Extreme Gaming System Build

[Campfirecrucifix]

Alright, so right now I am planning to build myself a new computer because my current case does not support 4 way sli.

 

I am really inspired in video linus made with the silent overkill build and I want to build one just like it.

 

 

Here are my concerns though:

 

1. I will be putting 4 GTX 980's inside this build so I will need a motherboard that will support 4 way sli.

 

2. Is there a CPU can handle x16 for all PCIe lanes so that I can get the maximum performance out of my 980's?

 

3. I will not be overclocking the 980's past the default voltage (or not at first and maybe later); should I leave the 980's stock cooler or install a waterblock on each GPU and make a custom loop?

Keep in mind, I want a quiet build that will handle 4 980's well.

 

 

With all that said, I would really like to hear suggestions on motherboards/cpu's to use in my build from you guys but, please keep in mind the requirements above.

 

 

Please keep the flaming down to a minimum, I'm here to try and learn form everyone's experience.

[ddbtkd456]

It's a waste of money. After a certain point it doesn't matter how many gpus you have since it will barely make a difference after the second gpu.

[virtualTune]

watercool? yes. 4 GPUs? HELL NO! 

[Decon]

4 980s really isn't worth it

[rambi36]

What is your usage model for this computer? 

[ttam]

These type of posts are like the forums version of the boy who cried wolf. People talk about these big builds, and show up with an i3 and gt 210 2 months later.

[Raido]

I dont think it makes sense to argue about the decision to go 4 way SLI here. I trust that someone who is willing to pay that much for his system is aiming at overkill and 4k gaming anyway. What i dont understand is your decision to not overclock those beasts. I have heard that the 9xx series has massive overclocking potential and if you spend this much, why not get everything out of your system?

 

edit: Okay to hell with it, i truly cant support your plan to go 4 way sli afterall To be honest, why not settle at 3 980´s ? It seems to be the sweet spot for many enthusiasts that build a system like this. 

[nj4ck]

These type of posts are like the forums version of the boy who cried wolf. People talk about these big builds, and show up with an i3 and gt 210 2 months later.

this.

[TheSven]

Two way SLI, yes to custom loop and X99 should support all dem lanes I think.

[Campfirecrucifix]

It's a waste of money. After a certain point it doesn't matter how many gpus you have since it will barely make a difference after the second gpu.

So you're telling me that I can power 4k surround with only 2 980's in sli?

 

watercool? yes. 4 GPUs? HELL NO! 

Why not 4? 

 

What is your usage model for this computer? 

4k surround gaming on high setting. Right now my two MSI GTX 780 Lightning's handle most old game is 4k surround pretty well on high settings but I want to handle the newer games as well and I can't possibly do that on 2 780's.

[Campfirecrucifix]

These type of posts are like the forums version of the boy who cried wolf. People talk about these big builds, and show up with an i3 and gt 210 2 months later.

Why do you say that? I asked nicely in my OP to please keep the flaming down, if you really don't want to contribute then please leave the thread and let people who have experience with builds help me.

[ddbtkd456]

So you're telling me that I can power 4k surround with only 2 980's in sli?

 

Yes and no. I am telling you that any more then 2 sli cards irregardless of what they may be (780 ti, 780, 980 you get the idea) is a waste of money. Your performance yield of these cards is next to nothing since they are going to be running x4 anyways. That is a 1/4 of the card you paid for, thus it's absolutely pointless. And yes with a dual 780 t.i's or even dual 290x cards you could run 4k. Playable at smooth frame rates I would opt for the dual 980's or dual 290x's if you want to save money.

[virtualTune]

Yes and no. I am telling you that any more then 2 sli cards irregardless of what they may be (780 ti, 780, 980 you get the idea) is a waste of money. Your performance yield of these cards is next to nothing since they are going to be running x4 anyways. That is a 1/4 of the card you paid for, thus it's absolutely pointless. And yes with a dual 780 t.i's or even dual 290x cards you could run 4k. Playable at smooth frame rates I would opt for the dual 980's or dual 290x's if you want to save money.

That's actually not entirely true. It really depends on the game. I have never looked very closely at 4k Quad-SLi until now, and it seems as though some games do leverage that 4th GPU very well in Ultra settings which result in up to 30% more performance. In other games, there is literally 0 performance gain. Mind you, newer games are always more demanding and as such your fps at very high/ultra will likely be <60fps. I suppose you could turn off AA at 4k, but you wouldn't gain a whole lot. Thus you might want to play these games at medium-high detail. At that point, in all benchmarks below, there is no difference between Tri-SLi and Quad-SLi. However your performance increase by stepping down a little on the Quality, is often >100%. 

So I would argue that Tri-SLi is the sweet spot for you.

 

http://uk.hardware.info/reviews/5623/9/nvidia-geforce-gtx-980-sli--3-way-sli--4-way-sli-review-benchmarks-watch-dogs