- Aug 28, 2013
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Hello, I'm upgrading my gaming rig, not really because I have to but because I've been given a load of parts. I'm getting a 3rd gpu and 3rd monitor next week too. I don't intend to upgrade again for at least two years. Most played games are Metro, Battlefield, CoD & various flight sims..
Currently I'm running this:
i5 2500k
8gb Vengeance
Asus Z68 RoG IV Gene-z
2x 660ti 3GB SLI
1200W Corsair AX
2x Acer HN274H Monitors
The additional GPU won't do much for 3D Vision but then I don't game in 3D for more than an hour at a time anyway. I do have a few bits and pieces laying around though and I'm not sure which direction to take with the rebuild. At this point it's a question of gpu configuration and Ivy vs Sandy...
Option 01: Use existing spares to upgrade CPU to i5 3570 or 3470, using existing z77 or h77 motherboards. GA-Z77M-D3H-MVP or GA-Z77-HD3. Both boards are Crossfire only.
Option 02: Still upgrade the CPU but instead purchase something cheap and SLI capable, such as the Asrock z77 Extreme 4 for about $150. That would give me SLI on Ivy.
Option 03: Level Up to something like a RoG Extreme V, Sniper3, or WS Revolution for $250-$350, giving the most Pcie3 options available on 1155.
Option 04: Use a P8P67 WS Revolution that I have in another system and run either an Ivy Bridge CPU or the 2600k in that, with 3x 660ti's in 3-way SLI, on Pcie2.
Option 05: Stick with the remaining system.
My main concerns are:
I've heard that Pcie3 is a null technology at this point, at least for these purposes/GPUs. Certainly over the next 4yrs I'm not going to start any scientific research or really do anything on this machine but game and update software. I have other computers for everyday stuff. I am though, going to be running 2 or 3 GPUs in SLI (the 660ti does not support quad sli). With that in mind, is an upgrade to Pcie3 advisable, or just a luxury option? For example, would a 3-way SLI setup on Pcie2 perform noticeably worse than a dual SLI configuration on Pcie3. Would 3-way on Pcie3 be noticeably better? Obviously the chipsets are different, so I don't know what to believe and what is hype..
I've also heard that 3-way SLI capable motherboards are rare, and limited to a few models. That puts upgrading to Ivy Bridge approx $350, with 3-way SLI.
From what I can gather, there isn't much difference in CPU performance between the two flavours but I don't want to waste any of my GPU performance if I can help it. Really what I'd like to know is, what is the best machine I can build with the hardware that I have available already (linked) and what real world difference can I expect if I instead go to upgrade the Motherboard to something z77 & 3-way SLI capable?
I'm sort of labouring under the belief that running three 27" monitors will be more taxing than two, and three gpus is not only better than two, but does wonders for my ego hahaha
Currently I'm running this:
i5 2500k
8gb Vengeance
Asus Z68 RoG IV Gene-z
2x 660ti 3GB SLI
1200W Corsair AX
2x Acer HN274H Monitors
The additional GPU won't do much for 3D Vision but then I don't game in 3D for more than an hour at a time anyway. I do have a few bits and pieces laying around though and I'm not sure which direction to take with the rebuild. At this point it's a question of gpu configuration and Ivy vs Sandy...
Option 01: Use existing spares to upgrade CPU to i5 3570 or 3470, using existing z77 or h77 motherboards. GA-Z77M-D3H-MVP or GA-Z77-HD3. Both boards are Crossfire only.
Option 02: Still upgrade the CPU but instead purchase something cheap and SLI capable, such as the Asrock z77 Extreme 4 for about $150. That would give me SLI on Ivy.
Option 03: Level Up to something like a RoG Extreme V, Sniper3, or WS Revolution for $250-$350, giving the most Pcie3 options available on 1155.
Option 04: Use a P8P67 WS Revolution that I have in another system and run either an Ivy Bridge CPU or the 2600k in that, with 3x 660ti's in 3-way SLI, on Pcie2.
Option 05: Stick with the remaining system.
My main concerns are:
I've heard that Pcie3 is a null technology at this point, at least for these purposes/GPUs. Certainly over the next 4yrs I'm not going to start any scientific research or really do anything on this machine but game and update software. I have other computers for everyday stuff. I am though, going to be running 2 or 3 GPUs in SLI (the 660ti does not support quad sli). With that in mind, is an upgrade to Pcie3 advisable, or just a luxury option? For example, would a 3-way SLI setup on Pcie2 perform noticeably worse than a dual SLI configuration on Pcie3. Would 3-way on Pcie3 be noticeably better? Obviously the chipsets are different, so I don't know what to believe and what is hype..
I've also heard that 3-way SLI capable motherboards are rare, and limited to a few models. That puts upgrading to Ivy Bridge approx $350, with 3-way SLI.
From what I can gather, there isn't much difference in CPU performance between the two flavours but I don't want to waste any of my GPU performance if I can help it. Really what I'd like to know is, what is the best machine I can build with the hardware that I have available already (linked) and what real world difference can I expect if I instead go to upgrade the Motherboard to something z77 & 3-way SLI capable?
I'm sort of labouring under the belief that running three 27" monitors will be more taxing than two, and three gpus is not only better than two, but does wonders for my ego hahaha
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