Which GPU?

[frzg]

I just ordered a new comp and I have 2 of these coming in to SLI
EVGA GeForce GTX 460 Superclocked EE (External Exhaust) 1024 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WIALZ6

I'm beginning to think that might have been a mistake. Would it be better to order one REALLY fast GPU or TWO of the 460's like I did?

 

[Kamab]

It really depends on a number of things (price, performance, power draw). You might have wanted to go for 560's instead though. SLI 460s will still be fast.

 

[frzg]

It really depends on a number of things (price, performance, power draw). You might have wanted to go for 560's instead though. SLI 460s will still be fast.

Do you recommend any 560's in particular? I hate searching GTX 560 and getting 100 results on newegg lol

 

[frzg]

Two of these?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130660&Tpk=01G-P3-1460-KR

It's only $30 total more than I paid for 2 460's, seems like the logical decision.

 

[Kamab]

All GFX cards are made from the same reference design, with the major differences coming with the software each company includes for overclocking. So, if you don't care too much about overclocking, go for the cheapest pseudo-reputable card.

If you care about OCing your card do a little research. And if you don't consider yourself very educated on the subject don't try for a high overclock or you might damage things (in outlier cases, it's just nice to know what you are doing).

The 560 is an architectural upgrade over the 460 with higher pixel clock, shader clock, and memory bandwidth. You should see anywhere from a 8-15% improvement per card. The EVGA card you linked seems like a decent choice, and with 2 in SLI you should be comfortable playing any game at max settings on a 1920x1080 resolution screen.

 

[Kamab]

It also helps to not be picky on brand and to shop for deals. Got my GTX 570 off of newegg shellshocker =D.

 

[frzg]

Actually ended up going for two of these

EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Superclocked 1024 MB GDDR5 PCI

Slight upgrade from what I first referenced as the regular 560!

 

[Kamab]

Always better to let the manufacturer do the overlocking for you. Enjoy Max Settings! And make sure you have an adequate PSU!!

 

[frzg]

This is the overall build, what would you rate it for gaming out of 10?

CASE:
Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129097

PSU:
Thermaltake TPG-750M Toughpower Grand GOLD 750W ATX 12V V2.3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817153132

MOBO:
GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128514

CPU:
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Thuban 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103913

MEMORY:
(2) G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB - 16GB total
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231445

HDD:
OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal SSD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227706

GPU SLI:
(2) EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] P3-1461-KR

COOLING:
Antec KUHLER H2O 920 Liquid Cooling System
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835209054

OS:
Windows 7 64bit

 

[Kamab]

I'm a big fan of modular PSU's, and I think 750W is probably fine (Eyeballing it you will probably max load around 600-650), but that PSU is pretty expensive and doesn't have great reviews. Consider this PSU (I like corsair):

CORSAIR Professional Series HX750:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

Also, I've personally had bad experiences with OCZ. You aren't going to get a HDD for storage? 120GB SSD + >= 500GB HDD is probably the optimal setup for convenience.

I'd rate the build at a 8.5, only because the 1100T isn't exactly the #1 option for high end gaming, and your GPU's probably won't be able to max out games released 1-2 years from now (maybe).

For titles being released this year I think you should see very close to max performance. A 10/10 gaming build to me is something that would continue to max out titles for ~2-3 years.

 

[diellur]

+1 on changing the PSU. Corsair and XFX are pretty much the same, with XFX being a bit cheaper, Be Quiet!, Antex, Enermax, Silverstone...and make sure it has an 80+ rating as well.

 

[solomonshv]

I have an XFX 750watt black edition PSU. I love this thing to death. It handled a pair of overclocked GTX 470's and a pair of GTX 580's with no problems. Silent as a mouse.

Most corsair and XFX PSU's are made by a company called Seasonic. If your PSU is made by Seasonic, its awesomeness is guaranteed. plus a 5 to 7 year warranty. I got the XFX over a Season and Corsair branded PSU's because of the price, it was on sale on Newegg. Got it for $75 when its normal price was $125.

Avoid OCZ like the plague.

Those Evga cards will be beasts. I would take em. Nothing will be out of your reach, even 3D gaming.

 

[frzg]

OK, I've never done SLI before and I'm a little concerned after googling it. This is my work computer as well as gaming so to maximize my efficiency I use 3 monitors. The left and right monitors are both standard 24" LCD's and don't have anything really intense on them ever, just EXCEL and our shipping program. The center monitor is where I game and it is a 23" LCD 120hz Viewsonic. I just assumed I could plug all 3 monitors into the 2 560's and I would be able to 'focus' the power on the center monitor, is that not correct? Do I need a 3rd GPU to just run the 3rd monitor, just a cheap little card or something? I want the full power on my center 120hz screen but still need my other 2 monitors to be able to run when I'm not playing games. Was I ignorant to assume I could use all 3 monitors on the 2 560's?

ugh!

 

[frzg]

OK, I figured that out. I'll be adding in a 3rd GPU (a cheap little 8400) to power the 3rd monitor. My new question is should I have BOTH my left and right monitor in the 8400 so that I can focus both the 560's on the center monitor, or does it not make a difference if I have 2 monitors or 1 plugged in.

 

[Kamab]

You have room for 3 GPUs? You can plug your monitors in any way you want and it will make little difference. Sending a frame of video to a monitor isn't remotely close to the hardest job a GPU has to do.Even if you cloned all 3 screens when you game, it will not make it any harder on the cards.

I would honestly just use the two 560's SLI'd.