Do AMD Motherboards Work With Nvidia Cards?

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Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) does not actually produce motherboards. Rather it produces the chipsets that determine the compatibility of motherboards from other manufacturers. These "AMD-based" boards can run Nvidia graphics cards provided the card in question meets the compatibility specifications of the particular board/chipset combination. This includes using the correct slot type and software drivers. However, even if you do everything right, the board may not support all of the features available on the graphics card.

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Slot

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Nvidia designs its graphics cards to fit in only one type of slot. In most cases, this is the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCI-E) slot. This is not to be confused with the older PCI slot. When purchasing an Nvidia card, make a note of its slot type and make sure your motherboard has this slot. Information on your motherboard's slot type can be found in your manual. If you do not have your manual, search for your computer's specifications on the manufacturer's website.

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Drivers

Software drivers, or "device drivers," are programs that tell hardware components how to interface with each other. When using an AMD-based board, there are fewer suitable driver options when running an Nvidia card as compared to a card manufactured by AMD's sister company ATI. Thus, if the latest driver for your card doesn't work, you may need to seek out other driver versions from Nvidia's website or another trusted source. You must also uninstall any old Nvidia drivers on your system before installing a new one.

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Limitations

AMD compatible motherboards do not support the Scalable Link Interface (SLI) technology available with some Nvidia graphics cards. This feature permits users to link two or more Nvidia cards together. As a result, the cards can more efficiently share the processing burden associated with running graphics intensive games and rendering programs.

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Considerations

Your motherboard is not the only component that determines whether or not a given card is compatible with your computer. You must also consider your power supply. Some Nvidia cards require more power than they can get through the motherboard interface. In such cases they must be connected directly to the computer's power supply. If this is the case for your card, make sure your power supply meets all requirements Nvidia specifies.

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