want to upgrade mother board

[shadiwon]

I just joined here and I'm fairly new to all this. I want to update my graphics card too a EVGA GeForce GTX 680 actually plan on getting 2 of them at one point and SLI them. my question is I have a GIGABYTE 880GM-UD2H mother board and a AMD Phenom II X6 1055T processor 2.80 GHz. So do i need to update the cpu or mother board? because the new video card runs on PCI 3.0 or can i just get the video card and eventually a 2nd one on my current mother board? I have a 1000w power supply as well, would I need to update the power supply

any help would be awesome, thanks in advanced

 

[BigChickenJim]

1. A PCI-E 3.0 card will work just fine in a 2.0 slot, so no, you won't need to upgrade your motherboard for a new single card.

2. That mobo doesn't officially support Sli or CFX as far as I can tell. That doesn't necessarily mean it's impossible to get a multi-GPU setup to run on it, but it will be a hassle. If you want two GPUs, you should get a new motherboard.

3. Your CPU is likely to bottleneck even a single GTX 680, and it will definitely bottleneck two horribly. Upgrading or substantially overclocking your CPU would be a wise choice.

4. You will basically never need a 1000W power supply unless you are building a dream machine or a spaceship. No, you most definitely DO NOT need to upgrade your PSU.

I rarely recommend gut (CPU and mobo) upgrades, but in your case I think that's the best bet.

 

[caution]

If you're on a budget, you could try for a ~3.8GHz overclock on that hexa-core (with an aftermarket cooler) and you'd be quite good, performance-wise.

If money is not an issue, on the other hand, dunno, go crazy

 

[sdougal]

Some thoughts.

a) the 880GM-UD2H mother board only has one PCIe slot which means only one GPU. i.e. no SLI support.

b) as well as two slots, to do SLI the motherboard must carry a license from nVidia. For GIGABYTE boards this is usually indicated by an X after the chipset nomenclature, e.g. Z77X-UDH3H. The license is only a few bucks... but if it ain't there, SLI will not work

c) also be aware that nVidia does not allow or offer licenses for AMD's platform...The only exception is recent exception of the new AM3+ (Vishera/Bulldozer) platforms.

 

[sdougal]

Also... AMD crossfire does not require any license. So basically with AMD Radeon cards, you're free to do any multiple GPU config as long as you have the slots for it.

 

[shadiwon]

Thank you BigChickenJim, caution and sdougal for all your advide! I have been thinking of just starting all over have been really looking and its come down to this tell me what you guys think

im torn between these two mobo's and these two cpus

mobo's
1.ASUS GRYPHON Z87 LGA 1150 Intel Z87
or
2.MSI Z87-G45 Gaming LGA 1150 Intel Z87

CPUS's
1. Intel Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 2011 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
or
2.Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics

the things im possitive on are
-video card
EVGA 04G-P4-2766-KR GeForce GTX 760 4GB 256-bit
-case
Corsair Graphite Series 600T

going to get 2 of the video cards at one point and considering grabbing this heat sink

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO: u guys thin i need it?
any advise on this build gentlemen sorry for the long response just want to be detailed as i can for you guys thank you for any help you guys got!

 

[dawp]

you can't use the i7 3820 with the 2 board you have selected, it uses a different socket and you would need a x79 mobo for that, which tends to drive up cost.

the i7 you would need for a 1150 socket board is the 4770(k)

 

[shadiwon]

thanks man! this is why you all rock.
ive been looking at this CPU
Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W
its better cheaper and goes with mobo's not as expensive as the ones you showed me any suggestions on a mobo for this? 200 max is my price range using it for gaming and want good OC abilities

this MOBO looks good to tell em what you guys think
ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX

 

[BigChickenJim]

thanks man! this is why you all rock.
ive been looking at this CPU
Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W
its better cheaper and goes with mobo's not as expensive as the ones you showed me any suggestions on a mobo for this? 200 max is my price range using it for gaming and want good OC abilities

this MOBO looks good to tell em what you guys think
ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX

Here's what I think about your picks:

1. It's silly to spend $300+ on an i7 3770k just for gaming. Get the i5 4670k Haswell or even the 3750k Ivy and save some money. You'll almost certainly never notice a difference performance-wise.

2. Because a 3770k is a waste and that mobo won't work with the 4670k, you'll either have to get the 3750k (that would be my choice) or find another mobo with the 1150 socket to fit the i5 Haswell. The second PCI-E slot is also a x4. I just got done helping (in another thread) determine that x4 slots make little difference in AMD Crossfire configurations, but I can't speak for Nvidia or Sli. I'd look into that if you think you might ever want to upgrade to a multi-GPU config. Truth be told, though, the single GPU you chose will have no issues for quite a while.

3. The 600T is a fantastic case--my current rig lives in one and I love it. A helpful piece of advice: the side panel window destroys the case's airflow. Use the mesh panel instead and mount 4 120mm fans on it. These will blow directly down onto the GPU, Northbridge, RAM, and VRMs. That's much easier than mounting fifteen tiny fans to your board if you ever start to OC. Combine those 4 fans with the 200mm front intake (remove any drive cages you aren't using in the bottom front as they can block airflow), a 200mm top exhaust, and a rear 120mm exhaust and you'll never need to worry about case airflow or component air cooling. Ever. You will, however, need to buy or rig dust filters for the side panel fans if you don't want dust bunnies the size of Furbies to grow in your case. I use window screen mesh. Even with filters you'll have to clean the guts often. That's the downside of hurricane-level air cooling.

4. Never, ever consider building a gaming rig without an aftermarket CPU cooler, especially with Intel chips. The CM Hyper 212 Plus (or Evo with a slightly better fan and lower weight) is amazing and costs about 30 bucks. Trust me, it's worth it.

 

[shadiwon]

Here's what I think about your picks:

1. It's silly to spend $300+ on an i7 3770k just for gaming. Get the i5 4670k Haswell or even the 3750k Ivy and save some money. You'll almost certainly never notice a difference performance-wise.

2. Because a 3770k is a waste and that mobo won't work with the 4670k, you'll either have to get the 3750k (that would be my choice) or find another mobo with the 1150 socket to fit the i5 Haswell. The second PCI-E slot is also a x4. I just got done helping (in another thread) determine that x4 slots make little difference in AMD Crossfire configurations, but I can't speak for Nvidia or Sli. I'd look into that if you think you might ever want to upgrade to a multi-GPU config. Truth be told, though, the single GPU you chose will have no issues for quite a while.

3. The 600T is a fantastic case--my current rig lives in one and I love it. A helpful piece of advice: the side panel window destroys the case's airflow. Use the mesh panel instead and mount 4 120mm fans on it. These will blow directly down onto the GPU, Northbridge, RAM, and VRMs. That's much easier than mounting fifteen tiny fans to your board if you ever start to OC. Combine those 4 fans with the 200mm front intake (remove any drive cages you aren't using in the bottom front as they can block airflow), a 200mm top exhaust, and a rear 120mm exhaust and you'll never need to worry about case airflow or component air cooling. Ever. You will, however, need to buy or rig dust filters for the side panel fans if you don't want dust bunnies the size of Furbies to grow in your case. I use window screen mesh. Even with filters you'll have to clean the guts often. That's the downside of hurricane-level air cooling.

4. Never, ever consider building a gaming rig without an aftermarket CPU cooler, especially with Intel chips. The CM Hyper 212 Plus (or Evo with a slightly better fan and lower weight) is amazing and costs about 30 bucks. Trust me, it's worth it.

you are amazing thank you for all the advise man!

 

[shadiwon]

one other thing BigChickenJim im just gonna stick with changing the video card for now will the GPU I stated earlier work with my current mobo? and I'm torn between that GPU and the EVGA 02G-P4-3771-KR GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-bit what are your thoughts on these two cards? thanks again for all your incite

 

[BigChickenJim]

one other thing BigChickenJim im just gonna stick with changing the video card for now will the GPU I stated earlier work with my current mobo? and I'm torn between that GPU and the EVGA 02G-P4-3771-KR GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-bit what are your thoughts on these two cards? thanks again for all your incite

Between those two cards I'd buy the 770. It's basically just an overclocked 680 and sells for slightly cheaper.

Given all choices, however, I'd buy the Radeon HD 7970. Roughly the same price, better performance in many games, and it comes with three or four free games (Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon, and/or Crysis 3).

Any of them will work with your mobo and PSU, but your current CPU is going to be a bottleneck. If you're in for $400+ on a new GPU why not do the CPU upgrade for $200 while you're at it?

 

[shadiwon]

Between those two cards I'd buy the 770. It's basically just an overclocked 680 and sells for slightly cheaper.

Given all choices, however, I'd buy the Radeon HD 7970. Roughly the same price, better performance in many games, and it comes with three or four free games (Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon, and/or Crysis 3).

Any of them will work with your mobo and PSU, but your current CPU is going to be a bottleneck. If you're in for $400+ on a new GPU why not do the CPU upgrade for $200 while you're at it?

I thought i couldnt upgrade my cpu unless I also did the MOBO? i5 and i7 wont work with my mobo will they?

 

[BigChickenJim]

I thought i couldnt upgrade my cpu unless I also did the MOBO? i5 and i7 wont work with my mobo will they?

No, an i5 and/or i7 will not work with your mobo. That $200 figure I threw out would include both a new AM3+ motherboard and an FX-6300. That's your cheapest choice if you want to be able to play modern games at all ultra settings (or mostly ultra, depending on the game) with your new GPU. If you want to go Intel you'd be looking at more like $300 for the pair.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[shadiwon]

No, an i5 and/or i7 will not work with your mobo. That $200 figure I threw out would include both a new AM3+ motherboard and an FX-6300. That's your cheapest choice if you want to be able to play modern games at all ultra settings (or mostly ultra, depending on the game) with your new GPU. If you want to go Intel you'd be looking at more like $300 for the pair.

Sorry for the confusion.

No worries man thanks for the incite, u say intel combo would be 300? What combo would u recommend

 

[BigChickenJim]

No worries man thanks for the incite, u say intel combo would be 300? What combo would u recommend

I wouldn't be the best person to recommend specific Intel motherboards; I've always used AMD processors and always will. I am familiar with Intel CPUs' benchmarks and can help you pick a chip, but mobos are a little harder to judge. Newegg user reviews are your friends.

 

[hackerballs]

I disagree somewhat as I use mostly Intel.............I would buy the 4770k over the 4670k for just a few dollars more cause the extra hyper threading might come in handy in the future...........might last a few years longer....maybe

If you want a "deal" for gaming......get a i5 2500k with a Z77X like my second PC...........flawless...............(but I would buy a Haswell + Z87X cause why buy older?)

You would be happy with both the 4770k and the 4670k

 

[sdougal]

IMHO you're never going 'feel' any difference in 3D gaming by using a 4770k/3770k vs a 4670K/3670K... in fact I really wouldn't bother with a 'K' SKU unless you're going to overclock your rig. In gaming the bottleneck is without doubt the GPU. Save the CPU cash and invest it in a better GPU.