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GTX 980 on 790i motherboard testimony

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InputUsername
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2014/09/21 08:04:11 (permalink)
Wow.
 
I'm running a system with the specs in sig, that is - a QX9650 running at 3.5ghz on the EVGA nForce 790i reference motherboard. I built this back in 2008. Since then I've added some SSD's (http://forums.evga.com/SSD-TRIM-AHCI-and-the-790i-board-m1831510.aspx) and replaced the first generation DDR3 with some lower voltage sticks, upping the total RAM from 4 to 8gb following advice given in this forum (http://forums.evga.com/Using-4GB-RAM-modules-on-a-790i-series-board-m837038.aspx). Essentially this is a 2008 PC with a Yorkie CPU though.
 

 
Initially I was running an 8800GTS, I stepped that up through EVGA to a GTX 280. Added another one for SLI. Later I bought a used GTX 580 which has served me well up until now. Since I game on a 2560x1440 resolution monitor I've been vRAM starved in newer games with high resolution textures. I've been tempted throughout the Titan/780 series to finally pull the trigger and upgrade but there's always been something making me reconsider.
 
The GTX 980 looked to me like the perfect card. Turns out it was. Whether this is down to project Denver and the integrated ARM proessor I cannot say, but gameplay is now smooth in every game on max settings. The Dell U2711 is a "slow" IPS screen so adaptive VSync is a very welcome feature.
 
I don't have many numbers to post yet but the benchmarking utilities for the latest titles all tell the same story - I might lose maybe 10 or so frames off the top end compared to the reviews but min and average fps match the expected results within 2-5. What's important is that there are no longer any frame drops when rendering smoke and lighting intensive scenes as was the case with the 580.
 
I would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone here at the EVGA forums for the support and encouragement offered to fellow enthusiasts. Getting this first gen DDR3 system to work was a struggle but thanks to everyone here I can happily say it's been stable for 6(!) years. I did pay a higher price for being an early adopter, partly because of DDR3 being brand new, partly because EVGA wasn't at all established in Europe back then, but looking back I'm so happy with the choice to go with premium. Even if there are price drops for the 980 the timing was right and I won't regret it.
 
Only slight complaint I have is that the card suffers from coil whine in menus and other environments where the FPS value runs crazy. Is this something I'll have to live with or has anyone gotten a card without the issue?

Attached Image(s)


 W7 Ultimate on Samsung 840 Pro 512gb run by:
Intel QX9650 @3.5 cooled by Noctua U12P with:
  Kingston HyperX Genesis  2x4gb @1600 on:
EVGA 790i Ultra featuring:
  EVGA GTX 980 SC.  Powered by:
1000W Zalman PSU, encased in: SilverStone FT02B.
Viewed on: Dell U2711 @2560x1440.
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    rjohnson11
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    Re: GTX 980 on 790i motherboard testimony 2014/09/21 08:43:08 (permalink)
    Although you are running at 3.5GHZ on the PC processor part of the coil whine might be because the GPU is working very hard to push frames and the CPU isn't able to render as fast. Your Zalman PSU should be able to handle the power efficiency so maybe that is not the cause of your coil whine. Sometimes a poorly regulated PSU can contribute to this effect. You can also try plugging your PC into a power outlet not on the same circuit as what you have now just to see if there is a very slight improvement.
     
    Sometime in the future a motherboard/ram upgrade will help you to obtain even better performance.

    AMD Ryzen 9 7950X,  Corsair Mp700 Pro M.2, 64GB Corsair Dominator Titanium DDR5  X670E Steel Legend, MSI RTX 4090 Associate Code: H5U80QBH6BH0AXF. I am NOT an employee of EVGA

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    3etatester
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    Re: GTX 980 on 790i motherboard testimony 2014/09/21 09:25:02 (permalink)
    It's always good to double check when possible. Back when I got my 780 my system was running with a 7 year old PSU and I experienced coil whine under load. I was able to test it in another system and there was no whine. I ditched the PSU (sad moment) and the new unit did the trick.

    Z97 Classified :: i5 4670k @4.2Ghz :: 2-way GTX 980 SC's :: 3440x1440
     
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    BrokenAnimator
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    Re: GTX 980 on 790i motherboard testimony 2015/06/28 18:03:34 (permalink)
    Howdy,
     
    I tried PMing you but I am too new of a member to do so. So, I'll post here hoping you see this. Was there anything you had to do to get this card to work on the 790i ultra motherboard. I have the exact motherboard as you and get post errors trying to install a 960GTX. Did this card just work out of the box for you or did you have to do anything to get this to work? I have been told the EVGA 790i isn't compatible with anything above the 660 geforce series. This thread seems to contradict that.
    post edited by BrokenAnimator - 2015/07/04 04:23:19
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    ATDIMITROV
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    Re: GTX 980 on 790i motherboard testimony 2015/10/31 13:16:34 (permalink)
    hey did u get the 970 to run on the that MB? I have same setup I spoke to EVGA tech here online. he said it cannot run on my board and it needs UEFI bios and min of 3.2 ghz cpu. here is my link to post and specs of pc please help. because i returned it and got a 770 for same price.
    http://forums.evga.com/PO...-install-m2404235.aspx
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