to crossfire or not?

[SavageCupcake]

ive recently built myself a new pc which im hoping to upgrade once i get some money together. current specs are

i3 2100@3.1 ghz

4gb muskin blackline

msi z68a gd55-g3

msi r6850 cyclone

antec true power 650w power supply

500gb western digital hdd

zalman z9 plus case

im definately getting a 2500k or the ivy bridge equivalent + a nh-d14. im just wondering whether or not to crossfire the 6850 or get a single gpu and sell the 6850 i already have. any suggestions would be nice

 

[RedgyK]

I crossfired my 5850's, and I haven't regretted it at all. Problems with optimization and drivers doesn't really bother me, but some of my friends doing SLI and Xfire really let those problems get to them.

A single more powerful GPU will always be better, but if you want some extra power and you don't see yourself spending a lot of cash for a top of the line card like a GTX 580 or HD 7970, I would deffo crossfire.

You also have to consider the performance of the two cards in crossfire, is the performance gonna be enough to satisfy your needs for a long time, or do you see yourself wanting to upgrade again? Cause if you get 6850 crossfire now, and want even more performance in the future, you have to get rid of both cards, you can't just add another like you could if going for a single more powerful GPU now.

Bottom line - Does optimization and driver issues get you annoyed, and how much performance do you want/need now and in the future?

 

[sheroo]

I crossfired my 5850's, and I haven't regretted it at all. Problems with optimization and drivers doesn't really bother me, but some of my friends doing SLI and Xfire really let those problems get to them.

A single more powerful GPU will always be better, but if you want some extra power and you don't see yourself spending a lot of cash for a top of the line card like a GTX 580 or HD 7970, I would deffo crossfire.

You also have to consider the performance of the two cards in crossfire, is the performance gonna be enough to satisfy your needs for a long time, or do you see yourself wanting to upgrade again? Cause if you get 6850 crossfire now, and want even more performance in the future, you have to get rid of both cards, you can't just add another like you could if going for a single more powerful GPU now.

Bottom line - Does optimization and driver issues get you annoyed, and how much performance do you want/need now and in the future?

That's excellent advice.

 

[SavageCupcake]

well all i really want to be able to do is to play bf3 on close to ultra and maybe the new metro on high ish. i can play bf3 on high with textures on ultra at about 40-50 fps but i dont want the 6850 bottlenecking the 2500k. never tried xfire or SLI before but i doubt driver issues would annoy me really

thanks for the great advice though

nice to get a helpful response unlike what i get from my friends at school -.-

 

[RedgyK]

A bad GPU won't really 'bottleneck' the CPU like a bad CPU can with a GPU. The 2500k will help your FPS in BF3 with the 6850.

Don't worry too much about the bottlenecking, a better CPU will give better FPS, and a worse CPU will give worse FPS.. When talking about new and good CPU's and GPU's like the 2500k and 6850's, you won't really notice any bottlenecking by any means..

Bottlenecking isn't really before having a setup like you see in my HTPC sig rig, no matter what settings I run on BC2, it won't go over 30fps, cause the CPU just can't handle it any faster than that, even though the HD 5770 can do better FPS than that, it needs a CPU that can at least run the game properly. Luckily, that PC is for movies and stuff, not gaming

A single GTX 580 should perform pretty equal to 6850's in crossfire, so if I were you, I would try my best to sell the 6850 and buy a GTX 580 or a HD 7970. If you don't think you will upgrade later (like me, I won't upgrade for a looong time), just go for 6850 crossfire.. It's cheap, and it will give a lot of performance

 

[SavageCupcake]

ah right

i undertsand now

my friends got a gtx 580 ( i built the pc for him -.-) and plays bf3 on ultra so id be happy with that

looks like ill just xfire them for now till im done with school

thanks for the help man

 

[RedgyK]

No problem dude, i'm happy I could help!

Have fun crossfiring, it's fun imo!

 

[SavageCupcake]

one last question, where can i but a xfire bridge? as only an sli bridge came with my mobo (it is xfire compatable) and my current 6850 didnt come with one

 

[SieB]

one last question, where can i but a xfire bridge? as only an sli bridge came with my mobo (it is xfire compatable) and my current 6850 didnt come with one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?rt...rosfire+bridge&_rusck=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m283

 

[RedgyK]

Looks like SieB hooked you up with a link to get a Xfire bridge

My mobo only came with a SLI bridge as well, even though it supports both SLI and Xfire

All the ATI/AMD GPU's I have ever had has come with one or two bridges though, weird they don't shit the newer series with them...

 

[sheroo]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?rt...rosfire+bridge&_rusck=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m283

There not cheap are they? I thought they would be pennies.

 

[SieB]

There not cheap are they? I thought they would be pennies.

I think they are cheaper than what they are sold for, I think retailers and Ebay sellers just overcharge on them to make money.

 

[MaXiMiZe]

A bad GPU won't really 'bottleneck' the CPU like a bad CPU can with a GPU. The 2500k will help your FPS in BF3 with the 6850.

Don't worry too much about the bottlenecking, a better CPU will give better FPS, and a worse CPU will give worse FPS.. When talking about new and good CPU's and GPU's like the 2500k and 6850's, you won't really notice any bottlenecking by any means..

Bottlenecking isn't really before having a setup like you see in my HTPC sig rig, no matter what settings I run on BC2, it won't go over 30fps, cause the CPU just can't handle it any faster than that, even though the HD 5770 can do better FPS than that, it needs a CPU that can at least run the game properly. Luckily, that PC is for movies and stuff, not gaming

A single GTX 580 should perform pretty equal to 6850's in crossfire, so if I were you, I would try my best to sell the 6850 and buy a GTX 580 or a HD 7970. If you don't think you will upgrade later (like me, I won't upgrade for a looong time), just go for 6850 crossfire.. It's cheap, and it will give a lot of performance

Not to be obnoxious Redgy but it says in your sig you have a 5750, not a 5770. Awesome advice though

 

[RedgyK]

Not to be obnoxious Redgy but it says in your sig you have a 5750, not a 5770. Awesome advice though

I forget that ALL the time! I always say it's a 5770, while it really is a 5750..

The reason for this is that I bought it from a buddy of mine, and when he had it, I always thought he had a 5770, cause that's what he told me the first time he said he had bought a new GPU..

Guess it's just stuck in my head... Thanks, anyway