The other side of the issue with running two graphics cards is obvious, but rarely gets the attention it should. As a gamer, the viability of your entire PC setup would be subject to the whims of a title's developers. However, SLI and Crossfire don't always work exactly as they should, and even if the system is fine, certain software can malfunction or flat-out be incompatible with them. These technologies are necessary for a system to use both cards simultaneously to produce a single output. Nvidia GPUs will require that the motherboard is SLI-compatible and AMD cards will need a board that supports Crossfire. Part of the problem stems from how software interacts with a two-card setup. Installing two cards with 484 GB/s bandwidth doesn't translate to a GPU with and bandwidth of 968 GB/s. The initial complications come from the allocation of those resources, however. Related: Nvidia RTX 3080 & RTX 3080 Ti GPUs Preview: Leak & Rumor Roundup There's also the added benefit that a two-card setup means it's possible to get more performance by just adding a card rather than entirely replacing one. If all things go according to plan, the dual-card setup will result in higher framerates and a higher ceiling for visual settings.
That means it's possible to install two Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti GPUs and each would have a bandwidth of 484 GB/s: that card's standard bandwidth.
The raw specs of a graphics card – things like bandwidth and RAM – would absolutely be increased by adding a second card. The appeal of instaling two graphics cards is as straightforward as it sounds. Before committing one way or the other, there's a lot of leg work to be done, and even after doing the research, you'll need some luck. Will two graphics cards offer enough of a performance upgrade to make such an expensive concept worth exploring? It's a complicated process that has an astounding number of potential caveats and side effects, but running dual graphics cards also means a clear performance upgrade.