Expanding to dual video cards
- by Anthony Greco
I know a lot of factors can go into play here, so I will list my current hardware and setup:
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-890FXA-UD5 [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128441]
Processor: AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103849]
Ram: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) [https://secure.newegg.com/NewMyAccount/OrderHistory.aspx?RandomID=4933910872745320111128011418]
Current video card: EVGA 01G-P3-1366-TR GeForce GTX 460 SE [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130591]
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Currently I can run 2 monitors just fine in my setup. However, I want to upgrade this to 4 monitors. My question is, what is the best way to do this? I remember in the past reading I need the same type of video card, however would any GeForce GTX work, or do i need that very specific model (EVGA 01G-P3-1366-TR GeForce GTX 460 SE)? Are there any issues I should be aware of before I order 2 new monitors and a video card? Are there video cards better setup for this?
I know NVidia offers SLI, however I do not know if my mobo is compliant. My mobo also offers CrossFireX configuration, though from what it says only Radeon are compliant.
Any suggestions / feedbacks on my best route with my current setup is appreciated. Even if you suggest buying 2 new identical video cards, as long as you can mention which and why that is better I really appreciate it.
Note: I really do not do any gaming. I sometimes do some 3D work in Unity and very rarely in Maya. Besides that I mostly do all my computer work in Visual Studios and Photoshop. I however need the 2 extra monitors because I monitor sometimes 5 remote desktops at once and switching on only 2 is becoming a very big pain. Also seeing 3 side by side while I work on the 4th will be very helpful.
Again, I appreciate any feedback, as I have googled a bunch and just want to make sure what I buy will work.