Nvidia GeForce card and a Quadro or an ATI FirePro card in the same machine?

[jZildjianZj]

Hi!

My system has a EVGA Nvidia GeForce 580GTX 3Gb card in it. I use this system for both games and CAD work. The CAD programs I use; AutoCAD, Inventor, Navisworks, etc..... The CAD programs do not run all that great with with the GeForce card. They do okay, but not as well as the appropriate card would. I knew this when I configured this system.

I want to know, could I add an Nvidia Quadro or an ATI FirePro card to the system so that when I do work with the CAD programs, I can switch the video card to the one meant for CAD?

Yes, I know, I cannot run SLI with the Quadro card also inserted.

Thanks a bunch for any and all who answer this post; probably Shane will do it first.

Best regards,
Mike
=)

[Shane]

CAD must be using the GPU that is on the video cards.

If the CAD program gives you an option of which to use then you can have both going at the same time, no different than doing dual monitor with multiple cards.

I normally do it with one card. But if you have a 2nd monitor hooked to the 2nd card then anything running on that screen would be drawn by that card.

Shane

[jZildjianZj]

Really?

I have never had two cards before. I do have two monitors though. So you are sayig that if I had two cards, one can be dedicated to one monitor, while the other goes to the other monitor!

Very interested, and very cool!

I read that correctly, right?


Thanks Shane!!!

Mike

[Shane]

I use dual monitors. I can drag a window from one screen to another. So I keep email, notes, chat and monitors on one screen and do my work on another.

You can do this with 1 card that has multiple monitor connections or with 2 video cards.

Shane