Project White Dwarf: Three-way 970s

[Gatekeeper01]

Update: Due to changing circumstance this project is on hold. (Most likely indefinitely) Oh well.
 
This is a build I have planed for sometime this October-December. This will be my second build ever so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
A few notes:
I do a far bit of editing, VFX and some Blender work and light gaming.
Yes I do need 16gb of RAM (our current machine hits 14 easy when editing.
Yes, your right, If I wanted to game a 3-way SLI 970 would have scaling problems, but that doesn't happen with blender so were good there.
Some of the SP fans are going to be AF fans but I couldn't find them in the PC-parts-packer list.
Custom Liquid cooling for under $150? (The esthetics don't matter because I'm going with the window-less version of the Enthoo Pro.)
 
Edit: The "White" in the White dwarf will come form the Corsair fans I plan on installing.
 
And so without further ado, the parts list.
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($384.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($93.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99-UD5 WIFI EATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($295.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($199.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($69.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (3-Way SLI)  ($348.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (3-Way SLI)  ($348.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (3-Way SLI)  ($348.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case  ($89.99)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($146.81 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus MX279H 27.0" Monitor  ($250.00)
Case Fan: Corsair CO-9050017-WLED 66.4 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair CO-9050017-WLED 66.4 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair CO-9050017-WLED 66.4 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair CO-9050017-WLED 66.4 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair SP140 49.5 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Corsair SP140 49.5 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2663.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-01 11:09 EDT-0400
 
Update: 10/5/14
Asus Replayed to my 3-way SLI questions.

• Thank you for contacting ASUS Customer Service.
  My name is ****** and it is my pleasure to help you with your problem.
  
  In my opinion, if you install three or more chassis fans in your computer, it would be able to help to cooler the whole system with three video cards in SLI.

So Looks like were good for 3-way 970s

[Polyvalent]

My recommendation is to get reference coolers on those 970s for 3way SLI or else theyre all going to just drown in each others heat, sucking hot air from the one right below it.

[Thebman712]

get dual 980's and shrink your pus a but ton.

 

get a wd caviar blue instead of that hitachi

[AlwaysFSX]

$150 will get you a gpu block and a half..

 

Also, where's the white?

[ohJey]

PSU is probably overkill, probably wont pull more than 700-800 watts a corsair 1000w would probably be fine

[X1XNobleX1X]

$150 will get you a gpu block and a half..

 

Also, where's the white?

Maybe the Corsair fans?

[digitalnav]

WAY overkill PSU. I would recommend 2-way GTX 980 instead.

[Unlikelyjoker]

If im right 3-way sli doesnt stack well

EDIT: would say get 2-way 980

[Gatekeeper01]

$150 will get you a gpu block and a half..

 

Also, where's the white?

I wasn't thinking of doing the GPUs just yet. Only the CPU.

 

 

Maybe the Corsair fans?

 

Yes the Corsair fans will have a white glow (small light) AKA Dwarf white light, so I came up with White dwarf.

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Series-AF120-Edition-Airflow/dp/B00F6S13DE#

 

WAY overkill PSU. I would recommend 2-way GTX 980 instead.

 

PSU is probably overkill, probably wont pull more than 700-800 watts a corsair 1000w would probably be fine

 

I did a PSU calculation using the link below and it was recommending 953w for the OC 5820K and three 770s (They didn't list 970s) and the 1000w EVGA with a 10 year warranty was only a few dollars cheaper (At time of writing) 

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

 

If im right 3-way sli doesnt stack well

EDIT: would say get 2-way 980

Scaling is not a problem with Blender. It uses each GPU as a "core" and gets very good cross performance. For games it's not optimal though, your right. 

Two 980s would actually cost more than three 970s as well. (Only something like $50 more though, so not to bad.)

 

My recommendation is to get reference coolers on those 970s for 3way SLI or else they're all going to just drown in each others heat, sucking hot air from the one right below it.

Humm, that's not a bad idea. I hadn't though of that. I'll look into that, thanks! Would it still OC as well?

 

Thebman712, on 28 Sept 2014 - 7:39 PM, said:

get a wd caviar blue instead of that hitachi

That looks like that one only comes in a 1TB format, it has a bigger cash, but I'm not really worried about speed on the HDD. Have I messed anything important?

 

I also want to say that was some fast feedback, Thanks Guys!

[Gatekeeper01]

:Duplicate:

[Thebman712]

I wasn't thinking of doing the GPUs just yet. Only the CPU.

 

 

 

Yes the Corsair fans will have a white glow (small light) AKA Dwarf white light, so I came up with White dwarf.

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Series-AF120-Edition-Airflow/dp/B00F6S13DE#the wd blue has a 2tb size alsoand i would suggest a segate baracuda then, somthing more reliable than that drive you have in

 

 

 

I did a PSU calculation using the link below and it was recommending 953w for the OC 5820K and three 770s (They didn't list 970s) and the 1000w EVGA with a 10 year warranty was only a few dollars cheaper (At time of writing) 

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

 

Scaling is not a problem with Blender. It uses each GPU as a "core" and gets very good cross performance. For games it's not optimal though, your right. 

Two 980s would actually cost more than three 970s as well. (Only something like $50 more though, so not to bad.)

 

Humm, that's not a bad idea. I hadn't though of that. I'll look into that, thanks! Would it still OC as well?

 

Thebman712, on 28 Sept 2014 - 7:39 PM, said:

That looks like that one only comes in a 1TB format, it has a bigger cash, but I'm not really worried about speed on the HDD. Have I messed anything important?

 

I also want to say that was some fast feedback, Thanks Guys!

[Gatekeeper01]

Err...Why did you re-quote the same thing I said? Did I miss your reply?

[Gatekeeper01]

I'm trying to build "positive pressure"  air flow inside the case. Is it as simple as three on the top, two in the front and one on the bottom all pulling air in and on in the back pushing it all out?

 

Diagram:

 

       \/   \/    \/     \/

     _____________

     |  === === ===    |            =  or === is a fan.

 <  | =   ++++++      =| <        > or < is the flow of air.

     |     +++++++     =| <      

     |_______===___|

                      /\

 

 

Thanks!

[brob]

...

 

I did a PSU calculation using the link below and it was recommending 953w for the OC 5820K and three 770s (They didn't list 970s) and the 1000w EVGA with a 10 year warranty was only a few dollars cheaper (At time of writing) 

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

...

 

pcpartpicker gives decent estimates.

 

GTX 770 draw up to 85W more than GTX 970, at stock. So the estimate for 3xGTX 770 is 255W more than needed for 3xGTX 970. A psu around 1000W should be quite sufficient.

 

The suggestion to go with 2xGTX 980 has many advantages. Not the least being a lower total power requirement - GTX 980 TDP is 165W - an 850W psu would be sufficient. Another advantage, given the 28 PCIe-lane i7-5820K is that two GTX 980 would run x16x8 while three GTX 970 would run x8x8x4.

 

A 4x4GB memory kit would allow for quad channel memory operation which will improve performance given the usage described.

[Gatekeeper01]

pcpartpicker gives decent estimates.

 

GTX 770 draw up to 85W more than GTX 970, at stock. So the estimate for 3xGTX 770 is 255W more than needed for 3xGTX 970. A psu around 1000W should be quite sufficient.

Ah, Alright, you've convinced me. I'll swap it out for a 1000w guy. Thanks to all who recomended this.

 

 

The suggestion to go with 2xGTX 980 has many advantages. Not the least being a lower total power requirement - GTX 980 TDP is 165W - an 850W psu would be sufficient. Another advantage, given the 28 PCIe-lane i7-5820K is that two GTX 980 would run x16x8 while three GTX 970 would run x8x8x4.

 

 

Really? Is that because other parts are using the PCIe-lanes? Because 8+8+8=24 so I though I would have 4 lanes extra even after installing three cards. The three 970 should outperform two 980s for the same price, but if the last card only runs at 4x I might have to change things up... (Although blender rendering isn't greatly affected by the speed of the PCIe buss, other applications might suffer.)

 

 

A 4x4GB memory kit would allow for quad channel memory operation which will improve performance given the usage described.

Ah, your right! I had forgotten that I could run 4x4GB sticks and still have room to add another set if I ever needed more. Gotta love X99.

 

(Updated parts list.)

 

Still not sure about Reference vs after market cooling on them GPUs. Some people say as long as you have great airflow it doesn't matter, others disagree completely. Oh statistics, how I wish you were here.   I'm also not sure I want to lose the benefits of Asus's custom PCB. This may be another reason to go SLI 980s....

[brob]

...

Really? Is that because other parts are using the PCIe-lanes? Because 8+8+8=24 so I though I would have 4 lanes extra even after installing three cards. The three 970 should outperform two 980s for the same price, but if the last card only runs at 4x I might have to change things up... (Although blender rendering isn't greatly affected by the speed of the PCIe buss, other applications might suffer.)

 

...

 

Still not sure about Reference vs after market cooling on them GPUs. Some people say as long as you have great airflow it doesn't matter, others disagree completely. Oh statistics, how I wish you were here.   I'm also not sure I want to lose the benefits of Asus's custom PCB. This may be another reason to go SLI 980s....

 

You are correct, with gpu in PCIE_1, PCIE_4, and PCIE_2 they will run at x8x8x8.

 

Three gpu will be right next to each other. In a tower style case with non-reference gpu coolers warm air from the bottom card will tend to blow over the one above, etc. With a reference cooler warm air is blown out the back. Regardless of the cooler style, the system will be warm with 3 gpu.

[Gatekeeper01]

You are correct, with gpu in PCIE_1, PCIE_4, and PCIE_2 they will run at x8x8x8.

Wow, Thanks man. I hadn't seen this constraint until just now.

 

Three gpu will be right next to each other. In a tower style case with non-reference gpu coolers warm air from the bottom card will tend to blow over the one above, etc. With a reference cooler warm air is blown out the back. Regardless of the cooler style, the system will be warm with 3 gpu.

Yea, I've sent a question into Asus asking for there recommendations on running 3-way SLI using there after-market coolers. I'm just hoping that they card do get so hot as to necessitate losing the Asus PCB in favour of a reference card cooler. I'll post there response here as it may be helpful for others. B) 

[RJSX1]

Im making the exact same build in december... Twins much?

[BaSkA]

My recommendation is to get reference coolers on those 970s for 3way SLI or else theyre all going to just drown in each others heat, sucking hot air from the one right below it.

 

This^.

 

Scaling is not a problem with Blender. It uses each GPU as a "core" and gets very good cross performance. For games it's not optimal though, your right. 

Two 980s would actually cost more than three 970s as well. (Only something like $50 more though, so not to bad.)

 

Humm, that's not a bad idea. I hadn't though of that. I'll look into that, thanks! Would it still OC as well?

 

It would still be able to OC reference cards but definitely less than one with a custom cooler.

 

If you care that much about OC, why not get a 2-way SLI 980s non-reference now and, in the future, if you ever feel the need to upgrade (I can't really say you even will with Blender and light gaming up to 1440p) your video cards, then you get a third 980 and put all of them on water.

 

I'm pretty sure it would be a better idea than having 3x970s and because when ou need to upgrade your stuff, adding a fourth 970 is not really smart or even impossible because of the motherboard.

 

3x970s might perform better than 2x980s but I would think about tomorrow more than about today!

 

Best of luck.

[Gatekeeper01]

Im making the exact same build in december... Twins much?

To fun. Are you looking at water cooling anything?

 

 

If you care that much about OC, why not get a 2-way SLI 980s non-reference now and, in the future, if you ever feel the need to upgrade (I can't really say you even will with Blender and light gaming up to 1440p) your video cards, then you get a third 980 and put all of them on water.

 

I'm pretty sure it would be a better idea than having 3x970s and because when ou need to upgrade your stuff, adding a fourth 970 is not really smart or even impossible because of the motherboard.

 

3x970s might perform better than 2x980s but I would think about tomorrow more than about today!

 

Best of luck.

Well, Less preference for the same price is hard to swallow. By the time I'll want to do an upgraded (and that should be a while.) these cards will be "old" and I probably won't want to just throw in another one.  With all the positive pressure in the case, I'm hoping the airflow will throw most of the heat out the back. That's the theory anyway. Still no word from Asus.

[RJSX1]

To fun. Are you looking at water cooling anything?

 

I might end up water cooling the CPU, possibly the GPUs

[Gatekeeper01]

I might end up water cooling the CPU, possibly the GPUs

Is the rig in your profile pic yours?

[RJSX1]

Is the rig in your profile pic yours?

No, just some random picture lol. I'm making the computer this December.

[Gatekeeper01]

Ok, so Asus Didn't get back to me in there customary 48hs. Now with the weekend and all, It might be a while before I receive a reply. Granted, I did ask them to solve one of the computers world most debated mysteries; the heat from 3-way SLI. Maybe there doing bench testing, or maybe there going to ignore me for being silly and not water cooling them all. In any event, I'll give them some more time.

 

Options at this point are:

1. Go with 3-way Asus SLI and hope they don't all fry. (current) :unsure:

2. Go with 3-way Reference and hope they don't all fry. <_<

3. wait for Asus to make a PCB for there 980s and do 2-way SLI.

4. wait for EK or someone to make a water block for the Asus 970 PCB and go with 3-way water cooling. (How much would that cost? $500?) :huh:

5. wait for December (when I was going to build the rig.) and Take another assessment of the GPU world.  <-- The ninja waits in the shadows for his chance to strike.

[Gatekeeper01]

Hey! Asus just replied!

 

• Thank you for contacting ASUS Customer Service.
  My name is ****** and it is my pleasure to help you with your problem.
  
  In my opinion, if you install three or more chassis fans in your computer, it would be able to help to cooler the whole system with three video cards in SLI.

So Looks like were good for 3-way 970s