Top Dual GPU Graphics Cards from Nvidia and AMD

GPU or Graphics Processing Unit is the heart of the Graphics Card. It is the main unit or component of the graphics card as it does all the graphics processing that involves a lot of complex operations. Almost all the graphics cards come with a single GPU but there are few graphics cards that have dual GPUs present on their PCBs. These are known as dual-GPU graphics cards because of the presence of two graphics processors or GPU on a single graphics card. You can think of a dual graphics card as a combination of two similar graphics cards in SLI or Crossfire setup on a single PCB.

Dual GPU Graphics Cards do have some performance advantage but it is limited to some games and applications. This is because not all games are optimized for dual GPUs and in some games, performance may take a hit compared to single GPU graphics cards. There are not many dual graphics cards at present or in history because they are very expensive and they do not offer better performance always. Here in this post, I am going to list down the top dual GPU graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD for gaming enthusiasts.

See also: Best 8GB Graphics Cards for 1440p & 4K Gaming

Dual GPU Graphics Cards from Nvidia

Here are the top dual GPU graphics cards from Nvidia.

GeForce GTX 590

GeForce GTX 590 is an older 500 series graphics card having dual GPUs. Nvidia’s 500 series is outdated because after this there is 600, 700, 900, and 10 series line of graphics cards. GTX 590 is a DirectX 11 graphics card that is based on the older Fermi GPU architecture from Nvidia. It has only 3GB video memory which is considerably less compared to the present standards of high-end graphics cards.

This dual GPU video card comes with 1024 CUDA Cores and supports technologies like SLI, 3D Vision, PhysX, Surround, DSR. The power consumption of this card is on the higher side as it consumes a maximum of 365W power and needs a minimum of 700W power supply for its working.

GeForce GTX 590 Specifications
CUDA Cores	1024
GPU Clock	607 MHz
Memory Clock	1707 MHz
Memory Size	3072 MB (1536MB per GPU) GDDR5
Memory Interface	768-bit (384-bit per GPU)
Bus Interface	PCI Express 2.0
DirectX	11
OpenGL	4.2
Output Ports	3 x DVI, mini DisplayPort

Buy GeForce GTX 590

GeForce GTX 690

GeForce GTX 690 is still a bit older dual GPU graphics card but it is newer than GTX 590. It is based on the Kepler GPU Architecture and comes with 4GB (2GB per GPU) GDDR5 VRAM. It is a DirectX 12 graphics card that comes with 3072 CUDA Cores.

GTX 690 supports various GPU technologies that include Quad SLI, GPU Boost, PhysX, TXAA, NVIDIA G-SYNC, Multiple Monitors, etc. This dual GPU card requires two 8-pin PCI-E connectors and a 650 Watt PSU to work with. This card is certified for Windows 7 operating system but can also work with Windows 10 seamlessly.

GeForce GTX 690 Specifications
CUDA Cores	3072
GPU Clock	915 / 1019 MHz
Memory Clock	6000 MHz
Memory Size	4GB GDDR5 (2GB per GPU)
Memory Interface	512-bit (256-bit per GPU)
Bus Interface	PCI Express 3.0
DirectX	12
OpenGL	4.2
Output Ports	3 x DVI, mini-DP

Buy GeForce GTX 690

GeForce GTX TITAN Z

GeForce GTX TITAN Z is the newest dual-GPU Graphics Card from Nvidia. It really has got much higher specs as compared to GTX 590 and GTX 690. GTX TITAN Z comes with whopping 12GB GDDR5 memory and 5760 CUDA Cores. This DirectX12 dual GPU graphics card is built on the Kepler GPU architecture and is one of the fastest dual graphics cards at present.  This is a really big card and has a triple-slot design which means it will use three slots space on your motherboard and PC case.

This is a 4K ready graphics card which means you can play games on high or Ultra settings on 4K resolution. It supports various advanced technologies from Nvidia that include SLI, GPU Boost 2.0, Nvidia GameStream, PhysX, Nvidia Surround and more. This card requires two 8-pin PCI-E power connectors and a minimum of 700W power supply for its working.

GeForce GTX TITAN Z Specifications
CUDA Cores	5760
GPU Clock	705 / 876 MHz
Memory Clock	7 Gbps
Memory Size	12 GB GDDR5
Memory Interface	768-bit
Bus Interface	PCI Express 3.0
DirectX	12
OpenGL	4.4
Output Ports	2 x DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI

Buy GeForce GTX TITAN Z

Dual GPU Graphics Cards from AMD

Here are the top dual GPU graphics cards from AMD.

Radeon HD 6990

AMD Radeon HD 6990 is an older DirectX 11 graphics card having dual GPUs. It comes with 4GB GDDR5 memory and 3072 Stream Processors. This dual GPU graphics card can support up to 6 displays simultaneously.

It supports various AMD technologies that include AMD Eyefinity Technology, AMD App Acceleration, AMD HD3D Technology, AMD PowerTune Technology. The graphics card officially supports Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 but it can also run on Windows 10 without any issues.

Radeon HD 6990 Specifications
Stream Processors	3072
GPU Clock	830 MHz
Memory Clock	5 Gbps
Memory Size	4GB GDDR5
Memory Interface	256-bit
Bus Interface	PCI Express 2.1
DirectX	11
OpenGL	4.1
Output Ports	DVI, 4 x mDP

Buy Radeon HD 6990

Radeon HD 7990

Radeon HD 7990 is a newer product than HD 6990 but it is still an older DirectX 11.1 graphics card. The unique thing about this card is that unlike other dual graphics cards with only one fan, this one has three fans for better and more efficient cooling.

Radeon HD 7990 comes with 6GB GDDR5 memory and 4096 Stream Processors. The card is based on AMD’s GCN (Graphics Core Next) GPU architecture. This is a Crossfire-ready card which means you can use this card in a multi-GPU setup. Other features supported by it include AMD Eyefinity Technology, AMD App Acceleration, AMD HD3D Technology, AMD PowerTune Technology, and AMD ZeroCore Power Technology.

Radeon HD 7990 Specifications
Stream Processors	4096
GPU Clock	950 Mhz
Memory Clock	6 Gbps
Memory Size	6GB GDDR5
Memory Interface	768-bit
Bus Interface	PCI Express 3.0
DirectX	11.1
OpenGL	4.2
Output Ports	DVI, 4 x mini-DisplayPort

Buy Radeon HD 7990

Radeon R9 295X2

This is a very powerful dual GPU graphics card from AMD. Radeon R9 295X2 is basically two R9 290X GPUs put together on a single graphics card but with slightly higher frequencies. Radeon R9 295X2 comes with 5632 Stream Processors and 8GB GDDR5 memory. It is a high-end graphics card and you can play almost all of the games at 4K display resolution and all the games at 1440p at Ultra Settings. This card comes with a hybrid cooling solution that consists of a water cooling unit for both GPUs and Heatsink Fan (HSF) cooling for Video Memory and VRMs.

Radeon R9 295 X2 is based on the GCN 1.1 GPU architecture and can support up to 6 displays simultaneously. It supports Crossfire, LiquidVR technology, Frame Rate Target Control (FRTC), DirectX 12, Vulkan, Windows 10 OS, FreeSync, and more.

This dual GPU graphics card is very power-hungry and has a maximum power consumption of 500 Watt. It requires two 8-pin PCI Express power connectors and a good 800W – 1000W power supply for its working.

Radeon R9 295 X2 Specifications
Stream Processors	5632
GPU Clock	1018 MHz
Memory Clock	5 GHz
Memory Size	8 GB GDDR5
Memory Interface	2 x 512-bit
Bus Interface	PCI Express 3.0
DirectX	12
OpenGL	4.5
Output Ports	DVI, 4 x mDP

Buy Radeon R9 295X2

Radeon Pro Duo

Radeon Pro Duo is the fastest dual GPU graphics card in the world as of now. It comes with two Radeon Fiji GPUs put together on a single PCB. This monster of a graphics card comes with 8192 Stream Processing Units and 8GB HBM or High Bandwidth Memory. This dual GPU graphics card is based on the 3^rd generation GCN GPU architecture from AMD.

Radeon Pro Duo is cooled by using a closed-loop liquid cooling solution with a 120 mm radiator. In this cooling solution, all the graphics card’s major components including GPU, Memory, and VRM are cooled down by water cooling. This is a 4K gaming card and you can play almost all the latest games at 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution at Ultra or high settings. It also offers very good performance in VR Gaming and other VR Applications.

This is also a power-hungry card and it needs three 8-pin PCI-E power connectors. The maximum power consumption or TDP of the card is 350W and it needs a good 700W or higher power supply for its working. The performance of Radeon Pro Duo is comparable to the GTX 1080 flagship graphics card from Nvidia.

Radeon Pro Duo Specifications
Stream Processors	8192
GPU Clock	Up to 1000 MHz
Memory Clock	1 Gbps
Memory Size	8GB HBM
Memory Interface	4096-bit
Bus Interface	PCI Express 3.0
DirectX	12
OpenGL	4.5
Output Ports	4 x DisplayPorts

Buy Radeon Pro Duo

Radeon Pro Duo (Polaris)

Radeon Pro Duo (Polaris) is the world’s first dual-GPU workstation graphics card for professionals. It shares the same name with above mentioned Radeon Pro Duo gaming graphics card but other than that it is a totally different card. The new Radeon Pro Duo is a workstation graphics card intended for use in high-end graphics applications involving VR content creation, game development, scientific studies, movie special effects creation, and running heavy-duty graphics software.

The card is based on the latest Polaris GPU architecture from AMD and comes with 4608 Stream processors and 32GB GDDR5 video memory. Various features include CrossFire, AMD LiquidVR Technology, HDR Ready, GeometryBoost, Radeon VR Ready Creator, AMD Eyefinity Technology Support, Support for 4K, 5K, and 8K Displays, 4K Accelerated Encode/Decode, 4th Generation Graphics Core Next (GCN) GPU Architecture. The card has power consumption under 250 Watts and requires one 8-pin and one 6-pin PCI Express power connector from the PSU. Connectivity options include three DisplayPorts and one HDMI Port.

Radeon Pro Duo (Polaris)
Stream Processors Cores	2304 x 2 (4608 total)
GPU Clock	1243 MHz
Memory Clock	7000 MHz
Memory Size	32GB GDDR5
Memory Interface	256-bit x 2
Bus Interface	PCI Express 3.0
DirectX	12
OpenGL	4.5
Output Ports	DP x 3, HDMI x 1

Buy Radeon Pro Duo (Polaris)

Final Words

Dual GPU graphics cards may look good on paper but they are very expensive and sometimes they do not offer additional performance gains that can justify their price. If you have any queries or doubts regarding graphics cards then you can ask me by leaving a comment below.