Two video cards increase computer processing power.
Using two video cards increases the video processing power of your computer for gaming and other video-intensive applications. The additional processing power will heat the inside of the computer and require adequate cooling. A replacement heatsink and cooling fan will reduce the temperature in your computer and optimize performance. For very intensive and extended computing, install a water-based or thermoelectric cooling system to keep down the temperature. Before buying dual video cards, make sure your motherboard will support the installation. A very large and well-ventilated case helps cool the system as well.
Instructions
1. Unplug your computer and remove the side panel. Touch metal to discharge static electricity. Remove your old video card from the motherboard and insert your dual video cards into two available PCI Express slots.
2. Switch the "Single/SLI Video Card" switch between the PCIe slots to "SLI." Some newer motherboards do not have this switch. Older motherboards without this switch may not be compatible with dual video cards.
3. Attach the video card bridge that came with your motherboard. Press it firmly down on the top of each video card.
4. Connect your motherboard's 4-pin PSU connector to the bridged video cards. Your installation manual refers to this connector as the "Easy Plug Molex."
5. Unplug the fan attached to your heatsink if you plan to replace the heatsink. Be extremely careful when releasing the latch or unscrewing the bolts holding your heatsink to your motherboard. If you don't feel comfortable working inside computers, let a technician make this replacement for you.
6. Scrape the dried heatsink compound off the processor gently with the edge of a credit card. Remove the tag from the contact area of the new heatsink and apply conductive compound to the area.
7. Press the new heatsink very gently onto the processor. Take your time fastening the clamp or tightening the bolts to prevent bending your motherboard or damaging your processor. Plug in the fan before closing your computer.
8. Turn on your computer and insert the install disk for the video cards. Follow the prompts to install the software and restart your computer. Enable multiple GPUs by clicking the message bubble in Windows or by navigating to "Settings" under "Display Properties" in the control panel.
Tags: video cards, your computer, your motherboard, dual video, dual video cards