Multiple Graphics Cards?

[Squigsquasher]

So, a lot of games seem to be designed such that they only run properly with NVidia graphics cards- Alice: Madness Returns for example, relies on PhysX to look its best, an engine that only really works on NVidia cards (Turning it on with my Asus card results in hideous lag, despite the raw power of the card). So, I was wondering, would it be practical to get a second card (probably an NVidia) and install it as well for maximum performance? I don't want to remove my current card, as aside from the issues caused by games whored out to NVidia, it works fine. I'm worried that 2 different cards from different manufacturers could cause major conflicts and compatibility issues.

Any advice?

[Melchior]

The short answer, is yes.

If you can, purchase the exact same card that you currently have.
Let me know what you have for your current card - if it's new enough, it will be SLI-capable (Crossfire-capable for AMD cards).

While this isn't a necessary thing, SLI-connecting your graphics cards allows them to communicate to each other much quicker, allowing them to act almost as one supercard.

Reference:
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/sli/technology

Returning to what I just said, it's imperative to buy the same card because SLI is only applicable to same-spec cards.

[Squigsquasher]

Well, I have an ASUS Matrix HD 7970 card (ATI Radeon based). Would the "supercard" setup be able to run PhysX/NVidia optimized games smoothly?

Also, I take it from your response that installing an NVidia card as well would be a very, very bad idea.

[Melchior]

Well, I have an ASUS Matrix HD 7970 card (ATI Radeon based). Would the "supercard" setup be able to run PhysX/NVidia optimized games smoothly?

Also, I take it from your response that installing an NVidia card as well would be a very, very bad idea.

Yes. Don't mix manufacturers.
You can mix models, not manufacturers.