Computers & Electronics

ATI and Nvidia cards together

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  • Mar 24th, 2010 9:33 pm
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Deal Addict
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Dec 17, 2008
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Ontario

ATI and Nvidia cards together

I need some advice please. Have an old computer with an AGP Nvidia video card and driver installed. I would like to add a PCI video card so I could hook up four monitors to it. My question is, can I use an ATI card and driver without conflict with the Nvidia card driver or better to use two Nvidia cards? Thanks
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Member
Nov 4, 2006
343 posts
Not possible. You need a special graphics card to run more than 2 unique monitors.
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Jul 26, 2006
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Scarborough
shoppingkart wrote: I need some advice please. Have an old computer with an AGP Nvidia video card and driver installed. I would like to add a PCI video card so I could hook up four monitors to it. My question is, can I use an ATI card and driver without conflict with the Nvidia card driver or better to use two Nvidia cards? Thanks
in theory, since you're using an AGP for primary and want to add the PCI Video card, it should work. BIOS may not like it and windows may hiccup trying to figure out where the monitors are etc, but it in theory, should work.
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Mar 14, 2005
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Edmonton, AB
Andrewm wrote: Not possible. You need a special graphics card to run more than 2 unique monitors.
Lots of fail here.




You can add any PCI card to enable multiple monitors. It does not have to be from the same chipset (ATI vs nvidia) I'm pretty sure.
Deal Guru
Sep 13, 2007
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Andrewm wrote: Not possible. You need a special graphics card to run more than 2 unique monitors.
I'm curious which "special graphics" card are you referring to? :lol:
Newbie
Aug 25, 2009
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McLaren__F1 wrote: I'm curious which "special graphics" card are you referring to? :lol:
Workstation graphics cards??

My two cents would be to dump your rig and buy a new one. Many options! SLI multi-monitor, Eyefinity... To your question, I think it'd be easier to setup using same branded ones; it'll definitely be easier using common drivers given that it is possible.
Member
Nov 4, 2006
343 posts
Nvidia disabled the option to run in tandem with non-Nvidia cards circa their last driver release.

So you will have driver issues. You will have performance issues.

Multi monitor setups for more than 2 monitors generally require a special video card designed for it rather than a multiple GPU solution. Matrox still makes a lot of cards that do this. ATI has eyefinity, but it's not so hot outside of gaming.

I used to work for Matrox, and I used to be responsible for setting up multiple monitors for corporate events. I assure you, running different PCI video cards on an old rig will just give you a headache.
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Dec 17, 2008
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Thank you all for your advice, guess for now i will run my two old rigs with seperate video cards and two monitors on each.
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Dec 2, 2008
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Belleville
you can use a program like Synergy to control both PCs from one keyboard and mouse.
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Mar 14, 2005
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Edmonton, AB
shoppingkart wrote: Thank you all for your advice, guess for now i will run my two old rigs with seperate video cards and two monitors on each.
There are many people here at my work running 3 monitors using an nvidia quadro fx 1500 as the main card and some other cheapo ATI card in the PCI slot.

The machines are about 3 years old running Win XP. Some are running Windows 7. no problems.
Deal Addict
Nov 28, 2007
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I just found out the hard way from my tech crew while my computer was under repair, those Nvidia punks managed to disable my physx card due to an ATI graphics card in my system. What ever happen in getting along in the technology industry brothers and sisters, thinking of just solo ripping off my agiea card off my computer now since it is dead weight.

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