GTX 970 or GTX 980 that will fit...?

[Mdavenport]

I'm in the market for new Graphics Card to replace my GTX 750 Ti.

I have an i7 4790 - 3.6Ghz PC with a EVGA Supernova GS 650W PSU and 16GB RAM with SSD drives.

I play mainly Flight Simulator X.

The max length I can fit is 25cm / 9.84" (or maybe squeeze 26cm / 10.24").

I would like at least 4 ports, ideally 5 to connect all my screens.

Can you offer any recommendations in both GTX 970 and 980 options?

Should I save the extra and go for the 980 (given FSX is largely CPU bound)...

Thanks

 

[Eximo]

A few a mini-970 out there that are quite short. ASUS for sure, I think I recall an MSI or Gigabyte, but that wasn't as common in the US.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121912&cm_re=970_asus-_-14-121-912-_-Product

Reference (NTVVM cooler) GTX970 and GTX980 are 10.5" so you are fairly limited.

 

[geofelt]

Most GTX970 cards will be 9.5" long.
Here is an example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487070
They will support 4 concurrent outputs.
Cards differ in the output ports, so you need to match up with your monitor inputs.
You probably need to exclude GTX980ti and GTX980 cards which will be 10.5" long.

To attach the 5th monitor or more, keep your GTX750ti.

Since fsx is cpu limited, you could consider swapping the I7-4790 3.6 to a i7-4790K which will
Run at 4.0/4.4 stock. More if you can overclock.

 

[Mdavenport]

Thanks for the links..

Ref the CPU upgrade. I have a Dell PC/MB. Can I simply install a K chip as I understood Dell's won't overclockable?

 

[Mdavenport]

Also, any 980's and are they worth the uplift in cost?

 

[Mdavenport]

Back to the GPU - Just found Gigabyte mini that can power 6 screens:-

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/gigabyte-mini-itx-gtx970-oc,27915.html

Or is it too good to be true??

 

[Eximo]

Nvidia lists the GTX970 and GTX980 as supporting 4 screens. You can't use all of those connectors at once.


Flex Display Technology

GIGABYTE Flex display technology (patent-pending) can automatically detect any connected monitors and achieve multi-display gaming up to four monitors at the same time by using various output groups. Users could enjoy the best gaming experience in ultra HD resolution with extended flexibility in arranging monitor configurations and making future system upgrade extremely easy.

Not to say you can't have more screens just running the desktop, but I don't think so.

Yes you can install a K chip in a non-overclockable board. You would gain 400Mhz doing so, but at great expense.

 

[Mdavenport]

So I would only be able to use 4 screens at one? I wanted to use 5. However 3 of them would be an nvidia surround if that helps and the other 2 other just standard screens.

Could I purchase a non-K that 4+ ghz and install that for a cheaper price?

Anyone know what chip a dell t1700 MB could go up to?

 

[Eximo]

You already have the fastest non-overclocking i7 for that motherboard. The K just has a higher base and boost clock. 3.6-4.0 vs 4.0-4.4.

 

[Mdavenport]

So I could take it to 4ghz but not able to overclock it as the MB doesn't allow?

 

[Eximo]

No...your CPU already runs at 4.0Ghz, the K chip is capable of 4.4Ghz out of the box. Are you familiar with turbo boost?

 

[Mdavenport]

No my cpu is 3.6. Are you saying I could install a 4.4? Or just a 4.0 k

 

[Eximo]

I see you are not familiar with turbo boost. Please read the specifications sheet for your CPU. Yes, the base clock is 3.6Ghz, but that is not the maximum speed, which is 4.0, and if it is still on the default settings, likely spends a lot of time at that speed. You can check this by looking at the performance tab in task manager or by having performance monitor running (in Windows).

The 4790K has 400Mhz more on both base and maximum boost clock. Thus can run at up to 4.4Ghz.

http://ark.intel.com/products/80806/Intel-Core-i7-4790-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4_00-GHz

http://ark.intel.com/products/80807/Intel-Core-i7-4790K-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4_40-GHz

(They even put it in the URL)

 

[Mdavenport]

Ok I will check person. So is there a setting I can play with on my non-K chip that will force turbo boost more?

It will be on the default settings as I haven't changed anything.

 

[Eximo]

My guess is you have an OEM machine. Motherboards in pre-built machines tend to have less options. There may be a setting that allows you to force the CPU to run at the max multiplier all the time. Aside from increasing cooling you shouldn't really need to do anything to have your CPU running at it's fastest speed. From Windows, if you go into the performance tab under the power settings menu in the control panel you should be able to set the system to Maximum Performance mode. This should prevent the CPU from idling, but will cause an increase in power consumption when the system is not gaming. The CPU will still self throttle due to heat.

 

[Mdavenport]

Thanks. Yes I do have OEM build.

Will your suggestion force it to 4.00ghz from 3.6ghz?

 

[Mdavenport]

Also. If I do get a 4790k running at 4.00ghz can I overclock in in my dell T1700 or will I only be able to use the turbo mode and will this take it to 4.4?

 

[Eximo]

You cannot overclock a K series chip without a Z series board. There are a few exceptions, but they aren't found in OEM machines.

The i7-4790k is already overclocked effectively and will run at 4.4Ghz when temperatures allow. Most people can push it to 4.6 Ghz, but that is a lot of effort for little gain.

 

[Mdavenport]

Eximo, thanks for confirming.

So if I was to get a K chip and install it in my OEM pc I would run at 4.00 and in some circumstances it would go to 4.4 (if cool enough) - is this as a result of turbo boost?

Is there a way to force turbo boost on all the time?

I also assume that I won't ever get to 4.6 as I would need a z Mb?

 

[Eximo]

Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes.

All the information you need to answer these questions is here in these posts, not sure why you need redundant confirmation with each new piece of information.

If you want to know more I suggest reading on the topics of turbo boost, overclocking, chipsets and chip capabilities via specifications sheets.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Turbo_Boost
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overclocking

Or read through an Intel overclocking guide. Much doesn't apply to you, and before spending a lot of money upgrading parts you should be sure that they will actually benefit you. (You are already talking about nearly $700 for two components, that is the cost of a entire mid-range gaming computer, which you pretty much already have) There will not be an earth shattering difference between an i7-4790 and an i7-4790k.

 

[Mdavenport]

Sorry Eximo, I see I did ask the same question even after you answered it.. That's a result of trying to read and reply on a mobile device.

I will load the mentioned tools and take a look at what I am running at. I'll also download cpu-z to see the speed.

Thanks

 

[Mdavenport]

Hi All,

I did some monitoring of the CPU speed using CPU-z and the results were interesting..

When the OS was just idle and I ran CPUz the Core Speed showed 3870.72 MHz. I then went in to Bench and performed a CPU stress test which ran all cores to 100%. I expected the Core Speed to go to 4000 Mhz or close, instead it dropped below the 3870.72 that I got when Idle.. During the stress test it went down to 3790.95 MHz. Why would it go lower?

Under my Control Panel / Power Settings I have the following set:-

Processor Power Management / Minimum Processor State = 100%
Processor Power Management / System Cooling Policy = Active
Processor Power Management / Maximum Processor State = 100%

Are these settings correct to push the CPU as fast as possible?

 

[Eximo]

As temperature allows. If you are still using the stock cooler it may not be enough for a full load.

 

[Mdavenport]

What free tool can be used to look at the CPU temp and log over a period of time? I would have thought that CPUz could do it but I can see where it can...

 

[Eximo]

CoreTemp comes to mind, it can create spreadsheet logs of temperatures. You can then graph them in Office or OpenOffice.