Question about GTX 680 SLI (I'm new to computers)

[Justin WR250]

So basically I'm tired of the 12 year old's on XBOX live and all the terrible games and sequels. So I have saved up 4000 bucks and am just about to order my computer but I have just one question and that is to do with the graphics cards. I am getting my GTX 680's from ASUS through NCIX. I'm getting 2 now and 2 more in the future (Running a DELL Ultra Sharp 2560x1600 on max everything). What I need to know is if this combo will work? One of these http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=69860&vpn=GTX680-2GD5&manufacture=ASUS and the second being this one it is OC http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=71119&vpn=GTX680-DC2T-2GD5&manufacture=ASUS . Then in the future getting two more of the first. What I want to know is will all this work or if it is possible can I fit 4 of the OC cards on my chosen Motherboard? Also I will have plenty of cooling in my Haf X case with extra fans.

Hardware Specs

- Motherboard
ASUS Rampage IV Extreme http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=65538&vpn=Rampage%20IV%20Extreme&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1205

- Processor
i7 3930K
Hydro Series H100

- DDR3 Desktop Memory
16GTX Trident X 2X8GB


Thanks in advance.

 

[Justin WR250]

Also with the amount of cooling in the case would I be better to just buy non overclocked cards and just over clock them to the same specs as the overclocked one?

 

[bawchicawawa]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125422
Will save you 100$ and OCing is crazy easy.

 

[Justin WR250]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125422
Will save you 100$ and OCing is crazy easy.

Will I be able to run 4 of these?

Also just so I know would that other setup work with 4 of the over clocked ones?

 

[bawchicawawa]

Will I be able to run 4 of these?

Also just so I know would that other setup work with 4 of the over clocked ones?

The gigabyte is a dual slot card, so it should.
The asus direct cu ii 680 is a triple slot card, I don't think you could fit 4 way sli with it.

 

[Justin WR250]

could I run 3 of the ASUS 2 slots non OC and one 3 slot at the bottom. My case has the room. Im just wondering if I can have just one OC card.

 

[akamrcrack]

Just buy 4 of the same kind of card

 

[17seconds]

The OC card will run at the stock frequency to match up with the other stock cards. With 4 cards, you should at least have a couple that are reference so that they can vent the air outside the case. I would consider having all of them as reference models for that reason. Either way, make sure you plan out the ventilation aspects, which it seems like you are.

 

[mmaatt747]

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-680/features

Is this implying that ONLY 3 GTX 680's can be SLI'd. I know that not all of Nvidia's cards can be quad SLI'd. I know the 590's could. Anyway, I'm no expert but just thought I should throw this out there as a caution. Hopefully someone else has more information.

 

[pezonator]

I don't want to sound rude, but really 4 x 680's in SLI??? 2 of them would be more than enough and then you will have plenty more airflow inside the case and get 2 x DC II models.

The HAF X will be good for 2 cards, but I think you would be better off getting a bigger case like the Cooler Master Cosmos 2 if you went for 3 or more cards. It has alot more space and good airflow and easy to clean dust.

 

[Justin WR250]

The OC card will run at the stock frequency to match up with the other stock cards. With 4 cards, you should at least have a couple that are reference so that they can vent the air outside the case. I would consider having all of them as reference models for that reason. Either way, make sure you plan out the ventilation aspects, which it seems like you are.

So what would be the best choice the gigabyte that has been talked about on this thread or the asus that isn't overclocked or the asus that isn't OC. I'm kinda leaning towards the gigabyte one due to 3 fans and only 2 pci slots. Two things noise is not an issue do to me wearing headphones while gaming. Also the reason I will be running 3 or 4 graphics cards is because I will be playing ARMA 3 on max settings 20km draw distance will be playing this on a 2560x1600 monitor as well. Just hoping my 3930k @ 4.5 mhz will run that draw distance being such a cpu intensive game.

 

[alexander0884]

Why not just get a SINGLE GTX 690 to save you the hassle???

It will be MORE efficient, less reliable on SCALING and you wont have to worry about space or cooling?

 

[joedjnpc]

Quad Sli setups have been known to be troublesome, Sli and Crossfire in general are not perfect.

If you really want to go that way you should seriously consider two 690 GTX instead, far less space taken up inside your case leading to less chances of your motherboard warping and heat issues

 

[17seconds]

So what would be the best choice the gigabyte that has been talked about on this thread or the asus that isn't overclocked or the asus that isn't OC. I'm kinda leaning towards the gigabyte one due to 3 fans and only 2 pci slots. Two things noise is not an issue do to me wearing headphones while gaming. Also the reason I will be running 3 or 4 graphics cards is because I will be playing ARMA 3 on max settings 20km draw distance will be playing this on a 2560x1600 monitor as well. Just hoping my 3930k @ 4.5 mhz will run that draw distance being such a cpu intensive game.

If noise is not an issue, I would definitely go with the reference Asus models. 4 of those Gigabyte cards would be a lot of hot air blowing around inside your case. If you plan good case ventilation, it should work either way.

Check out this article, it is for 7970 cards, but the point is that it shows how interior case components heat up with different types of coolers:
http://www.behardware.com/articles/853-1/roundup-the-radeon-hd-7970s-and-7950s-from-asus-his-msi-powercolor-sapphire-and-xfx.html

 

[ehanger]

That computer is crazy overkill, even for 2560x1600. Why not spend 2k now and 2k in a few years, instead of 4k now?

A 3570k and SLI GTX 670's can easily be accommodated into a $2000 build and will provide more than enough performance.

 

[17seconds]

Scaling above 3-way SLI is sketchy at best.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-670-2-and-3way-sli-review/19

 

[Justin WR250]

I'm just going to go with 1 gtx 690 and in the future get a second 1.

 

[17seconds]

I'm just going to go with 1 gtx 690 and in the future get a second 1.

I like that plan if you can find one. They really did a good job with the GTX 690. They actually didn't use a single bit of plastic in the whole design, even the fan.
http://www.behardware.com/articles/864-1/nvidia-geforce-gtx-690-review-of-a-1000-card.html

On the other hand, a pair of GTX 680's in SLI will be a good alternative if the GTX 690 is unavailable.