My son has a new PC with an EVGA 2080 Super FTW3+ Ultra video card. He runs 3 monitors. 2 of them are 60Hz, and 1 of them is 144Hhz. When all 3 monitors are plugged in, at idle, the Nvidia 2080Super is running at 1,650Mhz and not downclocking. If I disconnect either of his 60Hz monitors, leaving him with a 144Hz and a single 60hz, the video card WILL downclock to 300Mhz at idle. If I take his 144Hz monitor and set it to 60hz and he runs all 3 monitors, the video card WILL downlock to 300Mhz at idle.

I don't like the 2080Super always running at full clocks for following reasons
  1. Power usage. When the 2080super is at 300Mhz, idle power usage is 20w. When the 2080 super is at 1,650, at idle power usage is 48w.
  2. Heat. When the 2080 super is at 300Mhz, idle temps are about 35C. When the 2080 super is at 1,650, at idle, temps are about 50C.


Solving the problem has a few options
  1. Have him run on 2 monitors only, 1 at 144Hz and 1 at 60Hz. But who wants to go back to 2 monitors when you have had 3 for years?
  2. See if adding an additional 144Hz monitor and removing a 60Hz monitor works right. I'm thinking that with 2 at 144Hz and 1 at 60hz, it's going to be the same issue I am seeing with 2 at 60Hz and 1 at 144Hz.
  3. I am considering buying something like the MSI GeForceGT710 PCIe video card for $50, and installing this into his PC as well. We can move 1 of the 60Hz monitors over to the secondary video card, leaving a single 60hz and single 144hz on the 2080 super. This should in theory allow the 2080 super to downclock at idle again just like it does now when I unplug one of the 60Hz monitors.


Any major concerns with adding a single cheapo video card by Nvidia, simply to run 1 of the monitors?