Is a 2x-gfx-cards-used-separately setup possible?

[delin]

Let me clearify what I'm talking about,

For example one geforce 7800 and one geforce 9800 on the same mobo.
Using the 7800 for s3d and 9800 for 2D.

Why? Too be able to run older games in s3d and newer games in 2d with the 9800.

I've been researching about having two installed gfxcards on one mobo NOT SLI but only found rather flimsy answers out there.




I've been totally into stereo3d since I first read about it. The setup I like is a bright DLP projector and ED shutterglasses.
I have of course been bummed with the latest driver release from nvidia but I'm confident there will be some solution for 8800/9800 with shutterglasses+projectors/CRT in the future. Don't worry about that hahaha. But in the mean time I'd sure like to know more about using two gfxcards.

[nubie]

I have used 3 cards in one PC, although I modified one of them :



Basically I think you can, but you will need to swap the primary monitor in video properties and may have to deal with some games not knowing which one to use.

If I were to do it I would install an OS for each card, then disable the appropriate video card in Device Manager for each OS.

Of course your motherboard will likely run at 8x for each slot, or 16x on one slot and x1 or x2 on the other, and you may lose a bit of speed from that. The other choice is a dual x16 motherboard, but I wouldn't spend the money on one.


Slightly off topic: the 7800 is a power hog, the 7900 series is very cheap (just saw a mint 7900GS go for $57 buy it now on ebay, but most are around $80) the 7900GS has the same processing units as the 7800, but it can overclock very well (mine is 650mhz for the last year no problems, with a zalman 700 copper aluminum heatsink and a minor voltmod to 7900GT stock voltage)

I would recommend a 512MB 7900 series card, they are under $150 actually.

[sharky]

hi!

likay made something similar! i link him this post so he can answer you

[Likay]

Djungletelegraph seems to be working and now i'm drumming the answer back.

I have a 7900GT and an 8800GTX installed in the same computer without problems. I'm running the same driver for both of them but only one card enabled at a time. When i wish to use the 7900 then i open up the device manager and disables the 8800. Vice versa if i want to use the 8800 instead.
The only thing needed when switching card is to turn on/off stereo in the nvidia driver, enabling the card you want to use and disable the card you're not going to use. After disabling one of the cards the computer promts you to reboot. Do that and you're on with the other card. Any overclock settings or different settings for the cards are remembered for each card so you don't need to retune/alter a lot of settings either.
There's no problem using both of the cards at the same time and even play games with this setup. You can play a game with one of the cards and display a movie on the other without problem. However myself i can't get nvidiastereo3d work with both cards enabled.

cheers

[nubie]

Likay, have you tried a hardware profile?

They have 2 choices, "wait until I select a hardware profile" and "Select the first profile listed in xx seconds" (user selectable), this may be an elegant way of doing it. I don't know if this would work with a logout, but if it did then you wouldn't need a reboot

And/or logging out and back in instead of rebooting?

I wish I could try this out, but I don't have an 8800 card (Anymore, I sold my GT 256mb. I am looking at those 8800GS, maybe if they are under $100 I can swing it.)

[delin]

nubie: Yes, the Geforce 7900gtx is the best card for shutterglass s3d at this time. Trying to figure out if the GeForce 7950 GX2 would work is giving me a head ache right now.

Likay: Cool. Nice with a solution in one OS. And only one driver + s3d driver. Which OS and drivers are you using? You disable/enable to use the different cards, and enabling both cards also works but with no s3d. Got it.

I wonder if your driver would work for a 9800 too. There seems to be so many ways to go, driver-wise. Would be nice with one driver for XP supporting both cards, but there will probably be problems in newer games with the 8800/9800 card. I guess using two OS's would be the way to go otherwise.


Looking at the new OFFICIAL gestapo site: http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d_stereo.html

91.31 does NOT support geforce 8800/9800.
174.76 is VISTA only.

I think I will have to experiment to see if I can get this working in XP .. OR having 2 different XP boots, OR 1 XP & 1 Vista.

[LukePC1]

I think the driver for both cards which you are looking for is a Beta driver from THIS site. I think it's the 164.xx combo (Forcware and S-3D beta driver). Maybe the number is slightly different, but it's got to be like it. And you've got to get the 'classical' Controllpanel with registry hack or Dragon Tools (TuningNSD2.exe).

[Likay]

@nubie: I haven't tried to use hw-profiles but that seems to be quite an interesting option. I'll get back with results asa i've tried it. Thanks for the tip. However rebooting the comp for switching cards isn't a very big problem for me though.

@delin: I'm using winxppro with a 7900gt on the first pci-e and an 8800gtx on the second pci-e. The drivers are 169.44fw+162.50stereo. In my mean there shouldn't be any issue using other drivers if they only support both cards. (maybe you can install one card with one driver, deactivate current card and activate the other card, reboot and install the other one. Drivers use hw id to install right drivers so that should work anyway. Don't expect to be able to run both cards at the same time with different drivers though). Using the 162.50 stereodrivers might cause some trouble with hardware recognizing but there is a cure for that. Read in this thread about removing pin no 7... : http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpBB/viewtopic.p ... 72&start=0. Then your monitor should be enabled for stereo with the 162.50s too.
For now current drivers for the 9--- series doesn't support too many cards below the 9- series: http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_174.74_whql.html
I recall it was the same thing when the drivers for the 8-series surfaced. There was no support for older cards in those either.
And: Besides vista, 174.76 only supports the zalman 3d-monitors and anaglyph as it is now. .

A good tip? May i give a small hint? (IZ3D)...

cheers

[delin]

Likay: Great, thanks. I knew the new nvidia driver was zalman only but the dang thing slipped my mind.

I've read that remove pin 7 stuff. Too bad that stuff won't work for HDMI and DVI connections. Right?

iZ3D, well. I'd really like a projector for this stuff. Maybe if they came out with a 24" ws version.

So polarized glasses with s3d monitor really is better than shutterglasses?

------------------

LukePC1: Thanks. Hadn't seen the files section on mtbs3d before. Should be easier for visitors to find that page, no?

[nubie]

nubie: Yes, the Geforce 7900gtx is the best card for shutterglass s3d at this time.

Well you are technically correct, I simply meant that the 7900GT and 7950GT are the exact same chip with the exact same memory configurations and clock speeds. So you can't actually say that it is "best" since it is really the same.

The only real difference with the 7900GTX being a 200mhz higher clock than a 7900GT/GS, and a 100mhz higher clock than a 7900GTO / 7950GT, but it seems that many factory overclock versions of the GT are as fast or faster. I have my 7900GS at GTX speeds and it performs admirably. Just don't waste the money is all I am saying, if a faster or similar GT is available with 512MB of ram you won't see a difference to the GTX, except in price.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_7_ ... 900_Series

Also they are newer chips (same process but due to later release, the process is much more stable) and as such they seem to overclock very well. Many of them come with very good aftermarket or OEM coolers. Since the 7900GT/7950GT were so much cheaper you can find many more of them at a more reasonable price, since they are newer they are likely to be in better condition.

Trying to figure out if the GeForce 7950 GX2 would work is giving me a head ache right now.

It should work, but as it is an SLi setup if it did work it would only use one card, and it is much lower specced than the others, as well as more expensive, I wouldn't get one.

[delin]

nubie: Aah. Good info. So it seems a 7900GT with 512mb ram would be the best way to go as they are easy overclock to 7900GTX speeds and cheaper/newer.

So I should search for a 7900GT running at 650mhz (GTX-speed according to that wiki page)? Are there some manufacturers who made "overclockable" 7900GT which you can juice up
from 450mhz to 650mhz, or can you do that with any 7900GT card? Maybe it doesn't work that way?

I guess it all comes down to what the prices are at this point. I figured these cards were all so old that it didn't matter what GS/GT/GTX, minor price differences. Haven't really checked though. Not buying-time yet.

Ok so I checked the prices. You're right, GT slighty more expensive than GS. GTX a lot more expensive.

However you can find used cards for less.

XFX GeForce 7900 GTX 512mb GDDR3 PCI-E used $150.

[nubie]

Absolutely, as long as the budget is there it is a good buy.