SLI question on power

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
K

kipliq

Reputable
Mar 2, 2014
24
0
4,510
Hi, I have a Seasonic x660 and the ausu GTX 760. Do I have enough power to run SLI or I need a 1000w psu? I got bot the other month thinking it would be good but I saw the 760 slow dropping so I figure next year maybe SLI if it drops enough.
 
Solution
C
I would only recommend using XFire/SLI for the top 2, maybe 3rd card from each side (not counting dual GPU cards), anything less than that you are better off with a single card, the performance difference diff between two mid ranged cards and a single high end card, especially if the former is from generation before, is not large enough to warrant the SLI issues.

General rule is: if 1 card can get the job done, get 1 card. Use SLI/Xfire/Dual GPU only when the settings/resolution you want to use cannot be achieved with any single GPU card on the market
Sort by date Sort by votes
F

fede1195

Reputable
Mar 9, 2014
22
0
4,520
Yes 660w is enough for GTX 760 SLI. However, I would suggest, you wait until you think you need more graphics power, and get a GTX 970 instead of another 760. Its going to consume less power, and you won't have to deal with the issues of SLI, which although are minimal nowadays, are still there.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
C

Computer LVR

Honorable
May 11, 2012
72
0
10,660
660 watts is more than enough for running sli gtx 760
anandtech has an article showing that

CPU: Intel Core i7-3960X @ 4.3GHz
Motherboard: EVGA X79 SLI
Power Supply: Antec True Power Quattro 1200
Hard Disk: Samsung 470 (256GB)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3-1867 4 x 4GB (8-10-9-26)
and a gtx 760 only consume 360 watts at most, adding the tdp of the second 760 that means 360+170=530 so yes your psu is enough with some room to spare and since its seasonic it can handle the load

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7103/nvidia-geforce-gtx-760-review/16
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
K

kipliq

Reputable
Mar 2, 2014
24
0
4,510
I didn't know there are still SLI issues. I figured back when I built my last box in early 2009 it would have been solved by now. I'm playing Dragon Age Inquisition and it seem to need more power but not entirely sure. It run smooth but then it starts to stagger. Could it be my cpu since it is a phenom II x4 3.4 ghz? I'm still waiting for my memory so I can complete my build with a z97-a + i7 4790k.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
K

kipliq

Reputable
Mar 2, 2014
24
0
4,510
Would it be more like 360+360+170 = 890? I'm not sure how SLI cards draw power.

Reason I got the 760 is that when it is OC it is almost as good as the 770 and I didn't want to spend $120 for like average of 10 fps on games.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
F

fede1195

Reputable
Mar 9, 2014
22
0
4,520


What Computer LVR meant is that 360w is the total wattage consumption of a system with a GTX 760 in it. The TDP of a single GTX 760 is 170W, that's why he said 360 + 170 = 530.

You did the right thing in going for a GTX 760 instead of a 770 for 1080p, its perfectly fine. But in the future, instead of going for another 760, its better if you sell you 760, and get a 970
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
F

fede1195

Reputable
Mar 9, 2014
22
0
4,520


The issues are minimal nowadays, but there still are, like microstuttering in some games, or the fact that there is no SLI profile for some others, so you get no scaling at all, so you just use the power of 1 card.

You should take a look at the cpu usage while gaming before blaming the issues with Dragon Age on your cpu. I reccomend MSI Afterburner to see that. Also, what version of the 760 do you have, 2Gb or 4Gb ? Because you may be running out of VRAM if the game uses high resolution textures, and that generally causes stuttering and fps drops. Which BTW SLI won't fix if you have the 2GB version since memory doesn't add on SLI. So your much better off going with a single 970 which has 4Gb of VRAM
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
C

Computer LVR

Honorable
May 11, 2012
72
0
10,660
I agree with you sr-71 on the 700-750 watt range since the power supply will be running closer to peak efficiency but I dont think its worth forking over $100+ for a high quality 750 watt psu. For the price of the other 760 and the high quality psu you could get a gtx 970
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
C

chenw

Honorable
Oct 25, 2014
1,665
0
12,460
I would only recommend using XFire/SLI for the top 2, maybe 3rd card from each side (not counting dual GPU cards), anything less than that you are better off with a single card, the performance difference diff between two mid ranged cards and a single high end card, especially if the former is from generation before, is not large enough to warrant the SLI issues.

General rule is: if 1 card can get the job done, get 1 card. Use SLI/Xfire/Dual GPU only when the settings/resolution you want to use cannot be achieved with any single GPU card on the market
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom