I5 3570K with 2-way SLI GTX 680

[julianc_14]

Hi this is my first post here on Tom's Hardware and i am a bit of a noob. Anyway, I am going to be building a new pc soon. Specs:

Mobo: Asrock Z77 extreme 4

CPU: Intel Core I5 3570K

Graphics cards: 2x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 2GB Super Overclock

PSU: OCZ Technology ZX Series 1250W Power Supply

Case: Antec Dark Fleet DF-85 Case

HDD: Seagate SV35 Series 2TB ST2000VX000

I was wondering if anyone thinks that I will experience any bottlenecks with these specs.

Thanks in advance,

Julianc

 

[jaideep1337]

Nope there should be no bottlenecks and by the way that PSU is overkill. You don't need anything more than a 1000watt to run 2x680s and even 1000watts is overkill. So buy a diff PSU and maybe get a SSD with the saved cash if you haven't already.

 

[julianc_14]

I'm gonna get a third graphics card later down the track though. I want flexibilty for the future.
Thanks for your reply

 

[bwrlane]

Btw there is no such thing as a system without a bottleneck.

Your system will mostly be GPU bottlenecked. Yes, even with dual 680s, your system will be GPU bottlenecked.

So given that you can never build a system without a bottleneck, the aim should be to get one that is nicely balanced. On the basis of your specs, I would say:

- CPU and GPU are nicely balanced
- you don't talk about RAM but I would recommend at 16GB for ample space and futureproofing
- I would recommend an SSD as your boot drive. An SSD won't affect performance in games but will change the whole experience of using your computer from mildly frustrating to a pleasure.

I have a similar setup btw - 3770K and 2x680. Performance is mostly great but don't expect always to run graphics settings at max. I usually turn at least one setting down in order to get the perfectly smooth experience I'm after. This underlines the fact that, even with SLI 680s, the GPU is almost always the bottleneck.

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

Get a 7990...best graphics card in the world, at the moment... I did...

http://www.powercolor.com/us/products_features.asp?id=423

All the best Brett

 

[Metwingie]

What res are you planning to play at that needs 3 GTX 680's. If you are plaing on gaming at 5760x1080/3240x1920 or above I can under stand. If not, the 3 Gpu's is overkill

 

[cbrunnem]

Nope there should be no bottlenecks and by the way that PSU is overkill. You don't need anything more than a 1000watt to run 2x680s and even 1000watts is overkill. So buy a diff PSU and maybe get a SSD with the saved cash if you haven't already.

Even a 650 watts psu would handle two 680s easy

I'm gonna get a third graphics card later down the track though. I want flexibilty for the future.
Thanks for your reply

You might run into bottlenecks with your cpu in some games like bf3 so overclock it. This is especially true in 64 man maps. You got the right cpu but now just get a good heatsink and overclock.

 

[julianc_14]

What res are you planning to play at that needs 3 GTX 680's. If you are plaing on gaming at 5760x1080/3240x1920 or above I can under stand. If not, the 3 Gpu's is overkill

mainly i wanna make my friends jelly but i wanna use ice enhancer in gta 4 and video editing

 

[cbrunnem]

mainly i wanna make my friends jelly but i wanna use ice enhancer in gta 4 and video editing

you will have a major cpu bottleneck in that game with even 1 680 let alone 2 or 3

 

[computernewb]

there is no such thing as overkill for a guy with a lot of money... after a certain point price to performance ratio doesnt matter. its all show

 

[julianc_14]

You might run into bottlenecks with your cpu in some games like bf3 so overclock it. This is especially true in 64 man maps. You got the right cpu but now just get a good heatsink and overclock.

Yeah im gonna try and overclock to 4.7

 

[stantheman123]

Why not get a 690?

 

[zpwslayer]

If your goin to spend 1200 on 3 680's just buy the 690. And Bwrlane, how do you get a gpu bottleneck with 1 or 2 680's??? That doesnt even make any sense.

 

[cbrunnem]

If your goin to spend 1200 on 3 680's just buy the 690. And Bwrlane, how do you get a gpu bottleneck with 1 or 2 680's??? That doesnt even make any sense.

You must not understand what a bottleneck is then.

 

[linkgx1]

Okay, the bottleneck def seems messed up in this thread. please splain.

 

[payturr]

I'm pretty sure you're not gonna see any bottleneck, but DON'T and I repeat DON'T SLI graphics cards for GTA IV. It seems to have issues with the game (GTA IV is a POOR port for the PC). Just go to EVGA & get a classified 680, that'll be enough for your penis size.