47 replies to this topic

[Umbre]

http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16814130781

I'd like to upgrade to that.

Current system specs:

i.7 @ 3.2 Ghz
AMD HD 6970 clocked at 920 Mhz
Corsair GS 700 Watts PSU
12 GB RAM
Asus Rampage Extreme 3 motherboard.

I'd like to know if I could simply replace my current GPU, or if I'll need to upgrade other components as well.

[RedVan]

If you'd like to buy 2, I'd gladly put the other to good use.

[Umbre]

RedVan, on January 14 2013 - 11:45 PM, said:

If you'd like to buy 2, I'd gladly put the other to good use.

What_ I only want to upgrade my current GPU to that GTX 690, not buy 2 of them. I just want to know if I meet the requirements to use it, or if I need to upgrade other components of my PC.

[SS396]

Wow, that thing is a beast, and a hell of a whopper on the price tag.

Personally I think its a bit overkill, but no different than me spending 2500 bucks on a set of aluminum big block heads.  

You could easily get 2 or even 3 cheaper cards and put them in 2 or 3 way SLI with that motherboard.

But Yeah, to answer the question asked.  No other modifications should be needed however, I think I would at least bump up the power supply to like 750/800/900 if I were installing that card.  It says "Minimum of a 650 Watt power supply."  and with you running a 700 that might be cutting it close if you have a few hard drives, cd/dvd rom drives, etc.

But WOW, that thing should be crazy.  

Edited by SS396, January 15 2013 - 12:01 AM.

[marshalade]

Cool, you're one of those kids that thinks "i7" tells us anything at all.

You should be fine, just make sure it fits in your case and you have enough power to run it.

[mantisftw]

While you're at it, want to buy me one of those to_ xD

[Elix]

I echo the "you might want to bump up your PSU to 800+" sentiment, since you're coming close to the limit with that card and your current PSU. I don't think you'd have a chance of browning out your PSU unless you were going for pretty much maximum power draw (get all the hard drives spinning at max, plug in as many USB peripherals as you can find, max out the GPU, etc.) and then you'd have to be trying... but you also don't want to take any chances.

[Umbre]

marshalade, on January 15 2013 - 12:02 AM, said:

Cool, you're one of those kids that thinks "i7" tells us anything at all.

You should be fine, just make sure it fits in your case and you have enough power to run it.

That is both insulting and unhelpful. Rather than patronize me with your comment about my CPU data, why not ask me for the specific details required to understand what my system is running_ I'd surely provide them.

Now as for the power required, this is pretty much why I'm asking for help. It says the minimum requirements are 650 Watts. Would my 700 Watt PSU be sufficient, even with the other hardware present_ As repeatedly asked: Do I need to upgrade other components_ I'm not an expert on this subject, so I'd appreciate it if people could provide help.

[mantisftw]

I'd go with what Elix said, upgrade to an 800W to 850W PSU. Specially if you're overclocking the GPU or CPU.

[SS396]

Well, power requirements are different based on the amount of equipment you have in your computer.

Any extra PCI-E cards, ie, sound card, network card.

Number of hard drives, cd/dvd drives, floppy drives.

The number of fans or lights.

Basically you don't want to run any electrical equipment at its power limit, its always best to provide enough headroom so that the power supply is running at 80% usage than it running 100% trying to keep up.  Things last longer when they are not fully stressed.

So by installing a larger power supply, there is more headroom for other items and any pitfalls you might encounter.  Its one of those best be safe than sorry.

With my luck, I would get the card here, and my power supply wouldn't provide enough.   
Maybe your luck is better than mine.

Edited by SS396, January 15 2013 - 12:32 AM.

[G4M5T3R]

I was thinking of getting one of these not too long ago. Instead I'm getting twin 650's.
Elix and SS396 pretty much covered the Q&A.

[ArnieF4440]

Do this so we can get a goood look at your exact specs

ArnieF4440, on November 03 2012 - 08:09 PM, said:

Providing Computer specs
Download and use Speccy to provide detailed computer specs.

• Download Speccy from (if you haven't got it already): https://www.piriform.com/speccy
  
• Open Speccy and let it analyse your computer hardware (you may have to run Speccy as administrator)
  
• File -> Save Snapshot
  
  • 
• Give someone the file for inspection

I've got 2x660TI's and they're beast. When I (eventually) decide to OC my CPU, I'll be able to squeeze some more frames from it. BTW, 2x660TI's or 2x670's will get better performance than a 690 and cost less. Elix and SS396 have covered the rest, but you could probably run it on a 800W PSU.

http://www.tomshardw...x2,3329-12.html
690 w/ 100% GPU usage = 341W
CPU = let say 200W, I'm not sure what i7 you've got, so I'll just assume a max TDP of 130W and another 70W for the OC (probably less though_)
Mobo + RAM_ = 50W
Misc components (couple HDD's, DVD drive, lighting_) + little headroom = 50W

So an educated guess is about 650W on 100% utilisation. But as the others said, leaving a good amount of headroom is the best idea for future upgrades and security. I'm running a 100W PSU for my rig

Edited by ArnieF4440, January 15 2013 - 02:34 AM.

[ShrimpBrime]

You guys know that a 650w power supply is the MAX output at any one moment in time.

Most power supplies are roughly 80% effective for periods of extended use.

So buy 850 if the calf says 650 will be enough. The calf is BS cause it can't tell if the psu your getting is bronze or gold certified.

A 690 is a lot of GPU. Hotter than a sun of a gun too.

[marshalade]

Umbre, on January 15 2013 - 12:09 AM, said:

marshalade, on January 15 2013 - 12:02 AM, said:

Cool, you're one of those kids that thinks "i7" tells us anything at all.

You should be fine, just make sure it fits in your case and you have enough power to run it.

That is both insulting and unhelpful. Rather than patronize me with your comment about my CPU data, why not ask me for the specific details required to understand what my system is running_ I'd surely provide them.

Now as for the power required, this is pretty much why I'm asking for help. It says the minimum requirements are 650 Watts. Would my 700 Watt PSU be sufficient, even with the other hardware present_ As repeatedly asked: Do I need to upgrade other components_ I'm not an expert on this subject, so I'd appreciate it if people could provide help.

Because what it comes down to is someone plugging your components into a calculator. Which apparently someone did for you.

I'm going to go ahead and suggest you make yourself more familiar with your machine. You rely on it, you use it every day, and you plan on upgrading it by installing a new component. Doesn't it make sense to know what you're doing_

[Rei]

What are you going to use your computer for_ This is gonna be the difference between whether or not you're wasting $1000. If you plan on doing any streaming etc, should probably crank that up a little bit. (I'm at 3.5 on my old i7 920)

The 790 will run everything perfectly, it's just could you do it for cheaper by maybe getting a 2nd 7990.

I'm just currently assuming you're going to use your computer for playing games.

[Subdivision]

Right, I'm not out to get anyone when I say this but I've always felt these cards are for 'more-money-than-sense' kind of people. The top end cards are rarely worth the price tag, only from time to time do they make a significant leap. Their benefits are marginal and there are much more cost effective ways of getting more performance such as double or triple sli as people have suggested. Feel free to do as you please of course. And yeah, an 800+ PSU is a very good buy! Never underestimate the value of a really good PSU. It saves on electric bills and keeps everything running healthy at the correct voltages, the more expensive the better, generally speaking of course.

[Beefsweat]

Subdivision, on January 15 2013 - 10:19 AM, said:

Right, I'm not out to get anyone when I say this but I've always felt these cards are for 'more-money-than-sense' kind of people. The top end cards are rarely worth the price tag, only from time to time do they make a significant leap. Their benefits are marginal and there are much more cost effective ways of getting more performance such as double or triple sli as people have suggested. Feel free to do as you please of course. And yeah, an 800+ PSU is a very good buy! Never underestimate the value of a really good PSU. It saves on electric bills and keeps everything running healthy at the correct voltages, the more expensive the better, generally speaking of course.

Pretty much this. I will say that I upgraded to a radeon 7850 2gb late last year and it is truly a beast at its price point. Less power consumption and heat output than nvidia competitors and runs most modern dx10/dx11 games around 60-80fps @ 1080 resolution (this is without vsync of course). Then my greedy ass got a second one. I won't need new video cards for many years.

[Rei]

Yes, a power supply is a great idea if you want to use extremely powerful or multiple graphics cards. I would suggest something like

http://www.newegg.co...Item=17-139-011
or for a less expensive option, but not 80 gold (silver instead) certified and less 2 PCI-E connectors (4).
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817207017

[ShrimpBrime]

If he has money for a GTX 690, good deal go for it! Gaming on one Gpu and Physics on another all in one card. Tons of video ram for multiple monitors as well.

If it where mine, I'd save dollars and match the 6970 with another for crossfire and then find a little GTX-650 for physics.

Then perhaps have a couple of dollars for SSD's,

SSD's raid 0 make the world go round' !!

[Umbre]

I use my computer for map design, musical composition, video production/recording, gaming and I'd like it to perform several of these functions all at once.

If you think I could utilize some other hardware to achieve this, please let me know. I'm only basing my interest in the 690 because I've heard a lot of people praising it.

Edited by Umbre, January 15 2013 - 02:57 PM.