Dual Video Cards – Everything you need to know

Are you thinking about using dual video cards to get the most out of your gaming computer? It’s actually really easy to set up.

The two titans of the video card industry are ATI and Nvidia and they each offer their own solution to running dual or more video cards. Nvidia’s version is called SLI and ATI’s version is called crossfire.

I should note that most of what I’ve written on this page can be applied to dual video cards or more it is not necessarily limited to simply dual cards.

Dual Video Cards are Always Better, The Myth

Running dual video cards is becoming more and more popular in advanced gaming computers, however, it should be noted that it is always better to buy one expensive video card than buy two mediocre video cards. Where using dual video cards can make a big difference is when using two of the most advanced video cards. This can get really expensive but if you’re a hard-core gamer that must have the most advanced graphics right in front of their face then using dual video cards, or more, is a must.

Let’s look at an example: let’s say you have $300 to spend and you’re thinking about using dual video cards. It would be better to spend $300 on one video card than to spend $150 each on two different video cards. This is because one beefier video card will out perform two mediocre video cards.

So, obviously, if you’re on a budget then using dual video cards might be out of the question for you. However, if you’re one of the gamers that has to have the latest and greatest then using dual video cards is an option for you.

How to Setup Dual Video Cards

First, I should mention that you will need a motherboard that either supports SLI, Crossfire, or both. Most motherboards only support one or the other, but some do support both. Some motherboards don’t support either of these options, so if you plan on using dual video cards in a new computer build then make sure you read the motherboard’s documentation page that it supports SLI, Crossfire or both. It is absolutely critical that you make sure to match your motherboard and your video cards or you’ll end up with a big hassle which may throw you into a nerd rage. To find out what your motherboard supports consult its manual or Google it.

Also, to use dual video cards the video cards that you select must be exactly the same. I say again, they must be identical.

When installing Nvidia’s SLI cards you put the video cards in exactly the same way you would put one video card and use the SLI bridge connector and attach that to the back of each card which attaches them together. This allows them to run in SLI mode. It should be noted that some newer cards don’t require this bridge.

You’ll then have to install Nvidia’s SLI drivers that came with your motherboard. If you can’t find these just go to Nvidia’s site to search for the proper drivers. Nvidia’s site is easy to navigate so this should be no problem.

After installing the drivers the rest is pretty self-explanatory. There’ll be a message that will pop-up in the bottom right corner of your taskbar will need to click on and inside that you’ll have an option to enable SLI technology.

It is pretty much the same process for ATI’s Crossfire technology. In fact, the process is exactly the same. Just install the cards hope them together with the bridge, turn your computer on, install the drivers and reboot the system. Usually, Crossfire will enable itself automatically when the system reboots. If not, just go to ATI’s command center in your system tray and enable the Crossfire technology.

I’m going to mention this again because I think it’s important; you’ll get better system performance with one expensive video card than two cheaper cards. Many people just rushing to getting dual or more video cards because they think it will be such a huge boost to their gaming performance when that is often not the case. I simply want people to avoid that mistake.

Well, that should be it. Thanks for reading this and hopefully you’ve learned something about dual video cards (or more).