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installing 2x 8600 GT (noobish question)

GreatWaves

GreatWaves

GreatWaves

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Joined
9 Dec 2008
Posts
387
Hi,
I have two MSI GeForce 8600GT PCI-E cards. I want to install both without cross-connecting them. I want to use one for graphics and the other for DC computing. Can it work that way?

They are the same AFAIK, but one has two DVI outputs and the other has one DVI and one VGA output. So not exactly the same but otherwise identical and I know both are MSI 8600GT.

Do gfx cards have to be cross-connected to be installed on same board? If NOT cross-connected, do they even have to be the same card?

Thanks
 
If you're not SLIing you don't need to connect them. I had a GTX260 and an 8600GT in my PC briefly to run 3 screens (not game on 3 screens of course). How you'd get the software to use the different ones I'm not sure, but it will work in principle.
 
Awesome thanks for reply. So it will work then. Again the only differences between the two are different outputs (DVI, VGA, etc) and the SLI connection is slightly different on each (no problem as I won't inter connect them). Otherwise they are both MSI 8600 GT and look identical.

So in other words, I suppose then that the NVidia utility will simply acknowledge the extra card upon boot-up. The first one is already in the comp fully installed.

So, I wonder what BOINC will do then. I don't recall a setting that selects which GPU's to utilize if more than one exist and I don't recall any setting for determining how many of the available GPU's to utilize. I'd like to use just the one not hooked up to a display. You'd think it would choose the one not doing any displaying first if it can be made to use only one.

Cheers
 
I forgot about one aspect: the PSU. The comp has a 500W PSU. These 8600GT's do not have external power connectors and they have passive cooling.

These cards are second hand and I don't have manuals. I'll have to look this up obviously, but say for example that they each have a "minimum PSU" spec of say 400W... I guess then 500W PSU should be sufficient for both?

I only have one SATA HDD installed, so there's not a lot of consumption on this comp apart from GPU's.

Cheers
 
Should be fine but it depends on the PSU and how many amps it delivers and so on. If it's a well branded good PSU then you'll be fine. I ran Quad SLI 295s on a 625w Enermax Modu II and it was absolutely perfect.
 
ALXAndy said:
Should be fine but it depends on the PSU and how many amps it delivers and so on. If it's a well branded good PSU then you'll be fine. I ran Quad SLI 295s on a 625w Enermax Modu II and it was absolutely perfect.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately the PSU in this not-overclocked comp is a "FSP Group Inc" PSU. It's got 30amp on +3.3v, 30amp on +5v and 18amp on +12v rails. Um, it's Active PFC and has a good 120mm fan in it. Overall "looks good quality".

But I know what you mean about good branded PSU's. I've overclocked several different PC's, but never with big gfx cards so my other PSU's are mainly Antec 380W. I've got one 400W Antec, but that's currently needed in an overclocked comp with an external power gfx card that specifically needs a 400W PSU.

So, unless I buy another special brand PSU just for this, what do you think of the amps on the rails of the "FSP" psu? (30amp on +3.3v, 30amp on +5v and 18amp on +12v). Again the comp that these 8600GT's are going in to is NOT overclocked and has only one HDD, a 120mm outtake fan, stock cooler.

If the PSU is not enough or not stable enough for TWO 8600GT's, will the comp do things like reboot or freeze suddenly? Worth a try?

Thanks
 
In theory that has enough power, but everyone on here says not to skimp on a PSU. Cheap unbranded ones tend to not be able to supply the power they claim, or they break and possibly take your system with it!
 
beejjacobs said:
In theory that has enough power, but everyone on here says not to skimp on a PSU. Cheap unbranded ones tend to not be able to supply the power they claim, or they break and possibly take your system with it!
Click to expand...
Yeah that's probably advice I should heed. I'm still trying to find the power consumption spec on MSI 8600GT. Sifting through a polish language review at the moment that takes forever to load each page.

So... most high performance GFX cards take external power. These MSI 8600GT's don't. Is that mostly because they have passive cooling? The cooling fins are pretty big by the way and "ugly" so to speak. It's not pretty... sort of retro looking if you like that sort of thing :p

Cheers
 
ALXAndy said:
FSP = Everest. Should do the trick.

By far and away not cheap nor unbranded.
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Oh cool thanks. Yeah it's labeled with "FSP Group Inc" to be precise. Underneath the company name it says "FORTRON/SOURCE" (not "fortran"). Anyway, although not really fancy looking (PSU's these days are looking fancier and fancier) it has that quality construction look similar to my old Antec TruePower 380W psu's.

I'll try to find more info on FSP.

Cheers
 
Good to know. Also the heatsink has nothing to do with power consumption. Loosely perhaps, but an efficient design could have a smaller heatsink but use more power.

Still, it requires no PCIe power connectors, so I believe the maximum it can draw is 75W, looking around about 50W seems right for those GPUs.
 
beejjacobs said:
Good to know. Also the heatsink has nothing to do with power consumption. Loosely perhaps, but an efficient design could have a smaller heatsink but use more power.

Still, it requires no PCIe power connectors, so I believe the maximum it can draw is 75W, looking around about 50W seems right for those GPUs.
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Thanks so my FSP (Everest) 500W, should be fine then. Guess I'll pretty soon just put the second 8600GT in the comp and see what it does. Like I mentioned, since they have so little difference between them, they may well use the same driver set, so then I guess the NVidia utility will simply register the second GPU as available for secondary display.

Now, I hope I can get the BOINC project to use only the second GPU. I know that it automatically suspends when you use the comp, but I'd rather have things compartmentalized for now: first GPU for normal display power and second GPU for continuous computing.

Thanks for everyone's inputs.

Cheers
 
TBH, I've no idea about that software. But from a hardware point of view, the two cards will run fine in the system, whether you can use them effectively I don't know! Let me know :)
 
GreatWaves said:
Now, I hope I can get the BOINC project to use only the second GPU. I know that it automatically suspends when you use the comp, but I'd rather have things compartmentalized for now: first GPU for normal display power and second GPU for continuous computing.

Thanks for everyone's inputs.

Cheers
Click to expand...

If it's like Folding@home then you should be able to change some sort of file in notepad to change GPU adapters. Not 100% sure on this though. Could ask here for help: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=39
 
I installed the second card and turns out that it's an ATi HD 2600 XT (not a 8600GT like the first one). So I canceled windows attempts to install a driver and haven't installed any manually. I'm guessing that you don't want to have BOTH Catalyst and NVidia control panel installed. So for the second card I guess I should have drivers only. That's just my guess.

Anyway, before I do anything, I was thinking that I would make this ATi card the primary card, because I have an RC flight simulator which I've noticed with previous gfx cards seems to always work better with ATi cards (it tends to have slight vertical sync issues with NVidia cards).

So I'll uninstall the NVidia stuff, install Catalyst + drivers, and then install the 8600GT as the secondary with minimal drivers only. NVidia CUDA from what I understand is pretty good for computing.

Cheers
 
beejjacobs said:
Seems worth a try. I don't think their drivers get a long well, but I'm not sure if thats drivers or the control panels!
Click to expand...
Yeah so I suppose that after changing the ATI HD 2600XT to being the main gfx card, I'll do some broad bench marking with it to get a baseline before putting the 8600GT in as a secondary.

Hopefully the cards and drivers can co-exist... taking into account that the 8600GT will be installed as minimally as possible.

Cheers
 
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