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#4541637 - 10/20/20 10:16 PM OT: *ahem* Darn you Lou, look what you made me do...  
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kksnowbear Offline
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It's here! It's here! Christmas in October (and birthday in November, too lol)

[Linked Image] [Linked Image]

That's a brand new, factory sealed, 1080Ti Armor OC. Still under warranty, confirmed with MSI support, now registered to me.

The long-missing identical twin to the one already in my desktop... biggrin biggrin biggrin

[Linked Image]
(Can you tell which one's the new one?)


Now...let me go ahead and get something out of the way: Someone whose opinion I value and respect told me once (about doing something for 'bragging rights') "Nothing wrong with that, but if that is the real reason, then just own it!"

And I'll tell you what. I couldn't possibly be happier owning the fact that this is absolutely being done for bragging rights. To be accurate, I intend to try kicking the ever-loving dog snot out of every 2080Ti, 3080 and 3090 performance metric I can identify. But the real bragging part for me is that I'm keeping budget at the forefront (as I believe should always be done). Upgrades cost money, no doubt - but some approaches are better than others, especially if you're cheap like I am biggrin biggrin biggrin

The fact is this will allow me to spend less than one of those newer cards cost, and still gain better performance...and not have to wait until next year (lookin' at you, Nvidia 30-series), plus keep costs down, since I'm reusing a lot of the more expensive parts - not the least of which is the 1080Ti I already own. I bought it used, in excellent shape, got a good price, and I've had it for almost a year. This is a textbook case for SLI upgrading; the intent being to use a single card for a while, then later (as prices drop) adding a second one to yield better performance than a single card can deliver at a competitive price.

I'm sure there will be the usual complaints about SLI, but I've never confirmed having any of those troubles (unless there was a problem not related to SLI itself) and I've built/run probably 10+ SLI setups by now. I have 5 such setups in the shop right now, all working just fine. I do not buy that SLI is a problem, nor have I ever. There are at least a couple people right here in the forum that run SLI.

So there. I've done it, and I've owned it. Didn't hurt a bit, and I would highly recommend it to others biggrin (the 'owning it' part, that is...the last thing I'm suggesting is that anyone else needs to spend money on *any* upgrade, without considering all the factors first!!)

Of course, there's a new home for all this, too...the 6700k has served me well, but it's going to take a different kind of critter altogether to play nice with two 1080Ti GPUs.

More on that in a bit...

Attached Files FRONT.jpgBACK.jpgTwoCards.jpg
Last edited by kksnowbear; 10/20/20 10:19 PM.
#4541641 - 10/20/20 10:40 PM Re: OT: *ahem* Darn you Lou, look what you made me do... [Re: kksnowbear]  
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RAF_Louvert Offline
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daaaaaaaaaamn - KK, you are going to end up with a mega-beast when you're done. Your 3dMark graphics scores are going to soar above the 30 series cards, if the current benchmarks are any indication at all. Can't wait to see what you decide on for a new CPU to push this killer pair of cards. SLI forever!

However, I take no responsibilty for this, you did it all on your own. biggrin

.


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Three RFC Brass Hats were strolling down a street in London. Two walked into a bar, the third one ducked.
_________________________________________________________________________

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#4541644 - 10/20/20 10:52 PM Re: OT: *ahem* Darn you Lou, look what you made me do... [Re: kksnowbear]  
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kksnowbear Offline
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Just to be clear, this upgrade isn't specifically being done for WOFF, in case anyone's wondering. I don't really believe WOFF requires that kind of horsepower, but that's a discussion for elsewhere.

There are other games I play, and of course MS released Flight Sim 2020 in August. I've been considering upgrades anyhow; kinda at the end of the line with the Z170 board, as good as it's been. *lol* I actually put a 7700k in it, to eek out a little more top end overclock. But the clowns at Microsoft saw fit to start popping up a message every reboot that it was "Incompatible Hardware", which is a load of d--kie, but that's MS for you. There are ways to get around it, but (of course) it keeps coming back...

Besides, the new Flight Sim requires W10, and will certainly demand a lot from a system. So...

[Linked Image]

This is the new home for the 1080Ti cards: An Asus Prime Z390-A, with an i7-9700k. I just put it together this afternoon, and - using only the 'automatic' BIOS overclocking (4.9G) , strictly as a test...

[Linked Image]

Lou recently posted an image of a couple 3080s and 3090s from the FireStrike benchmark online database:

[Linked Image]

Yeah...I'm guessing those 3090 fellows aren't going to be very happy...

And that's not even the best part! The best part is MicroCenter is now selling this CPU/motherboard combo for $340. That's crazy, because it was $80 more until just recently.

I haven't even really pushed it yet! I'm still using a stock heatsink on it, because I'm only doing short test runs, not burn-in. Obviously I need to get a better cooler, and then I'll actually see what kind of overclock I can get out of it manually.

Attached Files 20201020_153840.jpgFireStrike.jpgFirestrikeOnline.jpg
Last edited by kksnowbear; 10/20/20 10:58 PM.
#4541647 - 10/20/20 11:03 PM Re: OT: *ahem* Darn you Lou, look what you made me do... [Re: kksnowbear]  
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kksnowbear Offline
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Uhhh, nice try, Lou, but this really was all your fault smile I got the fever from you, like the Corona Cooties. Yessir, long live SLI!

(BTW, thanks for telling me how to make the stupid pictures show up lol)

Now, off to dinner...more later smile

#4541651 - 10/20/20 11:37 PM Re: OT: *ahem* Darn you Lou, look what you made me do... [Re: kksnowbear]  
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epower Offline
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popcorn

Get some, KK!

Last edited by epower; 10/20/20 11:37 PM.
#4541663 - 10/21/20 12:50 AM Re: OT: *ahem* Darn you Lou, look what you made me do... [Re: kksnowbear]  
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HumanDrone Offline
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popcorn

Watching with great interest. I have a 1080Ti now which is a bit overmatched for the aged processor/motherboard combo (see siggie). I have a 1050W power supply but it's 9 years old, so wonder if there would be connector incompatibilities.

Other than that, i could walk right in your tracks, KK! I have a good case, etc.


Box: Win7 Pro 64 bit / I72600K @4.1 GHz / EVGA GTX1080Ti/ 16GB RAM / Corsair 240 GB SSD / WD 600 GB Velociraptor / 1050W Power
FS Stuff: Saitek X52 Pro Stick/Throttle & Combat Rudder Pedals, TrackIR 5
Sims: FSX Gold, REX 2.0 OD, UTX-NA, FSGenesis 10m mesh/ CFS3 ETO 1.40/Wings Over Flanders Fields BH&H2 (more gorgeous than ever!)
Proud BOC inductee 4/30/12!
#4541705 - 10/21/20 12:51 PM Re: OT: *ahem* Darn you Lou, look what you made me do... [Re: HumanDrone]  
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kksnowbear Offline
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Originally Posted by HumanDrone
popcorn Watching with great interest. I have a 1080Ti now which is a bit overmatched for the aged processor/motherboard combo (see siggie). I have a 1050W power supply but it's 9 years old, so wonder if there would be connector incompatibilities.

Other than that, i could walk right in your tracks, KK! I have a good case, etc.

Power supply: You don't mention what brand, but if it's a high-quality unit, you'd almost certainly be OK with it. In the pic above I'm actually running that setup with an 850 - which is OK for the bench (minimal configuration) but is kinda tight when you figure the extra load as I start adding stuff, plus overclocking. I think the 850 would run, even with the extra load, but would be running close to capacity at times, which might become unstable, and is definitely not the most efficient. So I was looking into 1000w units myself; not sure how that will work out, as always depends largely on cost.

Concerning PSU connectors: I'd need to know a manufacturer/model number to know more, but as a guess without specifics, I'd say the connectors won't be an issue. I say this because, in all likelihood, given the very high output of your unit (1050W is a lot), then it's possibly a high-end unit (Corsair, EVGA, Antec, PCP&C, Seasonic, etc), and anything that big would have almost assuredly have been designed for multiple GPUs, so having 4(+) of the PCIe "6+2" type connectors - or something similar/compatible - wouldn't be surprising.

Provided the other details are in order (you mentioned case size, for example), then I'd say you're looking at doing a very similar upgrade to what I am doing now. It's important (for the reader) to understand that, in both your circumstances and mine, the determining factor is that we both already have 1080Ti GPUs. Another big factor is (if I'm following you) neither of us suffer any objections to multi-GPU - this would be an obstacle for some people. If a person didn't already have a high-end GPU and/or didn't care for SLI, then it would call for an entirely different upgrade approach.

And, yes, I agree completely: The 2nd-gen CPU will certainly be over-matched if you were to upgrade the balance of your platform. As you pointed out, it's probably already over-matched since you changed to the 1080Ti. The 2700k was an incredible CPU in it's time; they (he and his Sandy Bridge brethren) are still known for being among the best overclockers Intel ever produced. But, time marches on...GPUs have come a long way since that time, and so, if you want a reasonably 'balanced' setup, you're in the same boat I was: a single 1080Ti already, cheapest 'bang-for buck' upgrade, provided you're not opposed to multi-GPU, is to try finding a good deal on a second 1080Ti in excellent condition. I wish I'd known here just a few months back you were considering this type upgrade, because I sold a beautiful FE 1080Ti at the time that might have made a good match for yours. C'est le guerre, I suppose biggrin.

Finding that second card can be tricky. I got very lucky, finding one that was still sealed and under warranty for a fair price. But one good thing about all the 30-series hype is a lot of previous-gen high-end cards are finding their way into the used market. Just have to be careful buying anything used. eBay has gotten progressively worse in the 20 years I've been there, I'm afraid.

And then, yes, it would be time for a 'platform' upgrade; i.e., CPU/motherboard/RAM. I was just amazed recently (though it makes sense, in retrospect) at the prices on the 9th-gen combos at MicroCenter...they've come down at least a couple hundred since just a year ago. Again, in retrospect, this is what happens: Newer stuff gets released, prior generation prices drop. But $340 for a 9700k and the motherboard is a very hard price/performance value to beat. I suppose, with the holidays, they could drop even more...but, as cheap as I am, I'm thinking it won't get much better before the retail places stop carrying them. I can't say you won't get a better deal, but I can say $340 is a really good value for what you get, if you're looking at new, retail parts for an impending upgrade. The 9900k combo, while it is a good deal more (~$440) has also come down quite a bit over the past year or so.

Not everyone has access to MicroCenter, though; they don't have a web store or ship at all...which I think is most unfortunate (and should be illegal lol). So, that might make the decision tougher. In your case, I think Philadelphia is the closest one, perhaps 5 hours+ from you, so not great...I suppose you could consider getting someone who's near one to go for you, then ship to you, but at that point you might be as well going to NewEgg or Amazon, maybe. (As of this writing, it looks like NewEgg is still charging 299 for the 9700k, while MicroCenter is only charging 199, plus a $20 discount for buying it with a motherboard...winds up ~$130 cheaper)

While I love seeing what the new 9700k will do, what I'm far more excited about is it's price smile There are faster CPUs out there - and you should definitely keep an eye on the upcoming AMD Zen 3 release...

...but if you're all about Intel, and (like me) cheap as h#ll, already had one high-end GPU on a prior-gen platform (especially if you already have M2 NVMe SSDs and DDR4 RAM), then there's a very interesting upgrade path here.




Last edited by kksnowbear; 10/21/20 12:52 PM.
#4542120 - 10/24/20 10:35 PM Re: OT: *ahem* Darn you Lou, look what you made me do... [Re: kksnowbear]  
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kksnowbear Offline
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Just a little update, been playing around with manual overclocking, both CPU and GPUs...got a decent 2x120 liquid cooler on the CPU so I can push it much harder now biggrin

[Linked Image]

Coming along quite nicely. Pretty sure that 3090 dude is gonna be pi$$ed biggrin biggrin biggrin Here are the top 5 with the same CPU I have:

[Linked Image]

Still got a lot to do yet, but so far so good.


Attached Files FireStrikeA.jpgFireStrike_3090s.jpg
Last edited by kksnowbear; 10/24/20 10:36 PM.
#4542167 - 10/25/20 01:27 PM Re: OT: *ahem* Darn you Lou, look what you made me do... [Re: kksnowbear]  
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RAF_Louvert Offline
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Holy Schnikee, look at those numbers! Beating the 3090 in every test category, and in graphics by a giant spread. thumbsup

.

#4542178 - 10/25/20 03:32 PM Re: OT: *ahem* Darn you Lou, look what you made me do... [Re: kksnowbear]  
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kksnowbear Offline
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Yessir Lou...and, kidding aside, your own genuinely remarkable success really did help to inspire the idea - so my gratitude to you smile

Truth is, I'm not done, it's really just the first few steps so far. And I don't know I'll be able to keep things as aggressive as they are now. I hope I can at least keep it where it is; 35000 was sort of the "concept goal".

Really hoping that "burn-in" doesn't show I need to back off some things. Stress tests are plenty stressful on me too biggrin biggrin biggrin Running expensive, new hardware wide open at full load in an intentionally hot room for 8-24 hours can make you sort of anxious wink

Last edited by kksnowbear; 10/25/20 03:34 PM.
#4542299 - 10/26/20 05:38 PM Re: OT: *ahem* Darn you Lou, look what you made me do... [Re: kksnowbear]  
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HumanDrone Offline
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Well, I hope it goes well, now you have me scouting for another 1080Ti!


Box: Win7 Pro 64 bit / I72600K @4.1 GHz / EVGA GTX1080Ti/ 16GB RAM / Corsair 240 GB SSD / WD 600 GB Velociraptor / 1050W Power
FS Stuff: Saitek X52 Pro Stick/Throttle & Combat Rudder Pedals, TrackIR 5
Sims: FSX Gold, REX 2.0 OD, UTX-NA, FSGenesis 10m mesh/ CFS3 ETO 1.40/Wings Over Flanders Fields BH&H2 (more gorgeous than ever!)
Proud BOC inductee 4/30/12!
#4542319 - 10/26/20 10:30 PM Re: OT: *ahem* Darn you Lou, look what you made me do... [Re: kksnowbear]  
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kksnowbear Offline
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Going great so far, thanks...

BTW, for anyone following: MicroCenter now has a bundle with a 9700k and an MSI Z390-A Pro for $319.98

Crazy.


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