Multiple graphics cards used to be sighted back in the day but there's not much use for them with regards to gaming. Home lab is a completely different matter with some setups allowing for truly wonderful experiences. Ever wanted to host 10 virtual gaming PCs from a single system? You can do that and much more with some networking and virtual know-how. Here are a few ways a multi-GPU setup may make sense for home lab use.
3 Improved workflow with more bandwidth
Close
Two is better than one, especially when working with heavier workflows. Should you be rendering more than one file at a time, a second GPU that can handle a separate load could half the total time required to complete the project. Throw in more media and you'll smash through them with little effort. Doing so requires some setup with the two GPUs and your favorite media editing software, but it's certainly possible via virtual machines to separate the two GPUs and utilize their resources accordingly. Doing so will also open up new avenues for increased productivity.
Multi-GPU configurations don't make sense for gaming anymore. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 is overkill for most PC builds, but there are some excellent applications in the home lab where having additional graphics cards can work some magic.
Related
These 10 tips help me stay productive instead of doom-scrolling
It's way too easy to fall into the trap of scrolling your day away. Here's how I stay productive despite all the distractions.
Posts
2 Dabble in some machine learning and AI
Close
It's no secret that artificial intelligence and machine learning require some hefty processing power and electricity. So long as you don't mind heightened supply bills, a second GPU can help handle the largest of loads working with AI. While leading tech companies like Microsoft and Apple continue working on making AI useful in everyday applications, we've covered a few ways that AI can make a difference in your productivity. Whether you're analyzing data, crunching some numbers, or planning to create SkyNet, more processing power could never hurt your home lab deployments.
1 Multiple gaming virtual machines
Did you know you could fire up some gaming PCs with just one system? Have multiple GPUs available and you can allocate resources to various virtual machines, creating some truly powerful virtual PCs. If you're planning a LAN party and wish to have everything run off a single system, using multiple GPUs could be the way to go to better make use of available processor performance. You will require some beefy hardware for this, especially when planning to launch more demanding games.
Related
4 reasons why Proxmox is great for virtualizing your entire home lab
If you're not fond of buying multiple devices for your home lab projects, it might be a good idea to virtualize everything with Proxmox
Posts 2
Multi-GPU systems are niche but worth it in some cases
You probably don't need to use more than one GPU, but it's good to know there are applications out there that can leverage the available performance by having multiple graphics cards available. So long as your CPU and motherboard can handle the additional bandwidth required, you can achieve some truly whacky results. It's also a great way to use older GPUs you may have lying around collecting dust.