Msi 970, radeon r9 280x and adding another graphics card

dwright7113 · Sep 16, 2016

Hi I have a radeon r9 280x plugged into my MSI 970 and was considering getting a second graphics card because I have 3 monitors, and although it works extremely well on its' own there are a few games I'd like to push the limits with. The problem is that in the 970 there is simply no room for a second r9 280x. The only slot with the correct placement and size to poke out of my corsair carbide 500r mid tower case is directly underneath the r9 280x and would literally be stacked against it so that's a no go. In addition the bottom slot obviously only fits a very small card as the USB 3.0 and other wires in the MSI are sticking out next to it. So the only available slot is the second from the bottom and still can only support a smaller card. Is there anything compatible with the r9 280x that I could bridge with it? I know there are specifications as to what can work together and I'm not savvy enough to do the homework on my own. I also have a 650w psu, please let me know if that could sustain two cards or if I'd have to upgrade. I apologize if I said anything stupid, again not super savvy and don't have anyone around me with particular knowledge on this subject. Thank you for your time

hang-the-9 · Sep 16, 2016

First thing, I suggest you sell your 280X and get an RX 480 instead of buying another 280X. If you don't want to do that, that motherboard has plenty of clearance for two video cards, there are only two PCIe 16x slots on it that I can see and they are spaced pretty far apart.

If the card is too wide to fit because of the case connections on the side, you can check for a 280X like this one that does not stick out past the dual slot width with the fans http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150678

dwright7113 · Sep 16, 2016

Thanks for your quick response, and cool so do you think I'd get better performance overall with one rx 480 than a second video card in general? And besides the miniature r9 280x is the rx small enough to fit in my case? And for that matter just for piece of mind what do you think is the biggest card I can fit in their is if I really wanna splurge

hang-the-9 · Sep 16, 2016

dwright7113 :

Don't know how the RX 480 will be in speed vs two R9-280X in crossfire, but I don't think it will be any slower, and could be faster. Either way, it will make the space issue moot, and run on 1/2 the power.

GTX 1060 or 1070 are fine and faster than the RX 480. 1080 would run also. Your case should be able to fit any card. Your CPU will likely be a bottleneck for the 1070 or 1080 though. I'd say the GTX 1060 wold be a good match.

dwright7113 · Sep 16, 2016

Yea I can't remember what amd fx I have but what kinda processor would I need to run those other ones

hang-the-9 · Sep 16, 2016

dwright7113 :

You'd need an Intel i5, 6500 or something in that range or higher. So new motherboard, new Windows setup, and new RAM unless you use the last gen i5 parts and re-use your RAM.

dwright7113 · Sep 16, 2016

Wow OK so basically a new computer. Again my r9 280x has been solid enough to give me a great experience on 3 screens so I guess I'll just stick with the other rx 480 or the gtx 1060, should be fine for my needs. Again thanks so much, superror helpful and super quick! Now I know where to come in the future for the rest of my questions. Have a good one!

Search

Msi 970, radeon r9 280x and adding another graphics card

dwright7113

Commendable

hang-the-9

hang-the-9

Titan

dwright7113

Commendable

hang-the-9

Titan

dwright7113

Commendable

hang-the-9

Titan

dwright7113

Commendable

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page