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tw1st
Posts: 6112
Location: New Jersey
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 Posted: Wed, 20th Feb 2013 21:23 Post subject: (New Build) - Overclocking Noob |
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Hey guys!
I would appreciate some opinions/help on upgrading to a SLI 680GTX setup with my current build. Basically I'm not 100% sure if it's worth getting a second card due to my mobo/CPU being a few years older and perhaps causing a bottleneck.
Right now I'm sporting an ASUS P6T mobo with an i7 960 @ 3.6GHz, 6GB of RAM, a 680GTX and a 750w PSU.
I'm getting decent performance out of my games but it's not exactly where I want it to be in terms of smoothness and FPS. I have a little cash to throw around and wanted to know if it would be a smart/stupid move to upgrade to a second 680GTX and a 850watt PSU with my current setup.
My PCI-Express slots are the older 2.0 ones, I know there isn't a huge difference in performance from 2.0 to 3.0 but would it just be pointless for me to go SLI? Should I just wait a few months or another year and just start a new rig from scratch?
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| SLI eVGA 4GB GTX980 ACX SC | Vengeance 16GB RAM 1600 DDR3 | AX850w PSU | Samsung 840Pro 128GB SSD | WD Black 1TB HD |
Last edited by tw1st on Sun, 24th Feb 2013 16:49; edited 2 times in total
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| Posted: Wed, 20th Feb 2013 22:02 Post subject: |
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What games at what resolution are you having issues with?
At 1920*1200 on my smaller 24'' monitors a single GTX680 coupled with my 2600k will run pretty much every game (Except Crysis 3) with maxed out settings with no problem. This includes titles like Planetside 2.
So i'd say if you are having framerate troubles and you are using a resolution like 1080p your CPU is the issue.
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tw1st
Posts: 6112
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Wed, 20th Feb 2013 22:12 Post subject: |
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Well, not exactly issues per say, but I would like better performance out of certain games. The newer graphically intense games (far cry 3, crysis 3, bf3...etc) with high settings and a decent AA. Now while I can run them all, and decently enough too, I guess you could say I'm greedy for a higher FPS and smoother game-play.
Yup, running at 1080p resolution on a 21.5" (I think monitor).
If it's like you said, and my CPU will start to limit the performance I can get out of games, then I will hold off on a 2nd 680GTX and wait for the new intels to get released.
| BenQ XL2420T 24" 120Hz | Ducky Shine III 9008 White LED - Brown MX | Logitech G9x |
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| Posted: Wed, 20th Feb 2013 23:10 Post subject: |
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Seems a bit silly to murder your wallet to be able to run a select few games to me, just for a few 3 extra FPS. And microstutter.
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| Posted: Wed, 20th Feb 2013 23:31 Post subject: |
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| tw1st wrote: | Well, not exactly issues per say, but I would like better performance out of certain games. The newer graphically intense games (far cry 3, crysis 3, bf3...etc) with high settings and a decent AA. Now while I can run them all, and decently enough too, I guess you could say I'm greedy for a higher FPS and smoother game-play.
Yup, running at 1080p resolution on a 21.5" (I think monitor).
If it's like you said, and my CPU will start to limit the performance I can get out of games, then I will hold off on a 2nd 680GTX and wait for the new intels to get released. |
The CPU would be even more of an issue if you went SLI for reasons which are obvious. So you might be able to crank up the AA levels a bit more but I doubt you'd get much better framerates in the newer titles. Time to upgrade I would think.
If you were running a higher resolution I could see the need for another GPU, but that isn't the case here.
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Frant
King's Bounty
Posts: 24520
Location: Your Mom
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| Posted: Thu, 21st Feb 2013 07:12 Post subject: |
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| farne wrote: | | Seems a bit silly to murder your wallet to be able to run a select few games to me, just for a few 3 extra FPS. And microstutter. |
I'd work on balancing motherboard, cpu & ram with that 680 you already have. That's basically the key to getting the best out of each part, getting the same "level/generation" of hardware that together will work optimally.
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
"The sky was the color of a TV tuned to a dead station" - Neuromancer
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tw1st
Posts: 6112
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Thu, 21st Feb 2013 16:38 Post subject: |
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Meh, I think I'll just end up starting a new rig, I wanted to originally hold out until the new haswells come out this summer, but there seem to be mixed feelings on them right now, and they will probably be crazy expensive for the first year or so anyway.
Thinking of a 3700k with a nice asus sabertooth mobo, 8gb corsair vengeance ddr3, 128GB sammy SSD, and a 2TB Western Dig HD, and I'll just move my current 680GTX into it and get a second one for SLI in the near future.
| BenQ XL2420T 24" 120Hz | Ducky Shine III 9008 White LED - Brown MX | Logitech G9x |
| Corsair Carbide 400R | Asus Sabertooth z77 | i7 3770K @ 4.3Ghz - 1.200v | CM Hyper 212 Evo - Push/Pull |
| SLI eVGA 4GB GTX980 ACX SC | Vengeance 16GB RAM 1600 DDR3 | AX850w PSU | Samsung 840Pro 128GB SSD | WD Black 1TB HD |
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tw1st
Posts: 6112
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Thu, 21st Feb 2013 23:21 Post subject: |
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Fuck it, went out today and bought all these nice parts. Installing this Saturday with a good friend of mine who is a guru at this shit. Didn't opt for the liquid cooling, but bought a nice aftermarket heatsink/fan and a case with some very good airflow so I'm hoping to OC just enough to keep the temps low.
 Spoiler: | |
| BenQ XL2420T 24" 120Hz | Ducky Shine III 9008 White LED - Brown MX | Logitech G9x |
| Corsair Carbide 400R | Asus Sabertooth z77 | i7 3770K @ 4.3Ghz - 1.200v | CM Hyper 212 Evo - Push/Pull |
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| Posted: Fri, 22nd Feb 2013 00:47 Post subject: |
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Cool.
I personally wouldn't get a second 680. I'd only SLI two 680's if I got the 4GB versions. Doesn't make much sense to SLI the 2GB 680's as pretty much the only situations where you need that GPU power is running at high resolutions, and the 2GB isn't enough. So it's a waste to SLI them right now IMO.
Same with the GTX 690. That thing seems like a major POS to me since it only has 2+2GB.
I think you'll find that the games you were having some issues with will be running substantially better now anyways.
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| Posted: Fri, 22nd Feb 2013 08:34 Post subject: |
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I would have chosen something beefier cooling for the 3770K, especially if you are gonna OC it. That 3770K outputs heat like volcano.
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tw1st
Posts: 6112
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Fri, 22nd Feb 2013 14:25 Post subject: |
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| Breezer_ wrote: | | I would have chosen something beefier cooling for the 3770K, especially if you are gonna OC it. That 3770K outputs heat like volcano. |
This is what I've heard as well, also that the stock cooler was absolute shit that comes with the 3770k.
I picked this guy up http://www.microcenter.com/product/312368/Hyper_TX3_92mm_HP_CPU_Cooler because it wasn't huge or very expensive, with this cooler, 6 case fans, and 2 mini fans on the mobo, I'm hoping to push it to about 4.0GHz.
I know liquid cooling is the way to go, but for the money it costs and my limited knowledge of how it works, I decided to hold off on it.
| Quote: | Cool.
I personally wouldn't get a second 680. I'd only SLI two 680's if I got the 4GB versions. Doesn't make much sense to SLI the 2GB 680's as pretty much the only situations where you need that GPU power is running at high resolutions, and the 2GB isn't enough. So it's a waste to SLI them right now IMO.
Same with the GTX 690. That thing seems like a major POS to me since it only has 2+2GB.
I think you'll find that the games you were having some issues with will be running substantially better now anyways. |
Mchart, thank you for your replies. I think I will hold off on getting a 2nd 680 for SLI, but I am a little confused by what you said. If I'm running my games at a 1080p resolution with maxed setting, wouldn't a 2nd 680 boost my FPS/performance by about 50%? I know it depends on the games/driver...etc as well. So SLI is really only beneficial for games running resolutions higher than 1080p (like downsampling?) I just want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly.
| BenQ XL2420T 24" 120Hz | Ducky Shine III 9008 White LED - Brown MX | Logitech G9x |
| Corsair Carbide 400R | Asus Sabertooth z77 | i7 3770K @ 4.3Ghz - 1.200v | CM Hyper 212 Evo - Push/Pull |
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sausje
Banned
Posts: 17716
Location: Limboland, Netherlands
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| Posted: Fri, 22nd Feb 2013 14:52 Post subject: |
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Yep, if a single 680 can play most games at stable 60 and you use vsync, a second card isn't going to help you much unless you go on higher resolutions and get those fps under 60 with a single card.
Proud member of Frustrated Association of International Losers Failing Against the Gifted and Superior (F.A.I.L.F.A.G.S)
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tw1st
Posts: 6112
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Fri, 22nd Feb 2013 15:02 Post subject: |
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| sausje wrote: | | Yep, if a single 680 can play most games at stable 60 and you use vsync, a second card isn't going to help you much unless you go on higher resolutions and get those fps under 60 with a single card. |
ok cool, well in that case once I get my rig setup this weekend, I'll see how far cry 3 and crysis 3 perform with the single 680GTX, if I can keep it around 60FPS with max settings I'll be happy and leave it at that. Thanks for all the input bros.
| BenQ XL2420T 24" 120Hz | Ducky Shine III 9008 White LED - Brown MX | Logitech G9x |
| Corsair Carbide 400R | Asus Sabertooth z77 | i7 3770K @ 4.3Ghz - 1.200v | CM Hyper 212 Evo - Push/Pull |
| SLI eVGA 4GB GTX980 ACX SC | Vengeance 16GB RAM 1600 DDR3 | AX850w PSU | Samsung 840Pro 128GB SSD | WD Black 1TB HD |
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| Posted: Fri, 22nd Feb 2013 15:11 Post subject: |
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Only game that would require second 680 for 1080p is Crysis 3 on highest settings (you cant get nowhere near 60fps on single card, even AA off). Apart from that, no reason to buy for HD resolutions SLI setup (unless 3D).
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| Posted: Fri, 22nd Feb 2013 16:48 Post subject: |
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| Mchart wrote: | Cool.
I personally wouldn't get a second 680. I'd only SLI two 680's if I got the 4GB versions. Doesn't make much sense to SLI the 2GB 680's as pretty much the only situations where you need that GPU power is running at high resolutions, and the 2GB isn't enough. So it's a waste to SLI them right now IMO.
Same with the GTX 690. That thing seems like a major POS to me since it only has 2+2GB.
I think you'll find that the games you were having some issues with will be running substantially better now anyways. |
680 4gb version are marketing stuff mostly even at higher resolutions, u need lots gpu power before using 4gb (at least 3*680).
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tw1st
Posts: 6112
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Sun, 24th Feb 2013 16:37 Post subject: |
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Alright, so new rig is up and running...
Since I'm pretty new to overclocking, and I don't want to do anything crazy yet I had a few q's that hopefully someone can help with.
1. Wanted to ask if it's typical to OC the turbo multiplier rather than the CPU ratio multiplier.
2. I boosted the turbo multiplier to x42, to go from the default 3.9GHz Turbo up to 4.2GHz and left everything else alone (no voltage changes). Should I be concerned with upping voltage, or only im I'm going higher... 4.5 or 4.7GHz...
3. Prime95 at blend sits around 68-71 degrees, too hot for aircooling with tx3 heatsink?
4. I still have speedstep running so the PC will idle around 30 degrees with 1.6Ghz, but when turbo kicks in it jumps to 4.2 rather than the standard 3.9. Should speedstep be disabled and jut have the PC running at 3.5 when idle? I assume this would result in higher idle temps?
5. Sometimes my Turbo multiplier goes to x35, x37, and x39 even when set at x42 in BIOS, why is this happening, is it a power-saving setting I might have missed? And if so should I leave it be?
6. Not really a question, just a stupid observation and lack of knowledge on my part, but why would they market the 3770K at 3.5 GHZ, when it always clocks to 3.9GHz with turbo when doing something CPU relevant.
Sorry for the many questions, but since there are so many enthusiasts here I figured it would be appropriate to ask.
| BenQ XL2420T 24" 120Hz | Ducky Shine III 9008 White LED - Brown MX | Logitech G9x |
| Corsair Carbide 400R | Asus Sabertooth z77 | i7 3770K @ 4.3Ghz - 1.200v | CM Hyper 212 Evo - Push/Pull |
| SLI eVGA 4GB GTX980 ACX SC | Vengeance 16GB RAM 1600 DDR3 | AX850w PSU | Samsung 840Pro 128GB SSD | WD Black 1TB HD |
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Sin317
Banned
Posts: 24322
Location: Geneva
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| Posted: Sun, 24th Feb 2013 16:43 Post subject: |
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| tw1st wrote: | Alright, so new rig is up and running...
Since I'm pretty new to overclocking, and I don't want to do anything crazy yet I had a few q's that hopefully someone can help with.
1. Wanted to ask if it's typical to OC the turbo multiplier rather than the CPU ratio multiplier.
2. I boosted the turbo multiplier to x42, to go from the default 3.9GHz Turbo up to 4.2GHz and left everything else alone (no voltage changes). Should I be concerned with upping voltage, or only im I'm going higher... 4.5 or 4.7GHz...
3. I still have speedstep running so the PC will idle around 30 degrees with 1.6Ghz, but when turbo kicks in it jumps to 4.2 rather than the standard 3.9. Should speedstep be disabled and jut have the PC running at 3.5 when idle? I assume this would result in higher idle temps?
4. Sometimes my Turbo multiplier goes to x35, x37, and x39 even when set at x42 in BIOS, why is this happening, is it a power-saving setting I might have missed? And if so should I leave it be?
5. Not really a question, just a stupid observation and lack of knowledge on my part, but why would they market the 3770K at 3.5 GHZ, when it always clocks to 3.9GHz with turbo when doing something CPU relevant.
Sorry for the many questions, but since there are so many enthusiasts here I figured it would be appropriate to ask. |
just wondering, when you say "no voltage changes", does that mean you didn't touch that setting at all ? Because by default its set to automatic and will adapt itself and usually uses a lot more then actually needed.
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tw1st
Posts: 6112
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Sun, 24th Feb 2013 16:48 Post subject: |
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| Sin317 wrote: | | tw1st wrote: | Alright, so new rig is up and running...
Since I'm pretty new to overclocking, and I don't want to do anything crazy yet I had a few q's that hopefully someone can help with.
1. Wanted to ask if it's typical to OC the turbo multiplier rather than the CPU ratio multiplier.
2. I boosted the turbo multiplier to x42, to go from the default 3.9GHz Turbo up to 4.2GHz and left everything else alone (no voltage changes). Should I be concerned with upping voltage, or only im I'm going higher... 4.5 or 4.7GHz...
3. I still have speedstep running so the PC will idle around 30 degrees with 1.6Ghz, but when turbo kicks in it jumps to 4.2 rather than the standard 3.9. Should speedstep be disabled and jut have the PC running at 3.5 when idle? I assume this would result in higher idle temps?
4. Sometimes my Turbo multiplier goes to x35, x37, and x39 even when set at x42 in BIOS, why is this happening, is it a power-saving setting I might have missed? And if so should I leave it be?
5. Not really a question, just a stupid observation and lack of knowledge on my part, but why would they market the 3770K at 3.5 GHZ, when it always clocks to 3.9GHz with turbo when doing something CPU relevant.
Sorry for the many questions, but since there are so many enthusiasts here I figured it would be appropriate to ask. |
just wondering, when you say "no voltage changes", does that mean you didn't touch that setting at all ? Because by default its set to automatic and will adapt itself and usually uses a lot more then actually needed. |
Yes, I did not change any voltage, as far as I know that is all set to auto, I wouldn't even know where to begin, there seems to be so many prompts about different voltages. Hmm, so if you say it might have set to auto and more than I need, lowering the voltage would then yield a lower idle/load temp thus resulting in higher possible OC's?
| BenQ XL2420T 24" 120Hz | Ducky Shine III 9008 White LED - Brown MX | Logitech G9x |
| Corsair Carbide 400R | Asus Sabertooth z77 | i7 3770K @ 4.3Ghz - 1.200v | CM Hyper 212 Evo - Push/Pull |
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Sin317
Banned
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Location: Geneva
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| Posted: Sun, 24th Feb 2013 17:01 Post subject: |
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well, when overclocking, you usually want to set the voltage manually to the "normal" voltage of the chip. Stock voltage for the 3770k seems to be 1.025V. Set that and then raise multiplier and see if its stable (use prime95 or something to be sure) .. or play a demanding game hehe. If the pc freezes, reboots , whatever, slowly increase the voltage and test again. Shouldn't be much of an heat issue, if you set it somewhere between 1.1 and 1.2 i think (doubt it anyway, someone may wanna confirm). As long as temps are in acceptable range, you're safe.
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tw1st
Posts: 6112
Location: New Jersey
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Sin317
Banned
Posts: 24322
Location: Geneva
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| Posted: Sun, 24th Feb 2013 17:06 Post subject: |
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yeah auto tends to set voltages too high (to make sure it wont crash no matter what hehe), downside is increased heat. Try setting it to 1.20000 and see how it fares (since its now at 1.288). If its stable, you can even try 1.15000 etc. Or you can start with stock voltage and then slowly increase until it becomes stable (if it isn't in the first place hehe).
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| Posted: Sun, 24th Feb 2013 17:12 Post subject: |
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I would just use that 1.288V and try upping the clock speed.
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tw1st
Posts: 6112
Location: New Jersey
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Sin317
Banned
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Location: Geneva
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| Posted: Sun, 24th Feb 2013 22:04 Post subject: |
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stays the same, i think. auto will fluctuate. But cpu won't draw power either, unless it needs to.
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| Posted: Sun, 24th Feb 2013 23:10 Post subject: |
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offset voltage and all power saving options on allows the Vcore go down when idle. Imo you should try how much you push the clockspeed with 1.288V since 70s is very normal load temperature for IVY (and yes this is LOAD not gaming).
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tw1st
Posts: 6112
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Tue, 26th Feb 2013 14:25 Post subject: |
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| Breezer_ wrote: | | offset voltage and all power saving options on allows the Vcore go down when idle. Imo you should try how much you push the clockspeed with 1.288V since 70s is very normal load temperature for IVY (and yes this is LOAD not gaming). |
I really need to read up more on the offset stuff, I have no idea what I'm doing with it. I can't seem to set a voltage with offset only a + or -, but from what value does it go off of, I need to have at least 1.225 volts is all I know, but would like it to go down if im not on turbo.
Anyways, I think I might just leave set to manual since it doesn't draw too much power anyway.
Kind of wished I went with liquid cooling now too, since the heatsink is a huge pain in the ass and takes up a lot of space. The corsair h60 seems nice, but people report problems with noise in the pump :/
| BenQ XL2420T 24" 120Hz | Ducky Shine III 9008 White LED - Brown MX | Logitech G9x |
| Corsair Carbide 400R | Asus Sabertooth z77 | i7 3770K @ 4.3Ghz - 1.200v | CM Hyper 212 Evo - Push/Pull |
| SLI eVGA 4GB GTX980 ACX SC | Vengeance 16GB RAM 1600 DDR3 | AX850w PSU | Samsung 840Pro 128GB SSD | WD Black 1TB HD |
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tw1st
Posts: 6112
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Mon, 4th Mar 2013 01:55 Post subject: |
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 next time use lube
thats THIGH
4 mm from memory , 50 mm from GPU
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| Posted: Mon, 4th Mar 2013 02:07 Post subject: |
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with all that money you're wasting on coolers you could have bought a swiftech H220
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tw1st
Posts: 6112
Location: New Jersey
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unless they make some right angle 8 pin connector.
