Hello everyone,

I am planning on building my first PC soon that will be used for gaming, everyday use and running BOINC. My plan is to buy a gtx 1660 super with the intent on upgrading later if I need it. The 1660 will be running boinc projects full time when I am not gaming. If and when I upgrade, I would like to keep the 1660 super as a dedicated gpu that runs boinc. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions on running two gpus? Would it be wise to buy a power supply unit now with the extra wattage to cover powering both gpus in the future? Since I plan on running the gpus full time would it be worth spending the extra money upfront to get an 80+ gold power supply vs just an 80+?

Does anyone have any suggestions on Nvidia vs AMD gpus for running boinc projects?

Thanks,
jrich

I would like to keep the 1660 super as a dedicated gpu that runs boinc

When you upgrade, you'll need to write

<ignore_nvidia_dev>0</ignore_nvidia_dev>

into your cc_config.xml to disable calculations on the second GPU.

Would it be wise to buy a power supply unit now with the extra wattage to cover powering both gpus in the future?

I suppose so.

would it be worth spending the extra money upfront to get an 80+ gold power supply vs just an 80+?

Yes. Firstly, you'd manage to save up on your electricity bills. And secondly, there would be less fan noise.

Nvidia vs AMD gpus for running boinc projects?

You can compare GPUs by computation time.

Depends on the GPU.
Usually, if you haven't plugged any energy draining stuff on your PCs, like charging devices, a CPU + motherboard use anywhere from 85W to 150W.
The 1660 is rated at 125W, so your total power consumption lies anywhere between 225-275W.
You'll need no lower than a 350W PSU for such a system.
If you want to add another GPU. it'll depend on which one. If you'll add another 1660/1660Ti/1660Super, then your PSU needs to be a 500W or higher.
You don't need to worry about changing your PSU to a gold one or other, as long as you are using 50-75% of your PSU capabilities.
The energy lost is only a few dollars per year, not worth buying another one for.
However, if you add a 2080 as secondary GPU, you'll be running your PSU at over 400W (80%), and then you'll need to think about upgrading.
The 80% rule means run your PSU between 50-80% under full load. If on the wall you get more than 400W, it's time to upgrade.
Most of the time, upgrading to a larger PSU (eg:750W) is sufficient. No need to go to Bronze Plus, gold, platinum,... 500W PSUs, as the money you gain in elevtricity won't cover the surplus cost of the higher rated PSU.
Just buy a good one, like Corsair, or even Rosewill (never had any issues with them).

Thanks!

Thanks!