Simple upgrade, possibly to run 3 cards?

[cctaylor88]

Hey guys, I am really in the market to upgrade my motherboard just a little bit as I would like to run two possibly three gpu's instead of my single nvidia gtx 460 that I currently run. To be honest, this is more of an aesthetic want than anything having to do with performance as I hardly game. I have played about 2.5hrs of battlefield 3 in the last couple of weeks...I more or less browse the internet and do homework and my current gpu is fine for what I do (I am stating this so that I don't get the "you don't need more gpu's/what are you wanting to do with three gpus? etc).

So my plan/hopes are to buy another gtx460 or a set of 460s (will be buying used) and install them in addition to my current card, however my current motherboard doesn't support more than one gpu. I have the asus m4a87td/usb 3 and AMD 950BE Phenom II that I purchased in the middle of 2010 so I would like a decent upgrade.

What would be a basic (not over the top) motherboard suitable for my wants? Possibly 3 gpus? Also, and this is going to sound incredibly noob-ish but I have never ran more than a single gpu (as this is my first ever custom computer that I built back in 2010) how hard is it to plug in another gpu? Not in terms of the installation but compatibility etc? I mean if your motherboard supports it you can just "plug and play" another compatible gpu and the computer recognizes it or what?

Currently have a nvidia gtx 460 and would more than likely only buy an evga 460.. would these two cards work together? Would there be a noticeable increase in performance?

More than likely would like a mobo capable of 3 way SLI (hope I used that term correctly, I want to use 3 gpu not 6 ha) I know this sounds very dumb and these questions probably make most of you leet computer geeks rolls your eyes but hey we have all been in this boat before right?!

Thanks for the patience in advance and I hope I didn't ramble on too long

 

[HammerON]

Do you have a budget (how much do you want to spend)?
Did I read correctly that you would also like to upgrade your CPU?
Yes you can SLI your current Nvidia GTX 460 with an EVGA GTX 460.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

Lots of boards that support 3-way SLi out there, I did read the OP though still have to ask, if you don't game, don't have a 6+ monitor setup, what kind of benefit are you going to see from having 3 GPU's apart from wasting a lot of unnecessary power and creating issues for yourself??

 

[cctaylor88]

Okay, well what would be a step up or equal to a gtx 460 that I can run in SLI. I know this probably sounds dumb but I just really want to run 2 gpus, so maybe I can find a good deal on two cards a step up or similar to my current 460? Ideas, thanks guys

 

[cctaylor88]

I am currently running with two monitors and would like support for at least 3 at once or possibly 4. So, in essence I need another gpu but if I am going to go through that I would rather purchase and run two gpus in SLI. What cards would be similar performance wise when compared to a gtx 460? And what motherboard would afford me to simply run SLI without getting too fancy?

 

[joellim]

well to run multiple gpu's, you'd need a beefier power supply too that has enough pci-e 6/8pin for both your graphic cards. what PSU do you currently use?

multiple gpu is as simple as plug in both gpus, plug in the sli/crossfire connector and install the correct drivers, in the case of crossfire, the correct CAP profiles too.

an overclocked Radeon HD7870 would probably match your dual 460. having said that, if you already have a single gtx460, getting a second gtx 460 is not a bad idea. you'll be able to run most modern games at 1080p and up to 4 monitors.

 

[cctaylor88]

well to run multiple gpu's, you'd need a beefier power supply too that has enough pci-e 6/8pin for both your graphic cards. what PSU do you currently use?

multiple gpu is as simple as plug in both gpus, plug in the sli/crossfire connector and install the correct drivers, in the case of crossfire, the correct CAP profiles too.

an overclocked Radeon HD7870 would probably match your dual 460. having said that, if you already have a single gtx460, getting a second gtx 460 is not a bad idea. you'll be able to run most modern games at 1080p and up to 4 monitors.

Thanks for the reply, yeah I may just try to pick up a new 460 but that would mean a new mobo as well so a card capable of running 3+ monitors may be due instead. I have an OCZ 600w PSU... so when you try to run 3 monitors dont you have to use special software like eyefinity and sh1t? Can the 7870 support 3 monitors alone or what?

 

[joellim]

yes a 7870 can support up to 4 monitors by itself.

eyefinity and surround are both in the drivers from amd and nvidia, you dont need any special software, it's built in. if you wish to use surround vision, you'll need 2 gtx460s. if you want to use eyefinity, a single 7870 would suffice.

I think getting a single 7870 is a cheaper route. alternatively, the new 7870LE is a better bet. it costs almost the same as a 7870 but has performance closer to the 7950.

your PSU should be enough for either dual 460s or single 7870. just make sure it has enough pcie 6 pin connectors.