OT: Correct mobo for Strix RTX 2070?

maclean

I'm going for a new build at the end of the month, and I'll probably get an Asus ROG Strix RTX 2070 8G. I had already settled on an Asus Prime Z390-A mobo (for a different card), but I understand the 2070 is a triple-slot GPU. Will it fit ok? I've never had a triple-slot gpu (technically, I think it's 2.5 slot), so I'm not familiar with the differences.

I've been googling this for a while now, but can't seem to find any concrete info. I know a lot of folks here use the 2070, so hopefully someone can help me out.

TIA

kenshaw011267

2.5 and 3 slot cards fit on any ATX MoBo. However it will block a lower full length PCIE slot on the MoBo. 2 slot cards tend to block a half length PCIE slot which people almost never use so it doesn't matter. Unless you plan to add additional GPU's then the wider card isn't a big deal.

maclean

Ah, thanks for that, Kenshaw. I thought that might be the difference, but wasn't 100% sure. I have a spare GTX970, but I'm not planning to use it. I'd rather leave it in the old machine and keep it as a spare rig, just in case.

I also wanted to check because I may get a vertical riser and mount it vertically in the case (Define R6 TG). I know people say there's a heat increase, but the ambient temp where I live is quite low, so heat has never been an issue for me. My current card and cpu have never gone above 60C. I'll be getting an i7 8700 with a Cryorig H7, so I think temps in general won't be very high. And with Cablemod Pro cables, it'll all look good. Yay!

Thanks again.

kenshaw011267

maclean said:

Ah, thanks for that, Kenshaw. I thought that might be the difference, but wasn't 100% sure. I have a spare GTX970, but I'm not planning to use it. I'd rather leave it in the old machine and keep it as a spare rig, just in case.

I also wanted to check because I may get a vertical riser and mount it vertically in the case (Define R6 TG). I know people say there's a heat increase, but the ambient temp where I live is quite low, so heat has never been an issue for me. My current card and cpu have never gone above 60C. I'll be getting an i7 8700 with a Cryorig H7, so I think temps in general won't be very high. And with Cablemod Pro cables, it'll all look good. Yay!

Thanks again.

Check the case to see what the clearance is of the mount for the vertical card. The extra wide card might not fit.

The card in a vertical mount will be right up against the glass and will have very limited ability to cool. You'll be limiting the cards performance if you mount it that way.

maclean

Yeah, I'm still in two minds over the vertical riser. The clearance is ok - 300mm with the HDD cages (card is 301mm) - but 440mm with the cages removed. The case has another 4 HDD spaces and I'll have an M.2, plus 3 ssds, so that would work.

I've seen quite a few YouTubers mount it vertically, and some of the online reviews give rough temps, which don't seem too crazy. But since basically it's a cosmetic thing, I haven't made a definite decision yet. I'll probably end up springing $40 for the riser and trying it, and if it doesn't go well, write the loss off. I'm spending around $2000, so $40 more isn't a big deal.

kenshaw011267

maclean said:

Yeah, I'm still in two minds over the vertical riser. The clearance is ok - 300mm with the HDD cages (card is 301mm) - but 440mm with the cages removed. The case has another 4 HDD spaces and I'll have an M.2, plus 3 ssds, so that would work.

I've seen quite a few YouTubers mount it vertically, and some of the online reviews give rough temps, which don't seem too crazy. But since basically it's a cosmetic thing, I haven't made a definite decision yet. I'll probably end up springing $40 for the riser and trying it, and if it doesn't go well, write the loss off. I'm spending around $2000, so $40 more isn't a big deal.

I didn't mean the length of the card for clearance. I meant how far away from the side panel is the mount. The card you want is wider than what is considered normal for such a card. I'm not so sure the card will fit.

maclean

Ah, right. I see what you mean. But actually, I've reconsidered the card. It's now a choice between the 2060 and the 1660TI. Maybe you can help there.

What I don't know is if RTX is worth the extra ($120). I know the 4.11 beta can use it, and presumably that's where the future lies. But to be honest, for the renders I do (some promos every few months), I'm still undecided. Also, I'm still running windows 7, and right now I'm reading about MS's DirectX Raytracing (DXR) extension which will be going into Windows 10. Am I going to actually get the benefit of RTX under W7?

Questions, questons.... and not easy getting answers when every review is aimed at gamers.

PS But your point about the width is valid and would still apply to the 2070 or 1660

 

kenshaw011267

I'm pretty sure you'll need the 4.11 beta even with a 1660ti. The 2060 has a higher CUDA count so it will render faster even if the RTX features never get enabled. If the RTX features get enabled you could be looking at a very significant speed increase.

As to DXR that a software implementation of ray tracing. it will even work, very poorly, on Pascal cards. The Turing cards have hardware that will accelerate ray tracing so they'll be much much faster. A 2060 or any other RTX Turing card will have ray tracing capabilities, assuming the software or game enables it, even on Win7.

maclean

Yes, I definitely need 4.11 for the 1660. And yes, the 2060 will render a bit faster. My doubt was over the RTX features; whether it's worth spending $120 more for an unknown factor. But it looks as though, at some point, it may make a difference. Since I only do a build every 5 years or so, I guess in the end, I'll probably get the 2060. If I don't, I have a feeling I'll regret it later on. And at this point, another $120 won't break the bank.

Cheers, and thanks for the advice. I appreciate it!