Dual Video Cards?

[loki2k]

I'm trying to figure out why and how Dual/Triple Video Cards are now the Norm for a beastly computer.

Also, Why onboard memory on a video card is so useful?

Please don't flame me for being a noob, I'm just so outdated on computer hardware!

 

[cubeless]

sorry, but u will be charbroiled in seconds...

scroll thru this forum and look at a couple anandtech video reviews to get understanding of why u need bigger frame buffers (onboard memory) and the effect of multiple GPUs...

more memory means u can handle bigger resolutions (sometimes) and more gpus give u more processing horsepower (as long as it works right)...

 

[Viper GTS]

No reason to be pissy, sometimes a simple two paragraph explanation is more useful than trying to search out vague concepts.

Beastly computers usually have huge monitors with ridiculously high resolution. The 30" 2560x1600 panels have gotten cheap enough that it's not too much of a stretch to buy one. The problem is that no single GPU card today can play modern games at 2560x1600 maxed out with AA/AF. Buying a 30" monitor is essentially a commitment to high end multi-GPU setups.

Video memory is used to store textures and framebuffer data. If you cannot fit all the scene data into the video card memory you are forced to swap out of system memory which is MUCH slower (think 1/20 or 1/30th). Performance goes off a cliff when this happens. Crysis is a great example of this, no current card has enough to run 2560x1600 fully maxed out.

Viper GTS

 

[alcoholbob]

If you run on extreme settings in terms of AA/AF, provided there's proper ventillation/spacing between the two cards, you will actually get lower load temps due to work being split up between the two cards.

now obviously this is not a REASON to go dual card, but did i notice when running single card (mode) vs dual card, my GPU1 runs about 10 degrees cooler.

 

[AstroManLuca]

The other thing is that, from a more mainstream perspective, dual video cards can provide a nice cheap upgrade path or even greater bang for the buck in the short term.

If you invest an extra $20-$30 on a motherboard today and buy a little more PSU than you need (which isn't really a bad decision anyway), you can open your computer up for a nice, cheap upgrade sometime in the future. Maybe you can get a current high-end card like a 4870 now and then add a second 4870 a year from now when they're ~$100, nearly doubling your performance for cheap. In some cases, two low-end cards will provide better performance than a single high-end card for a lower price - people have been mentioning the idea of getting two Radeon 4830s at $80 each, which would outperform any $160 video card you can get today (but obviously that doesn't really leave open the possibility for an upgrade unless you replace both).

 

[betasub]

These are very old concepts (with on-board memory for the frame buffer being the older). You'd need to go back a long way on the At main site to get to their genesis. Hopefully Viper's explanation has helped OP somewhat...

 

[loki2k]

all the info helped..

thanks guys..