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Vortex G65 (GTX 980 SLI): MacPro updated?

vailr

vailr

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 22, 2009
207
92
https://us.msi.com/product/vortex/Vortex-G65-GTX-980-SLI.html#hero-overview

Looks like what an updated Skylake Mac Pro might look like (Hackintosh ready hardware):

• Windows 10
• Latest 6th Gen. Intel® Core™ i7 processor
• NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 980 graphics in SLI
• Small 6.5-liter and 10.5” High Chassis
• Exclusive Super RAID 4 (Dual NVMe M.2 SSDs by PCIe Gen3 X4 in RAID 0)
• Thunderbolt™ 3 - supporting 40Gbps ultra speed data transfer rate, dual 4K monitor output and portable charging power up to 5V/3A
• USB Type-C reversible plug
• Exclusive Storm Cooling Technology - creating rotating column airflow, ensuring ultra-cooling efficiency
• Nahimic Sound Technology - delivering 360⁰ immersive audio experience to your speakers
• Killer DoubleShot-X3™ Pro (2x Killer Gb LAN + Killer 802.11 a/c WiFi) - granting unprecedented network speed up to 2,867Gbps throughput
• 2 x Killer E2400 Gigabit LAN Controller with Advanced Stream Detect 2.0
• Killer Wireless-AC 1535 supporting Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO)
• Killer Shield reduces ping rate and ensures smoother gameplay
• Matrix Display supporting 6 external monitors and surround mode up to external 3 monitors
• 450W 80 Plus Gold Certification PSU
• Xsplit Gamecaster free premium license for 1 year

The 450 W PSU seems a little underpowered, however.
 
God damn these guys are shameless with their ripoffs. I wonder what that must feel like? Ha - if they move a bunch I guess the money will ease their shame.
 
When I first saw this, much excitement was felt. It's the consumer trash can Mac Pro I have been dreaming of. Shame Apple didn't make it but at least MSI waited 3 years before pinching the idea.

I just hope the hardware is easy to Hack-intosh
 
prvt.donut said:
When I first saw this, much excitement was felt. It's the consumer trash can Mac Pro I have been dreaming of. Shame Apple didn't make it but at least MSI waited 3 years before pinching the idea.

I just hope the hardware is easy to Hack-intosh
Click to expand...
I can hardly see the point in Hackintoshing this. They will charge a premium, and it'll be cheaper to build your own (if you're capable). But yeah, MSI could throw the Hackintosh community a bone here.
 
The Power supply looks very tight.

980 TDP 165W, 2x SLI means may draw up to 330W. CPU another 91W, which already able to draw 420W.

So even though not counting SSD, Wi-Fi, USB, ... the PSU seems a bit weak.

Or they follow the nMP's route, downclock the GPU?
 
$2,199.99:

Intel Core i7 6700K (4.00 GHz)
16 GB DDR4 1 TB HDD 256 GB SSD
Windows 10 Home
Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 SLI 6 GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883152146

$3,999.99:

Intel Core i7 6700K (4.00 GHz)
32 GB DDR4 1 TB HDD 256 GB SSD
Windows 10 Home
Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI 16 GB GDDR5

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883152145

They should (but probably won't) also offer a "barebones" version, with only the motherboard, case and (possibly: non-standard) PSU.
 
Last edited:
It looks like that GTX 960 is OEM version of this GPU. With wider memory bus than consumer part(192 Bit vs 128) and with higher core count(1280 vs 1024).

Basically it is GTX 970M with desktop branding. Good price. Im wondering with what Apple will answer this.
 
• Killer DoubleShot-X3™ Pro (2x Killer Gb LAN + Killer 802.11 a/c WiFi) - granting unprecedented network speed up to 2,867Gbps throughput
• 2 x Killer E2400 Gigabit LAN Controller with Advanced Stream Detect 2.0
• Killer Wireless-AC 1535 supporting Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO)
• Killer Shield reduces ping rate and ensures smoother gameplay
Click to expand...

These specs are way too killer for me.
 
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If anyone reads GPU news Nvidia managed to create a full desktop GTX980 for enthusiast gaming laptops by reducing the voltage but they are pretty tight lipped about the full specs. The MSI is using two of those.
 
vailr said:
https://us.msi.com/product/vortex/Vortex-G65-GTX-980-SLI.html#hero-overview

Looks like what an updated Skylake Mac Pro might look like (Hackintosh ready hardware):

• Windows 10
• Latest 6th Gen. Intel® Core™ i7 processor
• NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 980 graphics in SLI
• Small 6.5-liter and 10.5” High Chassis
• Exclusive Super RAID 4 (Dual NVMe M.2 SSDs by PCIe Gen3 X4 in RAID 0)
• Thunderbolt™ 3 - supporting 40Gbps ultra speed data transfer rate, dual 4K monitor output and portable charging power up to 5V/3A
• USB Type-C reversible plug
• Exclusive Storm Cooling Technology - creating rotating column airflow, ensuring ultra-cooling efficiency
• Nahimic Sound Technology - delivering 360⁰ immersive audio experience to your speakers
• Killer DoubleShot-X3™ Pro (2x Killer Gb LAN + Killer 802.11 a/c WiFi) - granting unprecedented network speed up to 2,867Gbps throughput
• 2 x Killer E2400 Gigabit LAN Controller with Advanced Stream Detect 2.0
• Killer Wireless-AC 1535 supporting Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO)
• Killer Shield reduces ping rate and ensures smoother gameplay
• Matrix Display supporting 6 external monitors and surround mode up to external 3 monitors
• 450W 80 Plus Gold Certification PSU
• Xsplit Gamecaster free premium license for 1 year

The 450 W PSU seems a little underpowered, however.
Click to expand...
Why do you think the 450W power supply is too small?
 
koyoot said:
It looks like that GTX 960 is OEM version of this GPU. With wider memory bus than consumer part(192 Bit vs 128) and with higher core count(1280 vs 1024).

Basically it is GTX 970M with desktop branding. Good price. Im wondering with what Apple will answer this.
Click to expand...
This isn't even a blip on Apple's radar.
 
lowendlinux said:
Why do you think the 450W power supply is too small?
Click to expand...
The included video cards seem to be standard PC form factor, and MSI advertises system upgrade-ability. A regular form factor PC with a single GTX 980 Ti requires a 600 W PSU; 2x 980 Ti's in SLI would require even more power. If the included 450 W PSU is in a non-standard form factor (unknown possibility), then future upgrades may be in question. A 450 W PSU may be adequate for 2x GTX 960 video cards, but doesn't seem to be enough for 2x GTX 980 cards (found in the $3,999 system).
 
vailr said:
The included video cards seem to be standard PC form factor, and MSI advertises system upgrade-ability. A regular form factor PC with a single GTX 980 Ti requires a 600 W PSU; 2x 980 Ti's in SLI would require even more power. If the included 450 W PSU is in a non-standard form factor (unknown possibility), then future upgrades may be in question. A 450 W PSU may be adequate for 2x GTX 960 video cards, but doesn't seem to be enough for 2x GTX 980 cards (found in the $3,999 system).
Click to expand...

If it's the same as the one from CES it's MXM.
 
GPU-1 J.jpg

They're MXM GPUs . These are laptop GPUs in a small form factor workstation ?

Correction , MSI is positioning this rig as a gaming System . But I bet with a little tweaking it could be turned into a workstation .
 
Last edited:
Ar... sounds very familiar, underpowered GPUs (compare to the real desktop GPU) with lots of VRAM, and a weak PSU...

But I am quite sure they will do one thing right, which is able to use both GPU in their expected OS (Windows).
 
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lowendlinux said:
No nVidia has made full desktop GPU's in MXM
Click to expand...

But Anandtech claims the MSI Vortex G65 is using MXM GPUs . And these are GTX 980s , but they are not sure where they are from (a laptop ?) From Anandtech :

"The Vortex G65 systems from MSI heavily use custom-built hardware, such as the motherboard, cooling system, power supply and so forth. Nonetheless, they still use standard Intel’s LGA1151 processors, MXM graphics modules for the GPUs, PCIe SSDs, SO-DIMM modules for memory and so on, which sounds as if they can be easily upgraded at MSI select partners and retailers (in fact, select MSI’s partners can even upgrade MXM modules)."
 
koyoot said:
It looks like that GTX 960 is OEM version of this GPU. With wider memory bus than consumer part(192 Bit vs 128) and with higher core count(1280 vs 1024).

Basically it is GTX 970M with desktop branding. Good price. Im wondering with what Apple will answer this.
Click to expand...
if you consider that a good price, the retina iMac 27 has everything except the 2nd gpu, plus a 5K Display and don exceed 3500$.
 
Mago said:
if you consider that a good price, the retina iMac 27 has everything except the 2nd gpu, plus a 5K Display and don exceed 3500$.
Click to expand...

Yes, but the exciting thing about this rig is twofold : it is a windows gaming machine with preconfigured SLI and also it should be possible to use those two GPUs as a lower end Windows rendering machine . So, maybe this rig would be ideal for an independent creative content editor who also wants to play games , all with respectable performance . The price tag is not too low , though . And I'm certain a decent Builder could get higher performance at the same price tag using standard desktop components . But the Vortex is just so small and easy to transport . I wonder how badly its performance throttles down when it heats up ?
 
Machines said:
Yes, but the exciting thing about this rig is twofold : it is a windows gaming machine with preconfigured SLI and also it should be possible to use those two GPUs as a lower end Windows rendering machine . So, maybe this rig would be ideal for an independent creative content editor who also wants to play games , all with respectable performance . The price tag is not too low , though . And I'm certain a decent Builder could get higher performance at the same price tag using standard desktop components . But the Vortex is just so small and easy to transport . I wonder how badly it's performance throttles down when it heats up ?
Click to expand...
No, this is an poorly configured and Hyped-Shaped system.

First z170 chipset has only 16 pcie lines available for GPU, a better setup than SLI on Z170 should be a single Dual CPU card as the Radeon Fury X2 as can e done on other system also on Mini-Itx Board and you get an superior system for near half the cost, another thing should have if they opted for HEDT i7 (those on 6-8 cores) and x99 chipset, this case you get the performance benefit on dual SLI because both GPU have 16 pcie lines.

from performance perspective, this machine is a joke, as I say, a similar system on a dual GPU single card is faster and you dont need to overcome SLI headaches.
 
Machines said:
But Anandtech claims the MSI Vortex G65 is using MXM GPUs . And these are GTX 980s , but they are not sure where they are from (a laptop ?) From Anandtech :

"The Vortex G65 systems from MSI heavily use custom-built hardware, such as the motherboard, cooling system, power supply and so forth. Nonetheless, they still use standard Intel’s LGA1151 processors, MXM graphics modules for the GPUs, PCIe SSDs, SO-DIMM modules for memory and so on, which sounds as if they can be easily upgraded at MSI select partners and retailers (in fact, select MSI’s partners can even upgrade MXM modules)."
Click to expand...

Yes the MXM 980 is/was designed for laptops it's a full 980 full clocks, everything enabled.

 
Mago said:
No, this is an poorly configured and Hyped-Shaped system.

First z170 chipset has only 16 pcie lines available for GPU, a better setup than SLI on Z170 should be a single Dual CPU card as the Radeon Fury X2 as can e done on other system also on Mini-Itx Board and you get an superior system for near half the cost, another thing should have if they opted for HEDT i7 (those on 6-8 cores) and x99 chipset, this case you get the performance benefit on dual SLI because both GPU have 16 pcie lines.

from performance perspective, this machine is a joke, as I say, a similar system on a dual GPU single card is faster and you dont need to overcome SLI headaches.
Click to expand...

Tons of research shows that x8 lanes is plenty for SLI GPUS. Besides, fury x2 isn't out yet and wouldn't meet the thermal or physical constraints that this build offers. It is disappointing that skylake maxes at quad cores, but no sense in building a current machine on an older architecture when the single thread performance is better and very few games really benefit from the additional core count. And again, thermal and power constraints probably limit the use of say a 5960x in there.
 
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