Sherdog PC Build/Buy Thread, v6: My Power Supply Burned Down My House

[Madmick]

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3GHz 8-Core Processor (Purchased For $0.00)
Motherboard: ASRock - X370 KILLER SLI/ac ATX AM4 Motherboard (Purchased For $0.00)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate - FireCuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($69.99)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB WINDFORCE OC 8G Video Card ($484.48 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair - 270R ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (Purchased For $0.00)
Other: ADATA XPG SX6000 PCIe 128GB 3D NAND PCIe Gen3x2 M.2 2280 NVMe 1.2 R/W up to 1000/800MB/s Solid State Drive (ASX6000NP-128GT-C) ($37.99)
Other: CPU AMD|RYZEN 7 1700 3.0G 16M AM4 R, MB ASROCK | X370 KILLER SLI/AC RTL, MEM 2*8G|CORSAIR CMK16GX4M2B3000C15 [$20 MIR available] ($439.97)
Total: $1111.43 [before applicable sales taxes] - $50 MIR = $1061.53

Sales Used

• Google Express: SUMMERFUN 20% off (up to $20) on Corsair Carbide 270R Windowed via Fry's [-$12.00]
  
• B&H Sale: Clip-On Coupon for $60 off EVGA PSU [-$60.00]
  
• Newegg Promo Code: 18FANST05 $40 USD off on GTX 1080 [-$40.00]
• Newegg Combo: $60 discount on CPU/Motherboard/RAM [-$60.00]
• Newegg Business Sale: $15 off 128GB NVMe SSD [-$15.00]
  
• Amazon Prime Day Sale: FireCuda $30 off sale on 2TB FireCuda SSHD [-$30.00]
  
• Rebates: 4x for a total $50 back on Combo, GPU & PSU
  
• COMBINED DISCOUNTS: -$265.00 (-20%)

*Special Notes*

• One can alternatively choose the Newegg Combo for the R5-1600 + MSI B350 Tomahawk ($195 after MIR), then purchase a superior pair of G. Skill 2x8GB DDR4-3200 CAS16 RAM sticks ($165), and be out the door for $360.
• In fact, the R5-2600 is $170 at Newegg Business and the R7-2700 is $225 at Amazon
  • Either of these can be paired with the ASRock AB350 Pro4 ($60) or ASRock X370 Pro4 ($71) motherboards a la carte (after $20 MIR for either)
  • Either of these can be combo'd with G. Skill 2x8GB DDR4-3200 CAS16 RAM ($165)
    -- These render post-rebate totals for Ryzen 2nd Gen of R5-B350 ($395), R5-X370 ($406), R7-B350 ($450), R7-X370 ($461)
    -- Compare to the $420 after MIR for the Ryzen 7 first gen Newegg Combo used above.
• Windows 10 was counted as "purchased" because it isn't taken for granted how one may acquire that, but it is left as a reminder that it demands attention, and it carries a $89.99 MSRP
  Of course, Linux operating distros like SteamOS, Ubuntu, and Linux Mint are free, so if one's complete desired library is available on that OS, then it is a viable option.
• Plenty of other case options at Google Express (including Corsair, Fractal, and Thermaltake) subject to the 20% off SUMMERFUN discount for up to $20 off. Deal maximizes with a $100 retail purchase, obviously, and the Fractal Define C TG for $78.39 after the discount ($97.98 raw tender) is an obvious choice for a modest $30 premium.

Spoiler: Fractal Define C TG

That's a pretty fierce 4K gaming class build for under $1100 to any American resident (after max potential sales tax):
Corsair Carbide 270R Windowed > X370 R7-1700 OC + GTX 1080 + 16GB DDR4-3000 + 128GB NVMe SSD + 2TB SSHD (WiFi + BT Capable)

All top quality components. The NVMe OS drive & 2TB of FireCuda hybrid-class storage are a real luxury.

 

[90 50]

So I was walking around my local computer repair place looking at their used potatoes, to see if there was anything of interest.

Nothing worth buying at the prices they had, like 250 for an i3 old as dirt etc.

Anyway, in there pile of junk for the recyclers to pick up by the door I spotted a case with a glass side, kid likes the design on it and I look inside and see an odd looking motherboard.

Take it home to jack with, the cat that had this thing before had a 3.5 floppy Jerry rigged into it for starters, under the dvd drive lol.

Pull the board out and it’s a LANParty motherboard.

Build date sticker on the case says it’s a 2004, I can’t find any other identifying marks, looks like it might be for a 775 style?

How would you best identify this thing, then diagnose if it’s working or not with nothing?

These were the overclock king motherboards back in the day, so if I can clock something pretty hard I might be able to get it to do some random functions like let it be my kids learned etc?

Anyway , so far I’ve got zero dollars into this now second build lol.

Let’s see how cheap I can get it going.

 

[Madmick]

So I was walking around my local computer repair place looking at their used potatoes, to see if there was anything of interest.

Nothing worth buying at the prices they had, like 250 for an i3 old as dirt etc.

Anyway, in there pile of junk for the recyclers to pick up by the door I spotted a case with a glass side, kid likes the design on it and I look inside and see an odd looking motherboard.

Take it home to jack with, the cat that had this thing before had a 3.5 floppy Jerry rigged into it for starters, under the dvd drive lol.

Pull the board out and it’s a LANParty motherboard.

Build date sticker on the case says it’s a 2004, I can’t find any other identifying marks, looks like it might be for a 775 style?

How would you best identify this thing, then diagnose if it’s working or not with nothing?

These were the overclock king motherboards back in the day, so if I can clock something pretty hard I might be able to get it to do some random functions like let it be my kids learned etc?

Anyway , so far I’ve got zero dollars into this now second build lol.

Let’s see how cheap I can get it going.

LGA 775 is a CPU socket type (the last CPUs on that socket were the first Core series Intel "Duo" and "Quad" series i5/i7):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_775

Send that to poor @RockstarChris! He needs it for his c**shot compilation editor!

 

[GSP_37]

Can you explain this a little better? I’m thinking unless I ended up with a server MOBO I’d be good

I think the USB ports, HDMI port, 3.5mm port, etc. are fixed on the motherboard, so the case probably has to have openings for those in the correct locations.

 

[90 50]

LGA 775 is a CPU socket type (the last CPUs on that socket were the first Core series Intel "Duo" and "Quad" series i5/i7):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_775

Send that to poor @RockstarChris! He needs it for his c**shot compilation editor!

Yes I meant I think it’s for that socket style

It’s a large socket, but I can’t find any identification marks saying what Mobo it is.

But I guarantee I could have built something better than his old rig for his “alt” style compilations.

There are some dudes around over locking x58’s that are getting some damn impressive results.

If you can live with the power draw and heat that is

Edit: it’s not 775, it has the plastic base with pin holes, those are older than 775 socket

 

[90 50]

I think the USB ports, HDMI port, 3.5mm port, etc. are fixed on the motherboard, so the case probably has to have openings for those in the correct locations.

You know cases have slots and Mobo configurations haven’t been stamped into the case themselves in over 2 decades right?

 

[90 50]

LGA 775 is a CPU socket type (the last CPUs on that socket were the first Core series Intel "Duo" and "Quad" series i5/i7):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_775

Send that to poor @RockstarChris! He needs it for his c**shot compilation editor!

im pretty sure this is it, i just googled lanprty mobo images and dug through them.

so now to figure out which athelon or other cpu is the best for this socket, and also find diagnostic tools for this mobo

DFI Lanparty UT NF3 250GB Socket 754 ATX Motherboard / AGP 4X/8X / Audio / Gigabit LAN / USB 2.0 / FireWire / Serial ATA
Item#: D452-2201 | Model#: LANPARTYUTNF3250GB

 

[jefferz]

I think the USB ports, HDMI port, 3.5mm port, etc. are fixed on the motherboard, so the case probably has to have openings for those in the correct locations.

Prebuilt machines like Dell and HP have holes cut in the case for the USB ports, HDMI, etc.
If you build your own, motherboards come with what's called an I/O shield. Instead of the holes cut in your case, you put the metal piece in the square hole.

im pretty sure this is it, i just googled lanprty mobo images and dug through them.

so now to figure out which athelon or other cpu is the best for this socket, and also find diagnostic tools for this mobo

DFI Lanparty UT NF3 250GB Socket 754 ATX Motherboard / AGP 4X/8X / Audio / Gigabit LAN / USB 2.0 / FireWire / Serial ATA
Item#: D452-2201 | Model#: LANPARTYUTNF3250GB

DFI is still in business but they only do Industrial stuff now. You're going to have to do some google fu to find drivers and software.
If you're going to overclock it, make sure you follow a guide for 754. A modern overclocking guide won't work on that board, there's a lot more to overclocking those older boards. If you try to bump your CPU voltage up to 1.3v you're going to fry stuff, there's a Front Side Bus to overclock, etc. Those older mobo's don't have the protections like modern stuff does.
You're going to need to find an AGP video card as well, a modern PCIE graphics card won't work on that motherboard.

 

[90 50]

Prebuilt machines like Dell and HP have holes cut in the case for the USB ports, HDMI, etc.
If you build your own, motherboards come with what's called an I/O shield. Instead of the holes cut in your case, you put the metal piece in the square hole.

DFI is still in business but they only do Industrial stuff now. You're going to have to do some google fu to find drivers and software.
If you're going to overclock it, make sure you follow a guide for 754. A modern overclocking guide won't work on that board, there's a lot more to overclocking those older boards. If you try to bump your CPU voltage up to 1.3v you're going to fry stuff, there's a Front Side Bus to overclock, etc. Those older mobo's don't have the protections like modern stuff does.
You're going to need to find an AGP video card as well, a modern PCIE graphics card won't work on that motherboard.

well i guess the good news is the video card will be cheap lol..

the dfi/lan party driver site i found on google wont open.

looks like this will be some google fu fun at least, found some cheap asus 754 socket mobo's with athelon 3ks and ram super cheap anyway, like mobo and cpu and ram for what i was willing to pay for a cpu for this junk wagon, so i will prolly do that, and if i can't get this mobo to work use the good mobo that i get lol..

 

[sweede]

A friend of mine was buying a second hand DELL XPS for very cheap money( I think). The GPU included is a GTX 560ti.

He want to play Spellforce 3, but it was not playable and the fps was like 2-5. The 560ti cards you can find now as low as 15-20 dollars in Sweden, and he was thinking about buying one more. There is enough juice from the PSU to run in SLI mode. (650W)

Here are my worries. He and me included have never tried SLI before. Is it just to put a card in and add the sli bridge? Does the V-RAM double?( He was playing Cossacks 3 and after an hour or so it crashed and it said "not enough vram")

Please give some advices before we fry his PC.

Edit: He don´t want spend a lot of money on a 1050ti(200USD)

 

[90 50]

A friend of mine was buying a second hand DELL XPS for very cheap money( I think). The GPU included is a GTX 560ti.

He want to play Spellforce 3, but it was not playable and the fps was like 2-5. The 560ti cards you can find now as low as 15-20 dollars in Sweden, and he was thinking about buying one more. There is enough juice from the PSU to run in SLI mode. (650W)

Here are my worries. He and me included have never tried SLI before. Is it just to put a card in and add the sli bridge? Does the V-RAM double?( He was playing Cossacks 3 and after an hour or so it crashed and it said "not enough vram")

Please give some advices before we fry his PC.

Edit: He don´t want spend a lot of money on a 1050ti(200USD)

I can’t answer any specifics on the vram right this second but the consensus across a few sites with some quick google work says 560’s ran in sli format are better than a 1050 and you would need at least a 1060 for better performance on most.

But this does vary from game to game, and not all games are optimized to take advantage of sli set-up.

I am considering doing some sli (or crossfire) set ups but most editing software (which is my major concern )don’t take advantage of an sli configurations)

 

[90 50]

Sli isn’t exactly optimized in that game and you will have to do some configurations work to get it performing well.

Here’s some talk about it , I’d google around some more if i were you.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/311290/discussions/0/1473096694441665837/

 

[Madmick]

A friend of mine was buying a second hand DELL XPS for very cheap money( I think). The GPU included is a GTX 560ti.

He want to play Spellforce 3, but it was not playable and the fps was like 2-5. The 560ti cards you can find now as low as 15-20 dollars in Sweden, and he was thinking about buying one more. There is enough juice from the PSU to run in SLI mode. (650W)

Here are my worries. He and me included have never tried SLI before. Is it just to put a card in and add the sli bridge? Does the V-RAM double?( He was playing Cossacks 3 and after an hour or so it crashed and it said "not enough vram")

Please give some advices before we fry his PC.

Edit: He don´t want spend a lot of money on a 1050ti(200USD)

These are the only games optimized for SLI:
http://www.nvidia.in/object/sli-technology-games-in.html
In everything else the GTX 1050 Ti will be preferable. In fact, in some of those, despite the superior framerate, you might experience microstutter resulting in the new GPU's lower framerate appealing more to the eye, anyway.
https://www.geforce.com/games-applications/technology/sli

In addition to this, you can download Nvidia Inspector and view each game profile to verify if it has a SLI compatibility string attached.

Most games with SLI compat strings should work with SLI without much issue.

So download that and inspect the games you currently play to confirm if they are supported by SLI. If they are you can assess whether or not it is a viable option for you.

Even older motherboards have a PCIe 3.0 x 16 slot, so you're not going to bottleneck the newest and most powerful GPUs on an older motherboard.

If you have a 650W PSU capable of running an SLI setup, then it can support at least 6-pin GPU configurations-- correct? Why limit yourself to the the GTX 1050 Ti like gamers who repurpose office builds with less powerful PSUs? You should look to more powerful cards that your PSU can power like the GTX 1060 and beyond. Since budget is a concern you could look at the used market for more powerful single GPUs from past generations, and sell off your own 560 Ti to offset the cost.

• GTX 980 Ti
• GTX 980
• GTX 970
• GTX 960
  
• GTX 780 Ti
• GTX 780
• GTX 770
• GTX 680
• GTX 670

That GPU is old enough that it is an afterthought for firmware and driver updates. It also will sometimes lag not because it is inferior overall, but because it is inferior in terms of a pipeline that has robustly developed since the card was released. If a game calls heavily on that pipeline, because it has become the norm, then your older GPU is screwed, and performs under its general expectation. VRAM is usually one of the first things to become a limiting factor on older cards for AAA gamers-- especially those who mod. These reasons are why, for example, the GTX 680 actually lost to the GTX 1050 Ti in a recent Techspot feature despite that it wins the UserBenchmark by 16%:
With New Graphics Cards Out of the Question, How’s the GTX 680 Looking These Days?

Sounds to me like your market knows where the real value is, and you probably aren't going to cheat it. Sorry, you live among one of the most highly educated tech markets in the world-- possibly the highest.

 

[90 50]

These are the only games optimized for SLI:
http://www.nvidia.in/object/sli-technology-games-in.html
In everything else the GTX 1050 Ti will be preferable. In fact, in some of those, despite the superior framerate, you might experience microstutter resulting in the new GPU's lower framerate appealing more to the eye, anyway.
https://www.geforce.com/games-applications/technology/sli

So download that and inspect the games you currently play to confirm if they are supported by SLI. If they are you can assess whether or not it is a viable option for you.

Even older motherboards have a PCIe 3.0 x 16 slot, so you're not going to bottleneck the newest and most powerful GPUs on an older motherboard.

If you have a 650W PSU capable of running an SLI setup, then it can support at least 6-pin GPU configurations-- correct? Why limit yourself to the the GTX 1050 Ti like gamers who repurpose office builds with less powerful PSUs? You should look to more powerful cards that your PSU can power like the GTX 1060 and beyond. Since budget is a concern you could look at the used market for more powerful single GPUs from past generations, and sell off your own 560 Ti to offset the cost. Not sure if you're considering AMD video cards, too.

NVIDIA

• GTX 980 Ti
• GTX 980
• GTX 970
• GTX 960
  
• GTX 780 Ti
• GTX 780
• GTX 770
• GTX 680
• GTX 670

That GPU is old enough that it is an afterthought for firmware and driver updates. It also will sometimes lag not because it is inferior overall, but because it is inferior in terms of a pipeline that has robustly developed since the card was released. If a game calls heavily on that pipeline, because it has become the norm, then your older GPU is screwed, and performs under its general expectation. VRAM is usually one of the first things to become a limiting factor on older cards for AAA gamers-- especially those who mod. These reasons are why, for example, the GTX 680 actually lost to the GTX 1050 Ti in a recent Techspot feature despite that it wins the UserBenchmark by 16%:
With New Graphics Cards Out of the Question, How’s the GTX 680 Looking These Days?

Sounds to me like your market knows where the real value is, and you probably aren't going to cheat it. Sorry, you live among one of the most highly educated tech markets in the world-- possibly the highest.

i think thats super old, look at the cpu and gpu they have listed??

but the earlier versions of his game are on the list, so maybe the newer one is too if that hasnt been updated in forever(which by cpu and gpu models i would expect so??)

SpellForce

SpellForce 2

SpellForce II: Blend of Perfection

 

[Madmick]

Ooh, noticed this from the other thread:

Newegg has an ASrock RX580 8gb & B350 Pro AM4 bundle for $284 after a $20 MIR.

This is the same baseline $60 (after MIR) ASRock AB350 Pro4 motherboard referenced in my above notes from the #1721 build post for Prime Day's kickoff yesterday. It looks like every single sale on that build is still available (the NVMe SSD increased a mere $2).

• R5-2600 is still $171 a la carte at Newegg Business (sales tax only in California, Indiana, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Washington, and New Jersey)
• R7-2700 is still $225 a la carte at Amazon (sales tax in all 45 states where it is collected)

Only thing without great prices is RAM, but Newegg is selling RAM on eBay, and eBay has a universal $25-off coupon today only under the code PRIMO119. Combined these are putting out better values than the Google Express SUMMERFUN discount:

• ($130) 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000MHz CL15, Patriot Viper LED, Black w/Red LED [after $25 off PRIMO119 code]
• ($145) 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000MHz CL15, G. Skill Ripjaw V Series, Red [after $25 off PRIMO119 code]
• ($170) 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000MHz CL15, Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro, Black RGB [after SUMMERFUN code]
  
• ($170) 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200MHz CL16, Patriot Viper RGB, White RGB [after SUMMERFUN code]

Not from Newegg, but this seller has 99% positive across 2K+ sales, and you're likely to avoid sales tax:

• ($143) 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200MHz CL16, PNY Anarchy-X XLR8, Black [after $25 off PRIMO119 code]

Using your combo renders a total of $822 after the $40 MIRs [before applicable taxes] for the following R5-2600 build; $876 for the R7-2700 variant:

• R5-2600 (w/Wraith Spire)
  • Optional: +$54 for the R7-2700 (with Wraith Spire)
• RX 580 8GB, ASRock Phantom Gaming 8G OC*
• ASRock AB350 Pro 4 ATX motherboard*
  • *Newegg Combo pictured in quote box above used
• 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200 CAS16 RAM, PNY Anarchy-X XLR8#
  • #PRIMO119 code used
• 128GB m.2 (NVMe) SSD, Adata XPG SX6000
  • Optional: +$25 for the 256GB version
• 2TB SSHD, Firecuda 2nd Gen Hybrid Drive (2TB 7200RPM 64MB Cache HDD + 8GB SSD)
  
• EVGA 850W G3 Gold Fully Modular PSU
  
• Corsair 270R MidATX Tower, Windowed^
  • ^SUMMERFUN discount used
    
  • Optional: +$30 for Fractal Define C TG under same SUMMERFUN deal via Google Express

Yowza.

 

[Madmick]

Also, @SSgt Dickweed:



The i5-8400 scores 28% better in the UserBenchmark single core score and 37% better overall at stock than your i5-4460. If it can run an average of 109 fps (with a minimum of 97 fps) on Far Cry 5 Ultra settings @1080p, then I think it's fair to say that regardless of whatever theory is offered on Game Debate, your CPU is adequate to run the game at a playable framerate. Either the GPU or the RAM bandwidtth is your choke point (it's the GPU).


*Edit*
I'm trying to impress upon you how capable your CPU remains. The Intel 8th gen wasn't launched until October of last year, and even then nobody could find a damn 8700K until around January or February of this year.

So until the past six months the game developers were were effectively working with a level of gaming power that conformed to the i7-7700K or below, and they coded with the i5-7600K as the ceiling in mind:
http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-7700K-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4460/3647vs2310
In fact, your CPU is only 10% inferior to the i5-7400, which was released on January 3rd, 2017, and represents the bottom end of the gaming mainstream targeting the prebuilt market that doesn't overclock. Undoubtedly, Ubisoft wouldn't want to preclude this market:
http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-7400-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4460/3886vs2310
Compare how your GTX 1050 Ti stacks up to the GTX 1080 Ti. The GTX 670 is its rough benchmark equal, and you can see the GTX 680 matches it in games in the benchmark jpeg I posted a few posts above-- the latter was launched in March 2012:
http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1080-Ti-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1050-Ti/3918vs3649

Check out the Steam hardware survey:
https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam
Over half the gaming market today is still on Intel CPUs under 3GHz, and that breaks down with a large number of dual core CPUs, too (6 out of 10 gamer CPUs is a quad core, 3 out of 10 is a dual core, and 1 out of 10 is something else).

Intel Processor base frequency

• 24% from 2.29GHz or below
  
• 28% from 2.3GHz-2.99GHz
• 41% from 3.0GHz-3.7GHz
  • 18% from 3.0-3.29 (you are 3.2GHz quad core w/3.4GHz Turbo)
  • 23% from 3.3-3.69
• 7% from 3.7GHz+

You're still in the prime range. They target that middle 69%, chiefly, and mostly pander to the 7% elitists. Meanwhile, the GTX 1060 3GB, GTX 1060 6GB, RX 480, and RX 580 are the norm for GPUs, now, and all are considerably more powerful than the 1050 Ti.

 

[SSgt Dickweed]

Also, @SSgt Dickweed:



The i5-8400 scores 28% better in the UserBenchmark single core score and 37% better overall at stock than your i5-4460. If it can run an average of 109 fps (with a minimum of 97 fps) on Far Cry 5 Ultra settings @1080p, then I think it's fair to say that regardless of whatever theory is offered on Game Debate, your CPU is adequate to run the game at a playable framerate. Either the GPU or the RAM bandwidtth is your choke point (it's the GPU).


*Edit*
I'm trying to impress upon you how capable your CPU remains. The Intel 8th gen wasn't launched until October of last year, and even then nobody could find a damn 8700K until around January or February of this year.

So until the past six months the game developers were were effectively working with a level of gaming power that conformed to the i7-7700K or below, and they coded with the i5-7600K as the ceiling in mind:
http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-7700K-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4460/3647vs2310
http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-7600K-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4460/3885vs2310
Compare how your GTX 1050 Ti stacks up to the GTX 1080 Ti:
http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1080-Ti-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1050-Ti/3918vs3649

Check out the Steam hardware survey:
https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam
Over half the gaming market today is still on Intel CPUs under 3GHz, and that breaks down with a large number of dual core CPUs, too.

Intel Processor base frequency

• 24% from 2.29GHz or below
  
• 28% from 2.3GHz-2.99GHz
• 41% from 3.0GHz-3.7GHz
  • 18% from 3.0-3.29 (you are 3.2GHz quad core)
  • 23% from 3.3-3.69
• 7% from 3.7GHz+

You're still in the prime range. Meanwhile, the GTX 1060 3GB, GTX 1060 6GB, RX 480, and RX 580 are the norm for GPUs, now, and all are considerably more powerful than the 1050 Ti.

 

[Madmick]

Incredible resource:
PGA AM4 motherboard VRM list (including B450 / X470 update)



I don't know why PCPP doesn't have a Power Phase Design filter, yet.

 

[sweede]

These are the only games optimized for SLI:
http://www.nvidia.in/object/sli-technology-games-in.html
In everything else the GTX 1050 Ti will be preferable. In fact, in some of those, despite the superior framerate, you might experience microstutter resulting in the new GPU's lower framerate appealing more to the eye, anyway.
https://www.geforce.com/games-applications/technology/sli

So download that and inspect the games you currently play to confirm if they are supported by SLI. If they are you can assess whether or not it is a viable option for you.

Even older motherboards have a PCIe 3.0 x 16 slot, so you're not going to bottleneck the newest and most powerful GPUs on an older motherboard.

If you have a 650W PSU capable of running an SLI setup, then it can support at least 6-pin GPU configurations-- correct? Why limit yourself to the the GTX 1050 Ti like gamers who repurpose office builds with less powerful PSUs? You should look to more powerful cards that your PSU can power like the GTX 1060 and beyond. Since budget is a concern you could look at the used market for more powerful single GPUs from past generations, and sell off your own 560 Ti to offset the cost.

• GTX 980 Ti
• GTX 980
• GTX 970
• GTX 960
  
• GTX 780 Ti
• GTX 780
• GTX 770
• GTX 680
• GTX 670

That GPU is old enough that it is an afterthought for firmware and driver updates. It also will sometimes lag not because it is inferior overall, but because it is inferior in terms of a pipeline that has robustly developed since the card was released. If a game calls heavily on that pipeline, because it has become the norm, then your older GPU is screwed, and performs under its general expectation. VRAM is usually one of the first things to become a limiting factor on older cards for AAA gamers-- especially those who mod. These reasons are why, for example, the GTX 680 actually lost to the GTX 1050 Ti in a recent Techspot feature despite that it wins the UserBenchmark by 16%:
With New Graphics Cards Out of the Question, How’s the GTX 680 Looking These Days?

Sounds to me like your market knows where the real value is, and you probably aren't going to cheat it. Sorry, you live among one of the most highly educated tech markets in the world-- possibly the highest.

Wow! Neat, tidy, informative and organized post. You are indeed one of the best posters on Sherdog.

I will forward this to him.

 

[sweede]

i think thats super old, look at the cpu and gpu they have listed??

but the earlier versions of his game are on the list, so maybe the newer one is too if that hasnt been updated in forever(which by cpu and gpu models i would expect so??)

SpellForce

SpellForce 2

SpellForce II: Blend of Perfection

I tried the GOG version of Spellforce 3 on my pc. I have a 1050Ti installed, and I have to play it with lowest settings and even then there are some stuttering. Compare this game to Cossacks 3 where I can play with no roof on population limit and have tens of thousands of units on the screen figthing and shooting at each other on the highest of graphic detail. I suspect Spellforce 3 isn´t at all optimized for both older and modern cards.

The same pattern I can see in Ashes of Singularity. It just feels like it want to break your pc. Compare this with Grey Goo with similiar graphic detail, it is like day and night. Grey Goo runs smoothly, but Ashes you have to change to lowest settings.

This is one thing that bothers me. Why so many new modern games are so badly optimized. And I´m not talking about resource heavy AAA titles. A lot of indie games with the file size of 0.5 GB runs like monkey.