Spare GPU usage question

[red454]

I am using an XFX GTX260BE card currently, but I have a spare GTS250 that is not being used (just sitting in the box). Can I plug it into an open slot on my motherboard and use it for additional folding (GPU) capacity?

[xeromist]

Yup. The current Nvidia drivers have no problem with you running different models of card in the same machine for things like folding.

[red454]

Ok - got the GTS250 up and running / configured. Another question - Will SLI work with two different GPU's (GTX260 / GTS250) and if so, is there any advantage in doing so?

[xeromist]

SLI does work with different cards but I'm not sure the exact limit on how different they can be. Easiest way is if you go to the Nvidia control panel you will either have an SLI option or not. :) SLI bridge is not required.

[red454]

Looks like the GPU's have to be the same, but they can be from different manufacturers. And ideally, they should have the same amount of memory. But what I have seems to work for folding.

[Grandpa]

Some people have even managed to get ATI and Nvidia cards folding on the same rig at the same time with v7

[Sputnikmk2]

@Grandpa
Yea had that pairing going at one stage, added my old 5670 alongside my matrix
However it ended up slowing down both the SMP and the matrix so i stopped

[red454]

Can the GPU on the CPU die (2600K) be used?

[Grandpa]

No there is no support for it at this time though there may be in the future.

[Tech_Rat]

Nvidia did implement a timebomb in their drivers that make running an ATI and Nvidia card near impossible. I know others have been racing Nvidia with fixes on a regular basis.

[Sputnikmk2]

I had the 5670 in there so i could run the second monitor with it, so that the Matrix could go into the idle clock mode.
Found that Physx on the Matrix got disabled with the ATI card in and put Physx to the CPU, so some games suffered a bit because of this.