Eyefinity(surround), i7 930, and a GTX 680?

[Susejchristo]

I just recently sold my crossfired 6950's and pooled some extra cash to purchase a GTX 680 in place of them. I have three monitors running in 5760 x 1080. My concern is my current processor and it's capability of powering three screens. I never had any luck with crossfire being supported when I had the 6950s, so I could never really get an idea where I stood performance-wise. I am unable to overclock for some odd reason, as whenever I try to push anything over 3 ghz, the system just restarts itself over and over, never getting past the boot screen. So overclocking is out of the question. My question to you guys is, do I need a new processor and motherboard if I am going to take the plunge and spend the cash on this new card? Will it be bottlenecked by lacking processor power to support the higher resolution? If so, suggestions for new processors? If not, where shall I proceed with my overclocking issue, or recommend different cards? Just looking for some advice whether or not my processor is sufficient, or not, and whether I should reconsider which graphics card to buy.

Thanks guys! All suggestions, help, and advice is appreciated greatly!

 

[fastreaction]

Your processor is fine. If you want to overclock you have to do it step-by-step, it took me 2 days to get mine 100% stable, first a lot of customizing bios settings and last a lot of stability tests to be sure it is stable. Back to the gpu question. A GTX 680 is a very good card but I still recommend people to buy a GTX 670 instead of a GTX 680 since it costs €100 less and the fps difference is small but if you don't mind you can go for the 680. The only thing is if you want good fps on 3 monitors and ultra graphics, I am sure you will need more than 1 gpu. Hope this helped you out

- Fastreaction

 

[Susejchristo]

The thing is, I used to have it at 4 ghz for a couple weeks, then one day I decided to clock it back down, as I didn't see any performance gains from the overclock. I had it perfectly stable (to my knowledge) but couldn't see any increase in fps. Now, ever since, I've never been able to get it past 3ghz... Is the extra couple hundred MHz really going to help on a three monitor setup? About the graphics card though, I've been looking at the overclocked versions of the 680 vs a stock 670. The results are usually anywhere from 5 all the way up to 20 fps difference in some games. Also, 4Gb vs 2Gb, what should I go with? Does it matter?

 

[fastreaction]

No it does not matter. No game supports that much. The cpu GHz does not make a big difference in fps. The major factor in fps is the gpu. Of course there is a difference when you compare overclocked gpu's with non overclocked ones but a stock 680 and a stock 670 does not make a big difference that is worth €100.

- Fastreaction

 

[Susejchristo]

No it does not matter. No game supports that much. The cpu GHz does not make a big difference in fps. The major factor in fps is the gpu. Of course there is a difference when you compare overclocked gpu's with non overclocked ones but a stock 680 and a stock 670 does not make a big difference that is worth €100.

- Fastreaction

Okay, thanks! Then I can stop worrying about the processor. I guess the question now is, I have about 600 bucks, which route would be best for triple monitor gaming? I've been kind of sick of AMD drivers lately and wasnt very impressed with crossfire support on my 6950s. I'm open to either side though. I wouldn't mind AMD if it really does mean better performance, but I really would like to try NVIDIA as well. So, for about 600 bucks(no more) what would be my best bet for best all around performance?

 

[viridiancrystal]

If your going to run 3 monitors, AMD's 7970 would be a healthy choice too. The 3Gb of ram really help out at higher resolutions, and the 7970 and 680 are pretty equal at high resolutions like yours.

I don't have experience with crossfire, so I can't talk of that much, but AMD's drivers with my single 7850 are fine. Even the beta drivers are very stable. However, if you plan on going Crossfire/SLI in the future, and your worried about AMD's drivers, the 680 is a great choice.

 

[fastreaction]

Exactly. GTX 670/680 or AMD 7970.

- Fastreaction

 

[Susejchristo]

Ahhh well now I'm stuck between the 680 and 7970. I really don't want to deal with their drivers if it's going to be like my last experience, but I can get one for less than 400 bucks at a micro center near me. A 680 is going to be at least 500... If I switch over to one monitor for those really gpu intensive games, do you think I'll maintain at least 60 fps for the most part on the 7970? No AA. I know I will on the 680. And if I go with the 7970 should I go with an OC edition or ghz, or whatever?

 

[Susejchristo]

Just bought a 680 4GB and absolutely loving it. Runs smooth across all three screens beautifully. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Susejchristo]

Best answer selected by susejchristo.