Upgrades: Vidcard(s), Power Supply, Processor(s)

I purchased a desktop system in 2014 for doing CGI rendering and it has been great but now I would like to make is even greater. I would like to explore options for an upgrade in Video Card and processor (if possible?).
Below are the computers current stats and I was hoping to get a Video Card like the GTX 970 or greater and power supply upgrade as well.....but what I am having difficulties with is knowing what options are actually available to me. I looked on-line at NewEgg and there are multiple options for a GTX 970 card that I don't really know what to look for.

I currently have 2 monitors but would like 3 if possible and believe that this is an option I need to look at when getting the video card (correct?).

The rendering software I currently use is DAZ|Studio (which uses Iray render engine), Poser, Carrara, Vue as well as Photoshop and other similar software.

Case - RAIDMAX Horus (ATX-322WB)
Board - GIGABYTE GA-X79-UP4 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Memory(RAM) - 16 Gb
Intel Core i7-4820K CPU 3.70GHz
Power - FirePower ModXStream Pro 600W 80Plus Semi-Modular High Performance ATX
(Current) Video Card - EVGA 03G-P43784-RX GeForce GTX 780 3Gb 384-bit
I think that is it...if I am missing other info let me know cause I am not sure what over half of this means...hahaha.

I would like to

• upgrade my video card or add video card(s) to increase rendering power
• upgrade power supply (as needed)
• add another quad-core processor (if possible)
• run up to 3 monitors (will re-purchase as needed)

Would love any help because I really am a noob at upgrades and want to be sure I get upgrades that will work with my current pc.

 

You already have a very powerful graphics card that, according to these specs, already supports 4 monitors. You might check the manual to see how to connect them, then look at monitors that have the necessary interface.

And you already have lots of RAM. Your board does support up to 64GB. I might bump it up to 32GB though not sure you would "see" any performance gains, except in benchmarking programs - which are synthetic and don't really reflect real-world scenarios despite their claims. I highly doubt you would see any gains going from 32GB to 64GB.

Are you not happy with the current performance of this system? From here, it looks really nice.

Note that graphics editing, CAD/CAE and the like are really best suited for workstation graphics cards, not gaming card. Though gaming cards can do the job, it's really like using a van when a pickup truck is the better tool for the job. But as seen here, workstation cards can be budget busters.

And speaking of budgets, what is yours? We need to know that to make relevant suggestions.

And I agree you should probably look at replacing your PSU in the process. While that PSU is not bad, it is currently the recommended minimum for that graphics card leaving you little room for upgrades. I generally recommend 80-PLUS "Gold" supplies these days and lately, I've been using EVGA Supernova G2 supplies and have been very happy. But you need to decide on everything else before picking the right size supply. If you decide to stay with your current setup, I would look at the 650 - 750W.

You say you want to "add" another quad-core processor. Not sure what you mean there. Your motherboard only supports one processor at a time and that i7 you have is already a nice one.

You might also ask about graphics cards on the support sites for the programs you use (DAZ|Studio, Poser, Carrara, Vue and Photoshop). You are more likely to get more insightful responses from users with more experience with those specific programs there.

I guess my bottom line is, except for your PSU, I don't see any real deficiencies with your current setup. And even then, your PSU may be working near its limits when pushed, it should still be adequate for the job. The only downside there besides little headroom for more hardware is when pushed, the fan may need to ramp up in speed creating more fan noise.

Your case is a bit fancy looking for my liking (I don't like cases that distract and take my attention away from my monitors) but that's just a personal thing. The only real issue I see looking at the specs of your case is cooling. It seems to have lots of excellent options to "add" several 120mm and even a nice 140mm fan, but appears to only come with 1 120mm fan in back. If me, I would probably add another 120mm in front pulling cool air in, or a 140mm "blowhole" (top) fan to exhaust heated air out.

I don't see any drives listed. One area that can improve overall performance is using SSDs instead of traditional hard drives. Any task that involves reading or writing to or from the disks will be greatly improved. Plus, SSDs consume less power and generate less heat than hard drives, and make no noise.

 

WOW...a lot to take in here Digerati, thank you for the insight.

Budget is kinda loose but obviously want the most 'power' for my buck, don't want to go all the way to top of the line, seems like overkill for me, but want more rendering/processing power (if I can). I am looking at between $500 and $800 including vid/graphics card and power, may splurge for more memory if it will gain me anything...?

"You say you want to "add" another quad-core processor. Not sure what you mean there." I know a little about computers and I stress A LITTLE. wasn't sure I could add another processor to increase speed or not. I assume that it would mean a new motherboard if I wanted to go to a dual quad-core set-up right?

Just so I am clear PSU refers to power supply correct? I WILL be upgrading if it will improve performance at any level. Would maxing out the power be a bad thing (like 1000+watts)...power supplies seem to be a relatively low cost.

The case I have is not near my monitors to distract from them...was what came with the set-up I purchased. It has the fan in the back 120mm, one on the side 140mm, one in front 120mm(?) and one on the side 140mm....so no shortages there.

As for Drives I have 2 internal HD's, a 128Gb SanDisk SATA-3 SSD Drive with OS on it and a Toshiba 2Tb 7200RPM 64Mb SATA3 HDD with my rendering software and some content. I also have 8 external hard drives with additional content and files.

I did some searching and inquiring on some of the 'support' sites I frequent with other artist that use the same/similar software and the primary software I use DAZ|Studio uses Iray Render engine which is specifically designed to work with Nvidia graphics cards which is why I was inquiring about the GTX 970.
(the only graphics card at the link you provided for workstation cards that was Nvidia was over $4K...waaaay out of budget...hahaha)
This software has the ability to use multiple installed graphics cards so my question is whether my motherboard will accept multiple cards? I looked it up on GIGABYTE site and think it will but am not sure nor am I sure what limitations it would have if it can (what cards would work in which slots).

A lot of the discussion on the support sites for my software talk about x99 motherboards. What is the difference between (what I have) x79 and x99? And would I have the ability to upgrade my motherboard to a x99 board with my current case and other hardware?

 

Yes. And for OS licensing, a new motherboard is a new computer and requires a new Windows license. So you would have to budget that in too.

PSU = power supply unit

Maxing out the power supply does nothing but max out the hit to your wallet! The computer (motherboard, RAM, CPU, drives, graphics card) will pull from the PSU only what it needs, not what the PSU can deliver. And the PSU will only pull from the wall what it needs to power the computer, plus a little more (~10% for a "Gold" certified PSU) due to PSU inefficiencies which will be lost in the form of heat.

So if your computer needs 300W, that is what it will pull from the PSU whether a 400W supply or a 1000W supply. And the supply will pull from the wall about 330W regardless again, if a 400W supply or 1000W supply.

So it generally is best to determine your components, then determine their combined power needs, then select a PSU that meets those needs. I recommend and use the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator for that. I generally recommend setting CPU Utilization to 100% and Computer Utilization to 16 hours per day. These steps will add a little buffer to the results for good measure. I then often recommend adding 100 more watts for more wiggle room in case I want to add more RAM, drives, or upgrade the CPU and graphics over the next couple years. This amount of headroom is not overkill, but gives enough so I don't have to buy a new PSU just because I want to upgrade my hardware. Also, a little headroom lets the PSU run a little cooler which allows its fan to run slower and thus quieter too.

To take maximum advantage of two powerful graphics cards, you want to look for a motherboard with two PCIe x 16 slots.

When comparing chipsets, I just use Google. See x79 vs x99. And when reading what people have to say on support sites, be sure to check the date they say it. The x79 chipset, for example, came out in 2011. That's a long time ago.

And no, you cannot change a motherboard's chipset. The chipset sets the entire pedigree for the board. It would be like trying to change a German Sheppard into a Golden Retriever.

 

Digerati, thank you for your help and time I really appreciate it....couple more questions.
If I were to invest in an 'upgraded' motherboard (and another Windows License) would that improve rendering more than adding a second graphics card?

I ask because based on what I found it looks like I could add a second graphics card with my current set-up....
(this is from GIGABYTE specs site on my motherboard)

1. 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIEX16_1, PCIEX16_2)
   * For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot.
   
2. 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x8 (PCIEX8_1, PCIEX8_2)
   * The PCIEX8_2 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16_2 slot. When the PCIEX8_2 slot is populated, the PCIEX16_2 slot will operate at up to x8 mode.
   (All PCI Express x16 slots conform to PCI Express 3.0 standard.)
   
3. 2 x PCI Express x1 slots
   (All PCI Express x1 slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)
   
4. 1 x PCI slot

...am I reading/understanding that correctly? Would this also give me options for smaller graphics cards based off #2 & 3?

 

There are too many variables involved. Without knowing the specifics of the new motherboard (including the CPU and RAM and graphics cards used with it), I can only suggests that generally speaking, with your current setup already being very capable, I doubt you would see any significant performance gains to justify the expense.

Not sure what you mean by "smaller". Do you mean physically shorter or less powerful? Either way, the x16, x8, x1 refer to the number of "lanes" supported through the connector. More lanes means more date per clock cycle. So for best performance, you want to use a x16 card in a x16 slot.

 

Thanks again Digerati for all your help and guidance. You have helped me a lot and this will definitely help me make a more educated decision on where to go from here.

 

Glad I could help. Good luck - and remember to verify your PSU is capable of supporting any new hardware, and if not, buy a quality supply. You don't buy a brand new Porsche then fill it up with no-game fuel at the corner Tobacco and Bait shop.