Dual monitor setup without extending display?

[berderder]

Hi all,

 

This might be a dumb question or one whose answer is right in front of me. But I want to use my old video card to run a monitor from my pc to a smaller display that would sit on the end table next to my couch, with my newer nicer card driving my games on the big TV across the room.  I would have strategy guides/forums/etc open on that smaller display I could pull up if I needed to look something up for the game.

 

So the TV using my newer nicer video card, the smaller display utilizing my older card. I don't like the idea of extending the display between these two. Although to be fair I've never done dual gpu/dual monitor so I don't know if that works quite the same.

 

Ideally I'd just have like a hotkey on my mouse that switches the output of my mouse and keyboard to the other display. If they make a switch type peripheral for this? Because that would feel most seamless to me

 

Of course the other idea is just plugging in my chromebook to the smaller display, but I'd like to just utilize the one keyboard and mouse.

 

Running both displays off the newer card I think would put too much load on it. It's a big 4k tv and then the smaller 22 inch high-ish refresh rate monitor

 

Is extending displays in a dual gpu/dual monitor situation seamless and low workload?

[HanZie82]

Your GPU can easily handle it. Heck it can handle 5 monitors.
Putting an extra graphics card in there will just increase the load a little and create more heat.
And then we no even talking about driver conflicts.
The main GPU will still do the calculations to get picture on your screen anyway, the 2nd will just be there for monitor output.
 

 

[berderder]

4 hours ago, HanZie82 said:

Your GPU can easily handle it. Heck it can handle 5 monitors.
Putting an extra graphics card in there will just increase the load a little and create more heat.
And then we no even talking about driver conflicts.
The main GPU will still do the calculations to get picture on your screen anyway, the 2nd will just be there for monitor output.
 

 

 

Oh I see. I guess I was just thinking that since I still have to run some games at medium settings that adding that 2nd monitor would really slow it down. I didn't realize that a 2nd card could have the opposite effect of increased load like that, I thought it would divert some of the load