3X GTX 470 vs 2X GTX 480

[jamsde]

I've come upon a dilemma... I have the option to get three GTX 470's right now and run them in three way SLI with a 9800gtx for PhysX...

OR

Wait another 4 to 6 weeks for 2 GTX 480's to run in a similar setup.. SLI with 9800gtx for PhysX..

Power is not a problem with a 1500w PSU, and i plan to Block what ever I get and water cool it so i'm not worried about temps... Also, I have two Danger Den GTX 480 blocks in the mail on the way here..

I can always add my 2nd loop later for the 470's and return the 480 blocks... Cost comparison: two 480's is $1100, thee 470's about $1180...

Any opinions out there?

[Evilsizer]

what resolution do you play at?

[jamsde]

1920 X 1080 right now... I'm considering 3d Vision, and if so will purchase 3 X 120hz monitors... have not made this decision yet however...

[ratbuddy]

1920 X 1080 right now... I'm considering 3d Vision, and if so will purchase 3 X 120hz monitors... have not made this decision yet however...

If you're only playing at 1080p, a single 470 or 480 is more than enough. If you go 3D/surround, then you might be able to take advantage of big cards.. If only there was a cheap 3D Vision kit in the classies!

;)

[jamsde]

I would consider other options as well.

I could cancel the 480's and go with two or three 470's... cancel all and add another 285... OR just block my two existing 285's and add in the PhysX Card..

All I want to use my PC for is gaming, i want this thing to ROCK through any game out there. I'm not "SET" on 3d surround. Anyone have opinions about that? Is 3d gaming worth it? Is it really THAT cool? or will it just give me a headache hehe :)

[Evilsizer]

well the same question was asked here
http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?high=&m=251790&mpage=1#253345
some time ago but as you notice you loose 3d vision by going tri sli.

i found these thread with some bench runs interesting.
http://www.overclock.net/nvidia/714561-my-gtx-470-sli-vs-hd.html
if you look at crysis a bit of ways down he does a SLI vs tri-sli of the 470. notice that only the avg. fps increases, the min. fps decreases untill you oc all three gpu's. the main thing to me in gaming is MIN. fps most review sites focus on avg or max fps.

seeing as im going to be using a 1080p TV for my monitor soon. i would go with the SLI 480's be happy. i dont buy into the whole 3D vision, tried it at fry's, made me feel sick. course i also have a vision problem so i cant say its going or not going to work for you. i prefer IQ/min-FPS in gaming more then gimmicks like physix or 3D vision.

[jamsde]

Good point Evil, I definitely want to TRY 3D Vision first.

Guess I need have some patience... the 480's will be amazing and worth the wait. Plus I'll have the blocks here ready for them when they arrive...
Unless anyone has a convincing argument, i think i'll go with the 480's over the tri sli 470's...

[ratbuddy]

Good point Evil, I definitely want to TRY 3D Vision first.

Guess I need have some patience... the 480's will be amazing and worth the wait. Plus I'll have the blocks here ready for them when they arrive...
Unless anyone has a convincing argument, i think i'll go with the 480's over the tri sli 470's...

If you don't have any eyesight problems, 3D is definitely worth it. I used to have 20/800 vision before Lasik and something like 20/30 after, and have had no headaches or dizziness running in 3D.

Like I said though (or did I?), a pair of GTX 480s is stupid-like overkill for a single 1080p monitor.

[jamsde]

I read the info in the other links and reviewed the benchmark tests from tri SLI 470's... and now i'm still just as confused! LOL

FYI I plan to upgrade monitors as well and go to higher Res, but I want to decide on GPU first...

[jamsde]

I see your point in the Crysis 3way SLI scaling graphic, looks like the third card only added an additional 8 FPS... plus loose 3d vision.. sounds like dual is the way to go.. will wait for the 480's :)

[Evilsizer]

Like I said though (or did I?), a pair of GTX 480s is stupid-like overkill for a single 1080p monitor.

kinda hard to say that after looking at crysis numbers or some of the others, no? since at higher resolutions in the 25xx size at hardOCP, i think it is. they where showing a bunch of games with a SLI 480 only hitting 20-25 min fps. gimme a few to try to find that link agian...

[jamsde]

Thanks man :)

[Evilsizer]

here is the one i was talking about
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/03/26/nvidia_fermi_gtx_470_480_sli_review
here are a few others, you will notice some higher fps but that is also because they didnt apply AA/AF or as much AA/AF to really drop the FPS.
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=23132
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2977/nvidia-s-geforce-gtx-480-and-gtx-470-6-months-late-was-it-worth-the-wait-/19
this one might have you peaked if you want all out..
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/fermi-gf100-gtx-480-sli-gtx-470,10158.html
isnt any benches since its still is in testing....

[jamsde]

Very interesting! After reading I feel like my original plan is the best choice... two 480's in SLI and water cool them as planned..
Do you agree? Or would you go three 470's?

[jamsde]

FYI both mine will be here on 4/29, i'm going to attempt the "benching" thing for the first time and will post my results :)

[Joeteck]

Have you looked into a new power supply yet? two or three of any top-of-the-line video card is going to need some serious high quality power.

1000 to 1200 watts (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010090058%20113142550&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Order=PRICED).

Nvidia recommends having a Single 42A Rail for ONE GTX 480... About a 650 Watt power supply, minimum!

The PCI-e and six pin connector can draw up to 75 Watts each, and the 8 pin, up to 150 watts.

Total video card power ; 300 watts. Will it use it? Probably not, however, I would not look for anything less than 1200 watts, especially if you plan on overclocking...

[jason4207]

Have you looked into a new power supply yet? two or three of any top-of-the-line video card is going to need some serious high quality power.

1000 to 1200 watts (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010090058%20113142550&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Order=PRICED).

Nvidia recommends having a Single 42A Rail for ONE GTX 480... About a 650 Watt power supply, minimum!

The PCI-e and six pin connector can draw up to 75 Watts each, and the 8 pin, up to 150 watts.

Total video card power ; 300 watts. Will it use it? Probably not, however, I would not look for anything less than 1200 watts, especially if you plan on overclocking...

jamsde says he has a 1500W PSU in the first post.

Also, those PCIe power draw specs are just specs. The card can draw more than 300W if it needs it and there is sufficient power available. OCing and voltage adjustments can cause lots of gfx cards to surpass the 300W spec limit, and bencmarks such as Furmark can cause certain cards to draw more than 300W at stock.

[Joeteck]

jamsde says he has a 1500W PSU in the first post.

Also, those PCIe power draw specs are just specs. The card can draw more than 300W if it needs it and there is sufficient power available. OCing and voltage adjustments can cause lots of gfx cards to surpass the 300W spec limit, and bencmarks such as Furmark can cause certain cards to draw more than 300W at stock.


Who makes it? 3 x 500 watts does not count.... ;)

Thanks for the info.

:thup:

[Evilsizer]

joe,
i would think it is this 1.5kw psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256054
since there is only that one listed at newegg. i cant seem to find anyone else that makes a 1.5kw psu.

ok well looked for a bit longer, not on newegg. seems thermaltake has a 1.5kw unit as well.
http://apcmag.com/thermaltake_toughpower_1500_watt_psu.htm

just better have a dedicated 15-20amp breaker just for the psu alone.

[ratbuddy]

kinda hard to say that after looking at crysis numbers or some of the others, no? since at higher resolutions in the 25xx size at hardOCP, i think it is. they where showing a bunch of games with a SLI 480 only hitting 20-25 min fps. gimme a few to try to find that link agian...

2560x1600 is about twice the pixels of 1080p though.

[EarthDog]

joe,
i would think it is this 1.5kw psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256054
since there is only that one listed at newegg. i cant seem to find anyone else that makes a 1.5kw psu.

ok well looked for a bit longer, not on newegg. seems thermaltake has a 1.5kw unit as well.
http://apcmag.com/thermaltake_toughpower_1500_watt_psu.htm

just better have a dedicated 15-20amp breaker just for the psu alone.I was going to say...without a dedicated breaker for it, that PSU couldnt output that much power correct? I thought 1.2kw was it for the US on 120v??

Anyhoo, Im sure a Corsair HX1000 would work well for 2 480's and any chip you can throw at it that wouldnt be 'extreme'ly overclocked..

[jamsde]

Sorry about that guys, I fixed my Sig.. Silverstone Strider 1500w PSU, the Egg has them I believe (which is where I got mine). The silverstone instructions have you plug the PSU directly into the wall socket and instruct not to use a power strip or UPS. It was expensive but is NICE..
Thanks for pointing that out tho :)
Now i'm re-thinking the cooling design of my box... ordering another rad today...

[4GHZ_or_bust]

I was going to say...without a dedicated breaker for it, that PSU couldnt output that much power correct? I thought 1.2kw was it for the US on 120v??


Typical AC circuit and outlets are max 15A which is 1800 watts max. Keep in mind some room have multiple outlets, lights, and other stuff on the same circuit. If you have an older (50+ years) houses, chances are 2 or 3 rooms are on the same circuit. If I had something that needed 1500+ watts PSU, turned on a single light bulb, and a TV the breaker will blow.

A quick and dirty solution is to run dedicated 220v line just for your computer and set PSU to use 220v. They can use half the total amp that 120v would need.

Consult with qualified electrician to check your room and house's circuit to see what needs to be done, or to see if you can benefit from a 220v line just for your computer.

[Joeteck]

joe,
i would think it is this 1.5kw psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256054
since there is only that one listed at newegg. i cant seem to find anyone else that makes a 1.5kw psu.

ok well looked for a bit longer, not on newegg. seems thermaltake has a 1.5kw unit as well.
http://apcmag.com/thermaltake_toughpower_1500_watt_psu.htm

just better have a dedicated 15-20amp breaker just for the psu alone.

This Silverstone has a combined current ratting of 110 AMPS!! 120A peak!

A single 20A breaker can give 2300 watts...That's full load. Really never want to go past 80% of that. So 1840 Watts at the wall... Lets say for arguments sake the power supply is 85% efficient. That leaves 1472 Watts of usable power at the outlet...

However, most of these monster power supply's have a maximum current rating of 15A or 1725 Watts. Take 80% away like before, leaves only 1380 Watts...

Using this 1500W power supply to its full potential may have some problems...at the breaker panel...

[TerranBrackiatt]

Nvidia recommends having a Single 42A Rail for ONE GTX 480... About a 650 Watt power supply, minimum!

that spec is for dummies: if there is only 1 12v rail on the entire PSU that would be running both the CPU, and the GPU and the fans...

for those of us with mutli-rail PSUs that dump the CPU onto one rail, and the GPU on another, 30A ought to be sufficient for the GPU (30Ax12v=360W) of course, the more amperage on the dedicated rail, the better for overclocking. :-) my dedicated GPU rails are 36A each, so i'm gonna have a little fun when my 480s arrive.

[Neuromancer]

Very interesting! After reading I feel like my original plan is the best choice... two 480's in SLI and water cool them as planned..
Do you agree? Or would you go three 470's?

Multi GPU scaling in SLI seems REALLY good with 2 cards. 3 or 4 just does not seem worth it IMHO.

I am only going by what I have read though. Only time I ever ran more than one card they were either different cards... or I did it for benching not for game play.

[4GHZ_or_bust]

I was going to say...without a dedicated breaker for it, that PSU couldnt output that much power correct? I thought 1.2kw was it for the US on 120v??

Anyhoo, Im sure a Corsair HX1000 would work well for 2 480's and any chip you can throw at it that wouldnt be 'extreme'ly overclocked..

Multi GPU scaling in SLI seems REALLY good with 2 cards. 3 or 4 just does not seem worth it IMHO.

I am only going by what I have read though. Only time I ever ran more than one card they were either different cards... or I did it for benching not for game play.

While old, I read some info from a few years ago that on some games, 2 cards in SLi or Crossfire got something like 70-80% improvement over single card while 3 video cards got a paltry 20-30% improvement overall from 2 cards confi and there were almost no noticeable gain with 4 cards.

I can't remember the exact figure or where it was from but I suspect it still applies today: 3 cards is mostly overkill and 4 cards (or 2 dual GPU) is major overkill for games.