{"id":24269,"date":"2023-10-24T15:17:42","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T13:17:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/g100.us\/?p=24269"},"modified":"2023-10-24T15:17:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T13:17:47","slug":"does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/","title":{"rendered":"Does My Motherboard Support Dual GPU? How To Check"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Ever wondered, \u2018Does my motherboard support dual GPU\u2019?<\/strong> If so, you\u2019ve come to the right article.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll be teaching you what you need to know about dual GPU technology and detecting its presence on your motherboard today, so let\u2019s not waste any time diving right in!<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_39 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66844685673e9\" class=\"cssicon\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66844685673e9\" class=\"cssiconcheckbox\">1<\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66844685673e9\" checked><nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 \"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/#A_Brief_on_Dual_GPU_Technology\" title=\"A Brief on Dual GPU Technology\">A Brief on Dual GPU Technology<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/#Does_My_Motherboard_Support_Dual_GPU_Two_GPUs_How_To_Check\" title=\"Does My Motherboard Support Dual GPU (Two GPUs)? How To Check\">Does My Motherboard Support Dual GPU (Two GPUs)? How To Check<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/#Verify_PCI_Express_x16_Slots_full-length_On_Your_Motherboard\" title=\"Verify PCI Express x16 Slots (full-length) On Your Motherboard\">Verify PCI Express x16 Slots (full-length) On Your Motherboard<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/#Verify_Motherboard_Model\" title=\"Verify Motherboard Model\">Verify Motherboard Model<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/#Check_PCI_Express_Lanes_Supported\" title=\"Check PCI Express Lanes Supported\">Check PCI Express Lanes Supported<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/#Summary\" title=\"Summary\">Summary<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/#FAQ\" title=\"FAQ\">FAQ<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/#Can_Intel_GPUs_Be_Run_In_Dual_GPU\" title=\"Can Intel GPUs Be Run In Dual GPU?\">Can Intel GPUs Be Run In Dual GPU?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/#How_Many_GPUs_Can_You_Use_Without_Bottlenecking\" title=\"How Many GPUs Can You Use Without Bottlenecking?\">How Many GPUs Can You Use Without Bottlenecking?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/#Can_You_Run_GPUs_From_Different_Brands_In_The_Same_PC\" title=\"Can You Run GPUs From Different Brands In The Same PC?\">Can You Run GPUs From Different Brands In The Same PC?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/#What_Kind_of_GPUs_Are_Best_For_A_Dual_GPU_Setup\" title=\"What Kind of GPUs Are Best For A Dual GPU Setup?\">What Kind of GPUs Are Best For A Dual GPU Setup?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/#Does_NVLink_Require_an_SLI_Motherboard\" title=\"Does NVLink Require an SLI Motherboard?\">Does NVLink Require an SLI Motherboard?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/does-motherboard-support-dual-gpu\/#Over_to_You\" title=\"Over to You\">Over to You<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Brief_on_Dual_GPU_Technology\"><\/span>A Brief on Dual GPU Technology<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>So, dual GPU technology is mostly exactly what it sounds like. It\u2019s more like \u201cMulti-GPU technology\u201d,<\/strong> since it isn\u2019t limited to just <em>two<\/em> GPUs, but the support for it is going to be dependent on your specific motherboard.<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t help that the two biggest GPU vendors (AMD and Nvidia) have different technologies for handling multi-GPU support, which usually aren\u2019t supported on the same motherboard at once.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here are the multi-GPU technologies you\u2019ll be looking for:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>AMD CrossFire<\/strong> \u2014 AMD\u2019s tech for supporting multiple GPUs in the same PC, with or without interconnected displays.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nvidia SLI<\/strong> \u2014 Nvidia\u2019s tech for supporting multiple GPUs at once, with or without interconnected displays.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nvidia NVLink<\/strong> \u2014 Nvidia\u2019s updated multi-GPU technology, adding a physical NVLink bridge and a performance improvement compared to standard SLI. Needs motherboard support like the other two, though.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_24276\" style=\"width: 2048px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24276\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24276\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/AMD-and-Nvidia-multi-gpu-technology.jpg\" alt=\"AMD and Nvidia multi gpu technology\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/AMD-and-Nvidia-multi-gpu-technology.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/AMD-and-Nvidia-multi-gpu-technology-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/AMD-and-Nvidia-multi-gpu-technology-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/AMD-and-Nvidia-multi-gpu-technology-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/AMD-and-Nvidia-multi-gpu-technology-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24276\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24276 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"AMD and Nvidia multi gpu technology\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/AMD-and-Nvidia-multi-gpu-technology.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/AMD-and-Nvidia-multi-gpu-technology-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/AMD-and-Nvidia-multi-gpu-technology-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/AMD-and-Nvidia-multi-gpu-technology-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/AMD-and-Nvidia-multi-gpu-technology-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/AMD-and-Nvidia-multi-gpu-technology.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-24276\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcguide.com\/tips\/nvidia-sli-vs-amd-crossfire\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PC Guide<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Of course, specific workloads, like <em>rendering<\/em> in most GPU render engines, don't require you to connect two or more GPUs <em>physically<\/em>. Even though e.g. NVLINK allows for Memory \/ VRAM sharing across GPUs, this isn't strictly necessary, especially when you're working on simpler scenes that easily fit into each GPU's own VRAM pool.<\/p>\n<p>So, Dual-GPU can refer to both, linking two or more GPUs physically, but can also mean you just want to use two GPUs inside one PC.<\/p>\n<p>Let's cover both below:<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_My_Motherboard_Support_Dual_GPU_Two_GPUs_How_To_Check\"><\/span>Does My Motherboard Support Dual GPU (Two GPUs)? How To Check<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Verify_PCI_Express_x16_Slots_full-length_On_Your_Motherboard\"><\/span>Verify PCI Express x16 Slots (full-length) On Your Motherboard<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23722\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Motherboard-form-factors.jpg\" alt=\"Motherboard form factors\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Motherboard-form-factors.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Motherboard-form-factors-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Motherboard-form-factors-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Motherboard-form-factors-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Motherboard-form-factors-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23722 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Motherboard form factors\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Motherboard-form-factors.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Motherboard-form-factors-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Motherboard-form-factors-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Motherboard-form-factors-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Motherboard-form-factors-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Motherboard-form-factors.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>Depending on your motherboard form factor, you will have a different number of PCI Express slots.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some boards may use PCIe slots as a place for M.2\/NVMe drive mounts instead, which can give a multi-GPU setup more room to breathe as long as your bridges (if required) account for the increased distance between cards.<\/p>\n<p>Mini ITX simply won\u2019t support multi-GPU at all, while Micro ATX becomes physically capable of supporting 2 GPUs, and ATX\/onward can potentially use 3.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Unfortunately, the existence of the PCIe x16 slots doesn\u2019t guarantee the presence of the Lanes or the motherboard feature required for multi-GPU support<\/strong>: the next step requires closer inspection.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Verify_Motherboard_Model\"><\/span>Verify Motherboard Model<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>As it turns out, multi-GPU support is a motherboard-specific thing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019ll have to find your motherboard\u2019s model number and look up its specifications to determine what multi-GPU technology, if any, it supports<\/strong>. This information may also be available as a sticker on the box or bullet point on the original product page.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve even seen \u201cSLI Enabled\u201d and \u201cCrossFire Ready\u201d text in plain sight on some motherboards\u2019 actual PCBs.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_PCI_Express_Lanes_Supported\"><\/span>Check PCI Express Lanes Supported<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24277\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Pro-vs-chipset-allocated-lanes.jpg\" alt=\"Pro vs chipset allocated lanes\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Pro-vs-chipset-allocated-lanes.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Pro-vs-chipset-allocated-lanes-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Pro-vs-chipset-allocated-lanes-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Pro-vs-chipset-allocated-lanes-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Pro-vs-chipset-allocated-lanes-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24277 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Pro vs chipset allocated lanes\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Pro-vs-chipset-allocated-lanes.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Pro-vs-chipset-allocated-lanes-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Pro-vs-chipset-allocated-lanes-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Pro-vs-chipset-allocated-lanes-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Pro-vs-chipset-allocated-lanes-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Pro-vs-chipset-allocated-lanes.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>Once you\u2019ve confirmed whether your motherboard supports SLI\/NVLink\/CrossFire or not, you\u2019ll still want to double-check its <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/guide-to-pcie-lanes\/\"><strong>PCI Express Lanes<\/strong><\/a><strong> spec.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your maximum supported PCIe lanes will also add a limit to your performance with multiple GPUs or potentially even multiple NVMe storage drives. Multi-GPU setups further emphasize the importance of a high-end motherboard due to demands like this.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary\"><\/span>Summary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Here's how to check if you can run dual GPU with your motherboard:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Check the number of PCIe x16 slots on your motherboard (either visually, from product images or from the manual \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-does-pc-specs-mean\/\">specs<\/a> page)<\/li>\n<li>Check your motherboard specs to see if it allocates <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/how-to-check-pcie-slot-version-gen\/\">sufficient PCIe-Lanes to each of those PCIe x16 slots<\/a> or if, e.g., storage devices, &#8220;steal&#8221; lanes from PCIe slots<\/li>\n<li>If you want to use <em>physical<\/em> GPU connections such as NVLINK or SLI, your GPUs need to support this, as well as your workloads<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_Intel_GPUs_Be_Run_In_Dual_GPU\"><\/span>Can Intel GPUs Be Run In Dual GPU?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Yes<\/strong>, t<em>hough<\/em> there are no dedicated technologies like SLI or CrossFire that are going to make them cooperate.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You will only be able to use a multi Intel GPU setup for distributed workloads like video rendering<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Gaming with both of your Intel GPUs at once is not currently possible.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_24273\" style=\"width: 659px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24273\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24273\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/intel-deep-link.png\" alt=\"Intel Deep Link\" width=\"659\" height=\"344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/intel-deep-link.png 659w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/intel-deep-link-300x157.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 659px) 100vw, 659px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24273\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24273 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20659%20344%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Intel Deep Link\" width=\"659\" height=\"344\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20659%20344%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 659w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 659px) 100vw, 659px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/intel-deep-link.png 659w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/intel-deep-link-300x157.png 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/intel-deep-link.png\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-24273\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: Intel Deep Link Graphic<\/p><\/div>\n<p>There is also Intel <strong>Deep Link<\/strong>, which involves an Intel iGPU on an Intel CPU being synchronized with your discrete Intel GPU. It only works in select rendering and editing applications, but it <em>can<\/em> improve performance if it is supported.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Many_GPUs_Can_You_Use_Without_Bottlenecking\"><\/span>How Many GPUs Can You Use Without Bottlenecking?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>As we\u2019ve established in this article, dual-GPU isn\u2019t necessarily the limit as long as your motherboard supports multi-GPU technology to begin with.<\/p>\n<p>However, i<strong>t\u2019s important to note that multi-GPU isn\u2019t particularly well-supported by most applications or games.<\/strong> When it is, you generally <em>shouldn\u2019t<\/em> expect an increasing 2x, 3x scale in performance with your GPU count, but a few particularly well-optimized titles can come close.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23258\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/07\/Reasons-for-Multi-GPU-Bottleneck.jpg\" alt=\"Reasons for Multi-GPU Bottleneck\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/07\/Reasons-for-Multi-GPU-Bottleneck.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/07\/Reasons-for-Multi-GPU-Bottleneck-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/07\/Reasons-for-Multi-GPU-Bottleneck-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/07\/Reasons-for-Multi-GPU-Bottleneck-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/07\/Reasons-for-Multi-GPU-Bottleneck-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23258 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Reasons for Multi-GPU Bottleneck\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/07\/Reasons-for-Multi-GPU-Bottleneck.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/07\/Reasons-for-Multi-GPU-Bottleneck-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/07\/Reasons-for-Multi-GPU-Bottleneck-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/07\/Reasons-for-Multi-GPU-Bottleneck-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/07\/Reasons-for-Multi-GPU-Bottleneck-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/07\/Reasons-for-Multi-GPU-Bottleneck.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>Anyway, for tasks that <em>can<\/em> utilize multi-GPU, <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/how-many-gpus-can-you-use-pc\/#How_Many_GPUs_Can_You_Use_Without_Bottlenecking_Them\"><strong>the answer is mostly going to depend on your motherboard<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_You_Run_GPUs_From_Different_Brands_In_The_Same_PC\"><\/span>Can You Run GPUs From Different Brands In The Same PC?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Separate from motherboard support, you actually <em>can<\/em> run an <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/run-two-different-gpus-in-one-pc\/#Can_You_Run_AMD_and_NVIDIA_GPUs_on_the_Same_System\"><strong>AMD and Nvidia GPU in the same PC<\/strong><\/a>, though your uses for them will be even more limited than a regular dual-GPU setup.<\/p>\n<p>The cards won\u2019t work together in what few games support multi-GPU, rendering engines won\u2019t run<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Kind_of_GPUs_Are_Best_For_A_Dual_GPU_Setup\"><\/span>What Kind of GPUs Are Best For A Dual GPU Setup?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24278\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Types-of-GPU-Coolers.jpg\" alt=\"Types of GPU Coolers\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Types-of-GPU-Coolers.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Types-of-GPU-Coolers-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Types-of-GPU-Coolers-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Types-of-GPU-Coolers-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Types-of-GPU-Coolers-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24278 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Types of GPU Coolers\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Types-of-GPU-Coolers.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Types-of-GPU-Coolers-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Types-of-GPU-Coolers-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Types-of-GPU-Coolers-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Types-of-GPU-Coolers-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/10\/Types-of-GPU-Coolers.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>Whenever you\u2019re doing a dual-GPU setup, you may actually be better-served by <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/open-air-vs-blower-style-gpus\/\"><strong>\u201cblower-style\u201d GPUs than \u201copen-air\u201d GPUs<\/strong><\/a><strong>. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Blower-style<\/em> GPUs refer to GPUs with a blower-style cooler that primarily exhausts air directly outside of the case. Most of the card is completely covered by the cooler, and there is usually only one blower fan sucking air in.<\/p>\n<p><em>Open-air<\/em> GPUs are the more standard kind of GPU cooler. They work similarly to CPU coolers since they use a combination of heatsinks and one or more fans pulling air from the rest of the case.<\/p>\n<p>More heat tends to escape from an open-air GPU into the rest of the case than with a blower-style GPU.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_NVLink_Require_an_SLI_Motherboard\"><\/span>Does NVLink Require an SLI Motherboard?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Yes.<\/strong> <strong>While NVLink works using physical bridges, enabling it functions the same in-software (Nvidia Control Panel) as enabling SLI.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s even referred to as SLI in driver software, still!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Over_to_You\"><\/span>Over to You<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>And that\u2019s all, for now!<\/p>\n<p><strong>I hope this article helped clarify how to determine dual GPU support for your PC<\/strong>. I just wish there were more sweeping answers to give, like every AMD motherboard supporting CrossFire or something (not necessarily the case!).<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s always best to pick your motherboard carefully <em>before<\/em> doing a multi-GPU setup if possible, and to verify your existing board and GPU combination for compatibility before attempting an upgrade <em>to<\/em> multi-GPU.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Any other questions about dual GPU setups or PC hardware? Feel free to shoot them in the <a href=\"#comments\">comments<\/a> below\u2014 me or another Team member will get to it ASAP. You should also consider our <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/forum\/\">Forum<\/a> for longer-form tech and project discussions with other Enthusiasts and Experts. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Until then or until next time, have a good one\u2014 and happy building\/upgrading!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever wondered, \u2018Does my motherboard support dual GPU\u2019? If so, you\u2019ve come to the right article. I\u2019ll be teaching you what you need to know about dual GPU technology and detecting its presence on your motherboard today, so let\u2019s not waste any time diving right in! A Brief on Dual GPU Technology So, dual GPU...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2339,"featured_media":24270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[74],"tags":[313,119],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24269"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2339"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24269"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24388,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24269\/revisions\/24388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}