No apologies needed Dagorath, I understood it was humor :)

It seems that I don't know everything myself about GPU's I thought my 770 did okay on windows, but it can be better.
One day I will run Linux too.

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Greetings from TJ

3 Alternatives

....There are concerns that none of the ITX boards on the market can supply the current a high end card requires but nobody has specs to prove it. So I intend to experiment and prove it one way or another.

I was also curious and decided to experiment on this point. I have been running a Gigabyte GTX 680 factory overclocked video card crunching GPUGRID tasks running Ubuntu 12.04 on a ASUS Maximus VI impact, a mini ITX board. So far, 47 tasks have been completed and validated and the sole error was I believe due to a power disruption issue and not a GPUGRID or the ITX boards fault.

That's a very nice board but at my favorite online retailer it costs about the same as the Gigabyte GA-Z87X-OC. Several weeks ago I had a notion to buy 4 ITX boards and mount them in a custom case in a way that allows each video card unrestricted access to cool air flowing in and prevents all of them from blowing hot exhaust onto the other cards. The trouble with that idea is that you buy 4 of everything when you need at most 1 CPU, 1 chipset, 1 bank of RAM, etc. That's wasteful. Yesterday I got a better idea for squeezing 4 cards into 1 case that might be much cheaper. The idea is to build/buy 2 standoffs (aka slot extenders) that allow 2 of the cards to be moved away from the other 2 yet remained connected to the PCIe slot. I've looked at a few from retailers and they're quite expensive but considerably cheaper than the 4 ITX boards alternative.

I want inexpensive standoffs that cost no more than $15 and I'll build them myself if I have to, or at least try. I'm thinking a simple ribbon cable affair with a male plug on 1 end and a female PCIe slot might add too much capacitance if the wires in the cable are too thick. I could etch 2 PCBs with very fine traces to reduce capacitance and it would be much easier to solder too. On the other hand it's serial interface not parallel so timing isn't as critical. Anybody have any thoughts on that? Or any retail source for inexpensive standoffs?

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BOINC <<--- credit whores, pedants, alien hunters

AKA PCIE Riser.

GMTech PCI-E 16x To 16x Powered Riser Adapter Extension Cable £5.95, and that is with a molex power adapter. Found on Amazon UK.



I've used the non powered versions and due to the cable length/shielding/wire quality the power was insufficient for some cards, but not others (GTX660Ti). So I suggest you try powered PCIE riser cables.

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FAQ's

HOW TO:
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With power adapter! Perfect!! Many, many thanks skgiven. 4 GPUs in a custom case is now a piece of cake ;-)

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BOINC <<--- credit whores, pedants, alien hunters

That's outstanding information. I've come across a number of comments noting that the Tesla is not the best option for Boinc research. Thanks for your input.

One further question, I believe I now have the GPU plan with respect to moving forward;to the credit of the message board for outstanding assistance. I am still stuck however on the motherboard.

The current motherboard I have will not support all three GTX 770 GPU's;I am attempting to order a top of the line motherboard, I've had a lot of advise however my options here in Australia are limited in terms of where I can order from in order to get this project completed asap. The current motherboard budget is unlimited, however I want to stick to 1150 Z87. The choices are as listed at the link below. What are your thoughts, I would also like to consider the MSI Big Bang X Power II as ultimate reliability and the capacity to run three cards with the largest number of channels is a top priority. However I'm happy to consider other top of the line, flag ship boards.

http://au.msi.com/product/mb/Big_BangXPower_II.html


http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=138_1491&vk_sort=4

Current motherboard.


http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_Z87/

Tony,

I am running a pair of GTX780Ti on this and like it a lot. It "should" support 4 GPU's per its specs.

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z87WS/

I have not been able to test adding an additional card due to a wee bit of a minor overlook on my part. The Seasonic 1000W number of connectors. By the time you power up the CPU, Extra Power for PCI-E on MB, and then two power hungry cards, I ran out of cables. Well, I guess I could use the double molex to 6 or 8pin for a GPU, but not really feeling comfortable with it.

http://www.seasonicusa.com/Platinum_Series.htm

So, on the high end MB's, look closely at the power requirements for it and count your cables. Sure you would. Just my little opps on the last purchases.

If I get to do another system this year, I will consider this board again.

Regards,
Jeremy

I have that exact same power supply, with that being said I believe I should be able to run all three cards on that 1000W PSU. With respect to the current MB I have at the moment, the system says it will support 3 way SLI and or three cards, however, I physically can't get them to fit onto the board because of the built in fans on the GPU's I'm running.

http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4647#ov

Since we are talking boards - The Aus Z87 WS https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z87WS/ is the one we use, and what I'd recommend. Should be < 400USD.

Matt