monitors plugged in? But in Windows, just have it used the GTX 670 and switch my monitor cable over? Would I have to use device manager to do this, or how else could this work?

Sorry for the confusion. These were supposed to be two different threads.

 

[lopri]

There is no dvi-to-display port adapter?

 

[dsc106]

There is no dvi-to-display port adapter?

No, there is not. There are active converters that cost $80 and are sort of finicky and use scalers. They aren't compatible specs. Won't work with HDMI either.

 

[stuckinasquare3]

My understanding is that you need an active adapter to convert displayport to dvi and it isn't cheap

 

[lopri]

No, I mean dvi-to-displayport "converter". (not displayport-to-dvi) Do they exist? (I don't see why not but I don't know whether they exist)

 

[pcm81]

GTX 670 only has 1 displayport. means I'd need an $80 accessory to use my 2nd cinema display.

Could I get a second GTX 670 and use the displayport on that one to power two seperate displays for video editing? Or in SLI do they have to both be plugged in via one graphics card?

I wouldn't be using 2 displays for gaming, just desktop/graphics/etc, but I would have them SLI'ed for gaming and redirect to the main monitor for that.

Would this work?

Should have gone with the red team...

 

[dsc106]

Should have gone with the red team...

Did you even read the posts? I already said I have to go with Nvidia for Hackintosh.

I also already stated you can't go DVI to DP without an $80 adapter.

Can someone please tell me if I can run two monitors, each from one of the two different GTX 670 cards SLI'ed? For video/desktop? And then when I play a game, have it ignore the monitor plugged into the card in slot 2 and just use the output from the card in slot 1 to main monitor (would it just do this by default)?

 

[lopri]

Oh, you're set to go with SLI. I thought you were trying to get it done with a single card first. Well in that case ViRGE has given you the answer. You can enable/disable SLI with 2 monitors. When SLI is enabled the other monitor will simply go blank.

What you propose will work just fine under Windows. As for Mac OS X, the last time I checked you had to do some serious config file editing to get two cards working on a Hackintosh.

 

[dsc106]

Wasn't sure if Virge was referring to post 1 or post 2; will SLI power still run for CUDA tasks on video/desktop when a monitor is plugged into each card seperately? Or does SLI on only "turn on" when I flip a switch and force it to a single monitor?

 

[lopri]

Apparently you can -> http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/sli/faq#s1

I did not know that. In the past you either enable SLI on one monitor or disable it to use extra displays. According to NV you can connect both displays to the "master" card, and use two displays in SLI mode. There is also SLI "Focus" mode where a display is being prioritized if you read the faq.

(Your Apple monitor and DisplayPort could be picky, though)

 

[lopri]

Whether SLI works when you plug each monitor to separate card - I don't know the answer but I am guessing it does. At least one person says so here -> http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=476863

 

[dsc106]

Thanks for the help dude! That is the info I've been looking for