Rig upgrade - SLI 1080s

[Joe335]

Hey all,

I'm new to the SLI world, I'm looking to add another 1080 to run along my current EVGA 1080.
My PC specs are:
6700k
EVGA 1080 ACX 3.0
16GB 2666MHZ
PSU 900W
Gigabyte Z170X Mobo
H100i CPU cooler

What would you recommend to swap out in order to manage the heat with an additional 1080?
Just for context, I'm upgrading as I built a triple monitor setup to put in my small business I run. I'm also an avid gamer that plays on 4k res.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Grugbug]

Personally I'd dump the H100i and build a custom water cooled setup, that's me though and you asked.

 

[Joe335]

Personally I'd dump the H100i and build a custom water cooled setup, that's me though and you asked.

I'm not opposed to doing so, but I wouldn't really know where to start. I bought the H100i as it was a simple install and has worked quite well. Do you have a recommendation on what to look for in a custom build? Components you recommend over others? Thanks for your input!

 

[CelicaGT]

Depending on motherboard model and GPU spacing it's often recommended to get a blower style GPU's in SLI, that way you just dump the heat directly out the back. This isn't perfect as blower style coolers have less room for a heatsink and the fan will need to run at higher speeds to shed the excess heat energy. Seeing as you have the ACX open air cooler already I'd suggest doubling down on case airflow OR going liquid on the GPU's as well.

 

[Joe335]

Depending on motherboard model and GPU spacing it's often recommended to get a blower style GPU's in SLI, that way you just dump the heat directly out the back. This isn't perfect as blower style coolers have less room for a heatsink and the fan will need to run at higher speeds to shed the excess heat energy. Seeing as you have the ACX open air cooler already I'd suggest doubling down on case airflow OR going liquid on the GPU's as well.

Hi Celica, thanks for the response. I have the Z170x mobo from Gigabyte. There are 3 slots, so I believe I can do the 1 and 3 slot on it to allow for some spacing. What are you referring to when you say "blower style GPU"?
I have good airflow in my case now, but I could always customize it a bit with better fans or just a different case.
**I had one other question. Given that I have the Z170x UD5, it has 3 slots as I mentioned. However, after further investigation, the MFG recommends running it in the PCIE16x and 8x slot, which are about 60mm from one another. Do you have any idea of this is going to be an issue? That seems like the two GPUs would almost be touching one another. I looked into some other cases and I think I find a better solution in terms of push/pull for air flow, but how could I know if I could use the 3rd slot instead to provide more air between the cards?

 

[Grugbug]

Personally I'd dump the H100i and build a custom water cooled setup, that's me though and you asked.

I'm not opposed to doing so, but I wouldn't really know where to start. I bought the H100i as it was a simple install and has worked quite well. Do you have a recommendation on what to look for in a custom build? Components you recommend over others? Thanks for your input!

Here's a site that might be able to help chose a water cooling setup. I'd be more than happy to help you walk through a setup if you chose the option.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/#

 

[Joe335]

Personally I'd dump the H100i and build a custom water cooled setup, that's me though and you asked.

I'm not opposed to doing so, but I wouldn't really know where to start. I bought the H100i as it was a simple install and has worked quite well. Do you have a recommendation on what to look for in a custom build? Components you recommend over others? Thanks for your input!

Here's a site that might be able to help chose a water cooling setup. I'd be more than happy to help you walk through a setup if you chose the option.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/#

That is very generous of you! I'm going to play around on that site tonight and tomorrow to see if I can find a configuration that works. I'll probably hit you up if I have any questions. Thank you again.

 

[Grugbug]

I thought I would give you a site to look at your options, there are many.
I'll be around if you have any questions.

 

[CelicaGT]

Depending on motherboard model and GPU spacing it's often recommended to get a blower style GPU's in SLI, that way you just dump the heat directly out the back. This isn't perfect as blower style coolers have less room for a heatsink and the fan will need to run at higher speeds to shed the excess heat energy. Seeing as you have the ACX open air cooler already I'd suggest doubling down on case airflow OR going liquid on the GPU's as well.

Hi Celica, thanks for the response. I have the Z170x mobo from Gigabyte. There are 3 slots, so I believe I can do the 1 and 3 slot on it to allow for some spacing. What are you referring to when you say "blower style GPU"?
I have good airflow in my case now, but I could always customize it a bit with better fans or just a different case.
**I had one other question. Given that I have the Z170x UD5, it has 3 slots as I mentioned. However, after further investigation, the MFG recommends running it in the PCIE16x and 8x slot, which are about 60mm from one another. Do you have any idea of this is going to be an issue? That seems like the two GPUs would almost be touching one another. I looked into some other cases and I think I find a better solution in terms of push/pull for air flow, but how could I know if I could use the 3rd slot instead to provide more air between the cards?

The Founders Edition (FE) would be an example, albeit an overpriced one (Ignore my sig <.<)

 

[Joe335]

Depending on motherboard model and GPU spacing it's often recommended to get a blower style GPU's in SLI, that way you just dump the heat directly out the back. This isn't perfect as blower style coolers have less room for a heatsink and the fan will need to run at higher speeds to shed the excess heat energy. Seeing as you have the ACX open air cooler already I'd suggest doubling down on case airflow OR going liquid on the GPU's as well.

Hi Celica, thanks for the response. I have the Z170x mobo from Gigabyte. There are 3 slots, so I believe I can do the 1 and 3 slot on it to allow for some spacing. What are you referring to when you say "blower style GPU"?
I have good airflow in my case now, but I could always customize it a bit with better fans or just a different case.
**I had one other question. Given that I have the Z170x UD5, it has 3 slots as I mentioned. However, after further investigation, the MFG recommends running it in the PCIE16x and 8x slot, which are about 60mm from one another. Do you have any idea of this is going to be an issue? That seems like the two GPUs would almost be touching one another. I looked into some other cases and I think I find a better solution in terms of push/pull for air flow, but how could I know if I could use the 3rd slot instead to provide more air between the cards?

The Founders Edition (FE) would be an example, albeit an overpriced one (Ignore my sig <.<)

Hello again. I've been traveling for work and am now back at this topic. I just saw some "rumored" specs of the GTX 1080ti and now this has me wondering if a single 1080ti would be a better solution than dual 1080s. I understand that from a gaming perspective, a single card will ultimately win-out as most games don't scale well for SLI.

One item to note - I was given the chance to run dual 1080s recently in my rig to see how it performed. While some applications/software seemed to run excellent for my business, other software seemed to run less efficient for some reason.
I then fired up some of my steam installed games. I don't think any of the titles I own seemed to take advantage of the SLI configuration, which is troubling, but I understand it.

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[Grugbug]

I would recommend a single card solution.
A single card does not carry the problems an SLI setup can bring, heat being one of them.

I have a couple of questions though, do you need to turn down any settings to run 4K at your desired frame rate, have you solved the cooling problem that a second card will introduce?