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HD 6970 Quadfire questions

2K views 49 replies 12 participants last post by  eskamobob1 
#1 ·
Hey guys, so this is my first AMD rig and currently im in the process of getting 4 HD 6970's. The plan was to put them in quadfire (i believe thats the right term?) and had a few questions.

-Would an Antec TPQ-1200 be enough for them along with a fx-8150/8170 (Waiting for second revision)?

-Could i watercool just the 4 of them with a 360 rad or what sort of rad set up would i need if i decided to WC them in the future?

-Is there anything i should be aware of while about the cards, drivers cross-firing, etc? since im new to amd products
smile.gif


Thanks for the help guys!
biggrin.gif


Sidenote: oh the cards themselfs will not be overclocked, just the CPU

Edit: This would be for my AMD 600t build
 
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#2 ·
From what everyone is saying regarding BD, it uses a heap of juice as well, and puts out a tonne of heat.

Ken on these forums will hopefully pop in here and answer you, he has 2x 6990 iirc. I would say your setup would use up even more power than that, and by memory he is using 2x 1200w psus or similar...

And unless you have BD already, i definitely wouldnt recommend it.

Heat with 4 cards side by side will be a problem. Let alone if you had a BD as well.
 
#3 ·
Yes, the TPQ-1200 will do it, however the HCP-1200 is a better buy.

For just the cards you would probably get away with a 360 rad BUT the general recommendation is 120mm per high power part, so a 480mm would be the recommended.

With four of those you're only going to see high GPU utilization in very high resolution or in very demanding games. Also, four on air will be very cramped and get very hot, if I were you I would go with water ASAP!

EDIT: In fact, definitely go for the HCP-1200 as it is supposed to be capable of sustaining over 1500w when required.
 
#4 ·
Most go with 3 6970s for games. Only benchmarks will show gains for 4 GPUs. A RX360 rad will cool them better than air alone, but if you could add another rad, it will cool better for sure. Not sure about the Antec PSU, but the Corsair AX-1200 will run your PC wit 4 GPUs.
 
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#5 ·
+reps
Quote:
Originally Posted by whippy;15539550
From what everyone is saying regarding BD, it uses a heap of juice as well, and puts out a tonne of heat.

Ken on these forums will hopefully pop in here and answer you, he has 2x 6990 iirc. I would say your setup would use up even more power than that, and by memory he is using 2x 1200w psus or similar...

And unless you have BD already, i definitely wouldnt recommend it.

Heat with 4 cards side by side will be a problem. Let alone if you had a BD as well.
yeahh, ive been reading some reviews, people dont seem to like it =\ i was thinking of waiting on the bulldozer and see if ther 8170 model (think thats what it was) fixes anything or wait for a second revision. But until then gonna keep using the x4 840
biggrin.gif


ahh, so i might need more psu, hmm maybe i could use the 1200 watt for the gpu and a 4-600 watt for cpu + otherstuff?
Quote:
Originally Posted by DirektEffekt;15539573
Yes, the TPQ-1200 will do it, however the HCP-1200 is a better buy.

For just the cards you would probably get away with a 360 rad BUT the general recommendation is 120mm per high power part, so a 480mm would be the recommended.

With four of those you're only going to see high GPU utilization in very high resolution or in very demanding games. Also, four on air will be very cramped and get very hot, if I were you I would go with water ASAP!

EDIT: In fact, definitely go for the HCP-1200 as it is supposed to be capable of sustaining over 1500w when required.
Currently i have the tpq-1200 and a HCP-1200 but the HCP is being used in my sig rig
biggrin.gif
Picked up the tpq a few weeks ago for $130 so seemed like a good buy.

Hmmm.. i think i could figure out a way to put two 240 rads into the case. but i know for sure i have room for a 360 at the moment
tongue.gif
so i prob could use a 360 but temps will be higher?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ezveedub;15539585
Most go with 3 6970s for games. Only benchmarks will show gains for 4 GPUs. A RX360 rad will cool them better than air alone, but if you could add another rad, it will cool better for sure. Not sure about the Antec PSU, but the Corsair AX-1200 will run your PC wit 4 GPUs.
I was thinking of maybe in the future going with a 3 monitor set up and using eyefinity. So using a 360 rad would prob be fine for just the gpus (since i know i can fit a 360 without moding) and prob not be a good idea to add the cpu to the loop (maybe use an corsair H cooler or air cooling for that)?
 
#6 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by DNytAftr
View Post

+reps
yeahh, ive been reading some reviews, people dont seem to like it =\\ i was thinking of waiting on the bulldozer and see if ther 8170 model (think thats what it was) fixes anything or wait for a second revision. But until then gonna keep using the x4 840


ahh, so i might need more psu, hmm maybe i could use the 1200 watt for the gpu and a 4-600 watt for cpu + otherstuff?

Currently i have the tpq-1200 and a HCP-1200 but the HCP is being used in my sig rig
Picked up the tpq a few weeks ago for $130 so seemed like a good buy.

Hmmm.. i think i could figure out a way to put two 240 rads into the case. but i know for sure i have room for a 360 at the moment
so i prob could use a 360 but temps will be higher?

I was thinking of maybe in the future going with a 3 monitor set up and using eyefinity. So using a 360 rad would prob be fine for just the gpus (since i know i can fit a 360 without moding) and prob not be a good idea to add the cpu to the loop (maybe use an corsair H cooler or air cooling for that)?

What resolution are you thinking of running? 120hz monitors? Just 3x6970 should be more efficient than my 6950/70(unlocked) + 6990, and i am maxing bf3 out at 5760x1080. And my cpu is the limiting factor atm, the cards still have more in them, almost at stock clocks.
 
#7 ·
The Antec tpq is plenty enough.

Consider SB, an i5 2500k is plenty enough and can oc high enough for a quad-fire. With SB, consider the Asus P8P67 WS revolution as it supports 4 way crossfire.

A thick 360mm or better yet, a 480mm rad would be ideal for your gpus. Add a 240mm rad for the cpu in the mix.

I previously ran 3 6950/70s and I had great temps using HeatKiller blocks and a loop with two RX480 rads.
 
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#8 ·
+reps

Quote:


Originally Posted by whippy
View Post

What resolution are you thinking of running? 120hz monitors? Just 3x6970 should be more efficient than my 6950/70(unlocked) + 6990, and i am maxing bf3 out at 5760x1080. And my cpu is the limiting factor atm, the cards still have more in them, almost at stock clocks.

currently im running 1920x1080 but going to be picking up 2 more monitors in the future. Currently i got 2 xfx 6970 being shipped by friday and have 2 more that i could have coming (for $200 each). For $200 would a 4th 6970 be worth the performance gain over three 6970's? or might i still be better off with 3 because of (im guessing) scaling

Quote:


Originally Posted by wermad
View Post

The Antec tpq is plenty enough.

Consider SB, an i5 2500k is plenty enough and can oc high enough for a quad-fire. With SB, consider the Asus P8P67 WS revolution as it supports 4 way crossfire.

A thick 360mm or better yet, a 480mm rad would be ideal for your gpus. Add a 240mm rad for the cpu in the mix.

I previously ran 3 6950/70s and I had great temps using HeatKiller blocks and a loop with two RX480 rads.

was trying to go with an all amd build since i already have 2 sandy bridge builds already (HTPC and my GF's build), but i managed to pick up a Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7 for $50 at microcenter (pricing error).

Hmm what would be a good 360 rad if i went that route and a good 480 rad?
 
#9 ·
I would just get the third card if you are definitely going eyefinity, see how it performs, then get the 4th only if you still think you need it.

Nice pick up. Maybe just sell the board lol. I might look at BD down the track with a revision and/or stepping and if/when the 95w versions come out. But for the moment my 955 is pulling its weight.
 
#10 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by DNytAftr
View Post

+reps

currently im running 1920x1080 but going to be picking up 2 more monitors in the future. Currently i got 2 xfx 6970 being shipped by friday and have 2 more that i could have coming (for $200 each). For $200 would a 4th 6970 be worth the performance gain over three 6970's? or might i still be better off with 3 because of (im guessing) scaling

was trying to go with an all amd build since i already have 2 sandy bridge builds already (HTPC and my GF's build), but i managed to pick up a Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7 for $50 at microcenter (pricing error).

Hmm what would be a good 360 rad if i went that route and a good 480 rad?

If the setup is just for gaming, a 1200w is capable for the whole system. Each 6970 will approx draw 200w x 4 = 800w at stock clocks (no OC).

But why not 2 x 6990s with 2 waterblocks instead of 4.

The board has 4 PCIe x8/x8/x8/x8 with Quadfire setup should have no bandwidth issue.

If I were to do over the water cooling, this is the one. Less fittings, joints, adapters, etc. Less cost, big cooling capacity, put it outside PC case with more fresh air.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/12...67&id=wyt54bCo



Edit:

Crossfire/Quadfire driver/scaling issue is a myth now.

...
 
#11 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by whippy
View Post

I would just get the third card if you are definitely going eyefinity, see how it performs, then get the 4th only if you still think you need it.

Nice pick up. Maybe just sell the board lol. I might look at BD down the track with a revision and/or stepping and if/when the 95w versions come out. But for the moment my 955 is pulling its weight.

okay ill def going at least 3 cards, ill have 4 of them shipped prob and see the performance gains from 3 to 4 cards. if the performance of 4 is not that good or if 3 perform well ill prob just return the 4th card

Quote:


Originally Posted by Ken1649
View Post

If the setup is just for gaming, a 1200w is capable for the whole system. Each 6970 will approx draw 200w x 4 = 800w at stock clocks (no OC).

But why not 2 x 6990s with 2 waterblocks instead of 4.

The board has 4 PCIe x8/x8/x8/x8 with Quadfire setup should have no bandwidth issue.

If I were to do over the water cooling, this is the one. Less fittings, joints, adapters, etc. Less cost, big cooling capacity, put it outside PC case with more fresh air.
Edit:

Crossfire/Quadfire driver/scaling issue is a myth now.

Ah okay so each is about 200 watts, thats not so bad thats less then my 470's

hmm would the 6990s have been a better choice (dont know ati cards that well)? I would be getting the 6970's for $800 for all four the cheapest 6990 i could find was $700 >_<

hmm i wanted to have the rad on the inside the 600t, would a 200mm and a 240mm rad be good enough or would i prob still need an outside solution?

But its good to hear that drivers shouldnt be an issue

+reps
 
#13 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by Ken1649
View Post

I don't think you could stuff 4 x 6970s in 600T though. You will need a PC Case with at least 9 PCIe slots.

http://www.overclock.net/intel-build...d-600t-se.html

*snip*

....

hmm i think it should fit (i could be wrong @_@), Although i would have to move the HDD's to the 5.25 bays and remove the nzxt lighting pci bracket
But here some pics i took of what i have so far, sorry if their a bit blurry my GF has not charged her camera since her birthday last week

Thanks for the insight reps again


 
#14 ·
Stick to 3 card. Think of its as 1 card per 1080p meaning you should get very good fps. It will be better with drivers, easy to cool and less heat.
 
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#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by DNytAftr;15545818
hmm i think it should fit (i could be wrong @_@), Although i would have to move the HDD's to the 5.25 bays and remove the nzxt lighting pci bracket
frown.gif
But here some pics i took of what i have so far, sorry if their a bit blurry my GF has not charged her camera since her birthday last week

WP_000232.jpg
If the cards are watercooled, they should fit with very tight clearence. Removing the heatsink & fan make the cards to 1 slotter instead of 2.
 
#16 ·
Idk if this has been mentioned, cause I didn't have time to read the whole thread, but I like to have 120.1 worth of rad per block... That would be 120.4 for your 4 cards and 120.1 for your CPU... I then ad 1 extra jut to be safe... A triple 120 and a dual should cool it fine, but I would go with dual 360s if I were u... Those cards can put of some heat if OCed, idk about on stock
 
#17 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by DNytAftr;15539438
Hey guys, so this is my first AMD rig and currently im in the process of getting 4 HD 6970's. The plan was to put them in quadfire (i believe thats the right term?) and had a few questions.

-Would an Antec TPQ-1200 be enough for them along with a fx-8150/8170 (which would be overclocked)?

-Could i watercool just the 4 of them with a 360 rad or what sort of rad set up would i need if i decided to WC them in the future?

-Is there anything i should be aware of while about the cards, drivers cross-firing, etc? since im new to amd products
smile.gif


Thanks for the help guys!
biggrin.gif


Sidenote: oh the cards themselfs will not be overclocked, just the CPU

Edit: This would be for my AMD 600t build
The TPQ runs my rig good. My rig should cover your hardware questions. Read the how to install drivers thread and you should be fine, and BF3 runs like crud atm fyi.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken1649;15545352
I don't think you could stuff 4 x 6970s in 600T though. You will need a PC Case with at least 9 PCIe slots.
Really? Counts my 700D = 7. Omg!

**Btw OP, you can't run quad on the big bang unless you had a 6990, and even then with the slot placement, it's doubtful. The slot placement on the big bang makes it impossible imo, at least to do it right. Oh nvm you're using another board, not dig doh. Anyways, regarding boards you want one that has the top slot as a full pice.
 
#18 ·
Reps
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZealotKi11er;15545865
Stick to 3 card. Think of its as 1 card per 1080p meaning you should get very good fps. It will be better with drivers, easy to cool and less heat.
Thanks! ill prob put in the order for all 4, try it out. And if it doesnt make a huge difference my friend said he would buy it if i was not interested since hes on a pretty tight budget
tongue.gif

Quote:
Originally Posted by eskamobob1;15546289
Idk if this has been mentioned, cause I didn't have time to read the whole thread, but I like to have 120.1 worth of rad per block... That would be 120.4 for your 4 cards and 120.1 for your CPU... I then ad 1 extra jut to be safe... A triple 120 and a dual should cool it fine, but I would go with dual 360s if I were u... Those cards can put of some heat if OCed, idk about on stock
hmm im going to see if i can fit at least a 360 or a 240+ 120 rad in the rig for the gpus at least but i think i have a way to fit two 240's (side panel) in the case but not 100% sure
Quote:
Originally Posted by tsm106;15546497
The TPQ runs my rig good. My rig should cover your hardware questions. Read the how to install drivers thread and you should be fine, and BF3 runs like crud atm fyi.
*snip*
**Btw OP, you can't run quad on the big bang unless you had a 6990, and even then with the slot placement, it's doubtful. The slot placement on the big bang makes it impossible imo, at least to do it right. Oh nvm you're using another board, not dig doh. Anyways, regarding boards you want one that has the top slot as a full pice.
biggrin.gif
okay so sounds like the psu can definitively power the gpus. But yeah im using a gigabyte am3+ ud7 board, i think that someone said if i was to run quadfire that it would be running at 8x8x8x8x speed across the pci-e which if i remember reduces performance 2-10% depending (vs 16x)

Just a general question for anyone:
just trying to understand >_< , but if i was to do an eyefinity set up would think 4 cards would be better since it would have 1 card per-a-monitor plus the 4th gpu which would add some "horsepower" to the other cards? vs if i had only 3 cards?
 
#20 ·
Unfortunately the way eyefinity works doesn't assign one card per monitor (which arguably would be better in some situations) but rather all your monitors plug into the first card and all the graphics processing goes through there where crossfire is concerned.

This means that you have the regular crossfire scaling so you will still have very good performance but the scaling won't be perfect. And the 4th card may add perhaps 40% of a single card's worth of fps in those situations.
 
#21 ·
If you really are set for 4 x HD 6970 then better get 1 x HD 6990, 2 x 6970.
 
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#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by DirektEffekt;15548291
Unfortunately the way eyefinity works doesn't assign one card per monitor (which arguably would be better in some situations) but rather all your monitors plug into the first card and all the graphics processing goes through there where crossfire is concerned.

This means that you have the regular crossfire scaling so you will still have very good performance but the scaling won't be perfect. And the 4th card may add perhaps 40% of a single card's worth of fps in those situations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken1649;15548242
Only high resolution such as Eyefinity will benefit with Quad setup to fully utilize the horse power. So 4 is definitely better than 3.
Ohhh okay, so if i understand this right, for eyefinity since its a higher rez 4 gpus would be better but on a single monitor 3 gpus would be more ideal because of scaling and it wouldn't really benefit from the extra power with a single monitor

I was planning on going multi monitor in the future (thinking around February- april) so just trying to plan for the long term >_<
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZealotKi11er;15548309
If you really are set for 4 x HD 6970 then better get 1 x HD 6990, 2 x 6970.
ah the 6990 would use less power and have less heat then two 6970's? (since two 6970s cost $400 and one 6990 is about $600) would the extra $200 to get a 6990 be beneficial overall? if it is i might go that route if it would help with overall performance
 
#23 ·
I am not looking at cost/performance but sheer horse power. In any situations, 4 GPUs is the ultimate, but would it be useful for daily gaming other than benchmarking? With a regular 1920x1200 monitor, no added benefit in game play going from 3 to 4 GPU. But if a single monitor 2560x1600 or a 120 Hz will benefit from the extra horse power. A single AMD card such as 6970 is capable of Eyefinity 4 monitors of 2560x1600 each. The higher resolution the more GPU power is needed to render a smooth and playable frame rates with decent amount of Quality settings if not all maxed.
 
#24 ·
The 6990 should use a bit less heat and power than 2x6970s, but it doesnt quite scale as well. Not much in it though.

Seriously, if youre on 1080 1 monitor, then 2 cards is more than enough. If you go 3 screens, 3 cards should still be enough. I dont think you need 4 cards, but hey if its just cause you can...do it
 
#25 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by DNytAftr;15548119
Reps

Thanks! ill prob put in the order for all 4, try it out. And if it doesnt make a huge difference my friend said he would buy it if i was not interested since hes on a pretty tight budget
tongue.gif


hmm im going to see if i can fit at least a 360 or a 240+ 120 rad in the rig for the gpus at least but i think i have a way to fit two 240's (side panel) in the case but not 100% sure

biggrin.gif
okay so sounds like the psu can definitively power the gpus. But yeah im using a gigabyte am3+ ud7 board, i think that someone said if i was to run quadfire that it would be running at 8x8x8x8x speed across the pci-e which if i remember reduces performance 2-10% depending (vs 16x)

Just a general question for anyone:
just trying to understand >_< , but if i was to do an eyefinity set up would think 4 cards would be better since it would have 1 card per-a-monitor plus the 4th gpu which would add some "horsepower" to the other cards? vs if i had only 3 cards?
There is little difference doing x8/x8/x8/x8 versus x16... not that x16/x16/x16/x16 is even possible. How many boards chipset have 64 lanes that you know of?

Anyways, when you are pushing 3 monitors, you ideally want 3 cards or more. 4 cards will get you comfortable frame rates on the killer, make me pc cry games like Metro and Crysis X.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DNytAftr;15548459
Ohhh okay, so if i understand this right, for eyefinity since its a higher rez 4 gpus would be better but on a single monitor 3 gpus would be more ideal because of scaling and it wouldn't really benefit from the extra power with a single monitor

I was planning on going multi monitor in the future (thinking around February- april) so just trying to plan for the long term >_<

ah the 6990 would use less power and have less heat then two 6970's? (since two 6970s cost $400 and one 6990 is about $600) would the extra $200 to get a 6990 be beneficial overall? if it is i might go that route if it would help with overall performance
6990x2 suck up a lot of juice. Sometimes I think they suck up more than anything. If you search you'll find the post your wattage thread. 6990 quads in high clock settings are pushing past 1300 watts off the freaking wall! My 6950 quads are around a 1000w and 6970s are not far off.

Don't believe anyone that tells ya 6990s use less juice. Just find that thread. It'll make your eyes pop out.
eek.gif
 
#26 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by tsm106;15549461
6990x2 suck up a lot of juice. Sometimes I think they suck up more than anything. If you search you'll find the post your wattage thread. 6990 quads in high clock settings are pushing past 1300 watts off the freaking wall! My 6950 quads are around a 1000w and 6970s are not far off.

Don't believe anyone that tells ya 6990s use less juice. Just find that thread. It'll make your eyes pop out.
eek.gif
That thread was started by Phaedrus2129 and listed the wattage draw from the wall with my signature rig on IBT and Furmark. I think I recorded 1496watts peak draw.
 
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