GPU advice for new build.

P

PepperNinja

New member
Hi guys,
Last time I posted was for my personal build and the advice here was super, this time I'm wondering if you could help me out for a friend.
He'll be using his machine for games and photoshop.

We put together a machine, but we need advice with the GPU.
I'm aware that the CPU and 840 pro are probably overkill. :)
The 32GB ram should be usefull for Photoshop and running some VM's.
The 1000W PSU was choosen because we'll also be putting in older HDD's and neeed to make sure we can power everything.

The main gaming screen will be a 27" with a 2560 x 1440 resolution. On the left and right will be smaller screens, but those won't be used for gaming.
Originally we went for 2x GTX 670 (2GB), but considering the 27" & high res, wouldn't it be better to go with 4GB cards?
But if we look at 670's with 4GB and double the price, we start getting into the range of a 690, so why not pick that.

*Also, if we were to go with a 690, will it be possible to use the GPU with MVP's Virtu Technology?
It won't work with a SLI build, but a 690 is still only one card using one PCI-e slot, so I was wondering.*

Any help would be much appreciated.
If you have any other remarks on the build, please tell what and why you would change it. :)

Thanks in advance.

[UPDATE]
Nvm about the MVP Virtu, the limitation is dual GPU not the slots.
So that won't work. :)

I've also been seeing reports that the new AMD cards are better for CS6.
Any ideas?
 
Last edited:
Yes, I would personally go with the 4GB cards just for the resolution. You can also grab an HD7950 or 7970 which have about the same performance but with 3GB of VRAM. However, if your friend also likes to use After Effects I'd recommend sticking with an Nvidia GPU as Adobe programmes like CUDA :)

Also, you're not going to need a 1000Watt PSU. Even for SLI 670s, a 750Watt will do. I'd recommend the Corsair AX750 or AX760i. This would save you almost €70,- that you can put towards GPU power.

I'm not sure if Virtu MVP will work on a 690, even though it's one card it is still considered SLI. (2 cards are therefor called Quad SLI)

With things like PhotoSoup, it'd be better to go with a kit of 1866MHz of RAM. Or at least go for CAS Latency 9 when picking a 1600MHz kit.
 
Hmm, nifty lil' build you guys gathered there. either nVidia or AMD cards would be fine Too bad you can't use dual graphics cards cause I'd go straight for the 7990, but a 7970 will do just fine, it's powerful, it's mean, it has lots of VRAM... Other than that... maybe the PSU, a bit overkill, but if you guys are crazy, then why not? But going with a less powerful one will save you a few euros and you guys can take your girls out or just focus on a better case etc.
 
dragoonk said:
Hmm, nifty lil' build you guys gathered there. either nVidia or AMD cards would be fine Too bad you can't use dual graphics cards cause I'd go straight for the 7990, but a 7970 will do just fine, it's powerful, it's mean, it has lots of VRAM... Other than that... maybe the PSU, a bit overkill, but if you guys are crazy, then why not? But going with a less powerful one will save you a few euros and you guys can take your girls out or just focus on a better case etc.
Click to expand...

Could you explain that please?

Since MVP Virtu doesn't support dual GPU (either SLI/Crossfire or just one card with dual GPU), we won't be using it and can either go for a SLI/Crossfire setup or a single card with dual GPU.
Or are we missing something? :)
 
Nah, I think he got you wrong and assumed you *wanted* to use Virtu MVP, therefor couldn't go with more than one card
 
dragoonk said:
Hmm, nifty lil' build you guys gathered there. either nVidia or AMD cards would be fine Too bad you can't use dual graphics cards cause I'd go straight for the 7990, but a 7970 will do just fine, it's powerful, it's mean, it has lots of VRAM... Other than that... maybe the PSU, a bit overkill, but if you guys are crazy, then why not? But going with a less powerful one will save you a few euros and you guys can take your girls out or just focus on a better case etc.
Click to expand...

Either way these would be my options mate. :)
 
Dragoonk, you're very helpful on this forum and I apreciate that but you also double post a lot. Please edit your posts :)

PepperNinja, I'd just throw in either 2 x GTX 670s or a 690. Would just go for the cheaper option.

Also please do think about what I said about the power supply and RAM. You can save some serious money on the PSU and getting an 1866MHz kit of RAM only costs you €10,- more if you grab the Corsair Vengeance kit:
http://azerty.nl/8-756-459147/corsair-vengeance-geheugen-.html
or
http://azerty.nl/8-756-459155/corsair-vengeance-geheugen-.html

(Red is cheaper)
 
Hmmm,

eXtreme PSU calc is telling me:

System Type: 1 physical CPU
Motherboard: High End - Desktop
CPU Socket: Socket LGA 1155
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3500 MHz Ivy Bridge
CPU Utilization (TDP): 90% TDP
RAM: 4 Sticks DDR3 SDRAM
Video Card 1: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670
Video Card 2: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670
Video Type: SLI
Regular SATA: 5 HDDs
DRAM SSD: 1 Drive
DVD/CDRW Combo Drive: 1 Drive
USB: 8 Devices
Fans
Regular: 4 Fans 120mm; 2 Fans 140mm;
Keyboard and mouse: Yes
System Load: 90 %

Minimum PSU Wattage: 506 Watts
Recommended Wattage: 556 Watts
Click to expand...

Other calcs are telling me up to 1100 Watts is needed.
I see why a commercial site would push for a more powerfull and expensive PSU, but that's a huge difference.

We picked low profile ram, but since we're going with a H100i, high profile is also possible.
Going to check out the Asus QVL for suitable ram.

For the GPU, leaning towards 2x 670 with 4GB each.
 
PepperNinja said:
Hmmm,

eXtreme PSU calc is telling me:



Other calcs are telling me up to 1100 Watts is needed.
I see why a commercial site would push for a more powerfull and expensive PSU, but that's a huge difference.

We picked low profile ram, but since we're going with a H100i, high profile is also possible.
Going to check out the Asus QVL for suitable ram.

For the GPU, leaning towards 2x 670 with 4GB each.
Click to expand...

Note that adding two cards in SLI won't mean you will have 8 gigs of total VRAM, you will only have 4. That's why my proposition was a dual GPU single graphics card like the 7990 which has 6GB of VRAM and you can use every single one of them. Suited for your high resolution display... actually more than enough I think.

As for the online Wattage calculators... I wouldn't trust them. A 750W PSU would be just fine... and even give you some overclocking headroom.
 
Last edited:
I was in that same situation with the whole PSU thing until I saw several people on here and other forums that were running i7s and GTX670s SLI on an AX750. Should even give you some headroom for overclocking and such :)

Edit; 4GB should be plenty for the current monitor set-up. Plus, the CUDA helps out in Adobe programs so with builds that are used for rendering, I normally suggest an Nvidia card :)
 
dragoonk,

I'm aware of that. :)
Wasn't aware that the 7990 had 6GB vram. Still it's not THAT high a resolution (compared with multi monitor setups).
So shouldn't 4GB be enough?
Cause I'm seeing mixed reviews about the 7990, mainly with power consumption and noise.

Feronix, I'm also using 670s in SLI, but on a AX850, no problems, but still, huge difference in the PSU calcs.
 
Don't take it as an offence, I am not doubting your knowledge on the matter, was just making sure you got all the info. Seen a few people making that mistake... I am only here to help.

4 gigs should be more than enough, and a SLI setup would ravage any game without any issues.

Good Luck! :)
 
- Yes, 4GB is enough
- Yes, 750 Watt is enough, but an AX850 is still cheaper than that 1000 Watt thing.
- Yes, PSU calcs are kind of a faill IMHO. I prefer to trust the facts, and people that own the hardware and power supplies.

:)
 
dragoonk,

I wasn't offended, I'd rather hear certain info twice than not at all. :)

All,
This is the new build. :D

[UPDATE]
Fixed double ram. :)
 
Last edited:
Seems solid! Though the RAM is in there twice. It's already a 4x8GB kit so buying two would give you 64GB of RAM, that's
1 - Way over the top
2 - Not supported by Z77 boards (they only have 4 dimms and support up to 32GB of RAM)

The rest seems pretty damn good to me :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Advise on my proposed build please
Replies
4
Views
622
AlienALX
AlienALX
AlienALX
For Robbie.
Replies
5
Views
178
AlienALX
AlienALX
Kaapstad
Should Nvidia and AMD be broken up?
Replies
4
Views
314
KingNosser
K
AlienALX
The Fairchild Ghost subwoofer project
2
Replies
38
Views
829
AlienALX
AlienALX
g0ggles1994
Kitchen Flooring
Replies
8
Views
604
g0ggles1994
g0ggles1994
Back
Top