New Motherboard Required for SLI?

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king3pj

king3pj

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I have a EVGA Superclocked GTX 970 on the way to my house now. I already have an identical GPU in my gaming PC. I'm not sure if my current motherboard (Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 Rev 3.0) supports SLI. Since it has one PCI 2.0 x16 slot running at x16 and one PCI 2.0 x16 slot running at x4 I think the answer is no.

I'm currently running an FX 6300 overclocked to 4.0GHz. If I have to upgrade my motherboard I figure it doesn't make sense to stay with the AM3+ socket. I may as well upgrade my CPU to an i5 at the same time.

First I was hoping if someone could tell me if my current motherboard can be used with SLI. I realize that my FX 6300 would be holding back 970s in SLI but I'd rather wait until winter to upgrade my CPU and motherboard if possible.

If this isn't possible I would appreciate recommendations for a good i5 and motherboard combo for SLI 970s. I don't need anything crazy here. I'm not going to go past 2 way SLI and cheaper is better. I would prefer to get all parts from Amazon since I have a cash back store card there.

I'm also wondering if my 600W power supply is enough to handle 2 970s in SLI. I would be open to suggestions there too but I suppose I should probably take that to another post.
 
Solution
faalin
No your motherboard you have right now will not support sli, sli has to have at least 8x or more on both cards to work.

I'd recommend these parts for you if your changing, http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yDFb6h I would try and use your PSU and see if it would run the two 970's if not I also put one in there for you as well as a cooler.
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Onus

Onus

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SLI requires a minimum of X8 slots, and also that the motherboard vendor paid the license fee. That will mean a higher-end board like a 990FX; at that point, as you have already realized it makes more sense to go with an i5 on a Z97 board.
I am not sure I'd run a pair of GTX970's on a 600W PSU unless it's a really good one. Just one requires a good 450W PSU, and the GTX970 has the connectors on it for more than 150W. In "ordinary" use (even most gaming), they'll use less, but under stress you'll probably exceed your PSU's reasonable limits, especially for long-term use.
 
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king3pj

king3pj

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Thanks for all the answers. I have one more question. When I built out this PC about 3 years ago I purchased a "system builder" copy of Windows 8 from Amazon. It says that my license for Windows will be tied to the motherboard it is originally installed on. That is one of the reasons I didn't switch to an i5 when I bought my first 970 a few months ago.

Is there any way I can get Microsoft to transfer my license if I tell them that I upgraded my CPU and motherboard and that my old motherboard and CPU will no longer be in use? This would be 100% true and I would hate to have to spend another $100 on a new copy of Windows 8.
 
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king3pj

king3pj

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Last question. A local shop has a bundle with a i5 4690k and MSI Z97 Gaming 5 for $294.98. This is quite a bit cheaper than I can buy the two parts separately on Amazon. It's also cheaper than what Faalin recommended above.

This MSI motherboard says it supports SLI. Is there any reason I shouldn't take this cheaper offer instead of the ASUS motherboard recommended above?
 
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faalin

faalin

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Feb 22, 2012
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looks like a very good deal. I only recommended asus because I only use there ROG line of boards and the Z97-a is also a very good board.

look at getting an aftermarket cooler, the evo 212 is very good, cheap, and quite. Had I not already had a D14 on the shelf I would have picked up the 212, just as good and half the price.
 
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king3pj

king3pj

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Luckily, I already have a evo 212 in use on my current, overclocked FX 6300. I will definitely be moving it over to this new CPU and motherboard combination.

Again, I appreciate the advice. As long as there is nothing wrong with that MSI Z97 gaming 5 I will plan on going to pick up this bundle after work tonight.
 
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Onus

Onus

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