[LordInfamous666]

Hey guys,

Simply, is my i7 920 @ 4.2ghz bottlenecking my 2x GTX 590's in quad-fire?

Specs:

Antec Nine Hundred Two
EVGA X58 SLi
i7 920 @ 4.2ghz 1.325v (under water)
6GB OCZ DDR3 Triple Channel
2x EVGA GTX 590 HydroCopper (under water)
Crosiar AX1200
Kingston 128GB SSD (primary)
WD Caviar 500GB 7200rpm (Secondary)
Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music
2x Swiftech 360 rads
1x MCP 655 Pump
1/2" ID 3/8" OD tubing
Samsung BX2431 LED LCD
Logitech Z-5500

 

[eosgreen]

i think the real questions why do you have 2 of those and NOT a 2600k but i bet it is

amazing setup are you waiting for next gen to upg?

 

[TheReciever]

Easiest way to find out is to pull task manager and msi afterburner, if your CPU is 99% and your gpu's aren't being fully stressed with vsync off then its very likely its caused by CPU bottleneck

sent from my EVO 3D

 

[ryanbob1234]

You could really do with a 6core i7 to help with the bottle neck, 970 upwards

 

[CTRLurself]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheReciever Easiest way to find out is to pull task manager and msi afterburner, if your CPU is 99% and your gpu's aren't being fully stressed with vsync off then its very likely its caused by CPU bottleneck

This. Only you can say for sure if you have a bottleneck.

Check your GPU usage under load. If GPUs will max out under load without the CPU being at 100% then you're just fine. If your CPU maxes out before your GPUs do, then you're CPU is bottlenecking you.

 

[LordInfamous666]

OK, I will pull up task manager and check it out when I go home. I know in Battlefield 3 beta in MSI afterburner I was seeing mid 80's GPU usage, I have a small cpu usage monitor on my side bar and i remember seeing it at what looked like 90% usage on the highest core, but i will check in task manager when I get home and test it in various games.

And yes, I am waiting till socket 2011 before I think about upgrading my CPU.

That I think 1366 is better than 1156 for quad sli setups due to the CPU riding on the PCIE lane on 1156

 

[TheReciever]

I would try a different game, bf3 is still in beta so isn't really trust worthy for what you want to figure out.

Maybe some more like bc2, arkham asylum, metro 2033, crysis 1 or 2. Anything with a final release that we know will stress your system.

Even if there is a bottleneck if you sell your current CPU it wouldn't cost too much more for a 970, they pop in at the marketplace here and there

Just remember to leave vsync off, or your wasteing your time lol
sent from my EVO 3D

 

[xFyre]

Sorry for the off topic, but a 60Hz 1080p monitor with that setup? Massive waste of firepower if you ask me. You should get yourself a nice 2560x1600 or 120Hz monitor!

 

[Semedar]

Yes you're being bottlenecked! Now give me one of your 590s!

Hahah, jk. But as TheReciever said, that's the only way to find out. I wouldn't think you'd be bottlenecking but you never know.

PS: You should definitely get a 120Hz monitor. Everything would look soo much smoother.

 

[Evo X]

You are definitely being bottlenecked!

Also, that setup is WAY overkill for a 24in/60hz monitor. Get a high res or 120hz monitor ASAP.

 

[ilikepancakez]

either get 4 monitors or 2 120hz monitors NAOJSFASKF

 

[Scorpion49]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordInfamous666;15214827
Hey guys,

Simply, is my i7 920 @ 4.2ghz bottlenecking my 2x GTX 590's in quad-fire?

The [H] found that an i7 [email protected] was severely bottlenecking tri-sli 580's, so I guess you're even worse off. They gained about 20-25% performance by switching to an OC'd 2600k.

Also, its Quad-SLI. Quad-fire is for AMD cards

 

[LordInfamous666]

i know people say its overkill, but i HATE dipping below 60fps, and yes even with 2x 590 overclock in quadsli, ive had dips in crysis 2 and 1 ... its a lot of firepower for my res, but it will keep me at 60+ fps in future games for longer...

i just ordered a i7 990x off newegg.. ill let u guys know the difference when i get it

 

[templar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordInfamous666;15218931
i know people say its overkill, but i HATE dipping below 60fps, and yes even with 2x 590 overclock in quadsli, ive had dips in crysis 2 and 1 ... its a lot of firepower for my res, but it will keep me at 60+ fps in future games for longer...

i just ordered a i7 990x off newegg.. ill let u guys know the difference when i get it

i find it hard to believe that even on ur setup (and a newer cpu than ur 920)u would dip below 60fps, even on 2560x1600 or higher.. your rig is a beast, unleash it!!

 

[TheReciever]

Did you perform the test first? Or did you just want an excuse to upgrade lol

sent from my EVO 3D

 

[LordInfamous666]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheReciever Did you perform the test first? Or did you just want an excuse to upgrade lol sent from my EVO 3D

I wanted an excuse.

Noo.. I ran BF3 (i know its beta) and bfbc2 and crysis 2.. bf3 and bfbc2 were like 90% cpu and crysis was maxed cpu.. so theres one bottleneck right there.

crysis 1 also was a cpu bottleneck.. once I get my 990x next week i'll probably be selling my i7 920 if anyone is interested. it is 4.2 ghz worthy

 

[Acefire]

Why gimp on the CPU like that. I LMAO

 

[covert ash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scorpion49 The [H] found that an i7 [email protected] was severely bottlenecking tri-sli 580's, so I guess you're even worse off. They gained about 20-25% performance by switching to an OC'd 2600k. Also, its Quad-SLI. Quad-fire is for AMD cards

This!

I've gone back and forth with this myself as I am in somewhat of a similar situation as you. In my findings, what the current Sandy Bridge platform lacks in bandwidth, it more than makes up for in overall raw CPU power - especially the higher the overclock. This is the article that Scorpion is referring to:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/...trifire_redux/

It's quite enlightening and really highlights how insignificant bandwidth becomes in the grand scheme of things. The reality of it is that Fermi's (whether if by design or by overhead from the drivers) really require heaps of CPU power in order to really unleash their sheer power.

Even if you could overclock the hex-core 990X to around 4.5GHz, clock for clock SB is faster and many can overclock farther garnering even more performance. In my opinion, if you can cancel your order, I think your money would be better spent on overhauling and moving on to the SB platform. You may even end up saving some money in the end.

 

[Arni90]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordInfamous666 i know people say its overkill, but i HATE dipping below 60fps, and yes even with 2x 590 overclock in quadsli, ive had dips in crysis 2 and 1 ... its a lot of firepower for my res, but it will keep me at 60+ fps in future games for longer... i just ordered a i7 990x off newegg.. ill let u guys know the difference when i get it

Dear God, you have too much money for your own good. Gimme please

If you drop below 60fps in Crysis it's definitely a CPU bottleneck. My 6950s in CFX doesn't drop below 75fps in the Crysis benchmark, so you quad-SLI setup shouldn't either.

If you want to spend more money after this, you should consider dual MARS II

 

[Mhill2029]

I would say yes, given your GPU horsepower. You need a SB with a decent overclock on it to really make those GPU's stretch their legs. 1080p is a bit weak for Quad SLI though, so there probably not likely to stress enough until around 2560x1600 resolutions with all eyecandy turned up to the hilt. But 30" screens are far from cheap but much better than some cheap monitor Nvidia Surround setup. It's upto you in terms of display resolutions though.