6990 build..which processor and motherboard?

[cdelviscio]

As stated in the title. Looking to use a 6990 as my base and go from there..more specificly, the Gigabyte 6990. Will certain motherboards/processor run better with the card. Price is still in the air for the proc/mobo, but i will ponder on anything posted. I suppose RAM as well, but the PSU i will need is a given It's been 4-5 years since my last build so i know things have certainly changed. Any input is appreciated.

 

[cutebeans]

Nooo, have you bought the 6990? It's not worth the price, it's hot and inefficient.

Go with a GTX 580 or 6970.

Get the i5-2500k (#1 processor for now)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Get this motherboard ( dual x16 crossfire)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130611

RAM ( Best for now)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

AMD 6970
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102918

Legendary PSU 950w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703028

Haf 922
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

Cooler Master Evo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

1tb Harddrive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

Dvd bruner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151233

 

[cdelviscio]

you nailed it for the case and that's what i was thinking for a processor ...also..would running two of these in crossfire be reasonable..im willing to buy two of them if it can be done without too many issues

 

[cutebeans]

you nailed it for the case and that's what i was thinking for a processor ...also..would running two of these in crossfire be reasonable..im willing to buy two of them if it can be done without too many issues

hello my friend. Don't get two of them right now since it can easily max any game out right now. Also, the newer cards are supposed to be 2x faster than this gen so crossfiring is really not a good idea right now. The 6970 can last up at least 2 to 3 years on its own.

 

[terodius]

I'm planning to build a system with dual 6990s for Quadfire. I'm going to be using a 6 monitor setup so I really need the horsepower to get good FPS at that resolution. My question is: I'm not sure which of these mobo's to get:

ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131753

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD7-B3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128499

ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z LGA http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131760

Problem with the Maximus is that I'll be using a Corsair Graphite 600T, and E-ATX doesn't seem to be supported. I'm also in doubt as to whether the P8Z68 can work with 2 PCIe 2.0 @ 16X because it'd be a waste to have one of the 6990s running on 8x

 

[FinneousPJ]

Damn, that's an ambitious build. I could see a use for QuadFire with a 6 monitor EyeFinity, yes... no question.

The Gigabyte's ATX with 2x 16 functionality.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Then again, three 6970s would be cheaper :lol:

 

[terodius]

Money is no issue really, I have a 5000 dollar budget for the system plus the six screens. After some more researching I double checked that the ASUS P8Z68 will not work with 2 lanes of PCIe 16x. So now I'm in between the Gigabyte and the Maximus IV.
I have read that the Maximus IV isn't a full-fledged E-ATX, so it might fit in the 600T. Gonna double check that now.

 

[phenom90]

you nailed it for the case and that's what i was thinking for a processor ...also..would running two of these in crossfire be reasonable..im willing to buy two of them if it can be done without too many issues

if you got the money to burn on hd 6990 quadfire i suggest you go for three way sli gtx 580...

 

[terodius]

6990 Quadfire goes head to head with GTX 590 QuadSLI, I'm not gonna step down to Tri-SLI with 580s. And scaling with the 6990s is really good actually, showing 90%+ scaling. And it'll only get better with newer drivers. Besides if I go with TriSLI I won't have place to install a good sound card

 

[cdelviscio]

I was referencing that i would run two 6970's or one 6990 (not sure if we're on the same page)...nonetheless...im just looking for suggestions...im really open to using any brand for cards...my current rig has one XFX 8800GTX and its time for a new build for me...main game that i would play (that is demanding to some extent) is BF3..i play older games as well but i'm sure ill be getting into newer games with this new build...thanks to all

 

[terodius]

Ohh well there's always pros and cons about using a dual 6970 setup:
two 6970s would cost the same as a 6990 so that is pretty much the same thing
Pro: 6970s will run cooler
Pro: you'll get the full 880MHz and not the underclocked 830MHz of the 6990
Pro: you'll have higher overclocking headroom
Con: they'll take up 4 PCIe slots instead of 2
Con: you'll need 4 6+2 pin connectors instead of 2
Con: you'll be limited if you wish to add further capacity in the future

I hope that helped you out a bit, I'm not much of an expert myself but those are the points I could make for different setups. I need the most rawpower I can get, and I'll get about 11 TFLOPs with dual 6990s in quadfire mode. In my case, it's justified to go with 6990s instead of 4x6970s because then I'd need 8 6+2 pin connectors, which would mean a much more expensive PSU, I'd also need to get a Full tower case, and I'd have to go with an E-ATX mobo. So the cost would really add up. Besides, I don't know how much cooler 4 6970 stacked up on top of each other would run compared to two 6990s with a slot in between and good airflow.

 

[FinneousPJ]

If dual 6970 is an option I'd definitely go with that.

 

[cdelviscio]

I am open to that option...what processor would you recommend to avoid bottlenecking? That is the only real thing scaring me with any major card(s) that need major help from the cpu (from doing my homework/correct if wrong). BTW, I was only leaning toward the 6990/590 because:

its in my budget
One card vs. two
performance i want

like i said, open to any card setup to be honest...in my budget at least

appreciate the feedback all !!!

 

[terodius]

I'm getting an i7 2600X with a Corsair H100 water cooling solution in a push pull configuration. From what I've read, I should hit 5.0GHz easily, might get it up to somewhere between 5.2 and 5.5. I seriously doubt that'll be a bottleneck.

 

[cdelviscio]

Best answer selected by cdelviscio.

 

[terodius]

You will be lucky to hit 5.0ghz.
5.2-5.5 is for LN2.

Sure about that? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lajZi-JAFXA

 

[cdelviscio]

whats your opinion on this...

buy a single GTX 580
use the extra money for a better processor

Cant a single 580 do pretty darn good on BF3?


Your ideas please

 

[cutebeans]

Yep a single 580 can pretty much eat BF3

 

[cdelviscio]

Okay....lets say that i'm gonna run a single 580 with an i5 2500k...any motherboard in particular? or recommandations on RAM?...i know there is a ton of them out there and i would appreciate some suggestions

ALSO!!!

Any preference on brand of the 580? EVGA,ASUS, etc ...once i get these components squared away, im all ready for takeoff..no pun

 

[terodius]

ASUS is the best OEM in terms of reliability and performance. It may not always be the best bargain, but you know you're buying a quality product.

 

[mtech23]

If your just playing games an i5 2500k will be more then enough....