Can I SLI my 780 gtx with this setup?

[CodeguruX]

I'm just thinking of trying to optimize my gaming rig, and I'd like to see if doubling up on my 780 gtx is a possibility before I look at the financial aspect.

My motherboard is a GIGABYTE 990FXA-UD3, it can and will SLI, I know that. My PSU is a gold rated 850W with 70A. And I guess the other specs are immaterial. My chip is an FX-8120. Maybe I need more cooling with an SLI set up. Anyway, is there any good reason to assume my system couldn't handle it?...

 

[Ieat]

I would consider switching to an i7 3770k or 4770k before thinking about going sli. That cpu will definitely be a bottleneck in some games. Its probably a bottleneck for you now in some games with a single gtx 780.

 

[Shmee]

How far can you OC that chip? If it OC's well, an upgrade might not be necessary. Also, if your board supports it, you could upgrade to a piledriver chip.

Your PSU should be fine though.

 

[Termie]

I can promise you that you are already CPU bottlenecked. The CPU choice is far from "immaterial." In fact, you likely wouldn't experience any boost in performance at all from spending $500 on a second video card.

Just to be clear, a stock 4770K will bottleneck a single GTX 780 in almost every game released this year, at least to a certain extent.

 

[CodeguruX]

Well, my only other choice is ripping out my motherboard and getting a better chip and going through the neverending crap of selling computer parts on ebay. Then going with intel again like I planned on. So no matter what I get, I need a better CPU or the GPU doesn't even matter, even as it is, before an SLI set up?...

 

[nwo]

So no matter what I get, I need a better CPU or the GPU doesn't even matter, even as it is, before an SLI set up?...

You need to upgrade or overclock the heck out of your CPU first because your CPU is already bottlenecking your single GTX 780 in certain games, especially if it is running at stock speeds.

 

[Ieat]

Well, my only other choice is ripping out my motherboard and getting a better chip and going through the neverending crap of selling computer parts on ebay. Then going with intel again like I planned on. So no matter what I get, I need a better CPU or the GPU doesn't even matter, even as it is, before an SLI set up?...

The problem with AMD fx 8xxx chips are that their performance in games is inconsistent. A few games run very good. Some run ok to good. Others run poorly(worse then first gen i7's from 2008). So if you were to get a 2nd gtx 780 you may see an improvement in some games but many will not improve at all. The benefit of going to a current gen i5 or i7 is that performance will always be good to very good over all games.

 

[rgallant]

I say get the 2nd gpu and see how they run , then go to intel after a while,
that is if you only can do one upgrade now

@ what res. btw

 

[CodeguruX]

So, are all the 9xxx chips just pre-overclocked 8xxx's? I got that impression from some other comments being made about them. I mean, I could get another motherboard and cpu for an intel setup. But if I could just use what I have, while slapping in a better AMD chip or a second GPU, and get a decently big performance increase, that would be ideal. As for my res, whatever one that runs the best. My monitor is 1300x768 or whatever. It's not something that's a variable for me...

 

[Shmee]

If you run at that resolution, there is no need for another 780 I would think You should be fine, albeit possibly CPU limited.

 

[Ieat]

So, are all the 9xxx chips just pre-overclocked 8xxx's? I got that impression from some other comments being made about them. I mean, I could get another motherboard and cpu for an intel setup. But if I could just use what I have, while slapping in a better AMD chip or a second GPU, and get a decently big performance increase, that would be ideal. As for my res, whatever one that runs the best. My monitor is 1300x768 or whatever. It's not something that's a variable for me...

If your res really is that low then don't bother with another card. You are probably running just about every game max at over 60fps. Which means you will not see a difference adding a 2nd card.

 

[CodeguruX]

Hmm, maybe I'll just hold out for a good AMD chip sale or a better one in the future then. Nothing seems to be running slow at all where I'm standing, so the heck with it...

 

[nwo]

If you are limited to 1300x768 or w/e resolution, a single GTX 780 is already overkill. Adding a second one is unlikely to give you much, if any, noticeable performance boost.

 

[skipsneeky2]

My most demanding game on my pc being BF3 at 1366x768 never dips below 60fps on my 770 with specs in sig. My average fps is limited by my cpu but its well over 80fps at that resolution......a 780 at 768p is nuts lol.