Graphical upgrades

[integrale_evo]

So, thanks to mr Shockdiamonds I have swapped my 2x1070Ti cards for a single etc 3080.

Install took a little longer than expected as I didn’t have a third 8pin power connector to hand. Thankfully Amazon to the rescue

The MSi triple fan card is a hefty beast! Especially as my old 1070s were ‘mini’ variants.

Initial 3D mark benchmarks show a slight improvement, but their tests use dual cards to the full and I’d spent a fair bit of time optimising the performance, for a while I was in the top 5 for an sli 1070ti setup.

However the old setup used to sound like a vacuum cleaner during heavy use!

The etc benchmark is rather different, nice being able to see what it’s supposed to look like, unsurprisingly it was a stuttering sub 1 fps mess before.

The main reason for change was that not many games support sli any more, so a lot of the time it was only running a single 1070, and obviously a single 3080 is a big step up. Easily maxing out the Forza games with a nice smooth 60fps vsync.

I guess I’ll swap one of the old cards into my stepsons pc, he’s still on a 6gb 1060. It seems they’re still worth £70 or so! Maybe keep the other as a spare.

Anyway, I’m sure that was very boring for everyone, it was fun to mess with of bits for the first time in about 5 years

[ShockDiamonds]

I’ve vowed never to build a system again. The stress of ensuring it’s all plugged in correctly and with these new 12VHPR cables etc. Friggin nightmare. And then realising that my USB ports at the front of the case aren’t working and needing to take the GPU out to get the cable plugged in because I’d forgotten it yadda yadda. Next time I’ll pay the extra 400 quid or whatever and get somebody else to do it.

I say that now of course…

Anyway it’s been interesting looking at the AMD software drivers and so on. Things seem to be simpler somehow, more descriptive. Their fluid frames frame gen seems to work effectively in flight sim.

[Matty]

I'm just amazed you're still running SLI it's not something I've heard of in ages.

And it's not even a cheaper method anymore to custom/self build. The only reason I end up buying parts is because I typically ugprade in stages, instead of a whole new setup.
I also used to 'recommend' it because many suppliers would give you a headline CPU and GFX card, but then put a 20p PSU and cheapest mainboard they could get.

But yeah, if you're starting from scratch then pre-build all the way.

[integrale_evo]

I built it years ago, around Christmas 2019 I think, if not even earlier.

A 1070ti seemed the best bang for the buck at the time, then a few month later saw someone on eBay selling exactly the same model new in box for a very sensible price, so decided to have a play with sli.

To be honest, it worked well on games which supported it. Unfortunately not many do any more

Obviously zero ray tracing

[DeskJockey]

Tangentially related: just upgraded my 2 x 23" FHD monitors to a single 38" QHD ultrawide (HP Z38C), and ermagehrd what a change! Why did I wait so long?

Need is driven by how we work in the office. All desks have 49" ultrawides running 5120 x 1440 resolution, and my puny old FHDs just couldn't cut it when I tried to replicate how I work there.

New one has a built-in dock and speakers (fine for video conferencing, nothing else), just need the right cable (ordered) and then I can drop the docking station and conference speaker, further reducing the desk clutter.

As an added benefit the webcam is now centered in the middle rather than being off on one side, and I've gained a decent amount of extra desk space as the new monitor is fitted with a clamp instead of a stand, so can sit further back.

[Simon]

Tangentially related: just upgraded my 2 x 23" FHD monitors to a single 38" QHD ultrawide (HP Z38C), and ermagehrd what a change! Why did I wait so long?

Need is driven by how we work in the office. All desks have 49" ultrawides running 5120 x 1440 resolution, and my puny old FHDs just couldn't cut it when I tried to replicate how I work there.

New one has a built-in dock and speakers (fine for video conferencing, nothing else), just need the right cable (ordered) and then I can drop the docking station and conference speaker, further reducing the desk clutter.

As an added benefit the webcam is now centered in the middle rather than being off on one side, and I've gained a decent amount of extra desk space as the new monitor is fitted with a clamp instead of a stand, so can sit further back.

I upgraded to an LG 38" a couple of years back. Also on a stand. I put my older Dell 27" QHD panel above it and it's great. So much more real estate.

[unzippy]

Tangentially related: just upgraded my 2 x 23" FHD monitors to a single 38" QHD ultrawide (HP Z38C), and ermagehrd what a change! Why did I wait so long?

Need is driven by how we work in the office. All desks have 49" ultrawides running 5120 x 1440 resolution, and my puny old FHDs just couldn't cut it when I tried to replicate how I work there.

New one has a built-in dock and speakers (fine for video conferencing, nothing else), just need the right cable (ordered) and then I can drop the docking station and conference speaker, further reducing the desk clutter.

As an added benefit the webcam is now centered in the middle rather than being off on one side, and I've gained a decent amount of extra desk space as the new monitor is fitted with a clamp instead of a stand, so can sit further back.

Curved makes so much sense for desk monitors, lovely aren't they

[DeskJockey]

Yes, it is a massive improvement.

Second-hand they're really good value too. With cables and an arm I've paid just shy of £250, can't really fault that. Monitor looks brand-new, not a mark on it.

Was originally looking at a 34" but my wife was worried it was going to be too small for her needs.

[mik]

Second-hand they're really good value too. With cables and an arm I've paid just shy of £250, can't really fault that. Monitor looks brand-new, not a mark on it.

Where did you buy Alex? That does sound great value

[DeskJockey]

Second-hand they're really good value too. With cables and an arm I've paid just shy of £250, can't really fault that. Monitor looks brand-new, not a mark on it.

Where did you buy Alex? That does sound great value

eBay. Specifically this one: https://ebay.us/m/w7eh1q

They did a short-term deal taking £20 off, but even at that price it is good value.

I then ordered this arm: https://ebay.us/m/n1rx67

And this cable: https://ebay.us/m/XakPzi and some generic USB-A to C adapters.