Multiple video card question

[XOrionFE]

Would anyone know why when I run two video cards and configure all four monitors attached as extend desktop why guages that are moved to the secondary dvi output connected monitor on each basically do not refresh at all and are pretty much useless but the monitors on the primarys work great with various guages.

My setup is this:

8800 GT
Output 1 --> TripleHead2Go for Main desktop and used for visuals
Output 2 --> 15" monitor in the pedestal (typically used for FMC)

7900 GS
Output 1 --> 15" monitor in MIP
Output 2 --> 17" monitor in MIP

If I try to move a guage (specifically a G1000 display from Flight1 Mustang) to either monitors connected to DVI output 2 on either card, if will not function. Just looks frozen. The moment I swing up onto the main display (triplehead) or onto the 15" in the MIP it works great.

I know my computer will probably under perform anyway but wondering why they guage will completely freeze.

Hopefully a good question for some of you video card experts.

Thank you,
Scott

[BHawthorne]

Sounds like a driver issue. What forceware version are you running?

[XOrionFE]

hmmm, didnt think of that.

Forceware Version 175.9

Oh, and I was mistaken. Its an 8800 GS not GT


I am also running nHancer

[BHawthorne]

I'd try the latest Forceware on the nVidia site. The 8800GS is a good card. Very cost effective for a G92 GPU. I've got 3 of them in one system. I'm assuming it could have been caused by driver level mismatch between 7-series and 8-series GPUs in the same system. Worse case, you could replace the 7900GS with another $50 8800GS from ebay. I wouldn't do that unless it was a last resort though. Your current 2 cards should work ok together ok. I've ran a 6800U, 7800GTXKO and an 8800GTX 320 all on the same mobo without issue, so nvidia cards should be able to mix and match.

[XOrionFE]

I'd try the latest Forceware on the nVidia site. The 8800GS is a good card. Very cost effective for a G92 GPU. I've got 3 of them in one system. I'm assuming it could have been caused by driver level mismatch between 7-series and 8-series GPUs in the same system. Worse case, you could replace the 7900GS with another $50 8800GS from ebay. I wouldn't do that unless it was a last resort though. Your current 2 cards should work ok together ok. I've ran a 6800U, 7800GTXKO and an 8800GTX 320 all on the same mobo without issue, so nvidia cards should be able to mix and match.

Great advice. I will give it a shot again tonight then and update to latest Forceware. Its good to know that you have 3 in one system working also. Gives me some encouragment.

I appreciate the help. It would be great to get this working although I suspect once I do I will have to go out and get a quad core next (I only have a dual). We'll see.

It would be so nice to be able to get down to one computer and use some of these panels out there.

Thanks again
Scott

[BHawthorne]

Great advice. I will give it a shot again tonight then and update to latest Forceware. Its good to know that you have 3 in one system working also. Gives me some encouragment.

I appreciate the help. It would be great to get this working although I suspect once I do I will have to go out and get a quad core next (I only have a dual). We'll see.

It would be so nice to be able to get down to one computer and use some of these panels out there.

Thanks again
Scott

Some of the new motherboards out in the last year allow 4 and even 6 video cards now. For example, the Foxconn Destroyer is what I use for my main gaming motherboard. I use 4 GTX260's in it. ASUS has a new i7 motherboard out called the P6T6, which can run 6 single-slot video cards if you needed to. Very much overkill, but definitely cool to have the options available.

Here's my Foxconn Destroyer gaming machine:

[Michael Carter]

Wow, that's awesome.

I'll bet it keeps you warm in the winter too!

[BHawthorne]

Wow, that's awesome.

I'll bet it keeps you warm in the winter too!

hehe yep. The setup that put out the most heat was the 6 21" CRT setup I used last winter. I would have to crack the window open in the room because of the heat put off by the CRTs. I'm a bit of a computer hardware nut. I like doing things just to see if they can be done.

[Michael Carter]

Yeah, me too. I found out yesterday that my new 12" LCD isn't going to work for my engine stack because the monitor will not support the resolution that FS offers and there are no drivers available to re-orient this monitor to 600x800.

Oh well. I'll have to try something else.

[XOrionFE]

hehe yep. The setup that put out the most heat was the 6 21" CRT setup I used last winter. I would have to crack the window open in the room because of the heat put off by the CRTs. I'm a bit of a computer hardware nut. I like doing things just to see if they can be done.

Well I am glad you know your video cards because you solved my problem. Put on latest driver and worked like a champ. I just ran 6 monitors off my 1 computer no problem. I actually was running the Flight1 Mustang with G1000 PFD and center MFD on two monitors, TripleHead running my 3 22" outside view monitors, and pedestal monitor running the fmc keypad.

This while running FSX with a lot of settings past midway with UTX, GEX and FEX. Amazingly enough it flew just fine!! I cant believe it. I thought it would be just a frame by frame slow motion sim but it was still really fluid.

Maybe I have a oddball AMD X2 but it is really running well.

Anyway, thanks a million for saving my sanity.

Scott