Preparing my rig for SLI; need opinions on parts needed

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Joseph DeGarmo

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My build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($326.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 180GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($257.88 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($212.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($334.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Inwin GRone White (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: HP bd340i Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For $0.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional (32/64-bit) ($174.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1640.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-24 17:59 EDT-0400

I just migrated the build from an old HP Pavilion case to a new full tower case and want to eventually step up to SLI to play games like Batman Arkham Knight at 60 fps on ultra settings. Just need an opinion on the best SLI-compatible motherboard, PSU, and GPU to get. I will plan to upgrade the CPU cooler to a Hyper 212 EVO as well. Here are a few requirements:

1. PSU should be full modular and at least 750w.
2. GPU must be a GTX 970.
3. Motherboard must have a digital optical port and must be SLI-compatible.

I would like to keep the motherboard at a $100-200 price range and the PSU at a reasonable price for a quality brand, such as XFX or SeaSonic.

A few more questions: I heard that Windows 10 and DirectX 12 will allow you to pair two Nvidia cards of different models as opposed to SLI for a performance boost. I have an old GTX 660. Could I just use that instead of SLI'ing the 970? Also, is it recommended to upgrade the RAM to 16 GB for dual GPUs? Feedback will be appreciated.
 
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alpha27

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asrock extreme 4 For sli, as the model u selected looks like it only supports Xfire
get 2 x Samsung 120 gb =240 gb drives for some raid0 goodnees @ 1000mbps for 60 buks each, save
get a 980 gtx as main gpu, wish I got 1 but expensive in australia
do u really need 4tb get 2 tb for a bit less
and 750 watt with 2 x 8 pin and 2x 6pin for gfx cards
win 8.1 vanilla should do
my 2 cents
 
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lcp1109

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I would change the board, the second pcie from the one you selected/have runs only at 4x, and does not have usb 3.1

I would also change the SSD, too expensive, go with the one tomshardware recommended this week and that have 10 years warranty

The EVGA I suggest is tier 1.

There is no guaranty that with directx we will be able to use two different cards, but they are working on it. Since the GTX 970 have a very good performance, you can wait until directx 12 is release before you decide to buy another GTX 970

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($326.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A/USB 3.1 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($155.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme Pro 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.95 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($212.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($339.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Inwin GRone White (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: HP bd340i Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For $0.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional (32/64-bit) ($174.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1638.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-24 18:34 EDT-0400
 
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DonkeyOatie

DonkeyOatie

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I would want a minimum of 650W, and preferably 750W for SLI, even with low power use GTX970s.

I know what you said you want, but the EVGA 110-B2-0750-VR is only semi-modular, but a great bargain, and is my go-to PSU for this purpose, and since it is a Super Flower build, it's about as good as it gets.

PSU prices are fluid. When the time to buy comes see which of these is available and buy the cheapest that you want.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-110b20750vr
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1650bbefx
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-hcg750m
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-edg750

All are fully or semi-modular.

GPU depends on what you want, speed, cool, quiet, cheap, overclock. Just about every choice is good for some reason, starting with the ASUS Styrix, EVGA FTW ACX, MSI Twin Frozr, and Gigabyte Windforce.

Your motherboard also needs good power phases and VRM heatsinks for overclocking.

For Optical Digital, do you mean S/PDIF?

The ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer meets your needs, overclocking, SLI, and S/PDIF for about $121. Most of the above $150 ASUS motherboards, and many of those by other manufacturers have S/PDIF too.

Hope this helps.
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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The build I posted above is what I already own for those who are not interpreting that correctly. The ASUS Z97-A/USB 3.1 looks like a good selection due to the USB 3.1 ports, so I'll definitely look into upgrading to that one. About the EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750w PSU, is that a Tier 2 PSU? Looks like a great bargain, but I would feel more comfortable with a SeaSonic or XFX.

After looking at a few motherboards, the ASRock Z97 Extreme 6 looks to be the most attractive. It has even more SATA and USB 3.0 ports plus an M.2 port. It has a blue design like my existing one, which fits quite nicely with my rig. Although it lacks the USB 3.1 ports, I think I just might go with that one.
 
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DonkeyOatie

DonkeyOatie

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Here's the jonnyguru review http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=393. The EVGA B2 is a fantastic quality PSU made by Super Flower. It is as good as or better than Seasonic/XFX, which are also tier 2A in this group. The EVGA G2 is tier 1.

NO! The NEX series, the B1 and G1, are inferior PSU's, made by lower-grade OEMs. I would not use them. The B2, G2, P2, and T2, are superb.

Can you answer my S/PDIF question about the motherboard to clarify things?
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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Yes, the S/PDIF out is the digital optical audio port. The ASRock Z97 Extreme 6 has that.
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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OK, so here are the upgrades I'm looking at so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($151.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $285.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-25 10:23 EDT-0400

When going to SLI, I want to make the new GPU my primary GPU because my current one gets noisy with high fan speeds and is not really that cool compared to other brands. I heard that the MSI GTX 970 TwinFrozr V is an excellent card with great cooling and quiet operation. Is that one the best choice as a primary GPU? I have custom profiles created in RivaTuner when running with EVGA Precision X. Can I still keep the same RivaTuner setup when using MSI Afterburner?

Also, if I upgrade from an ASRock board to another ASRock board, can I install the new board without reinstalling Windows since I would have the same ASRock drivers?
 
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DonkeyOatie

DonkeyOatie

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The Extreme 6 is a great board with excellent power phases. The challenge with SLI will be to get enough air cooling to the inner card. A pair of double-width cards leaves very little space for air. Manufacturers could help by making the innermost and outermost pci-e slots the two x8 ones, which would leave more space.

An excellent PSU choice, jonnyguru almost drooled on that PSU :)

Can't help you with your GPU question, I have not tried that yet, although I have a system at school with ASUS, EVGA, and MSI software, but they run GTX 750ti's.

The OS is keyed to an ID number in the motherboard chip-set. New motherboard, even identical model and manufacturer, means new OS install.
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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But my OS is a full version and not OEM. Do I still need to reinstall Windows even when upgrading the motherboard of the same brand?

If so, then how does the ASUS Sabertooth Z97 MARK2 compare?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132132&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
 
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DonkeyOatie

DonkeyOatie

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If you have a full version, you will still need to reinstall, you just will not need a new copy, and you may need to contact MS to get your key transferred.

Similar but different. The ASRock board has 6 hybrid phases with a doubler, higher capacity MOSFETs and more chokes. The Sabretooth has 8 digital phases. Both have two RAM phases. ASUS parts tend to be a little better, but you also pay more. The two boards are in the same class, so it comes down to features and layout.
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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OK, so the ASRock Z97 Extreme6 makes more sense due to the color scheme and the number of SATA ports. Thanks for clearing that up. So when I eventually get another GTX 970 for SLI, it would be nice to have a GPU which matches the blue color scheme of the rig. My EVGA SSC card already does. Should I then go for the EVGA FTW+ ACX 2.0 version? Does it have much better cooling or should I get a Gigabyte GTX 970 Windforce?
 
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DonkeyOatie

DonkeyOatie

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Heres some reviews

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/09/19/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/1
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/67800-gtx-970-roundup-evga-galax-gigabyte.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-gtx-980-970-roundup,27716.html
http://www.overclock.net/t/1516121/gtx-970-comparison-strix-vs-msi-gaming-vs-gigabyte-g1

You can see what they look like and the similarities and difference. Any problems with the ACX 2.0 on launch have been solved now.
 
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lcp1109

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I remember seeing some GtX 970 from Galax with good user review at newegg and good performance at one of the reviews liked by Donkey, so it's a good brand.

But it would be better for SLI to use the same model, I did read some article a while ago about problems running SLI with two cards from different brands or different models. The EVGA is a good card so you should stick with it.
 
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alpha27

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2 or 3 fan coolers offer better cooling thus oc, then single fan , windforce 3 have highest thermal design, my galax 970 with 2 fan keeps pretty cool and quiet, but haven't needed to oc cause it boosts to 1290 MHz anyway
 
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DonkeyOatie

DonkeyOatie

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I would keep the two cards as similar as possible to eliminate problems. SLI splits the rendering task between the two cards and expects each card to have nearly identical and predictable performance. I would not want to take any chances.

You might consider starting another thread on this topic in Graphics to see what those experts have to say.
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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So basically I cannot run DSR with SLI in Windows 8.1? That's really disappointing. It defeats the purpose of going SLI anyway. But for games like Batman Arkham Knight and GTA V on ultra settings, SLI will likely be needed. Would it make more sense to get a G-sync monitor rather than trying to upgrade my rig for SLI? Running certain games locked at 30 fps is not a bad idea, but I prefer to have the smoothness of 60 fps on all my games. I can deal with occasional fps drops in Dragon Age: Inquisition since they mostly occur during battles.
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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OK, I looked at the ASRock Z97 Extreme9 motherboard, which is currently on sale for about $200. It's nice for future-proofing since the PLX chip expands the PCI-E lane support to 32. With that, I can currently run an old GTX 660 for PhysX (for games like Batman Arkham City and Borderlands 2) and later on add another GTX 970 for SLI. With those three GPUs, I will need at least a 900w PSU. What are your thoughts on this?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME9 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($208.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $358.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-29 02:24 EDT-0400
 
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