Graphic card

Could anyone recommend a good graphic card that could run 3 to 4 monitors independently… it’s purely for a PC running Cubase 10.5 and Dorico it’s not for gaming etc…
I would prefer it to run 4 as I like Cubase over 2 screens, Mixing desk on another and Dorico on the 4th.

Thanks I.a.

I’m using a GeForce GTX970 to run 4 monitors. Works fine. Got it awhile back so there’s probably a newer version/model.

GTX980Ti here running 4 monitors perfectly.

And a 5th monitor on the mobo monitor connection. :slight_smile:

Dont buy Geforce cards, they are known to have way worse latency than AMD cards (discussed on various forums). I bought a RX 570 recently.

I would get a new nVidia card, AMD have horrible drivers right now.
Lots of reports of blue screens and crashes. I haven’t seen any resent DPC measurements showing that nVidia still should be worse than AMD. In my own experience using nVidia cards the last decade is that they are perfectly fine for DAW use.

Would something like this be ok?
Nvidia Quadro NVS 510 2GB Quad Mini DisplayPort DP PCIe Graphics Video Card

No, looking at the specs the maximum output resolution is 3840x2160 (=4k) which equals 4 Full HD (1080p) monitors.
So this is not future proof, and maybe not even sufficient now since you didn’t mention what monitors at what resolutions you’re running.
You should look for something more recent with an output resolution of at least 7680x4320 (=8k), or equals 4 4k monitors, but then again it depends on what monitors you’re running or want to run.

Radeon RX 570, 580 or 590. They are silent as long as you are not gaming (fans not spinning). Personally I have had issues with Nvidia drivers. Nvidia npw have something called “studio” drivers but it is not working on all Nvidia cards (not my current one).

I will get Radeon next year for usage with a Super Ultrawide screen and might have to get 5700 XT because of the very high resolution.

Never heard of Radeon issues with DAW usage, but if it is common problems I would like to read about it.

Hi, I’m just running 4 computer monitors, 2 Acer, one Sony and one Dell…they are all quite old but work ok two have HDMI connections and two have the older style - as I’m sure you have worked out, I am not overly familiar with computers…

So technically the NVS-510 will do with your current monitors, but I will still suggest getting something more modern.
PCIe gen2 seems a bit outdated as well.

If I was in your position I would personally go for either
the MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER GAMING X (1x hdmi \ 3x displayport) or,
the Asus ROG STRIX GTX1650 O4G GAMING (2x hdmi \ 2x displayport). (I haven’t searched extensively for models tho)

If you prefer AMD check out MSI Radeon RX 580 ARMOR 8G OC which even still has a dvi connector, 2x hdmi and 2x displayport.

These are all around €200 and I know you’re not into gaming, but with a high pixelcount of 4 monitors I would go for at least a midrange gaming card.
These type of videocards do require an extra power connector from the powersupply, an 8- or a 6-pin so you should check that in your system.

I would strongly suggest to stay away from nvidia cards and go for AMD instead. I use a FirePro 5100W and ever since migrating to it, DPC latency has greatly improved. On the downside, this particular cards features 3 DP ports and 1 HDMI, not sure your screens are all the same size and resolution.

As a rule of thumb you want to stay away from high performance GPU as they require higher process prioritization, which in turn takes its hit on other processes like ASIO performance. Cubase does not benefit from massive GPU performance hence nothing to gain there.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the advice…

+1 on AMD Radeon GPU’s. I recently built a new workstation with a Radeon RX 590, its running without issue’s so far. My old workstation had a AMD Radeon R9 270 series which I never had issues with. As mentioned in some of the replies here you really do not need a ultra-high performance GPU, just something with enough connections to work with your needs. With that said, 4 monitors will make your GPU draw more power so make sure you have a good Power Supply with enough spare power for headroom (800 or 1000 watts depending on what else is power hungry in your system). Most of the newer GPU’s have multi monitor support, so you should have a lot to choose from. In regards to brands, I am partial to Asus simply because every Asus product I’ve ever owned has been rock solid (Motherboards, GPU’s etc…).

I am curious as to why you would need 4 monitors (not a knock, just curious). There was a time where I tried 4, then changed to 3 monitors, but ultimately settled in with 2 - 27" monitors and use Cubase global workspaces to switch between session views (Audio recording/editing based, VSTi/Midi editing, Mix Console/FX plugin based). I would love to get rid of the of the bezel line between the two monitors, but can’t justify the cost of those new 49" curved ultrawides.

+1 Exactly i have built many Audio Machines the Readon Sapphire cards 570/580/590 are one of the best lower DPC then NV, they have zero 0 fan mode in Windows and Cubase.

No recommendations on cards because I’m in the same boat, looking to build a new system and need a graphics card.

Personally I’m looking for a silent graphics card. I’m still checking out my options but the possible problem with high-end cards even though their fans may not be running is that they are perhaps still generating excess heat which in turn may end up having case fans working harder adding noise.
This all may be a problem that’s not a problem but it’s something I’m trying to figure out at the moment.

I am trying to get a 5700 XT working here with Cubase but it won’t really work. Even if I just only install the drivers (and not the other amd bells and whistles) I get horrible click and pops in Cubase when I record stuff (either midi or audio)

Back to using an old passive amd 460 card, which worked just fine.

Ouch, it seems fine for me, did you try uninstalling the Radeon drivers and use Windows default drivers just for testing?
DPC Latency Checker by thesyscon behaves weird in Win10 though. But totally fine in Cubase…

Edit: I just saw that DPC Latency Checker shows the wrong values in Win8+.
“Windows 8 Compatibility: The DPC latency utility runs on Windows 8 but does not show correct values. The output suggests that the Windows 8 kernel performs badly and introduces a constant latency of one millisecond, which is not the case in practice. DPCs in the Windows 8 kernel behave identical to Windows 7. The utility produces incorrect results because the implementation of kernel timers has changed in Windows 8, which causes a side effect with the measuring algorithm used by the utility. Thesycon is working on a new version of the DPC latency utility and will make it available on this site as soon as it is finished.”

I guess LatencyMon from resplendence.com is better to use. It shows my system is OK.

Multi-Monitor: Dont forget Matrox as a serious option. Not for gaming- but excellent multi-monitor-support.
C420 - for example.

Dont let you fool into the 8K nonsense - industry is pushing us into re-investments that dont really bring relevant advantages. We are far from workable universal solutions here. Too early to step in and replace all your screens.

Looked that card up. Seems to be 1 HDMI out and I cant identify the other connectors. What are the connections? Does that card make any noise?

Out of interest how do you ergonomically manage 4 monitors with audio monitors etc. I work with two between my monitors.

Yeah, I did that and then no more clicks and pops…