Asus p6t se and two hd5970 in quad-gpu crossfire.Is the motherboard compatible w

[makone]

can it be done?

 

[Maziar]

http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/motherboards/1887_2.html
Yes you can since it supports Quad CrossFireX:
http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/motherboards/1887_2.html
"One thing this board does not support currently is NVIDIA's SLI configurations, which is their multiple GPU solution for improving game performance. Three-way Crossfire is supported as well as ATI's CrossfireX with two 4870 x2s, but though virtually every X58 board supports SLI this one does not. In fact every ASUS X58 motherboard except this one supports SLI."
Same is for dual HD 5970s

 

[makone]

You are right but i noticed that there is not enough space between the two PCIexpress x 16 slots (marked with blue color) on the P6T SE motherboard for the two HD5970 cards to be used. Am i right? If so, how can I deal with this potential problem?

 

[Maziar]

Do you really need 2 HD 5970s in CF?
What resolution do you play at ?

 

[frozenlead]

No, there is space there for two 5970's, it's just one card will ride right on top of the other. I have the P6T with dual 5870's - but the cards manage to stay cool.

I agree with Maziar though...you're going to need some ridiculous monitors to need two 5970's. Sometimes I debate if getting two 5870's was worth it.

 

[makone]

I play at 1920x1080 resolution and i think both Maziar and frozenlead have a good point there...It's just that i am making a looooong dream come true with my new PC setup and now perhaps i'm being too greedy. Can't stop thinking of that forthcoming CryEngine 3 though...(my PC setup: core i7 975/3.5ghz, 6 GB DDR3-1333 ram triple channel, p6t se mobo, HD 5970 725/1000, 80
GB intel SSD, 1 TB HDD 7200 rpm, windows 7 ultimate 64-bit os, coolermaster ultimate 900W psu, cosmosS casing with stock cooling fans + 2 additional exhaust fans)

 

[bystander]

Did you win the lotery or just have a good job? That will be one beast of a machine.

I think if I were you, I'd be more apt to stick with one 5970 and get 3 monitors for eyefinity with the money saved.

 

[frozenlead]

Then why not save some cash and get a second 5970 (which you may not need) later when it's cheaper?

Also, why don't you skip the 975, get a 920, and upgrade the board to the regular P6T, then overclock? My 920 reaches 3.7GHz without a voltage increase on a P6T - when I've more time, I'm going to see what it takes to get it to 4GHz, but I certainly know I can do it. The performance will be the same, and more impressive since you did it yourself.

Edit: Also, for OCing, you should think about DDR3-1600 memory, but with the 920 1333 might be enough.

Edit2: Just to put it in perspective, my two 5870's (which are just a bit stronger than a 5970) can max any game playably at 1920x1200. Most of them are well over 100 and 200 fps.

 

[makone]

Why not oc the i7 975 and if so what core speed can i get without overvoltage (I tried 4 Ghz without messing with the voltage and my system became unstable) ?

 

[frozenlead]

I don't know, I don't own a 975. I was under the impression you hadn't bought the system yet, but it appears you have.

You have to take overclocking in steps - you can't just set it to a speed and test. Start at stock speed with a bump of 50 or 100MHz. I usually turn turbo boost off until the end. Then keep increasing the speed once you determined the system is stable and withing thermal limits at the previous one until it won't go farther without erroring. Then it's time to start upping the voltage bit by bit until you hit your desired clockspeed or until you hit the thermal or overclocking limit of your particular system.

 

[bystander]

Don't just go at it on your own without first reading up on how. Every chip is different, and even the i7 OC guide in the OC section has a big disclaimer that the guide is not for the i7 975.

I'd google for a good guide to follow. Over volting does come with risk at a certain point, you should know what that point is ahead of time.

 

[makone]

Thanks to all of you out there for your support. As a newcomer i really appriciate your replies.

 

[Maziar]

I play at 1920x1080 resolution and i think both Maziar and frozenlead have a good point there...It's just that i am making a looooong dream come true with my new PC setup and now perhaps i'm being too greedy. Can't stop thinking of that forthcoming CryEngine 3 though...(my PC setup: core i7 975/3.5ghz, 6 GB DDR3-1333 ram triple channel, p6t se mobo, HD 5970 725/1000, 80
GB intel SSD, 1 TB HDD 7200 rpm, windows 7 ultimate 64-bit os, coolermaster ultimate 900W psu, cosmosS casing with stock cooling fans + 2 additional exhaust fans)

I have a HD 4870X2 with Q6600 @ 3.4 and i play my games at 1920x1080 and i am quite happy with its performance.
So a single HD 5970 would handle that resolution,you don't really need a second one unless you play at 2560x1600 or higher resolutions