GTX 580 + GT 640 for multi monitor setup?

[dalewb]

I am buying my brother's old 2 GTX 580 cards for $400 which I intended to drive 3 monitors. But as I began reading about them, I saw how power-hungry they are and that it would require me to buy a 1K-watt power supply. Now all the sudden this upgrade is getting more expensive.

I am a computer game developer and run both 3D apps and games on this PC.

I was considering some options:
1. Install 1 GTX 580 and 1 GT 640 in my workstation PC so I can do everything on it - work and gaming. Possible?
2. Get my other PC working, install GTX 580, and use it for dedicated gaming. Then install a GT 640 in my workstation PC to drive 3 monitors. Sell 2nd GTX 580 card. Buy 4th monitor.
3. Not buy the video cards and do something else.

I really just want to drive 3 monitors. What are my options? I would prefer to stick with nVidia and not have to upgrade my 750-watt power supply. It would be awesome if the card was good for professional apps AND could play games well. I hear the GTX 600 series has drastically dumbed-down the GPGPU side of things I need precision for 3D Studio Max, otherwise I have all sorts of problems.
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System Specifications:

I. Processor/CPU: AMD Phenom II 1100T
II. Current Graphics Card: GTX 470
III. Display Resolution: (1920x2)x1080

IV. Power Supply Unit Specification (Brand, Wattage, Ampage, Age). If possible, please provide a link to a website containing the power supply specifications:
Antec Earthwatts 750-watt, 1-yr old

V. Case Specifications(N/A, Model, Length, Low Profile, Cooling, HTPC, Water, Silent):
Rosewill Mid-tower, two fans on top, one fan in front panel

Purchase Details:

I. Budget? Please be sure to include currency (If not USD), retailer preferences & specify whether rebates are a viable option. $400

II. Any particular preferences (Manufacturer[nV or AMD], Brand[XFX, Sapphire, EVGA, etc], Cooling Solutions)? No brand pref - air cooling only

III. Do you plan to have any Multi-GPU solutions such as Crossfire or SLI?
Yes - see my notes

IV. Have you previously looked at a product(s) which you feel would fit your needs?
Yes, various places

V. What are your needs for this GPU? Which games(If any)do you intend to play? If you have this information at hand, what are the desired detail levels?
I play strategy games all the way up to modern FPS games, so my needs vary. I don't mind dumbing down details if I have to but prefer not to.

VI. Do you plan on overclocking the card you intend to purchase?
Negatory

 

[dalewb]

Hey guys - I know it looks like a long post, but my main question really is simple - can I run a Geforce GT640 and a GTX 580 in the same PC and have them work together? If I attempt such a thing, how does it work? Which card(s) do I plug the monitors into? Can I use the 580 to play modern games on? How would a program like Photoshop know which card to use for performance acceleration?

 

[Jimzz]

What 580 card is it? I think some will drive 3 monitors.

 

[dalewb]

I'm sorry but I don't know specifics beyond GTX 580. He offered to give them to me, but I insisted on paying some money in return since he's trying to pay off credit card debt.

 

[Jimzz]

Yea looks like most 580's will only drive 2 monitors. I thought they had caught up with AMD by the 500 series but I guess not.

But yea if you have 2 16x slots then you should be able to run more than 1 card.

 

[dalewb]

Yea looks like most 580's will only drive 2 monitors. I thought they had caught up with AMD by the 500 series but I guess not.

But yea if you have 2 16x slots then you should be able to run more than 1 card.

That's just not an option right now and seems really overkill for my needs - I can't justify that exorbitant cost of a new 1kW power supply just so I can drive a 3rd monitor. Plus I run the computer all day every day (I work from home). I just might go AMD and see what they have. Much simpler!

Thanks for providing the information! Cheers!

 

[Jimzz]

That's just not an option right now and seems really overkill for my needs - I can't justify that exorbitant cost of a new 1kW power supply just so I can drive a 3rd monitor. Plus I run the computer all day every day (I work from home). I just might go AMD and see what they have. Much simpler!

Thanks for providing the information! Cheers!

Yea you can run a 2nd card with lower power with a single 580 or get a single AMD card that supports eyefinity and has the ports you need.

But might be able toe sell the 580's in pair so I would see what you could get for them and go from there. If not enough then keep 1 580 and get a 2nd cheaper card.