Aurora R6, video card compatibility check

Question

Hello,

I am planning on getting two of the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti for a dual card GPU for my Aurora R6, and I'm hoping I can get your blessing before I proceed. The product that I'm looking at is:

ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

My chassis is 850W PSU liquid cooled, and I understand the 2 PCIe X16 slots work at X8 speed. My main concern is this card looks quite thick. I don't mind unplugging F_Audio if I have to-please see the attached-, but would I have enough real estate for two of these?

r72019 · Accepted Answer

I guess I'd think 850W PSU would be the absolute bare borderline minimum, and that is assuming you don't have an unlocked k-class CPU.  I think ideally you'd want a 1000W minimum PSU for SLI 2080ti.  At the end of the day there's probably a fairly good chance you'd be able to run it without experiencing any power issues if you didn't do any overclocking (excepting the heat buildup issues noted previously) with an 850W PSU, but doing so you'd have to acknowledge the inherent risk that an under-powered psu could potentially blow your system.

speedstep · Accepted Answer

GeForce RTX 2080 Ti X2

means 650W per GPU which means 1300w unit SLI BARE MINIMUM
275w TO 300w PER CARD if you plan to tweak/OC, add another 100 Watts for max ram and cpu.

The cpu and ram and other "things" use power.

If you had 1500w power supply it would not be an issue.

Overstressing power supply can have catestrophic results including a fire and frying EVERYTHING.

RAM, HDD, SSD, VIDEO, MOTHERBOARD all permanently Dead,

https://www.cnet.com/forums/discussions/i-think-i-fried-my-motherboard/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga7kCqspDrk

speedstep · Answer

You dont have an area 51 tower with 1500W power supply so this is not physically working.

12 inch 3 fan cards dont go in

There are others who have re cased the unit but thats another story.

SEE

https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-Case-Swap-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-temps-Upgrade-summary/m-p/7284370

r72019 · Answer

The Gigabyte 2080ti turbo is another good option, similar to the above one I mentioned and comparable to what you would get stock if you purchased a current gen Aurora with a 2080ti (I don't think 2080ti SLI is sold by dell in the Aurora case):

https://www.gigabyte.com/us/Graphics-Card/GV-N208TTURBO-11GC-rev-10#kf

r72019 · Answer

The MSI Aero 2080S is also a cheaper alternative, that is good for this case. MSI makes the OEM GPU's for Dell's Aurora lineup, so it is about as close to stock as you can get. The Asus and Gigabyte also come in 2080S Turbo variants. MSI doesn't make a retail version of the 2080ti Aero, but they do have an OEM 2080ti MSI rebrand which they make just for Dell.

https://www.msi.com/Graphics-card/GeForce-RTX-2080-SUPER-AERO/Gallery

r72019 · Answer

Something like Asus 2080ti Turbo, would be ideal, if you had to go SLI.

https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/TURBO-RTX2080TI-11G/

Reason is because it is compact and blower style - meaning that it expels hot air out the back of the case. This cuts down on heat buildup from double or triple fan GPU's which recirculate heat inside the SFF Aurora case.

KidTao · Answer

That narrows it down quite a bit—most of them are out of stock by now. In fact, I basically have found 2 options:

MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti VENTUS GP OC

Or

PNY GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11GB Blower

Would either one work?

speedstep · Answer

Cards that use 2.5 or worse 3 slots are also a problem.

The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti registers ~277W - 279W in testing with actual game (nearly 20W higher than official TDP rating

279 X 2 =558W

6 pin and 8 pin is 275W card DUAL 8 PIN is 300W card.

TOO WIDE TOO TALL OR TOO LONG is a problem

This 2080 is both TOO TALL and TOO WIDE.

KidTao · Answer

I do not have that information off the top of my head, but based on this thread, Aurora R6, power supply, 850w, I have a feeling our speedstep may have the answer.

@speedstep8,

Would you happen to know whether R6's 850W PSU Liquid Cooled Chassis comes with 8-pin PCIe power cables, or would I need some kind of adapter?

KidTao · Answer

Thank you for the insightful notes, r72019.

I have checked the 3 products suggested, but they all appear fading out of market by now.

In light of your advice, I'm particularly interested in MSI's offerings. Would this work?

RTX 2080 Ti VENTUS GP OC

The only physical difference seems to the thickness-it's about 10mm thicker than 2080 SUPER AERO. If I can physically fit 2 of these into the case, and my 850W PSU can handle the power consumption, I figure I'm all set.

speedstep · Answer

One of the MSI would work

The power and 2.5 slot useage of the card is an issue.

https://asset.msi.com/pdf/main/global/presale/GeForce-RTX-2080-Ti-VENTUS-GP-OC?

8-pin x 2

650 W

2 would need

1300W power based on 2 8 PIN conectors aka 300W PCI-E Aux Power

KidTao · Answer

Yes, I have 4 8-pin PCIe power cables. (Just opened the case and looked. )

I also realized I would need longer SATA cables with right angle on both ends as the 2nd card will be sitting over the connectors.

You were dead on the maximum length, 270mm. That's pretty much what my current card, GTX 1080 measures. Thank you for the valuable information.

As for power supply, I am not too sure. If I have 350w above the dual cards' combined power consumption, especially considering the 2nd card won't be in full throttle mode most of the time, wouldn't my system pretty much stay operational? @r72019 and @Anonymous, what would you guys think?

r72019 · Answer

The MSI ventus takes up 2.5 slots. If you just had one, the fit wouldn't be an issue. I think physically, they would both fit, but you may need to remove both of the bottom had drive caddies at the bottom of the case. Keep in mind that with 2 of these GPUs, they would be really really close together if not already touching. Since they are open air double-fan models, there would be significant heat buildup inside the PC case, and there would be a high probability of thermal throttling.

r72019 · Answer

I think the real issue is that right now is really not an ideal time to be shopping for a GPU, even a current gen.  There are parts shortages globally, which is driving up the demand, and reducing the supply, of current gen models.  The ventus, while in stock, is still basically retail pricing.  Any other time, you'd be able to find much better deals out there.  Nobody can know how much longer before we get back to normal, so it may not be feasible to keep holding out, but I would expect that if you gave it some time you'd be able to find a better deal out there.

KidTao · Answer

Based on this cool tool, your borderline minimum assessment was dead on:

https://outervision.com/b/ugakhX

Its recommended PSU wattage, 826w is barely south of 850w.

Regardless, it starts to dawn on me this dual card thingie was a vanity project after all. Probably the most intensive activity that I'll be involved ever would be 3D modeling in Maya, and come to think of it, modeling itself is basically CPU-heavy, and I am not sure how connecting multiple displays on multiple GPU would be tremendously beneficial to rendering.

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Aurora R6, video card compatibility check

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