Running a GTX960 and GTX 980 in the same box

[mm2margaret]

Many have reported that running two graphics adapters of the same card works great (like two 970s or two 980s) and improves performance. But what about running two Maxwell cards that are not quite the same? Has anyone tried it? For instance a GTX960 and a GTX980. Does anyone think they will get improved performance (in a Mac, of course) this way?

One benefit would be the same drivers, right?

 

[Kazbah]

[SUP]I've have not done it but I as long as you are running both cards supported byt he same driver (which would be the case) I don't foresee any issue[/SUP]

 

[MStratford]

Well, I don't think you can SLI them unless they are the same type (two 960's or two 980's). They can be different brands and even be custom PCB, but they must be the same chip underneath. That's what I understand anyway.

Hope that helps,
Matthew

 

[jfarabee]

I'm currently running two different Kepler cards in my rig, and OS X is able to see them both just fine. Not all of my software utilizes both, however. I have a GT640 pushing 2 monitors, and a GTX680 for video rendering. DaVinci Resolve uses the 640 for the GUI and the 680 for rendering, but the Adobe suite only uses the 680 for ray-traced 3D. It uses the primary card for everything else. So, depending on the software you are using, you may get better performance with a single higher-end card. Also keep in mind that your motherboard may run two cards in x8, vs a single card at x16, which can affect performance in certain cases as well.

 

[mm2margaret]

Thanks to all who responded!

Not sure what I might do, but it's tempting to make sure my GTX980 is reserved for editing functions (rendering, etc), and the other card handles the basic functions (Word processing, web browsing, etc).