Using 2nd GPU for wow instances (Fixed)

[Lash]

Edit: Innerspace appears to be the best way to use a 2nd GPU. Create a new game profile and set the "Display selection" to the desired GPU. Then use ISBoxer and set the character(s) to use that WoW profile. Innerspace supports up to 4 GPUs, but I've only used two with it.

I've used keyclone in the past to run 2 instances of wow on the same video card. It lets me select which cpu core for the wow instance. I've added another ati 4870 with 1 gb of ram to the machine. I can't find a way to make wow run on the 2nd gpu for an wow instance. I do not have the cards linked with crossfire. I would like to run 3 accounts with 2 of them off of the 2nd gpu.

What am I missing? I'm open to using software other than keyclone if needed to pull this off.

System Specs
AMD Phenom 940
8 GB of ram
2x ATI 4870 with 1 GB of ram
Vista Ultimate 64bit

[Multibocks]

you know honestly this is one of those things I wondered about before. I have 2 amd cards running in crossfire (4870x2s) and sometimes I wonder if splitting them up and running each so that they are dedicated to one monitor would make WoW more smooth...but then I'm not sure it's even possible.

[MiRai]

From my own experiences and what others have posted around here using a second GPU to render WoW only hinders performance. The only real reason to use 2 [or more] GPUs in a single system is to run more monitors. If WoW isn't launched from the 'primary' video card then it's rendered by software and not your video card's hardware [correct me if I'm wrong]. Also with SLi or Crossfire WoW gets no advantage from it what-so-ever...it could even hurt performance.

[zanthor]

Innerspace can handle this for you with relative ease. You simply build a profile for the game to utilize the specific graphics card you want - PIP won't swap across cards well but if you have the monitor real estate you can set it up so you don't need PIP.

[Multibocks]

Wait, Zanthor are you saying that I could fully utilize my dual 4870x2s? I run a 30" monitor with 5 windows at bottom and main taking up top (autolayout feature). Is it possible to split the graphics load between both cards? I mean take one half of monitor for card one and the other for card two? Would this make WoW faster(specifically that f'in Dalaran)? I imagine at this point my dual raptors are the only bottleneck, but it doesnt hurt to try other things!

For reference Keyclone can run 5 clients in Dalaran with 30fps no sweat, IS has a harder time since its rendering all windows (so I'm told!)

[Frappuccino]

Innerspace can handle this for you with relative ease. You simply build a profile for the game to utilize the specific graphics card you want - PIP won't swap across cards well but if you have the monitor real estate you can set it up so you don't need PIP.

Did you manage to confirm if this works with innerspace?
I remember your post with this screenshot: http://dkpfiles.com/botbh/pics/tf2L13wquN5tjZZeK.jpg
But to be honest it just looks like it is a monitor selection - ie exactly the same thing as keyclone does, as opposed to choosing which GPU to launch the application on (fairly certain only windows has access to do this).

@OP, to get wow rendering on secondary GPU's you need to set a monitor connected to the secondary GPU to primary, launch the wow session, then change the primary monitor back to what it usually was. If issue occurs try changing ur start menu to be behind windows. Pretty crude basic work around - but I 5 box like this fine :) (pip doesn't work tho!). Do a search on my username and you'll see a post with more info I wrote a while back with a screeny.

[zanthor]

Unfortunately I wasn't able to test this as I'm running windows 7 RC 1 and it appears to have resolved the cross card issues...

http://dkpfiles.com/botbh/files/wow.jpg
See, I set it up and went to test, but forgot to change ISBoxer to use the 2nd profile I created in Innerspace.... so I was running 5 copies on two monitors and it's all smooth. 45fps in Dalaran with ~50% cpu (non prime time). (I hearthed after logging in and snapping this screenshot, I realize this isn't a picture of Dalaran ;).

[zanthor]

I'd love to hear another Windows 7 user confirm this...

[Frappuccino]

Unfortunately I wasn't able to test this as I'm running windows 7 RC 1 and it appears to have resolved the cross card issues...

http://dkpfiles.com/botbh/files/wow.jpg
See, I set it up and went to test, but forgot to change ISBoxer to use the 2nd profile I created in Innerspace.... so I was running 5 copies on two monitors and it's all smooth. 45fps in Dalaran with ~50% cpu (non prime time). (I hearthed after logging in and snapping this screenshot, I realize this isn't a picture of Dalaran ;).



So this is being run on 3 monitors over two GPU's, with no switching of primary monitors or innerspace or anything?!
If so I gotta get my Windows 7 ! :O

Edit: Oh wait you said 'on two monitors' But it looks like three? *confused*

[zanthor]

Three monitors, two video cards, no performance hit.

[Multibocks]

I take it this doesnt work if you are using one monitor with PIP?

[zanthor]

I take it this doesnt work if you are using one monitor with PIP?I'm not sure how a monitor could use two cards, does the monitor have a mode that just makes it appear as two monitors? If so then I'd guess this would work fine... I'd wager this is something specific to the massive resolution of the 30" monitors right?

[Multibocks]

eh I'll just get another monitor =)

[Ozbert]

Hmm, does this mean I can bung my older 8800GTX into my new system alongside my GTX285, run my two screens from separate graphics card and get pretty good framerates out of all five WoW clients?

I wonder if my 650W PSU can handle it...

[DLoweinc]

I believe (and could be totally wrong) that you have to have Vista or win 7 to do this properly as Xp cannot do "something" with two video cards, I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will chime in

[zanthor]

Vista didn't handle this for crap.

Windows 7 handled it.

[Frappuccino]

Are you able to open a single wow session, put it in a window, turn on FPS. Should be like 50 or what ever you usually have it on - and move it aroudn to each and every monitor?

In Vista when a single pixel moves into a monitor from the secondary GPU the frame rate drops to like 10 or so. Move it back to the primary GPU and frame rate recovers.

If you can move it around with no problems then it will tell us for sure if Windows 7 fixes the whole secondary GPU not-rendering thing.

[lordmythic]

I'm not sure if I'm adding anything to this discussion but I wanted to 3box (eventually 5 if I can) without using another pc or squeezing windows on my existing monitors. I have a spare 19" so I brought an nvidia 8400 512mg pci (only slot i had available) and popped it in. Win 7 RC 32 (I'll be installing 64) recognized the card after a reboot and I setup the 3rd monitor. I configured keyclone and ran 3 windows of wow from 3 different folders on different harddrives. I can move the 3rd window around all of the monitors without seeing fps hits but I usually run my slaves at 20fps anyway. withouth much further testing the only thing I noticed was that I couldn't run it full screen (monitor was 1280x1024) so the window was only running at 1024x800. My main vid card is an Nvidia 8800 running the main window at 1920 on a 28" monitor and my second slave on a 20" widescreen running 1024x800 full screen.

I only have 3gigs of ram but running 3 wow's I still had about a gig of ram free so not sure if that hampered my performace or not.

What should I do to test if the 2nd gpu is being used by Wow?

[Lash]

Setting a monitor to "primary" and then launching wow does indeed allow the usage of other GPUS. I have not found a program that will automate/help this process. It is simply too clunky imho.

I'm in the process of testing out innerspace and isboxer. Lots of more options and a learning curve to overcome.

[zanthor]

Setting a monitor to "primary" and then launching wow does indeed allow the usage of other GPUS. I have not found a program that will automate/help this process. It is simply too clunky imho.

I'm in the process of testing out innerspace and isboxer. Lots of more options and a learning curve to overcome.Are you using Windows 7RC1 or something older?

[Lash]

Are you using Windows 7RC1 or something older? I'm using Vista 64 bit.

[zanthor]

Are you using Windows 7RC1 or something older? I'm using Vista 64 bit.You should be able to use IS to designate which GPU to use then.

[Sajuuk]

Heh, I'm in the progress of getting two more monitors and a 8800 GTS 640MB to go along with my 9600GT 512MB and setting up two more monitors. (Since I got my quad monitor mount. I like it, but I had to saw a hole in the back of my desk to clamp the mount.

22" Samsung and 20" Acer coming my way, baby! 100 dollars each!