Power supply for 2xMSI 780ti frozr and 2 MSI reference GTX 780

[Asiel]

Looking for a dedicated power supply to power 4 external video cards (This power supply will not power the motherboard, CPU etc) - These cards will be used for rendering, eventually Titans will replace the 780s -

Looking for something similar to Seasonic X-1250 M2 Fully Modular 80PLUS Gold. (I might not be able to get this power supply in my area) The Seasonic can power 4 GPUs.

Any recommendations?

Thanks.

 

[rcald2000]

*** answer ***

EVGA 120-G2-1300-XR 80 PLUS GOLD 1300 W 10 yr Warranty Fully Modular
$189.99 after $30.00 rebate card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438011&ignorebbr=1&cm_re=evga_g2_1300-_-17-438-011-_-Product

* Only con is the PCIe 6 and 8 pin connectors are red. Other cables are proper black.

*** question ***

I want to do accomplish precisely what you're doing. What do you have these cards plugged into, so that you can use them for rendering? Please share the knowledge.

 

[Asiel]

EVGA 120-G2-1300-XR 80 PLUS GOLD 1300. This one looks good. It has enough to power 4 GPUs? (colors don't bother)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6EODKqAVOQ
That unboxing only counts 6 pci-e cables, so wouldn't work for 4 GPUs. Unless the black CPU cables are used to power the 4th GPU?

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&file=print&reid=349 (more in depth article)


There are a couple of solutions to add external GPUs cards for rendering, all depends on your budget.

-I believe this is the most cost effective solution. Waiting on delivery of this item, so I've yet to set it up, but this has been used by others.
http://amfeltec.com/products/gpu-oriented-cluster/ (Cost $412.00 USD)

This is more expensive and you just install your GPUs.
http://www.netstor.com.tw/_03/03_02.php?MTEx ($2000.00 USD range)

Cubix is also good.
http://www.cubix.com/xpander-desktop ($2500.00 USD range)

There's also Tyan. You can get 8 GPU's in one system if you want.
http://www.tyan.com/solutions/TYAN_GPU_computing_platforms.html (Not sure of pricing)

 

[rcald2000]

Wattage: Both Titan X's and 980 Ti's have a TDP of 250 watts. The 1,000 watt total usage represents 77% of the continuous 1,300 watt PSU, which is a totally acceptable margin of error.

Red cables: While it does only come with two cables that each have one 8 pin and one 6 pin, it also comes with four cables that have 6 + 2 pins. Therefore it does have enough cables for four cards.

Black cables: I've often wondered if the black CPU cables can be used in lieu of the ugly red cables. I don't know, but the answer is a phone call away via EVGA technical support. They are really a great bunch of guys and I recommend you reaching out if you have that question.

*** power requirements for graphics cards ***
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
* These recommendations assume the additional power usage of a CPU, MB and storage devices. But you still may find them interesting.

JonnyGuru: Yes, I'm very familiar with Jonnyguru. I've emailed Taz a few times for advice. Great guys over there as well. I've read several of their power supply reviews and I've read every single one on EVGA PSUs. I'm a fan of their PSU's and GPU's. I own EVGA G2 1300, P2 1200, G2 850, & P2 850. There is a story behind those purchases, but it's not particularly interesting. I'm happy to tell you if you care for the details.

Question or proposal: Instead of buying those enclosures, why not purchase a motherboard that supports 4 way SLI? There are tons of them on NewEgg. I'm currently upgrading to three GPU's, on my Asus Sabertooth X99. This will unfortunately necessitate me switching my Intel 750 from AIC to 2.5. Here is the four way SLI motherboard that I was just starting to research: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128829

Background of inexperience: Now here's the shocker, I know nothing about animation, rendering or graphics. I have a few hobbies and this is a new one that I wish to start. Can you point me in the right direction? I started out with a GTX 970 while gaming on two 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz monitors. Then I came into an unexpected $300 windfall which I used to upgrade to a single 980 Ti. Then I upgraded my monitor to 3440 x 1440 @ 60 Hz, which was a great excuse for a second card. Third is out of temporary insanity plus getting a $450 NewEgg credit, $60 in EVGA reward cards and a little additional cash.

What I do know a little bit about is VMware, networking and storage. An artist I am not, but I'd like to stick my toe in the water and get started.

- Rob

 

[Zerk2012]

If your going to be running 4 X Titans then your going to be pushing close to 1060 Watts running them full bore.
You should get a power supply that can handle this and still run in the 65% area of what the power supply can put out.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438033
It's not good to push a power supply in the 80+ area for extended periods of time.

 

[Asiel]

Wattage: Both Titan X's and 980 Ti's have a TDP of 250 watts. The 1,000 watt total usage represents 77% of the continuous 1,300 watt PSU, which is a totally acceptable margin of error.

Red cables: While it does only come with two cables that each have one 8 pin and one 6 pin, it also comes with four cables that have 6 + 2 pins. Therefore it does have enough cables for four cards.

Black cables: I've often wondered if the black CPU cables can be used in lieu of the ugly red cables. I don't know, but the answer is a phone call away via EVGA technical support. They are really a great bunch of guys and I recommend you reaching out if you have that question.

*** power requirements for graphics cards ***
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
* These recommendations assume the additional power usage of a CPU, MB and storage devices. But you still may find them interesting.

JonnyGuru: Yes, I'm very familiar with Jonnyguru. I've emailed Taz a few times for advice. Great guys over there as well. I've read several of their power supply reviews and I've read every single one on EVGA PSUs. I'm a fan of their PSU's and GPU's. I own EVGA G2 1300, P2 1200, G2 850, & P2 850. There is a story behind those purchases, but it's not particularly interesting. I'm happy to tell you if you care for the details.

Question or proposal: Instead of buying those enclosures, why not purchase a motherboard that supports 4 way SLI? There are tons of them on NewEgg. I'm currently upgrading to three GPU's, on my Asus Sabertooth X99. This will unfortunately necessitate me switching my Intel 750 from AIC to 2.5. Here is the four way SLI motherboard that I was just starting to research: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128829

Background of inexperience: Now here's the shocker, I know nothing about animation, rendering or graphics. I have a few hobbies and this is a new one that I wish to start. Can you point me in the right direction? I started out with a GTX 970 while gaming on two 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz monitors. Then I came into an unexpected $300 windfall which I used to upgrade to a single 980 Ti. Then I upgraded my monitor to 3440 x 1440 @ 60 Hz, which was a great excuse for a second card. Third is out of temporary insanity plus getting a $450 NewEgg credit, $60 in EVGA reward cards and a little additional cash.

What I do know a little bit about is VMware, networking and storage. An artist I am not, but I'd like to stick my toe in the water and get started.

- Rob

Getting a motherboard that can support 4 GPUs is an option, but that also requires network licenses for the
software. It's a matter of preference and what works best for what you want to achieve.

In my case, I'd like to have 6 GPUs on 1 system to start. Eventually this could expand up to 16.

To get started with 3D rendering as a hobby, I'd suggest Blender and the built in Cycles render engine. Cycles will use your GPUs and will be quick. Plus this is all free software and keeps getting better.
Sample on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBfG_7Co-rA