Need motherboard recomendations
- Thread starter JackBFC7
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DonkeyOatie
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Technically, there aren't any. A motherboard in your price range cannot supply 3 x16 PCIe slots. It can HAVE the slots, but most lack all the pins and the first may be x16. but the rest are likely to be x8 or x4.
What, graphics cards, specifically, are you planning to run.
What, graphics cards, specifically, are you planning to run.
DonkeyOatie
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Yes. To run three of those together GPUs (which I consider to be a waste of money), would require three x8 slots. The CHEAPEST motherboard using a chip I would recommend costs nearly 170 quid!
A single GTX 970 is a good start. I'd look very hard at selling it off, when the time comes, and buying a newer much more powerful single card.
1 x GTX 970 is 100
2 x GTX 970 is 170
3 x GTX 920 is 225
so you are getting diminishing returns on more cards.
(and the motherboard needs a 300 quid CPU too)
A single GTX 970 is a good start. I'd look very hard at selling it off, when the time comes, and buying a newer much more powerful single card.
1 x GTX 970 is 100
2 x GTX 970 is 170
3 x GTX 920 is 225
so you are getting diminishing returns on more cards.
(and the motherboard needs a 300 quid CPU too)
DonkeyOatie
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If you look at the board and zoom in, you will see that the first slot has all the pins, but the second and third slots have only half of the pins, in addition when you populate the second slot, it cuts the first one down from x16 to x8, so you get 1 x16 or 2 x8. Adding a third card cuts the second slot down so you end up with 1 x8, 2 x4 with three cards. This configuration cannot run three GTX 970.
All three of the slots will take PCIe x16 cards, but they will not run at x16.
It will run 2 GTX 970s at x8 and that's plenty. A GTX 970 cannot saturate x8.
All three of the slots will take PCIe x16 cards, but they will not run at x16.
It will run 2 GTX 970s at x8 and that's plenty. A GTX 970 cannot saturate x8.
DonkeyOatie
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No,' everyone' (and there are very few of these 'everyones') who runs three graphics cards is either using Crossfire with Radeon cards at x8, x4, x4, or is using a very expensive motherboard with a PLX chip at x16 x8 x8 and running Crossfire or SLI with NVidia.
Two 970s will run in SLI at x8 x8 on many boards in your budget. The Z97 chipset has insufficient PCIe lanes for x 16, x16. Even the new Skylake boards have insufficient lanes for x16, x16, x16.
As I said at the start, what you want is impossible for your budget, and I think it's a bad idea too. Thre-way anything, SLI or Crossfire is not worth it.
Two 970s will run in SLI at x8 x8 on many boards in your budget. The Z97 chipset has insufficient PCIe lanes for x 16, x16. Even the new Skylake boards have insufficient lanes for x16, x16, x16.
As I said at the start, what you want is impossible for your budget, and I think it's a bad idea too. Thre-way anything, SLI or Crossfire is not worth it.
DonkeyOatie
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Sorry to be a pill, but I like to give good advice.
What is it that you are doing that leads you to believe that you will need two or three or four GPUs??? Two good GPUs is near the far side of a thousand quid, so anyone looking at that much coin, ought not to greatly care what the motherboard costs so long as it is an appropriate price.
I use an ASRock Z97m OC Formula motherboard to overclock my i7 4790K and it could run two GTX 980ti's, although at x8 x8 they would be slightly limited.
To get x16 x16 would require a PLX motherboard which starts at around 200 pounds (ASRock Z97 Extreme 9 for Haswell,) or 300 pounds (ASUS Z170-WS for Skylake)
What is it that you are doing that leads you to believe that you will need two or three or four GPUs??? Two good GPUs is near the far side of a thousand quid, so anyone looking at that much coin, ought not to greatly care what the motherboard costs so long as it is an appropriate price.
I use an ASRock Z97m OC Formula motherboard to overclock my i7 4790K and it could run two GTX 980ti's, although at x8 x8 they would be slightly limited.
To get x16 x16 would require a PLX motherboard which starts at around 200 pounds (ASRock Z97 Extreme 9 for Haswell,) or 300 pounds (ASUS Z170-WS for Skylake)
Idc about you being a pill as long as you're helping
I found this http:// Would this be good to run 2 gpu's and if so would i run them in the pcie x16 and x16 at x8 bandwith?. So for example one 970 and a i7 6700k is good enough for max level gaming? Or is a 980ti more suitable, obviously it is better but is a 970 good enough? Thanks for all the help btw! Also btw i was looking on amazon at i7 6700k's and i saw one for £250 and then one for £300 is there any difference?
DonkeyOatie
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That motherboard will run 2 GPUs, at x8 x8, yes. A single x16 GTX980ti would be overkill for 1080P, and great for 2K. No single GPU will do 4K. What matters is what you expect and from what games. A 970 is excellent for 1080p, 60Hz. You need better for 2K, VR, or 120Hz+ and more than 4Gb RAM would be useful at these higher levels.
A new 6700K is a commodity, any one will do.
A new 6700K is a commodity, any one will do.
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