Hi guys :)
I dont know if we have a guide for this so i thought i share.
 
This is a guide to get you folding multi GPU without dummy plugs with the latest Nvidia Drivers.
First download the latest driver for your hardware.
Nvidia download page: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
Second download and install Driver Sweeper: http://downloads.guru3d.com/Guru3D---Driver-Sweeper-(Setup)-download-1655.html
Third make sure windows is not auto installing drivers.
Right click My Computer>Properties  look on the left and click Advanced system settings. in the box that opens look for the hardware tab, click that and the second option should be "Device installation settings" click that and select "No let me choose what to do".
that will take care of the auto downloading part. 
 
Start by uninstalling your current drivers in the cotrol panel, Programs, unistall programs.
Go to Nvidia Drivers, a pop up window will ask you what to do, select remove only the following
put a check mark on Nvidia Display drivers and click remove. 
 
 
Now restart your computer in safe mode and use driver sweeper,put a check mark on Nvidia-display
and click analyse then click on clean.
This will find wathever is left behind from your old drivers and remove it. 

Now restart to windows and install the new drivers, once installation is finish restart your computer (even if windows don't ask you to).
At this point right click on desktop and select personalize,click diplay and then change display settings, you may find one or two displays listed depending on you video card.
1) Now click on detect to find additional GPU's. 

2)Click on the newly found displays and select try to connect anyway on: vga and apply. 
 
3)Now select the display again and select Extend desktop to this display and apply changes. 
 
Click on detect again and do the same steps 1,2,3 for the other displays found.
Once you set up all your displays right click desktop open nvidia control panel and select Disable multi-GPU mode,apply and restart computer one last time. 
 
 
 
Last thing, once your computers starts make sure all your displays are still there. 
 
 
You are done, now you can fold on your GPU's with the extended displays adding -gpu 0 -gpu 1 -gpu 2 flags  to your clients and so on .
Newer drivers and different system configs may change some of the steps,feel free to add any missing steps or an easier way to do it.
Enjoy :)

z3r0t0l0rence

Nice job on the guide!

Thanks! glad you like it
 
The best thing is no more dummy plugs and HDMI cables.

sirjamesddj

Do all you guys use the extended displays?
I haven't been, and the folding has been using all 3 cards

Well, some times when i do a clean driver install it finds three GPU's and they will fold, but i have to extend the other two.
Other times it only finds two GPU's and i have to extend the rest, like i said is weird.

With my three 9800GTX+SCs, I need to disable SLI and I need to use the "phantom" monitor setup or the following happens:

- SLI on = GPUs 2 and 3 don't get any usage, only GPU1.
- No "phantom" monitors = driver error on GPUs 2 and 3.

No, no dummy plugs, I have to create the extended desktop to monitors that aren't there - aka, "phantom" monitors (using the "try to connect anyway" option).

david12857

sirjamesddj

Do all you guys use the extended displays?
I haven't been, and the folding has been using all 3 cards

I haven't been. No need to disable SLI either. The following flags work with Windows Vista/7 GPU2 Console clients on my rig. Extended displays seem like a lot of extra work and I'm glad I don't need them.  Now if I could just remember to turn all of the clients back on after gaming.

First Card: -gpu 0 -forcegpu nvidia_g80
Second Card: -gpu 1 -forcegpu nvidia_g80
Third Card: -gpu 2 -forcegpu nvidia_g80
Fourth Card: -gpu 3 -forcegpu nvidia_g80

I see, i use the systray client that most be the reason.
I tried the console a few times but i still get better PPD on the systray client.

Strange - I just loaded Folding@home last night and saw it is using all 4 GPU's equally, I could tell because the heat went up equally on all of them as soon as I started the program and set it for Max usage.  I am using the Nvidia newest drivers for the GTX 285's including the Surround Vision.  I have 3 monitors running and have a 4th GPU for PhysX on this machine and configured accordingly in the Nvidia software adn Folding@home did not seem to care - it used all four GPU's just the same.