GTX 670 sli with GTX 460

[shaykal]

Hello all,

So, I finally bought my second Gigabyte GTX 670 last week (the model is GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card) and it's amazing!
I really love these cards.

I was wondering if I could use my old Asus GTX 460 along with the 670 as dedicated to physx.
It looks like it's actually possible technically. you connect the 2 GTX 670 like a normal sli and in addition the GTX 460 (without the sli bridge) and in the settings you use the 460 as dedicated for physx.

I own the Asrock z77 extreme9 motherboard.
When using 2 graphics card, I should use the PCIE1 and PCIE5 and the bandwidth will x16 on each of them.

In the case when using also the GTX460 (on PCIE7 I presume?) will the bandwidth of the PCIE be x8 x8 x16 ? is there a way to make the system use x16 x16 for the GTX 670 in sli and x8 for the GTX 460 for physx?
Is there even any benefit in using the GTX 460 for physx?

Thanks for your help!

 

[hmmblah]

I wouldn't think there would be any benefit to this. The 670s are more than capable of running it all. Also, mixing different series like you want to is just asking for trouble.

 

[Feronix]

If you really want this you should sell that card (if anyone still even wants it) and get yourself a GTX 650 or 650 Ti, though you have 2 high end cards anyway, I don't really see a reason for this.

You could also save that slot for a nice sound card or something

 

[shaykal]

Thanks for your answers!

... and get yourself a GTX 650 or 650 Ti,

Do you mean to get this card just to dedicate it to physx?
I don't think that I would buy a card just for the sake of physx, if any, it would be an additional GTX 670 for a 3 way sli
If it's just for physx, I don't really understand what's the difference between using the GTX 650 or the GTX 460 I already have.

Thanks!
Shai

 

[airdeano]

different architectures (fermi/kepler) for one.
second, mixing memory bus speed 460 (192) and 670 (256).
prolly mixing pci-e bus 2.0 (460) and 3.0 (670).

but you can try it and report back your findings..

airdeano

 

[Feronix]

In that case I'd just not do it if I were you, GTX 460 wouldn't give you any real advantage as you have 2 high end cards that probably do the job better than that dedicated 460 anyway. You can always try though, if you want

 

[ccaution]

Dedicated physx doesn't worth the extra wattage imho. If you fold with all of them, it's another story though

 

[shaykal]

Thanks airdeano, that's a good explanation there


I might try it out over the weekend.
if I do, I'll post the results.

Thank you all for helping out!

Shai

 

[jaw2floor]

mixing different card series doesnt matter for physx. as others have mentioned though, a 670 should be surplus anyway. make sure its overclocked!

 

[S_I_N]

nobody has asked so I will whats the rest of your setup???

running the 460 for dedicated physics will not hinder the sli at all. But in truth leaving your physics on the cpu would most likely be more beneficial. I've tried a few physic tests in the past and with current tech its just not worth the extra effort setting it up and powering it. Only real world benefit would be to say hey look I'm running 3 gpu's

 

[shaykal]

My rig is composed of the following:

[FONT=&quot]Processor:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]i5-3570k[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Motherboard:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Asrock z77 extreme9[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Cooling:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thermaltake Water 2.0 Pro[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Memory:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1600[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Video Card:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB sli[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hard Disk:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Crucial 128GB C300 SATA3 SSD, 2 x Hitachi GST Deskstar 2TB SATA 6.0Gb/s[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]CRT/LCD Model:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]ASUS VG236HE Black 23"[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Case:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]NZXT switch 810[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]PSU:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thermaltake Black Widow W0319RU 850W ATX[/FONT]

 

[shaykal]

By the way, is there a place where I could update this in my details?

 

[CPMFW]

just put it in your signature

 

[shaykal]

Thanks!
I just did