Can I SLI?

[tenderous]

Hello everyone, I was wondering if it would be possible to have dual graphics cards in my build. I currently have:
i7-4770k 3.5Ghz Quad Core
8GB 1600Mhz Patriot RAM
Z87-A Motherboard
550 watt power supply

I am looking to get dual 660s. Would it be possible to do that with my computer? Thanks in advance.

 

[pfunkmd]

You need like a 750 watt psu to be comfortable

 

[zeph_yr]

Recommended wattage for a single 660 is 500. I would upgrade to 700 of a decent model (80+ gold certified) before doing sli.

 

[dustinhunt78]

Spend a little extra and get a good PSU. Somewhere around the middle of the field up is w to look. I went with the AX860i by Corsair. That's a bit overkill, but it's the best PSU out there. I would say go with a CS series or up. The best ones are at the top and go down according to performance/price. Check out this article. Perhaps it will address any questions and/or educate you a bit on PSUs.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCoQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcworld.com%2Farticle%2F2025425%2Fhow-to-pick-the-best-pc-power-supply.html&ei=we0kU5zuGtSa0gGnzYHwDg&usg=AFQjCNH9ZGCw_kl8ewMFLlTPeDNtPf5u1A&sig2=FtDo_q4EvPoeycaUtZPR9w&bvm=bv.62922401,d.dmQ

 

[minerva330]

Agreed, you need at least another 100W at the bare minimum. Also make sure your motherboard is compatible.

Here is a useful tool for estimating wattage

http://images10.newegg.com/BizIntell/tool/psucalc/index.html?name=Power-Supply-Wattage-Calculator

I run 2 660's and have a 850W PSU in case I ever decide to run a more power hungry card in sli in the future

 

[Traciatim]

Do you already have one 660? If not it would probably be better just to get a faster card and not deal with the hassles of SLI and power issues. For instance with that setup you could probably get a GTX770 instead of the dual 660's and you'd probably be pretty happy with the performance. The 2 660's will probably be a little faster in games where SLI scales really well and perform near the same otherwise, but you'll probably need a new power supply too, so it costs quite a good chunk of change more.

 

[dustinhunt78]

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-PCI-Express-Displayport-Graphics-GV-N660OC-2GD/dp/B00942TK8I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1394930148&sr=8-2&keywords=GTX+660

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Series-80PLUS-Gold-Certified-Supply/dp/B00EB7UITQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394930229&sr=8-1&keywords=rm+750+corsair

Here is the 660 and a respectable, capable PSU that would be paired together in "Purchase/Option 1"

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-SuperClocked-Graphics-02G-P4-2774-KR/dp/B00CZIQXBA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394930293&sr=8-1&keywords=GTX+770

This would be "Purchase/Option 2"

See which is cheaper.

 

[Rammy]

I've SLIed GTX660s on a 550W PSU, it's perfectly doable, but you would potentially want to go a bit higher to be more comfortable, especially if you are overclocking. By "a bit higher", I mean something in the 620-650W bracket. I don't particularly subscribe to the notion of going much higher than that. 750W is basically enough for most SLI/XFire setups at the moment, and power demands are generally falling rather than increasing.

As others have mentioned, if you don't already have a GTX660, you will likely get better efficiency and competitive performance by looking towards a single card solution. Depending on where you are in the world, two GTX660s might add up (in cost) to somewhere around a GTX770, which is likely to be inferior in outright performance but a far more elegant solution.

Also, all PSUs aren't equal. A good 550W PSU will run GTX660 SLI, but as you haven't provided info about your PSU, it's hard to say.