Should I go Crossfire?

[falcron]

Should I go Crossfire?

So I'm currently in the process of doing some PC updating...getting a new 16:9 monitor (switching from 16:10, which is reported to perform slower than 16:9) and a Razer mouse and some new fans, etc. I was browsing online and noticed that my GPU, the XFX Radeon HD 6850, has been marked down to $150 USD, and my MoB is Crossfire ready. With everything maxed right now, with the exception of Ubersampling, I get roughly 35-45 fps most of the time, sometimes topping out at 50. With Ubersampling I get about 15-25 fps. I'm wondering (from those of you who use it) if all the Crossfire issues with TW2 have been fixed, and if investing in Crossfire would be worth it for increasing performance...and maybe even using Ubersampling? =D

 

[harryagamez]

If you have the money, Go ahead. I have no crossfire but this investment would be for all games. Remember,Rage, Skyrm and so other nice games are coming

 

[falcron]

True, however I've heard of Crossfire issues where performance was actually decreased with TW2, and that's something I don't really want considering that 2.0 is just around the corner. And Skyrim...there goes another 500+ hours of my life XD

 

[username_3236367]

I second Elysis One suggestion - if it makes financial sense then it's something you shouldn't even over analyze, because in most cases it will give you a very nice boost in performance! Hmmm, I don't want to come off as a smart-ass and make any comments about how it would affect TW2, but I'm sure that it's just a very short matter of time before the drivers rectify any issues that are presently being reported by some. I was faced with a very similar dilemma in the 8800GT glory days when within months of buying the first 8800, the same card went on a pretty solid sale, and my mobo at the time was SLI capable, but was on the fence because I kept reading about negative stuff - but when I decided that I would go ahead, it actually ended up being a fantastic decision, because at the very worst case scenario, performance was just a few frames better, but over-all, in most cases, it was a very good increase in performance. Anyways, get it.

 

[falcron]

Hmm...in that case I suppose I'll have to look into it once I get my check next week. Now I just need to open my case to see which 6850 I have...

 

[stephen09181981]

this thread has me wondering if i can max out witcher 2 with just a 6850 single GPU,quad core processor, and 8 GB of ram ubersampling disabled of course

 

[falcron]

Depends of your CPU I would guess...I have a Phenom X4 970 BE w/ 4GB of DDR3 RAM and I can max all settings except Ubersampling with pretty good fps. I suggest just trying it out and see how it goes.

 

[stephen09181981]

its 2.3 GHZ AMD phenom x4

 

[GuyNwah]

its 2.3 GHZ AMD phenom x4

If that's the original Phenom (9600 or 9650), I'd strongly consider upgrading it. The Phenom II's are socket-compatible and much faster.

 

[falcron]

/agree with guynwah. AMD's Phenom II X4's aren't terribly expensive on newegg. That CPU could be bottlenecking your GPU's performance...unless you're doing some serious OCing.

 

[stephen09181981]

yea i saw that been a long time since i looked at them i think the phenom II x4 965 was only 130 plus a instant savings of 15 bucks right now its just the bios flash i have to do

 

[username_3236367]

/agree with guynwah. AMD's Phenom II X4's aren't terribly expensive on newegg. That CPU could be bottlenecking your GPU's performance...unless you're doing some serious OCing.

It's not even so much the speed that is shabby about the original Phenoms - so I think even a crazy overclock still won't bring out the best of that CPU. It's really time to upgrade that processor, and the time is now, because very soon AMD will be in a position to increase its prices.

 

[Ellathar]

Crossfire will hardly gives you +100% performance in a game, but it will definitely gives you more than 50% performance increased.
I've seen a huge difference before and after Xfire have been supported on TW2.
So yes, it worths it. Unless you can find for 150$ a graphic card which is 50 or 75% more powerful than your current graphic card, go for it.

 

[yayodeanno.831]

Consider that SLI or Crossfire equals higher power consumption, heat output and noise than using a single, more powerful GPU. You also need a PSU that can handle two graphic cards. So do your math. How much would a single GPU that has roughly the same power of two HD 6850 in Crossfire cost? How much would you get if you decided to sell your GPU? Do you need a new PSU, etc. Whichever solution costs less is the winner.

EDIT
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/302?vs=292

 

[username_3236367]

Consider that SLI or Crossfire equals higher power consumption, heat output and noise than using a single, more powerful GPU. You also need a PSU that can handle two graphic cards. So do your math. How much would a single GPU that has roughly the same power of two HD 6850 in Crossfire cost? How much would you get if you decided to sell your GPU? Do you need a new PSU, etc. Whichever solution costs less is the winner.

EDIT
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/302?vs=292

Good points - it's admirable to be pragmatic. I suppose we assumed that he has already taken these things into consideration, but I think that in this day of age, it's worth to encourage peers to consider a wide array of options. I was always a power-PC builder, but with my current built I was going for one thing: balance. Powerful and yet "green", I find that I really like having a Phenom II which, though clocked to 3.7ghz, is running at 800mhz probably 70% of the time (and it nevers feels slower than it's max clock setting, btw), and that my GPU downclocks also - I have all powersaver, cool'n'quiet, etc activated. There used to be a time when over-clocked systems had to disable power-saver features, but this is no longer the case. My overclock is rock solid, but when I am doing anything other than gaming, my system uses less than half the power it normally would were it always running at full power mode. Anyways, I digress.

 

[eva02langley]

I have a Phenom II X3 720 OC to X4 20 @ 3.6GHZ... with two 6850 in crossfire OC.

At first, the witcher 2 was not multiple GPU ready and I saw the difference 2 weeks after AMD made the hotfix. It double the speed literally or almost.

IMO, a motherboard with multiple GPU ready without a second GPU is a waste. It is the most important upgrade you can buy especially with middle range cards. Not a single GPU card on the market can match two 6850 in crossfire.

 

[eva02langley]

Good points - it's admirable to be pragmatic. I suppose we assumed that he has already taken these things into consideration, but I think that in this day of age, it's worth to encourage peers to consider a wide array of options. I was always a power-PC builder, but with my current built I was going for one thing: balance. Powerful and yet "green", I find that I really like having a Phenom II which, though clocked to 3.7ghz, is running at 800mhz probably 70% of the time (and it nevers feels slower than it's max clock setting, btw), and that my GPU downclocks also - I have all powersaver, cool'n'quiet, etc activated. There used to be a time when over-clocked systems had to disable power-saver features, but this is no longer the case. My overclock is rock solid, but when I am doing anything other than gaming, my system uses less than half the power it normally would were it always running at full power mode. Anyways, I digress.

Not really a good point... a 6850 use a single 6 pins molex connector and consume less than any Nvidia similar alternative. In reality you need barely around 600W to be safe. You can even go for a 550W, but I will not stretch it this far.

 

[falcron]

Haven't checked this in a few days...Witcher 2 pulled me in and hasn't let go XD (first playthrough and whatnot)

It should probably be noted that this is the first PC I've built...having said that, I went with an 850W PSU. After adding everything up, including the potential future upgrade to Crossfire, it seemed like 850W would support my system. I hadn't decided at that time whether or not to include an extra card, nor had I the money, but I built for it just in case. I had wanted 1000W, but couldn't afford it =(. Budget-wise, my main concern at the time was getting the best CPU possible. But no, I hadn't considered everything mentioned above...

And I'm definitely leaning toward getting a second GPU...first though, I need to figure out which case fans to get. I have the heatsink and fan controller already...