Second graphic card for workstation

[Yvienne]

Hello,

My PC turns two years old this winter, and I would like to upgrade the graphic card.

Currently, it has the PNY QUADRO K2200. I have an idea, which I would like to hear your advice of:

I would like to add a second graphic card. I read that they must be the same? I checked this feature out
in my account menu (upgrade computer) but I found out my current GC isn't in the list:
.


I read often it's impossible to have two different graphic cards work at the same time, so i'm kinda lost what
is smart? Search another K2200 for myself, select an equal card to the K2200 as second card, or buy an new card entirely.
I also know it kinda depends on the motherboard, so I put the specs (that I quess is important) also here.


Thanks,

- Alicia

Specs:

Processor (CPU) Intel® Xeon® Quad Core E3-1231V3 (3.4 GHz, 5.00 GT/s)
Motherboard ASUS® Z97 WS - ATX, USB 3.0, SATA 6 GB/s
Memory (RAM) 32GB HyperX FURY DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card PNY QUADRO K2200 - 4GB GDDR5, 640 CUDA Cores - 2 x DP, 1 x DVI

 

[Oussebon]

My PC turns two years old this winter, and I would like to upgrade the graphic card.

Picturing it sat there with a little hat and a slice of cake

What do you use it for / what software do you run?

Not everything benefits from 2 GPUs. And for many professional uses, a consumer Geforce card can be a lot better than a Quadro. So it could be that buying a new single geforce card is better than adding a 2nd quadro.

What's your full spec? You put some details above but as it would be useful to see things like the case, PSU, and any add in cards, probably easiest to see the whole spec.

And what's your budget for the new GPU?

 

[Yvienne]

Here are most of the specs:

Case SHARKOON BD28 GAMING CASE (Green LED)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Xeon® Quad Core E3-1231V3 (3.4 GHz, 5.00 GT/s)
Motherboard ASUS® Z97 WS - ATX, USB 3.0, SATA 6 GB/s
Memory (RAM) 32GB HyperX FURY DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card PNY QUADRO K2200 - 4GB GDDR5, 640 CUDA Cores - 2 x DP, 1 x DVI
1st Hard Disk 480GB HyperX SAVAGE SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk 2TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 64MB CACHE
Memory Card Reader: INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Sound Card ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
USB Options MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence


I use the pc for graphic design projects with quite a lot of Adobe programmes (such as photoshop, indesign, illustrator etc.)
Meanwhile I figured this pc could also have some games, but that's more on a sidenote as I design for my study and hopefully
after I graduate too.

I'm not that precise with my budget, maybe between 500-600, somewhere there. Above 600 is also still alright though.

Did I give enough information or did I miss something? Thank you for your reply

 

[Oussebon]

That's helpful. It would be good to know what the PSU (power supply) is as well, as that could affect GPU options.

Unless you need 10-bit colour, you're probably better off getting a geforce card, as they tend to offer far higher performance per £ than quadros for those programs. Something like a GTX 1070 or GTX 1080. Subject to your PSU.

Those should fit in your case, though you may need to remove the middle HDD cage if it's a very long model (helpfully the Sharkoon site only quotes the max GPU length with the HDD cage removed, not with it still in place... https://www.sharkoon.com/product/1678/BD28#specs ).

Those programs can also rely quite a lot on the CPU's performance too, so something like an i7 7700k with an overclock would likely increase performance a lot. However, that would require a new motherboard and new RAM as well, which makes it an expensive upgrade. But the point is, I'd suggest you make sure it's the GPU that's holding your performance back before shelling out £450+ for a GTX 1080.

Since you mention gaming, a 1070 or 1080 are orders of magnitude better for that than your current quadro.