requirements to support two geforce gtx 660 graphics cards?

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MrFuzz32145 Feb 26, 2014 @ 7:02pm

im planning on upgrading my computer to having two gtx 660 graphics cards soon.

i want to know what i need to support it.
includes:
-power supply
-motherboard
-cooling
etc.

this is the first time im really upgrading so i dont know very much about hardware, so if anybody could explain in simple terms what i need.

thank you in advance.

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Showing 1-15 of 19 comments

Bad 💀 Motha Feb 26, 2014 @ 7:14pm

Are they just GTX 660 models, or are they 660 Ti?

You will require a motherboard that supports NVIDIA SLI and have at least two physical PCI-Express x16 slots.

You will want a quality PSU of at least 600W (and at least 80+PLUS Bronze spec) and that has at least 2x 6-pin PCI-E power connectors on it, which will be needed for the GPUs.

As for cooling, the GPU stock cooling should be fine, however you want a case that offers enough fan placement in front, top, rear; and that you actually install fans in those spots to allow good overall airflow throughout the system.

Last edited by Bad 💀 Motha; Feb 26, 2014 @ 7:14pm

Azza ☠ Feb 26, 2014 @ 7:22pm

For 2x GTX660 SLi...

Motherboard requires two PCI Express 3.0 or 2.0 slots. Have a empty slot space between them if possible for better airflow and temperature control. That way temperture shouldn't rise or peak over long periods of use.

A minimum of a 650 Watt or greater system power supply that has a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 38 Amps or greater and that has at least two 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

It will probably slightly out perform a GTX 680 and saving some cash... so optimal resolution would be at 1920x1080 1080p (higher than this will weight down on performance), but game settings could be high to ultra with high fps. Careful however if microstuttering occurs in SLi - Frames are alternatively rendered by each card (the master card and the slave card), therefore depending on how the game processes it's graphics slight stuttering could rarely occur from time to time in a few games.

Noise level should be too bad, those cards are pretty silent under normal load.

A decent mid-range case to full tower to allow proper airflow is recommended. I would advice against SLi in a small case. Standard air cooling would be fine, however don't overclock the cards.

Last edited by Azza ☠; Feb 26, 2014 @ 7:26pm

Rove Feb 26, 2014 @ 8:10pm

PSU = 600+ (650w is comfortable) watts quality PSU with good 12V delivery. EDIT: GTX 660 requires one 6 pin connector, so total 2. I had previously thought the question was GTX 660 ti.

Motherboard = Two PCIe gen 1, 2 or 3 x16 slots with a spare slots worth of space below each to have room for dual rear expeansion port cards which are double thick. Would nice for both PCIe x16 to be in at least x16 PCIe gen 1.0 mode, x8 PCIe 2.0 mode or x4 PCIe 3.0 mode, better in x16 PCIe 2.0 mode or x8 PCIe 3.0 mode, best in x16 PCIe 3.0 mode. The PCIe speed is basically doubled per generation, thus the requirements I set out. Also requires SLI supported by motherboard, it should say if it has it on the manufacturer page or the box it came in, if it does not say it probably does not have it.

Cooling = probably want at least 3*120mm case fans with good airflow in your case. Larger fans or more fans or high-airflow fans are all good ideas to keep your temps nice and low.

Last edited by Rove; Feb 26, 2014 @ 8:34pm

MrFuzz32145 Feb 26, 2014 @ 8:21pm

ill have to check later but i think i have about 550 watts for my power supply

i just now bought the ASUS Z77-A LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard (i would like to know if the purchase was alright)

(have a bad proscessor now but getting a new one very shortly) intel pentium g 850

and 16 gigs of ram.

thinking of getting this graphics card but not sure yet, got it off of newegg

EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2662-KR GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

since im getting two im not sure if it would be smart to get a cheaper graphics card and hold off until i get the second one since im on tight budget and still saving up.

and i think im overdoing it on the fans since i have 3 in my current pc and 2 in the new mid tower that i bought, planning on putting the current parts into my new pc.

[☥] - CJ - Feb 26, 2014 @ 8:33pm

I wouldnt go lower than a quality 750w

That motherboard only supports AMD Crossfire, it doesnt support SLI.

Rove Feb 26, 2014 @ 8:36pm

You could get crossfire R9 270's for about the same price and a bit better performance.

All the power and cooling needs would be similar.

That would actually work with your current motherboard since it does support AMD Crossfire, just not SLI apparently (according to the previous post at least).

Bad 💀 Motha Feb 26, 2014 @ 8:58pm

Is your board new? I would return it (if possible) as it does not support NVIDIA SLI, only single NVIDIA GPUs. Multi-GPUs are only support via AMD Radeon/CrossFire

Also what do you expect to really gain when you are using a Pentium-G 850 CPU!

Last edited by Bad 💀 Motha; Feb 26, 2014 @ 8:58pm

_I_ Feb 26, 2014 @ 9:34pm

ya, upgrade the cpu before getting a 2nd gtx 660
since you have a z77 board, go with a 3570k or 3770k

MrFuzz32145 Feb 27, 2014 @ 12:20pm

at the moment i have an amd radeon hd 7700 series, so should i buy another one? how much better would the performance be? since i know this gpu inst exactly that strong but it would probably be wallet friendly if i get a second one instead of buying two stronger ones.

i dont understand much about sli/crossfire so if anybody could explain simply since i usually learn with hands on experiences.

and im already planning on getting the cpu before the graphics cards.

Originally posted by _I_:
ya, upgrade the cpu before getting a 2nd gtx 660
since you have a z77 board, go with a 3570k or 3770k

should i get the i5-3350P to save a little money and still have a pretty good processor?

or would it be a waste of money?

Last edited by rotNdude; Feb 27, 2014 @ 1:23pm

_I_ Feb 27, 2014 @ 3:10pm

get the k
itll have higher resale value, and last longer with its overclockabliity

#10

Rove Feb 27, 2014 @ 3:14pm

Originally posted by _I_:
get the k
itll have higher resale value, and last longer with its overclockabliity

I agree, you are a gamer get a K-series CPU and try not to settle for less.

The i5 3350p is great for a low power HTPC or a office computer with a dedicated graphics card, since it has no integrated graphics. You can play games on it but it's not a great gaming CPU. You can't overclock, that about sums up why.

#11

MrFuzz32145 Feb 27, 2014 @ 3:33pm

Originally posted by Rove:
Originally posted by _I_:
get the k
itll have higher resale value, and last longer with its overclockabliity
I agree, you are a gamer get a K-series CPU and try not to settle for less.

The i5 3350p is great for a low power HTPC or a office computer with a dedicated graphics card, since it has no integrated graphics. You can play games on it but it's not a great gaming CPU. You can't overclock, that about sums up why.

i have my mind set on getting a good cpu but it doesnt mean that i have any more money than i did before. so if anybody can give me some suggestions on a way to get a good cpu for cheaper (like some kind of sale) than it would be appreciated

*Edit: saw the i5 3570K for about $200. is it a good purchase?

Last edited by MrFuzz32145; Feb 27, 2014 @ 3:53pm

#12

Mozendo Feb 27, 2014 @ 4:10pm

Try to see if they have Micro Centers near where you live.
They have amazing CPU prices and even better CPU + MoBo deals

http://www.microcenter.com/site/stores/default.aspx

#13