670 sli, 120hz lcd and 3570k cpu.

[setter]

Currently running the spec in sig, monitor is an old 60Hz benq fp241w, currently using a single gtx 670 wf clocked at +130 core, +770 memory. It copes very well in what im playing, mainly bf3 and bfbc2. Im thinking off eventually adding a second wf 670 and upgrading to a 120Hz monitor. Im wondering if the cpu will make much of a bottleneck with this setup. Cpu is currently only at 4.2ghz, but i intend to clock it higher.

 

[setter]

I will be clocking the cpu higher for definite, a new monitor is my first priority as the fp241w is getting on a bit. Previous to the 3570k in sig i was running an i7 920 at 4.2ghz, with sli'd gtx 470's. Got rid of those and got the 670, then moved to the ib. Bottlenecking wasnt a problem with the old cpu, maybe down to ht. but the cards lacked v-ram for bf3 on ultra with msaa, 99% usage per card on the 470's.

I was thinking that the move to 120Hz would benefit from sli at a stage when i can add a second 670, a bigger monitor or dual screens isnt an option, due to limited desk space in a small room. Currently the desk is covered by a 32" 1080p lcd telly and the aforementioned monitor.

 

[setter]

James, i had two i7 9** series rigs, i sold the 920 4.2 one, still have a 930 at 4.3ghz, tbh the 920 was overkill for games, and power hungry, (worse when you have two of them oc'd). I looked at the 3770k with ht, but tbh it's not a feature id utilise a lot. But if i do need it, ill use the old x58 rig.

 

[setter]

I thought that bottlenecking could be an issue on the older gen i7's, particularly with newer cards such as the nv 6 series.

I held onto the other 900 rig as it's a decent clocker, it runs cool and suits my encoding needs, plus it was built very cheaply from secondhand parts. It's rarely used for games as it only has an 8800gt, but my nephew plays a bit of bf3 on it with me when he comes to stay.

 

[setter]

I am 5760*1080

And what a nice setup it is mate, id love something like that. But. A, id need a better job, and B a way bigger desk.

 

[setter]

My reckoning was based on the fact that with my previous i7 920 setup, with 470sli oc'd, bottlenecking wasnt an issue. Due to the cards not being able to produce high enough frame rates at ultra with msaa, (45 minimum with no aa, 1920x1200). That was ok'ish on a 60hz screen. With the 670 i can max bf3 with 4x msaa, but at 60hz so v-sync is on. With v-sync off it averages 70fps, but a lot of screen tearing. Hence id like to upgrade the monitor, then add a second 670 later when prices drop, or find a similair clocking one secondhand.

 

[setter]

Thanks Setter. I had to steal a corner of the kitchen, as I have no where bigger (that I was allowed) to put it Handy for the kettle at least

Kettle and fridge for beer, two gaming essentials.

then 120hz should be fine. but i would say 1440p is a better option, having used both.

it is subjective as rusty said. but have a look at both before you buy, if you can. sli will benefit both options.

A mate as a 120Hz benq with a 670, (evga ftw model). He's gonna let me test my card in his rig to see how sli performs, the stock wf clock is 980mhz, though mine boosts way over that, (think its 1189 iirc), evga is 1084mhz which again is speculative. It should be interesting.

 

[setter]

Was the bottlenecking bad gregster, iirc you were running a 2500k? I know that the 3930k has ht, (not sure if 2500k had as i skipped that gen). Does ht make much of a difference in newer games such as bf3? I remember testing with ht on/off on my 920 and i couldnt notice any difference tbh, albeit at 1920x1200 with 400 series cards that may have been a big factor.

 

[setter]

I know what you mean james, at the moment bf3 plays fantastically on my setup, (ran of an ssd as well). 60fps and the game plays extremely well, just that id love a new monitor, and be able to play games at a good frame rate with a good amount of details. I loved moh 2010, max settings on my old setup, a beautiful looking fps, gameplay got a bit rubbish though after a while.

 

[setter]

Not at all, If I didn't check on GPU-Z or AB, I would never have known. The 2500K has got HT and it is still a great chip but modern GPU's are pushing it. Knowing how close the 670 is to the 680, I would say you would be close to 'not' bottlenecking. Maybe hitting 95% GPU usage in SLI (pure guess though). Also, I run both my 680's with a core clock of 1324Mhz, which is pushing them extremely hard. Maybe on stock, I wouldn't have got it but I didn't do any extensive testing.

Edit: If I had water cooled my I5, I could have pushed it to maybe 4.9/5GHZ and taken away any bottleneck.

Very good clocks on the 680's, and the cpu too. Are you considering putting the cards under water cooling at some stage? Gotta admit, nvidia got it right with the 670 series, very impressive cards and cheaper than the 680 which they can match when oc'd, of course but you can clock the 680, the non ref cards such as the windforce are a bit expensive, but take the lower models and put them under water or a good after market cooler and theyre a pretty good card. Shame voltage control is locked though.

 

[setter]

2500k seems to clock higher than an ib such as the 3570k, but i believe/read on here that the difference is negligible between an sb at 4.7ghz or an i5 3570 at 4.3ghz. Factor in that ib is a pretty hot running cpu once you up the voltage, (1.244 here at 4.2), clocked via asus turbo so it could go lower on vcore for that speed.

@MichaelM, did you find the b2k maps to be a bit more demanding than the release maps and other dlc releases such as cq and ak?

 

[setter]

B2k maps, particularly karkand and gulf of oman will give me drops into the mid 50's, especially in vehicles. I think those two maps are a bit badly coded.