Minimum CPU for GTX 760 SLI

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marckh

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So I'm gonna be getting 2x GTX 760 in SLI, and I would have to upgrade my CPU in order for it not bottleneck the GPU's. I am wondering what is the cheapest CPU, that will not bottleneck 2x 760 SLI's. You may also include a 'best choice' (a CPU that will definitely get me 100% performance from both cards) if you want.

(also I know having 2 GPU's does not necessarily double the performance)

(also I am not 100% how much PSU wattage I should have for both cards, I have read a minimum of 700W, if you know anything about how many watts the cards should have, please feel free to inform me)
 
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GhislainG

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The maximum power is 160 watts per card: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-760-review-gk104,3542-22.html Presume that it could draw up to 30 amps from the 12v rails. 700W doesn't mean much; it's the 12v rails that are important. A PSU like http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013 would be powerful enough, but I'd suggest a 650W as they don't cost much more.

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1768821/cheapest-cpu-bottleneck-760-sli.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1720625/sli-gtx-760-questions.html
 
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marckh

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Ok so I've actually already made a list of what new hardware I'm getting. I should have said that in the thread.

New GPUS: 2x 760 GTX SLI
New CPU: The cheapest one compatible with the motherboard was the FX-6300, but I don't know if it would bottleneck the GPU's, if it does not, please let me know, as it is actually the only part I am unsure of whether or not to switch out.
New Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3, Socket-AM3+ (Which means it would be the easiest to get the cheapest AMD CPU that will not bottleneck 2 GTX 760's)
New PSU: Cooler Master B700 700W

This is all the absolute cheapest, while still being compatible with everything else that I could find.

I also looked up benchmarks of 2 760 GTX's up against a 780, they were alot better than the 780 in almost all the benchmarks. In the games I will play, the 2 760's will get 10-30 FPS more than the 780. Of course, getting the 780 will be alot easier for me, as I know exactly what I should get, no worries about compatibility, but it's somewhere around the same price as the other rig (listed above)

Take to note, that I live in Denmark, and the hardware is most definitely more expensive, it's not gonna help anything by mentioning prices or budgets, I definitely just went for the cheapest, that is still efficient and compatible.

Eduello: Motherboard is mentioned above of this post

13thmonkey: As mentioned above in this post, I found benchmarks of 2 GTX 760's outperforming the 780.

GhislainG: Would the Cooler Master B700 be good enough? Again, I might not be able to find any cheaper and still compatible PSU in Denmark. I am ordering all my parts from one webshop, they are going to send it all in one package, which I find very very efficient, as I am a type of guy that is a little impatient, and likes everything as simple as possible.

AnEwG: As mentioned above in this post, I would have to change my entire rig, just to get an i5, and might just end up exceeding my budget (due to having to get another motherboard, remember, I listed the cheapest possible for me) but thanks for the advice.

PS. Yeah you might find a part that is cheaper and compatible with the rig, but remember, I found the absolute cheapest that I could find here in Denmark, so do not recommend me any cheaper and compatible parts to the rig.
 
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AnEwG

AnEwG

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Why don't you buy a more well balanced rig instead then? Your rig will be CPU bottle-necked and with some games even badly bottle necked- and you won't really get your money's worth from getting 2 GTX 760 in SLI with that processor. Personally for a multi GPU set up I would recommend an i7 or at least a i5 with an unlocked multiplier but since you can't afford it you should probably consider a single GPU set up with something like the GTX 770 for example and an i5.
 
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13thmonkey

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760sli outperform 780 except on new games with poor sli profiles, except with microstuttering, and except in terms of heat, except in terms of upgradability you can add another 780, you are stuck with 760's in sli.
 
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paitjsu sadff

paitjsu sadff

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always go for the best GPU you can afford, i don't know where you found your benchmarks but in most games the gain for SLI is about 35 to 65% so the GTX 780 should perform better in most games than 2x GTX 760...it would also consume much less power, produce less heat and noise...there is no reason to get 2x 760SLI unless you already have a GTX 760 and can find another card for very cheap...some games as of today won't even support SLI at all...

For the CPU any core i5-3xxx or i5-4xxx or AMD FX-83xx or FX-9xxx will not bottleneck high-end GPU's in any games.
 
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GhislainG

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It isn't the best rated PSU, but with 55A on the 12v rails, it's powerful enough.

 
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marckh

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Okay, you guys don't seem to get my point about money. For my budget, all the specs that I am thinking of getting, are the absolute best performing and cheapest within my budget, so getting a GTX 780, with the best, non-bottlenecking, cheapest and still within my budget CPU, would require me to get another motherboard, and then all that added up, would exceed my budget. Trust me, I have looked all around for the best and most efficient hardware to get. And I am not convinced that a 780 would beat GTX 760 in sli, I have viewed benchmarks of both cards, primarily for the games that I like to play, and the gtx 780 only beat the GTX 760 in sli in one of the 4 games, by 2 FPS at average fps. And as mentioned above, it would generally be too expensive.

But alot of you seemingly have ignored my question in the first place, I am just looking for the cheapest and non-bottlenecking CPU for the GTX 760 in SLI. Not advices on getting something else than I have planned.
 
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AnEwG

AnEwG

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You are looking for the cheapest CPU that won't bottle-neck your dual GPU set up and at the same time you don't want us to suggest faster CPUs that can actually get the job done? Believe me you will be wasting your money, your dual GPU set up will be bottle-necked with this CPU, I understand that you won't be able to afford an i5 with a motherboard that supports SLI , and that is why I suggested you make a more balanced build. Even an i5-4440 with an H81 chipset motherboard which is pretty cheap and a GTX 780 will be more balanced. The motherboard won't have as many features as the AM3+ board but you will have a balanced build with a faster processor and your money will be well spent. Otherwise than that you don't have any other options so if you want to go with the FX-6300 build any way go with it, just don't expect the cards to performing 100% of their capability.
 
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paitjsu sadff

paitjsu sadff

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Dear OP, would that build be on budget? i included case, storage and OS, feel free to play with this build if you want...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($151.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($18.41 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($469.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Chaser A31 Snow White ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1042.29
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-20 20:51 EDT-0400)

This kit should allow overclocking on the CPU as high 4.6ghz if needed, 4.2 ghz with no voltage bumb required.
...anything will run on this machine on highest details possible provided you always have an high-end GPU.
The FX-8320 is the same exact chip as the FX-8350, only slower clock but this cpu is unclocked so this is no big deal...

This motherboard (Gigabyte 970a-UD3P) is the best 970 chipset motherboard, feature an 8+2 digital power phase like any 990FX board and high quality VRM's and mosfets, this motherboard will sustain the craziest overclocks with no trouble at all, i've had my FX-8320 stable at 4.7ghz on that same exact motherboard last week to run benchmarks and the scores are awesome.

This kit with a good gpu like a GTX 780 will dominate any game on the market and give high quality HD gaming at upward of 60fps constant in most games at high or ultra details.

That's the exact setup i'm using for gaming everyday except i went witch corsair memory of equivalent performance but other then that i can assure that this system run's any modern games at highest details possible and will continue to do so in the future with games going the way they are directX12 and mantle APi's it will only continue to do even better.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now, if you really want to stick with the GTX 760 SLI option, here is what you are looking at :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($152.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($18.41 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($125.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Chaser A31 Snow White ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750B BRONZE 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1120.29
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-20 21:02 EDT-0400)

This AMD 8 core processor will not bottleneck any high-end GPU options you may decide to go with and will do awesomly well in current and next gen games optimised for mutli-core CPU's.
 
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marckh

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AnEwG: I only mentioned the FX-6300 as an example of what I had in mind, but that was before the though of bottlenecking came across my mind. It's the cheapest compatbile CPU for the motherboard, so incase that would not bottleneck the GPU's, it would've been perfect.

paitsju sadff: My budget will not be translated correctly over to dollars, and won't be relevant. All the prices in the US, are not the same as in Denmark. For example, a GTX 760 is according to you, 239 dollars, here in Denmark, it is around 320 dollars. Do you see that difference? Most hardware is more expensive here. And the 780 would be around 600 dollars over here.

Also, I do really appreciate all your advices and recommendations. I might be able to exceed my budget by a little bit, but that would take a month or two of extra saving up, and as mentioned before, I am a very impatient person, so that would be a little annoying of a wait.
 
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paitjsu sadff

paitjsu sadff

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I totaly understand that marckh but as you can see the 2x GTX 760 build when you consider the PSU needed and all the beefed up hardware for it end-up costing more than the GTX 780 build and this should be the same in your country isn't it?
..and i went with equivalent quality parts in both builds as i said the motherboard are about the same quality only one as 2x pcie16x slot...PSU the same story...etc.
i've included a case and storage just to represent the costs difference involved in a full build but those are up to you...but you cans see the core parts for an SLI system cost more, even if you go with 2x cheaper GPU...and will comsume much more electrical power, make more noise, heat output etc...
 
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marckh

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If you would have read my previous posts, you would know that I have prepared the entire rig, that is completely compatible (which means PSU is powerful enough for 2 760's) except for my CPU. That is the only piece of hardware in my rig that is in question. At this point though, I have sketched another rig that might be possible for me.

My birthday is coming up, so I might be getting a bit of money by then. If I get around 250 dollars, I'm gonna be able to change the entire thing as follows:

GPU: AMD Radeon R9 290X
CPU: FX-8320 3.5 GHz
Motherboard:Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P
PSU: Corsair CX 750M 750W
Case: NZXT Lexa S

Let's compare it to your rig. The above listed parts, would cost me 1113 dollars, I got the cheapest I could find, except for the case. I could have gotten cheaper ATX compatible cases, but I did not.

Now again, I could just go with this rig, but I incase I don't necessarily get the money needed for my birthday, then I won't be able to get it. (my birthday is the 8th of may).

But I feel like you're not letting me use my money the way I want to. I know that you're just advicing and recommending me how to use it, but I thought I had made it clear, that I only want an answer on, what is the cheapest CPU that is powerful enough for 2 GTX 760's. If you cannot answer this, please refrain from posting any further in this thread.
 
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paitjsu sadff

paitjsu sadff

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man that's exeptionaly rude, asking me not to post again in this thread after i took all this time to explain something to you...i even took time to put togheter 2 systems to highlight you the fact that your plan wasn't the best in terms of performance/dollars...but WOW young peolple these days...i sincerely wish you the best of luck...you think you know everything but the motherboard you plan on going with as cheap 4+1 power phase and i would never dare to put an FX 8 core on that...but it's up to you if you want no more advise go ahead and do this sh*t by yourself...i don't care, little arogant.

I've been doing this for over 25 years now and you think you know everything because you watched a couple videos on youtube and checked a few benchmarks here and there and you think you can put togheter a nice rig that will last you a long time...you are in for great surprises young man.

You should know that SLI is a pain in the b*tt, it will almost never give you the performance that you will be waiting for...you will have stuttering issue, frametime issue, heat and noise related issue, game that won't work at all with SLI issue...can't SLI with another GPU down the road because you already went with two cheap GPU instead of one good GPU in the first place issue...

SLI should only be considered down the road when the GPU you have start to no longer be up to your standard and you can find another one for CHEAP...a GTX 760 can run pretty much every new games at 1080p at maximum settings anyway, so if you're yougn and broke i don't get why you don't just get one GTX 760 and use the rest of your savings money to go out and have some fun with your friends...

Whatever i'm loosin my time, i'm punching out...anyway i couldn't care less about you at this point it's your money, your machine you do whatever seems fine to you...have fun !
 
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marckh

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Just because you have 24 years of experience more than me, doesn't give you the right to speak like that to me. I can use my money the way I want, and I don't want you to come here and tell me how to use it. I appreciate that you were giving me advices and recommendations, but I never asked for them. It was kind of grinding my gears when I contiously asked for a simple answer, that I asked from the very start, yet you seemed to have completely looked past that, and answered a bunch of other stuff, that was completely irrelevant and never asked for. I really appreciate the fact that you took the time to list the hardware to 2 different rigs, but the fact that you claim you're an adult, and emphasize that I am a younger one and I am less wise and clever, and you then go ahead and talk to me as if you're an angry 12-year old, just completely destroys your own argument.

I thought I was getting my point across maturily and nicely, but obviously you must have a really high temper, as something as little as saying 'please refrain from posting any further' makes you talk like that, even to someone that is just looking for an answer, and didn't even talk down to you at all, really makes me wonder if you're actually an adult.

Please do not post any more in this thread, or I am going to have to report you for harrassment.

AnEwG: I have read that it usually keeps a steady temperature, except on uber mode or when using it at its full potential. Thanks for your advice though, I'll make sure to take that into consideration.
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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I agree that two GTX 760's in SLI is a bad idea. A single R9 290 or 290x or GTX 780 would be far better. That gigabyte board you picked isn't very good. I would go with an i5 4570 and an Asrock B85 pro4. Here is an example.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B85 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card ($456.13 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750B BRONZE 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $1075.04
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-23 13:05 EDT-0400)
 
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13thmonkey

13thmonkey

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Dude, you asked for help and advice, and have ignored every single piece that you have been given.
 
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marckh

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That is like saying I asked for something I didn't ask for, cause I never asked for any help and advice, I asked for a fucking answer. I excuse my choice of language, but it annoys me, that even the TITLE OF THIS THREAD, EMPHASIZES THE ONLY QUESTION I WANT ANSWERED. I've had several threads on this forum, all answered within hours, and within 1 or 2 posts. I can't believe that all I have gotten was advices and recommendations I can't use.

To sum up my perspective:

Imagine you (not you 13thmonkey, but anyone reading this) asked what the 2 + 2 is. Everyone that seems to answer you, tells you something along the lines of '3 + 3 equals 6, and 12 + 12 equals 24' But what are you gonna use those equations for? You're asking for the result of 2 + 2, that is the exact same fucking concept, that this entire thread is. I am going to abandon this thread, and just get a whole entire new rig, and ask my friend for advice.
 
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paitjsu sadff

paitjsu sadff

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no, i'm sorry but the problem is that your thread is more along the lines of : I want to shoot myself in the head, could you recommand the cheapest bullet that will get the job done...it is normal that some people are gonna try to convince you not to do it don't you think?
 
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shehtazruslan

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gigabyte 760's are faster though...and if a 780 then the galaxy HOF would be pretty good
 
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