Old school 8800 GTS SLI build

I might be overcomplicating things here, if you don't mind :P. Just looking for some confirmation on a few parts + motherboard, CPU, and power supply.

I have two 8800 GTS cards just collecting dust after all these years. I was thinking about putting together a secondary PC just for fun—something for LAN parties when the guys come over.

I don't want to go overboard with the spending... though I'll pay if necessary.

First off, does the brand of the graphics cards affect SLI? The specs should be identical, but one is an Albatron and the other is from Gigabyte.
As far as I know, that shouldn't be an issue, right?

Anyway.

-I have an old, large Chieftec GX-01B case; everything should fit in there.
-RAM: 8GB DDR3
-GPUs: 2x 8800 GTS 640MB

So,
-Power supply: An old, functional Chieftec 550W from 2008. It worked fine for 3 or 4 years before I pulled it out.
Would that be enough? Theoretically, shouldn't 550W handle those two cards?

And I still need a CPU and a motherboard.
The PC would be strictly for gaming.
Could I find a decent AMD 4x processor and a matching motherboard for around $150-$200?

Any recommendations? Main thing is that the board supports >>SLI
Thanks.

1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+ FD6300WMHK
1 x Gigabyte 990XA-UD3, AM3+, AMD 990X SB950, 4x DDR3

$535
Decent CPU, plus a board that actually handles SLI properly🙂
Newegg

http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...ducts_id=10567
You could go with the cheaper board, but its power delivery is garbage compared to the Gigabyte one

Honestly, I don't think running two cards in SLI makes much sense here. You might be better off selling one, keeping the other, and picking up something significantly more powerful for around $267. For instance, an NVIDIA GTX 750 pulls about 60W at full load and would still likely outperform that SLI setup. As for the CPU and motherboard combo, you've got plenty of paths to take—for example, this overclocking-friendly AMD option:

MSI AMD A88X-G43 Motherboard (SFM2+, DDR3, SATA III, RAID, GLAN, USB2.0, USB3.0, VGA, HDMI, DVI) ATX Box
AMD Athlon II X4 760K Processor
Spire Kepler Rev.2 Cooler 1156/775/FM1

Total: $392

Alternatively, you could go with an i3 plus an H81 board (roughly $367); it’s probably the most budget-friendly route and costs about the same as the AMD build, though you can usually squeeze more out of the AMD side through overclocking. Or, maybe you want to look at an FX 6300 plus a board and cooler for about $500, or perhaps an i5 with an H81 board for roughly $533 (that's the strongest CPU choice, but I guess the question is whether you actually need that level of power).

As long as they share the same chip (8800 GTS), you can run them in SLI.
What specific power supply are we talking about here? Give me the exact model name or, better yet, just snap a photo of the label. It should ideally be able to deliver a stable 400W, though I have my doubts. What’s the actual output on the +12V rail? You should probably budget another $150 (maybe an EVGA 550W, a Corsair 560 GP3, or a Seasonic 550W) for the PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...25eccd8ade53cb
http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...25eccd8ade53cb (the 4-core version is $17 cheaper, which is honestly ridiculous)

In my opinion, this isn't worth the investment for you.

ruggedraven10 said:I’m going to make things a little complicated here—if you don't mind! :P I just need someone to confirm a few details regarding my motherboard, CPU, and power supply.

I've got two 8800 GTS cards sitting around collecting dust for years now, so I was thinking about putting together a secondary PC just for kicks—you know, something for when the guys come over for some local LAN gaming sessions.

Now, obviously, I'm not looking to break the bank... but I am willing to spend a bit if it makes sense.

First off, does the brand of the graphics cards actually matter for SLI? The specs should be identical, but one is an Albatron card and the other is from Gigabyte.
From what I understand, that shouldn't be an issue, right?

Anyway.

-I have an old, large Chieftec GX-01B case lying around; everything should fit in there nicely.
-For RAM, I have 8GB of DDR3.
-Graphics: 2x 8800 GTS 640MB.

So, here's the deal:
-Power supply: An older, functional Chieftec 550W from 2008. It worked fine for maybe 3 or 4 years before I pulled it out.
Would that be enough? Theoretically, I'd assume 550W should be able to handle those two cards?

And then I still need a CPU and a motherboard.
The PC would be strictly for gaming, of course.
Do you think I could find a decent AMD 4x processor and a matching motherboard for somewhere in the $150–$200 range?

Any recommendations? The main thing is that the board needs to support >>SLI
Thanks!

1.) The brand doesn't matter at all—as long as they are the exact same model, like an 8800 GTS paired with another 8800 GTS. Though, these days, things are changing so fast that some setups can even run Crossfire and SLI on the same board...

2.) If you're planning on playing anything modern, you aren't going to be happy with an 8800 GTS. Like the guys mentioned, maybe try selling those cards, toss in a little extra cash, and grab something like an AMD Radeon HD 7770 or an AMD Radeon R7 260x. They usually run around $80–$300 which would be your absolute best bang for your buck...

3.) If you do go through with SLI using the 8800 GTS cards, you really need to make sure you have a beefy, high-quality power supply, ensure your CPU won't cause a massive bottleneck, and—obviously—make sure your motherboard actually supports SLI.

Hey, if you want to mess around a little, go right ahead. 🙂 Personally, I think the real bottleneck is going to be having only 640 MB of available VRAM.

Thanks for all the feedback and advice regarding the motherboard and power supply purchase.

I get it. I'm fully aware I could pick up a much better PSU to match a newer card, but I already have a killer rig; this one's just meant to be mounted on the wall... besides, that wasn't the question.😁

Anyway, as David Sanders4 mentioned...

Regarding the power supply, Timothy Kim60 was asking about a specific model... the Chieftec GPS 550 ABA.

What’s the worst-case scenario if the wattage falls short?
Can I just try my luck—if it runs, it runs, and if not, I buy a new PSU? Or is there a risk of something actually blowing up? Is the hardware more at risk than the power unit itself?

An edit: back before last year, I tested an overclocked 8800 on Battlefield 3. Paired with an Intel Core i5-2500, it hit 40 fps on medium settings with AA turned off. I figure upgrading to two cards might bump that up by maybe 10-15 fps or allow for some high settings.
Single player ran on high without any issues. It pretty much debunked those "claims" that it wouldn't run at all or that you'd be stuck on low settings.
Mass Effect 3 also handled high settings just fine. And that was a card from 2008.
In the meantime, I "acquired" a second card from a friend, so here we are.

I mean, hats off to you—but why on earth would you drop that kind of cash on an old graphics card? 👍

Larry Ortiz5 said:Honestly, I have to hand it to you. Why on earth would anyone drop that kind of cash on an old graphics card? 👍

Thanks.

It says 360W max on the +12V rail click

That’s not ideal; at best, you're cutting it extremely close. Look, give it a shot since this power supply isn't total junk, but I've seen this go south before. I had a guy in here with a similar setup—a 450W version powering an FX 6350 (125W) and an HD 4890—and his PC just straight-up died under full load. If yours starts shutting down, you'll know exactly what the culprit is, and you'll need to swap that PSU out immediately.

ruggedraven10 said:Thanks, everyone, for the feedback and advice regarding the motherboard and processor purchase.

I’m fully aware that I could get much better performance with a more modern graphics card, but I already have this damn rig—this build is just meant to be mounted on the wall. Besides, that wasn't really what I was asking about.😁

Anyway, as David Sanders4 mentioned...

Regarding the power supply, Timothy Kim60 was looking for a specific model... a Chieftec GPS 550 ABA.

What’s the worst-case scenario if the PSU falls short on power?
Is it a situation where I can just try my luck, and if it works, great, and if not, I just buy a new one? Or could something actually blow up... which would be a bigger problem than just needing a new PSU.

Oh, an edit: I actually managed to overclock an 8800 card for testing a couple of years ago on Battlefield 3; paired with an Intel Core i5-2500, it ran Battlefield 3 on medium settings at about 40 fps with AA turned off. I’m hoping a slight upgrade might bump that up by maybe 10-15 fps or allow me to throw in some high settings.

That card doesn't support DirectX 11 and it's pretty weak; you'd be better off selling it and picking up one of the suggested options.
Once summer hits, those temperatures are going to soar past 90C, with idle temps sitting around 55-60.

Well, isn't this just great—looks like I'll be boiling tea even in the middle of a sweltering American summer.🙂

Coffee sounds better. ;D

So, I think I'll just go with the Smartic suggestion.

MSI AMD A88X-G43 motherboard
AMD Athlon II X4 760K processor

Basically, you've got that setup paired with a Spira Kepler Rev.2 cooler.

Didn't want to start a whole new thread.

I have an unopened Intel stock cooler lying around, plus an old Zalman 7000—just a fan, really—with this obnoxious blue LED light. 😁.
By the way, I assume it's obvious: my goal is to squeeze every bit of life out of this dust-collector. I don't care if it can't even run Crysis 2. I'm fine just letting it sit there looking pretty. Everyone has their own brand of madness.
That’s why I’m bothering everyone with these trivial questions.

Anyway.
1. To get straight to it: is that Zalman actually capable of handling an overclock?
2. Based on these specs http://www.zalman.com/global/product...ad.php?Idx=311 will it fit an AM3 socket? I have the support clip.

Posted in NPR/NPR 940/939/754/NPR AM2+/AM2/Socket AM3+/AM3/Socket FM1/Socket 775/Socket 1156/Socket 1155

It definitely isn't built for overclocking. Honestly, there's no need to OC this CPU; it'll handle those two GPUs without breaking a sweat.