New build, what video card? :-/

[Stridulent]

Hello folks!

So here it is:

Old Build:

• EVGA 790i SLI Ultra Mobo
• Intel e8400 OC'd to 3.8 GHz (w/ Xigmatek Dark Knight Cooler)
• 4 GB DDR3 1333
• PNY GTX 260
• 700w CoolerMaster PSU

New Build:

• MSI z77A G45 1155 Mobo
• Intel i5-3570k (w/ custom watercooling loop)
• 16 GB DDR3 1600 (Corsair Vengeance)
• Video card???
• 1050w Corsair PSU

This machine will be used for gaming, 3D modeling/rendering, and video editing.

A friend of mine offered to sell me his GTX 560 ti for $100. Its only a couple of months old and I know its working good, he just wants to get an AMD for 3 monitor setup.

So my initial thoughts were, 1. that is a **** good price for a 560, and 2. I could buy an additional 560 new and SLI them. I have never SLI'd before but have always wanted to give it a go. The decision gets harder when I look at the money I'd be spending. ~$340 for 2x GTX 560's or I could go with a newer card like the 7850 or put the money towards something like 7950.

I'm not even sure if I need more than just 1 GTX 560 either. I've had my 260 for 5 or so years now and its run most things fairly well. Will 1 560 perform superbly in most modern games?

Additional Comment:

Oh, and I do plan on doing some pretty heavy, but stable, overclocks on the CPU and the GPU.

[Witchdoctor]

560Ti for $ 100.00 = WIN

[strat1219]

I have an SLI setup right now and, for what its worth, I wish I simply had a single more powerfull card. SLI works alright for most stuff (providing a noteable performance increase) but sometimes it does more harm than good and must be disabled to prevent issues.

The 670s look so good, once they get a couple of kinks ironed out they are going to be all around stellar cards. Lower power consumption than SLI, less heat than SLI. I have always been an EVGA guy myself but that is more of a personal preference. Tho I must say, their 670s look sharp.

**EDIT**

However, it is imposible to beat a 560Ti for $100.

[Stridulent]

Originally Posted by strat1219

I have an SLI setup right now and, for what its worth, I wish I simply had a single more powerfull card. SLI works alright for most stuff (providing a noteable performance increase) but sometimes it does more harm than good and must be disabled to prevent issues.

The 670s look so good, once they get a couple of kinks ironed out they are going to be all around stellar cards. Lower power consumption than SLI, less heat than SLI. I have always been an EVGA guy myself but that is more of a personal preference. Tho I must say, their 670s look sharp.

**EDIT**

However, it is imposible to beat a 560Ti for $100.

Ya, I'm thinking I might just got with the single 560 for a bit. If I feel I need more power, I'm sure I could resale it for $100 and then no money lost.

[OS-Wiz]

New system looks sweet!
Recommend just two changes:
ASUS p8Z77-V and
EVGA 670

[Stridulent]

Originally Posted by OS-Wiz

New system looks sweet!
Recommend just two changes:
ASUS p8Z77-V and
EVGA 670

Thanks for the feedback. I'm curious why the asus board over MSI? Anything specific or is it more of just a preference? I ask because I bought the board already from Fry's (yesterday), but I can take it back within the next 2 weeks.

[DC]

User preference basically - I like Gigabyte over ASUS...but then that's just me.

I'd go check a few boards out on NewEgg - price wise - and then google reviews on them.

You'll see ASRock etc come up pretty well too.

I don't think ASUS is worth the premium they charge - they USED to be worth it, just not any more. The competition caught up or ASUS just fell back - either way, not worth the extra IMO.

[OS-Wiz]

Originally Posted by Stridulent

Thanks for the feedback. I'm curious why the asus board over MSI? Anything specific or is it more of just a preference? I ask because I bought the board already from Fry's (yesterday), but I can take it back within the next 2 weeks.

MSI doesn't enjoy a very good rep with the enthusiast crowd. Reliability and overclock-ability isn't what it should be. Stick with ASUS, the best, Gigabyte, or ASRock.

[PommieB]

Never liked MSI either, always had problems with them at some time or other.

[Stridulent]

Hmm.. my SSD is now scoring 7.2 on Windows Experience Index when it scored 7.9 on my old board 11 months ago. I ran an ATTO Bench and it is still getting good read/writes. Do they change the WEI standards over time to accommodate new software?

[leekirlew]

mine was 7.2 and i re ran it and got 7.6 after a new install /shrug

[PommieB]

Didn't realize people took the WEI that seriously anyway.

[DarkTower87]

I would only get the 560ti if it has more than 1GB video memory...

[Stridulent]

So I'm thinking about selling this Mobo and CPU to a friend and going bigger and better.

Right now my temps have been kind of disappointing. With a custom water cooling loop, my CPU idles at 40 and stays < 70 at full load. <70 is good I suppose, but I don't understand why the idle is not lower. It is overclocked to 4.2 GHz.

I also think I'm going to have to watercool whatever video card I switch out the 560 with. Right now I can't overclock the 560 at all without it hitting 90 degrees on load. I'll probably go with the 670 as suggested.

[DC]

There's not much you can do about ambient heat - but an idle at 40 sounds a bit off - you might want to check your heatsink seating and thermal paste etc.

If you're encountering heat issues you might want to ditch Ivy and go to Sandy instead.

Also wondering if it's worth the effort to unload the 560's and go for a single card solution given the price drops - 7850's are near $200 now....

[Stridulent]

Originally Posted by DC

There's not much you can do about ambient heat - but an idle at 40 sounds a bit off - you might want to check your heatsink seating and thermal paste etc.

If you're encountering heat issues you might want to ditch Ivy and go to Sandy instead.

Also wondering if it's worth the effort to unload the 560's and go for a single card solution given the price drops - 7850's are near $200 now....

Well, right now I am only running 1 560 and its getting hot. Ambient temperature outside the case is roughly 75F, so not really an issue. To solve the heat issue inside the case, I'm considering adding an externally mounted 120.3 radiator to my water loop.

The thermal paste I am using is Arctic Silver 5, and I applied it to the CPU using the methods they had online: The vertical line method (not sure if this was right, this was the first time I ever applied TIM in that manner).

[DC]

Originally Posted by Stridulent

Well, right now I am only running 1 560 and its getting hot. Ambient temperature outside the case is roughly 75F, so not really an issue. To solve the heat issue inside the case, I'm considering adding an externally mounted 120.3 radiator to my water loop.

The thermal paste I am using is Arctic Silver 5, and I applied it to the CPU using the methods they had online: The vertical line method (not sure if this was right, this was the first time I ever applied TIM in that manner).

Firstly AS5 is a good start - most of us have been using it for years - however there's better products out there now, though I still use AS5 myself.

I'm not sure what steps they suggest on their website, but typically I get some cotton buds and clean the surface (CPU/GPU etc) with some nail polish remover - then blow on it to dry it - now you have a clean surface to place the AS5. Then I apply the AS5 - usually a pea sized dollop and then put the heatsink on - though, depending on the heatsink you'll have to change that if it has heat pipes etc (as most current ones do) - that's where people will place thin lines along the CPU.

As far as your INTERNAL heat issues go - I'd be looking at getting the hot air OUT rather than more cool water IN - the water is only going to help your isolated parts, the RAM and all your other devices will be exposed to greater heat regardless of how many rads you have.

Look at some cooling alternatives - possibly even a new case (HAF932 etc).

[OS-Wiz]

Originally Posted by Stridulent

Right now my temps have been kind of disappointing. With a custom water cooling loop, my CPU idles at 40 and stays < 70 at full load. <70 is good I suppose, but I don't understand why the idle is not lower. It is overclocked to 4.2 GHz.
I also think I'm going to have to watercool whatever video card I switch out the 560 with. Right now I can't overclock the 560 at all without it hitting 90 degrees on load. I'll probably go with the 670 as suggested.

We need your system specs to help you, especially brands and models of water-cooling set-up. If you're running a 130TDP CPU clocked up to 4.2GHz, it might be that 40C is a good temp.

[DC]

Originally Posted by OS-Wiz

We need your system specs to help you, especially brands and models of water-cooling set-up. If you're running a 130TDP CPU clocked up to 4.2GHz, it might be that 40C is a good temp.

OS - I think he's running an Ivy from the OP's first post.

That's why I thought that idle temp was rather high - then again we don't know the volts he's running either.

[Stridulent]

Originally Posted by OS-Wiz

We need your system specs to help you, especially brands and models of water-cooling set-up. If you're running a 130TDP CPU clocked up to 4.2GHz, it might be that 40C is a good temp.

Yes, computer specs are listed in the OP. The case I'm using is the Raven RV-01.

Here are my watercooling parts (copied from another thread):



Water Cooling Components:

Radiator:
Magicool Extreme 180mm Slim $59.95

Fans:
2 x 180mm intake fan, 700rpm, 18dBA (included with case)

Coolant:
Distilled Water from Walmart

Tubing:
Danger Den Dreamflex Value Pack 1/2 ID 3/4 OD $29.99

Fittings:
2x Monsoon Free Center Compression Fitting (to be used on CPU block) $7.50 x 2
4x Bitspower Chrome Barb 1/2 ID (for res and rad i/o) $3.49 x 4
Primochill Threaded Elbow 1/2 Barb (for top res out to fill port) $2.49
Bitspower Pass-Through Fillport $9.99
Bitspower Stop Plug $2.99

CPU Block:
XSPC RayStorm Acetal $62.99



My setup follows the below plan that I had pretty close. I'll get some actual pictures posted here later once I get home.

@DC, the mobo temps seem to be fine. The biggest issue is really the GPU and then the idle temps on the CPU. Because of the temps, I haven't tried any hard overclocking and have just been using the OC Genie on the board. With that, the volts range from 1.00 to 1.2 I believe, depending on load. Turning off the overclock and running at stock, the CPU temps are 37-38C, which are still high. I think I will try reseating the waterblock today and apply the AS5 in a blob instead of the line they recommended.

Projected Setup Diagram: