Hey everyone! I'm putting together a dual GPU setup for both gaming and machine learning research. Here's my current hardware situation: I have a 750W 80+ Gold PSU (and I really want to avoid buying a new one) and an Intel i5 CPU on an LGA1700 socket. I'm planning to upgrade to a Ryzen 7 7800X3D on AM5 since it's the best option in my region under $400. For GPUs, I'm looking at either an RTX 5080 or an RTX 5070 Ti (both are PCIe 5.0 x16) as my first GPU. For the second, I'm considering an RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB (PCIe 5.0 x8) or an RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB (PCIe 4.0 x16).
I have a few questions:
1. What motherboard should I get that has the right configurations?
- Ideally, I want two slots: either PCIe 5.0 x16 and PCIe 5.0 x8, or two slots of PCIe 5.0 x16 and PCIe 4.0 x16.
2. Is my 750W PSU going to be enough for this setup, even with undervolting?
3. Is the RTX 5080 really worth the extra cost compared to the RTX 5070 Ti, given that it's about 50% more expensive here?
P.S. I can't switch to AMD or Intel GPUs because some of my essential work apps only run on Nvidia CUDA.
2 Answers
It sounds like you might not find exactly what you're looking for. Most boards will offer two PCIe slots, but typically only one would run at PCIe 5.0 x16 unless you’re running a single GPU. You might find some with two x8 slots, but those usually don’t really allow for full performance with both GPUs active. You could look at boards like the ASRock X870E Taichi for good options.
Don't just think about wattage with your PSU; you'll also need enough connectors for both GPUs. Many older PSUs might not come with dedicated PCIe connectors for modern GPUs. You might find newer PSUs have what you need, but be mindful that the peak power can cap out quickly with two GPUs running under load.
Thanks for the heads-up! I’ll consider upgrading my PSU.