Adding a second graphics card

Itchyname · Jan 1, 2014

Hi there,

A few months back I built my own pc, with a Asus GTX 660 Ti-DC20-2GD5 graphics card / MSI Z77A-G45 Gaming as motherboard and a Corsair TX650 v2 Power Supply Unit.
Right now i'm thinking of adding a 2nd monitor (1980x1080) and i've also connected my television to my ps (which runs on the integrated graphics card).
Also I've noticed that when playing some games on max details (which I'd like to keep up) I noticed my fps dares dropping relatively low (~20). Would it be wise to add a 2nd graphics card at this moment, both to support the new monitor and to increase my fps again using SLI?
From what I've read on the internet I have found that it would need to be another GTX 660 Ti card, but it doesn't have to be the same manufacturer, which is good because unless i remove my in-case fan, i only have about 220 mm of space left for the card.
And also, my PSU only has 2 PCI-E Connectors, which are both used by the ASUS card (the connectors also support 8-pin cards, they're 6+2). Would this be a problem or could I buy an adapter to fix it?

Sorry from the long post, but I want to make sure I don't make any (expensive) mistakes here.
So to conclude:
Should I buy another graphics card?
Can my PSU handle it?
Do I need an adapter or something to fix the PCI-E connector problem?

Thanks a lot for your time and support already!

PS. Full system specs:
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K
GPU: ASUS GTX660 TI-DC2O-2GD5 (271mm depth, which is too long to get a second)
MoBo: MSI Z77A-G45 Gaming
PSU: Corsair TX650 v2
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 - 1TB
ODD: Asus DRW-24B5ST
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB DDR3-1600 CL9 kit
Monitor: Iiyama ProLite E2273HDS-B1 (Of which I'm thinking to buy a 2nd)

PPS. For a 2nd card I was thinking of the Zotac GeForce GTX 660 Ti AMP! Edition

quilciri · Jan 1, 2014

Running a windows desktop on a second monitor only takes a tiny amount of a gaming-level GPU's resources.

That having been said, yes a second card would greatly improve your framerates. With 53a on the +12v rail, your PSU can support two 660 ti's. You'll need a couple of 6-pin pci-e splitters.

The shortest 660ti I found with a quick search is
ZOTAC ZT-60802-10P GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB @ 7.53" (19.1 cm)

immortalpenguin9 · Jan 1, 2014

I think you can handle it....I checked one of those psu calculators and its seems to still be under 500watts so you should be fine with a 650. Also use 2 4 pin molex to 6 pin pcie connector and use the 2 6+2 connectors one on each card

Itchyname · Jan 1, 2014

Cool! Thanks for the fast answer guys!
Now I know what to do

Thank you for your support and have a happy new year

markwp · Jan 1, 2014

You are right in the middle of maybe with this one.

Personally, I would sell the 660 and buy a 770. If you go sli with 660's, even though they are both ti's, the power consumption may be too much for the TX650 and you would be running the second 660 off a molex adapter. The 770 will run on one 6 pin and one 6+2 without need for any adapter. Scaling on the 660's might give you slightly better performance than a single 770, but not much.

If you're going to go hi-res with the second monitor, I think the 770 would be a better solution, and in the long run, you could sli that with a psu upgrade.

Mark

Itchyname · Jan 1, 2014

markwp :

I see... hmmh...
Wouldn't selling a 660Ti be hard? I see the advantages here though...
Could I just sell it on eBay for about €100,00 and buy a 770?
I have no idea of the 2nd hand market of graphics card or selling stuff on the internet...

quilciri · Jan 1, 2014

markwp :

Please check your numbers before making suggestions like this.

Like I already said, his PSU easily handles 2 660 TI's. The 660Ti draws 150w at peak consumption, and like I already posted as well, his +12v is 53a, i.e. it's capable of pushing almost the PSU's entire RMS wattage through the 12v (636w)

His max power consumption would be 486w with both 660TI's (If he's playing crysis 3 while simultaneously burning a DVD and torrenting..otherwise it will be lower than that). he would still have plenty of headroom for overclocking.

Unless his gaming monitor is 4k, the 660TI's are plenty.

SLI 660 TI eats a 770. (the 770 is equivalent to the 7970 in this review) - the res in the benches is 2560x1600!
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-660-ti-benchmark-review,3279-10.html

Itchyname · Jan 1, 2014

quilciri :

immortalpenguin9 :

markwp :

Please check your numbers before making suggestions like this.

Like I already said, his PSU easily handles 2 660 TI's. The 660Ti draws 150w at peak consumption, and like I already posted as well, his +12v is 53a, i.e. it's capable of pushing almost the PSU entire RMS wattage through the 12v (636w)

His max power consumption would be 486w with both 660TI's (If he's playing crysis 3 while simultaneously burning a DVD and torrenting..otherwise it will be lower than that). he would still have plenty of headroom for overclocking.

Unless his gaming monitor is 2560x1440 or 4k, the 660TI are plenty.

SLI 660 TI eats a 770. (the 770 is equivalent to the 7970 in this review).
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-660-ti-benchmark-review,3279-10.html

Was googling and came to the same conclusion as you did, I'm probaably gonna go with a second Ti because I can't afford to buy a higher tier card any time soon. thanks for the effort and the research! Also thank you Mark for suggesting to just get another card, not a bad idea at all!

Itchyname · Jan 1, 2014

Another quick question: the Zotac GeForce GTX 660 Ti AMP! Edition 2GB CAN sli with the Asus GTX 660 Ti-DC20-2GD5,
since both have 2.048 MB memory, no matter the difference in GPU speed, right? And my MoBo (MSI Z77A-G45 Gaming) supports 2-way SLI, but would the preformance be better if I'd use a SLI-bridge?

markwp · Jan 1, 2014

quilciri :

markwp :

Please check your numbers before making suggestions like this.

Like I already said, his PSU easily handles 2 660 TI's. The 660Ti draws 150w at peak consumption, and like I already posted as well, his +12v is 53a, i.e. it's capable of pushing almost the PSU's entire RMS wattage through the 12v (636w)

His max power consumption would be 486w with both 660TI's (If he's playing crysis 3 while simultaneously burning a DVD and torrenting..otherwise it will be lower than that). he would still have plenty of headroom for overclocking.

Unless his gaming monitor is 4k, the 660TI's are plenty.

SLI 660 TI eats a 770. (the 770 is equivalent to the 7970 in this review) - the res in the benches is 2560x1600!
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-660-ti-benchmark-review,3279-10.html

Your opinion is noted, just as mine was offered.

quilciri · Jan 2, 2014

Itchyname :

Yes, the faster card will lower it's clock speed to match the slower.

quilciri · Jan 2, 2014

markwp :

This isn't a comment section on some news article. We are giving advice for people to make large monetary purchases. Giving advice that, in every aspect, is refuted by available facts shows both laziness (in not performing even simple google research), and irresponsibility. People take the advice we give here to heart. The least we can do is make sure the advice we give is supported by evidence.

Maybe it's just me....but I don't advise people to spend hundreds of dollars on a product without supporting research.

Search

Adding a second graphics card

Itchyname

Honorable

quilciri

quilciri

Splendid

immortalpenguin9

Honorable

Itchyname

Honorable

markwp

Dignified

Itchyname

Honorable

quilciri

Splendid

Itchyname

Honorable

Itchyname

Honorable

markwp

Dignified

quilciri

Splendid

quilciri

Splendid

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page