PC Build Help (upgrades)

[AndrewMC1994]

I'm upgrading certain parts of my system, I am going to be changing the AMD phenom cpu for an FX 8320 and then overclocking it to the same specs as an 8350.

I'm debating whether it would be better to change my GTX 660 for a better single gpu or to SLI with another GTX 660 as I can get one used pretty cheap for around £70-80. I researched a bit and two GTX 660 in sli seem to be able to keep up with a gtx 970 obviously with higher power consumption. GTA V is out soon so I would like to be able to run it.

If I SLI i will also will need to change my motherboard as SLI isn't compatible so any advice on that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for any advice highly appreciated.

SPECS:

MSI GTX 660 Twin Frozr 2GB
AMD Phenom X4 965 BE (using) Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 CPU Cooler
Corsair 750W PSU
Asus M5A97 R2.0 Motherboard
G-Skill 8GB Ripjaws X DDR3 1333 Dual Kit - Red
500GB HDD
120GB Intel SSD

 

[quilciri]

First thing, make sure you update the motherboards BIOS to at least version 1605, or it won't boot with your 8320.
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M5A97/HelpDesk_CPU/

If you're not concerned about the electricity cost, a second 660 is a good investment. Games that need the power of a GTX 970 pretty much all support SLI/crossfire. You can even buy a used one made by Asus or Gigabyte and still have about a year left on the warranty (they both have 3 year fully transferrable warranties from the date of manufacture)

cheers!

 

[plywrlw]

Considering the expense/hassle of a new motherboard and probably power supply to SLI your 660 why not sell the 660 you have on eBay or similar and get a GTX 970?

 

[AndrewMC1994]

Well, once I replace my CPU I can sell my old one plus selling of my GTX 660 it probably would be more beneficial to upgrade to a gtx 970. The electricity cost doesn't seem worth it with SLI plus the hassle of changing my motherboard though if i did SLI I would of thought a 750W PSU would be enough.

A GTX 970 on eBay can go anywhere from £200 to 250.

I can get a FX 8320 for around £70 to £80 so £300 for both thats pretty good. Minus around £100 for my gpu and £90 for my cpu i could make most of my money back.

I think thats what I will go with. Thanks for the advice guys appreciate it.

Would my motherboard be good enough for an FX 8320 and GTX 970? Thanks

 

[plywrlw]

The graphics card won't affect the motherboard either way. 750W would be enough for SLI 970's as long as it's a good model. A 990 chipset motherboard or a 970 with decent power phases and heatsinks would be better with an FX 8320. Have you considered the lower power FX 8320E?

 

[AndrewMC1994]

The graphics card won't affect the motherboard either way. 750W would be enough for SLI 970's as long as it's a good model. A 990 chipset motherboard or a 970 with decent power phases and heatsinks would be better with an FX 8320. Have you considered the lower power FX 8320E?

Are there many differences between the FX 8320 and 8320E as it is now i can get the FX 8320 for cheaper than the E version but not by much. So I could really get either.

The processor itself will be used for gaming mostly and occasionally using adobe software plus rendering video.

 

[quilciri]

peak 970 power consumption: 180w
peak 660 2xSLI: 240w

I don't know the prices in the UK, but in the states a used 660 sells for about $100 and a 970 costs $320 at the cheapest.

I also don't know what the electricity costs in the UK are, but at the U.S. national average of $0.12 per kwh, it would take you over 16,000 hours of gaming in titles that use *all* of the video card's power for the 660 SLI to cost as much as the 970.

In other words, as far as cost is concerned, you'd have to play crysis 3 for two years straight with no breaks to make the 970 a better deal

 

[AndrewMC1994]

peak 970 power consumption: 180w
peak 660 2xSLI: 240w

I don't know the prices in the UK, but in the states a used 660 sells for about $100 and a 970 costs $320 at the cheapest.

I also don't know what the electricity costs in the UK are, but at the U.S. national average of $0.12 per kwh, it would take you over 16,000 hours of gaming in titles that use *all* of the video card's power for the 660 SLI to cost as much as the 970.

In other words, as far as cost is concerned, you'd have to play crysis 3 for two years straight with no breaks to make the 970 a better deal

I appreciate the advice but I can get a used GTX 970 on eBay plus the CPU for around £300 thats about $453.

If i take into account changing the motherboard plus the CPU cost and buying another GTX 660 the difference in price isn't much. The GTX 660 SLI would be slightly cheaper around £20 cheaper but SLI is more unstable so i think the GTX 970 would be better.

 

[quilciri]

*Shrug* if you really want to spend the money on a 970, feel free. You should know you don't need a new motherboard, though. You only need to flash the BIOS on your current one to support the 8320.

Yes your 2nd pci-e 2.0 slot only runs with 4 lanes, but a pci-e 2.0 slot at x8 is fast enough for a titan.
http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Impact-of-PCI-E-Speed-on-Gaming-Performance-518/

a 2.0 slot at x4 is fast enough for a 660.

Whomever told you that SLI was unstable is either flat out wrong or is using information over a decade old. I've been running SLI GTX 670's for almost two years now wiuth 0 hiccups.

have fun!

 

[AndrewMC1994]

*Shrug* if you really want to spend the money on a 970, feel free. You should know you don't need a new motherboard, though. You only need to flash the BIOS on your current one to support the 8320.

Yes your 2nd pci-e 2.0 slot only runs with 4 lanes, but a pci-e 2.0 slot at x8 is fast enough for a titan.
http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Impact-of-PCI-E-Speed-on-Gaming-Performance-518/

a 2.0 slot at x4 is fast enough for a 660.

Whomever told you that SLI was unstable is either flat out wrong or is using information over a decade old. I've been running SLI GTX 670's for almost two years now wiuth 0 hiccups.

have fun!

So if i bought another 660 i wouldn't have to upgrade my motherboard?

 

[plywrlw]

*Shrug* if you really want to spend the money on a 970, feel free. You should know you don't need a new motherboard, though. You only need to flash the BIOS on your current one to support the 8320.

Yes your 2nd pci-e 2.0 slot only runs with 4 lanes, but a pci-e 2.0 slot at x8 is fast enough for a titan.
http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Impact-of-PCI-E-Speed-on-Gaming-Performance-518/

a 2.0 slot at x4 is fast enough for a 660.

Whomever told you that SLI was unstable is either flat out wrong or is using information over a decade old. I've been running SLI GTX 670's for almost two years now wiuth 0 hiccups.

have fun!

So if i bought another 660 i wouldn't have to upgrade my motherboard?

That board doesn't support SLI so you'll need a new motherboard. You could maybe have two NVIDIA graphics cards but they won't work together

 

[quilciri]

That board doesn't support SLI so you'll need a new motherboard.

Derp! Thanks. I forget sometimes that Nvidia uses a proprietary protocol. Your board supports crossfire, but not SLI.

The 970 is your simplest solution. If you want the most power for you money, another solution would be a pair of 7870's, which would be a bit faster than SLI 660's.

cheers!

 

[AndrewMC1994]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I'm going to go with getting the GTX 970 as its the most hassle free solution and the cheapest nearly.