I currently have an RTX 3060 and am planning to upgrade to an RTX 5070 Ti. Can I install and use both GPUs in the same PC for 3D work and rendering? My motherboard is an MSI PRO Z690-P. I'd also like to know about power requirements, PCIe support, cooling, and whether both cards can be useful outside of rendering.
3 Answers
It can work for some GPU-accelerated tasks, but don’t expect the two cards to combine their performance in most games. Modern games normally use one GPU, and older multi-GPU features are no longer broadly supported. The 3060 may still be useful for separate rendering jobs or certain compute tasks while the 5070 Ti handles another workload.
Yes, it should be possible as long as your power supply has enough capacity, your case and motherboard have room for both cards, and your rendering software supports multiple GPUs. The MSI PRO Z690-P has multiple PCIe slots, but the available lane speeds may differ depending on the slot and how your system is configured. Check the motherboard manual for the exact layout.
Dual GPUs are generally much more useful for productivity than gaming. Many rendering applications can assign work to both cards, but the VRAM usually does not combine into one larger pool. Make sure your software explicitly supports multi-GPU rendering, and leave enough space between the cards for airflow.
Also check the physical thickness of the 5070 Ti. If it blocks the lower slot or leaves the 3060 with no airflow, the setup may run hot even if the motherboard technically supports it.
The 3060 can also remain useful for some PhysX or secondary GPU workloads, although compatibility depends on the specific game or application.