How close can pci-e cards be to each other

[meeklo062704]

This is actually a 2 part question. I just got a new 670 ftw last week to replace my gtx 460. I read an article about using an old card as a dedicated physx card, and figured I might as well. It'll be a little overkill, but it would just be sitting around otherwise. My concern is that I have a gigabyte z68ma-d2h-b3, and if I put the 670 in the top slot, and the 460 in the bottom slot, my essence stx would BARELY fit. It would literally be touching both cards. Would this cause problem with heat, short the cards, or possibly interference with the xonar? The 460 fan would be open, the xonar has no fan, and the 670 fan would have the xonar over it by a couple centimeters.

My second question is will my power supply be ok with both cards?

I5-2500k (4.0ghz)
Evga gtx 670 ftw
Xonar essence stx
8gb ram (1600)
DVD burner
Ssd
2 hdd
Cooler master 750w psu
Gigabyte gtx 460 768mb?

Of course there are case fans, keyboard, mouse, misc usb run items. But at highest load, will the power supply take it? I used one of those psu calculators, and it came out to just over 500w.

 

[BadPeteNo]

It WILL get hot. It'll BSOD long before it kills anything though. My second video card is a fanless HTPC card and gets pretty hot. Basically, this means that my big card is sucking in 70 C air all day. It's only ever a problem when I'm trying to overclock the card as far as I can, and it only craps out a little sooner than without the second card.

Your situation is a bit more intense, but I say go for it. You'll need to up your cooling as much as you can. Your PSU should probably be able to handle it, but hey if you have the cash...

 

[meeklo062704]

It WILL get hot. It'll BSOD long before it kills anything though. My second video card is a fanless HTPC card and gets pretty hot. Basically, this means that my big card is sucking in 70 C air all day. It's only ever a problem when I'm trying to overclock the card as far as I can, and it only craps out a little sooner than without the second card.

Your situation is a bit more intense, but I say go for it. You'll need to up your cooling as much as you can. Your PSU should probably be able to handle it, but hey if you have the cash...

I have a define xl, so I should be ok on airflow. I could try flipping the power supply so it'llpull air from the 460 and exhaust it out the back, and I have been meaning to stock up on some corsair AF performance fans. I like noctua fans for performance, but they're hideous. I'll try and put the cards in and take a picture of it when I get home. My biggest concern is getting them out since the release tabs will all be stuck behind another card or a heatsink.

 

[BadPeteNo]

I use a pen for those hard to reach tabs.