CPU / GPU Compatibility please help

[robotmayne]

Hello! I'm building my first PC, and have found that certain processors can only function at certain speeds (in respect to RAM). I have an i5 4690k which supports 1600 Mhz, but corsair vengeance RAM that runs at 2400 Mhz (just in the event that in the future, I upgrade my processor to something that requires faster RAM. I wouldn't want to buy another set of RAM when I could just get some that would downclock at my CPU's frequency.). That's not a problem, though. This got me thinking: do GPUs act in a similar way? Will they automatically downclock if they are faster than the CPU, or are they totally independent from the processor, and run at their own pace?

I have the i5 4690k processor, but I also want to get the recently released GTX 1080 Graphics Card. Is the processor (and/or the motherboard) compatible with this GPU? (Motherboard is the GA-Z97x-Gaming 3) Thanks.

 

[Lutfij]

1| If GPU's were throttled by CPU speed then we'd have seen much more faster GPU's merely due to the blazing fast CPU speeds in the last half decade. Simply put, the processor and GPU are build on different architectures/platforms. What you need to keep in mind is if the components will produce any bottleneck in your system.
2| Your system will overclock the ram to get it at 2400MHz and that can either be done manually through the BIOS or through an X.M.P profile.

4 x DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory
* Due to a Windows 32-bit operating system limitation, when more than 4 GB of physical memory is installed, the actual memory size displayed will be less than the size of the physical memory installed.
Dual channel memory architecture
Support for DDR3 3200(O.C.) / 3100(O.C.) / 3000(O.C.) / 2933(O.C.) / 2800(O.C.) / 2666(O.C.) / 2600(O.C.) / 2500(O.C.) / 2400(O.C.) / 2200(O.C.) / 2133(O.C.) / 2000(O.C.) / 1866(O.C.) / 1800(O.C.) / 1600 / 1333 MHz memory modules
Support for non-ECC memory modules
Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules

More here.
3| That i5-4690K is a K suffix unlocked processor so overclocking the ram and the processor will be effortless provided you pair it with a Z series chipset, preferably the Z97 lineup of motherboards.
4| The issue you'll need to be worried about is bottleneck from your CPU. The GTX1080 should be a god upgrade for owners with the GTX980 and is more power efficient though users have it paired with an i7-4790K.

do GPUs act in a similar way? Will they automatically downclock if they are faster than the CPU, or are they totally independent from the processor, and run at their own pace?

No. NO. Yes.