accidently purchased (2) 4870's.. to crossfire..or overkill?

[msi1337]

accidently bought (2) 4870's from newegg.they are Sapphire 512mb. Paid $150 each shipped for them after rebate/cashback

I am upgrading from a 3870 and I am sure (1) of them will be more than enough, but I am pondering putting them on crossfire on my Asus P5Q pro mobo.

I play HL2 games, Fallout 3, and I am sure other games to follow. I run a 22" LCD at 1680x1050, and I like to turn up the goodies on all the games I play.

is this overkill to run crossfire?

 

[dguy6789]

Well eventually in the future you will come across a game that a single 4870 can't run maxed out at 1680x1050, where as crossfired 4870s most likely still could.

 

[adairusmc]

Unless you really need the cash from that second one, I would say go for it.

 

[Leyawiin]

I agree. I'd try the crossfire since the cards were so reasonable. Your CPU is more than capable and you've just future proofed yourself for a very low cost.

 

[msi1337]

I think I am going to keep it and crossfire.. I been wanting to run dual vids for a while, and this seems like the right price for it.

 

[dguy6789]

Definitely a good deal. I spent close to $300 on my card I am very happy with it though

 

[Munky]

I think the obvious answer is send the extra card to me....

 

[msi1337]

the other question is..can my neopower 650 handle this?

 

[dguy6789]

Need more details on the power supply. What are the amps on each of the rails and such? A link to your power supply on Newegg would be very helpful.

Very good article that is relevant here:

http://www.anandtech.com/casec...us/showdoc.aspx?i=3413

 

[MrK6]

Originally posted by: msi1337is this overkill to run crossfire?

I'd either return them and try to get two 4870 1GB's or return one and try out a single 4870. Crossfiring two 4870 512MB is a poor choice as a 512MB frame buffer just won't be enough to feed two GPU's in the newest games, even at 1680x1050, and you'll have a gimped set-up.

 

[sgrinavi]

Originally posted by: msi1337
the other question is..can my neopower 650 handle this?

According to Sapphire

PCI Express based PC is required with one X16 lane graphics slot available on the motherboard
500 Watt or greater power supply with two 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connectors recommended (600 Watt and four 6-pin connectors for ATI CrossFireX technology in dual mode)

if you can work out the connectors & depending on what else you have in the system on the 12v. rails you will probably be Ok as each of those 12v. rails is worth a couple hundred watts.

+3.3V@24A,+5V@24A,+12V1@19A,+12V2@19A,
+12V3@19A,-12V@0.8A,+5VSB@3.0A

 

[msi1337]

Originally posted by: MrK6

Originally posted by: msi1337is this overkill to run crossfire?

I'd either return them and try to get two 4870 1GB's or return one and try out a single 4870. Crossfiring two 4870 512MB is a poor choice as a 512MB frame buffer just won't be enough to feed two GPU's in the newest games, even at 1680x1050, and you'll have a gimped set-up.

on second thought (and after looking at my bills)

seems like I need the money more than I need crossfire..and I kinda agree that the memory is an issue.

 

[dguy6789]

Memory isn't even close to as big a deal as people make it out to be although it is a factor. I run every single game I play at maximum settings smooth as glass. Either way, one or two 4870s 512MB or 1GB are very nice for gaming.

 

[Blacklash]

Nah, just run 8x AA or 12x CFAA and enjoy.

 

[msi1337]

I figure, by the time I get to the games that require that much horsepower I can just buy the 5870 or whatever the new hotness is at the time.

 

[s44]

Originally posted by: msi1337
I figure, by the time I get to the games that require that much horsepower I can just buy the 5870 or whatever the new hotness is at the time.

Right, and whatever you get will be both cheaper and faster than adding the second 4870.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: dguy6789
Memory isn't even close to as big a deal as people make it out to be although it is a factor. I run every single game I play at maximum settings smooth as glass. Either way, one or two 4870s 512MB or 1GB are very nice for gaming.

it is very important when dealing with trying to run TWO high end cards. at the settings and resolutions that having a second 4870 would be benificial having more than 512mb would also be just as important.

 

[dguy6789]

Originally posted by: toyota

Originally posted by: dguy6789
Memory isn't even close to as big a deal as people make it out to be although it is a factor. I run every single game I play at maximum settings smooth as glass. Either way, one or two 4870s 512MB or 1GB are very nice for gaming.

it is very important when dealing with trying to run TWO high end cards. at the settings and resolutions that having a second 4870 would be benificial having more than 512mb would also be just as important.

In instances of extremely high resolution and AA, more vram is important. But that is only one of the situations where an X2 benefits. The other one would be playing very demanding future games at normal resolutions and amounts of AA. The vram usage is unlikely to be too extreme, but the stress level on the card would be enough to benefit from having the extra power. The OP's monitor runs games at 1680x1050, 1GB of vram is not necessary.

Just look at history: FX5600 256MB or 9800 Pro 128MB. X800XL 512MB or 7800 GTX 256MB. Having more power and less vram has happened before and it did not cripple those cards much. 4870x2 with 512MB of ram will almost always be better than a 4870 single with 1GB for all but the most uncommon circumstances. It's not to say that more memory is bad or less memory is good, but people blow way out of proportion just how much you need the double memory version of a card these days.

 

[Tempered81]

Originally posted by: dguy6789

Originally posted by: toyota

Originally posted by: dguy6789
Memory isn't even close to as big a deal as people make it out to be although it is a factor. I run every single game I play at maximum settings smooth as glass. Either way, one or two 4870s 512MB or 1GB are very nice for gaming.

it is very important when dealing with trying to run TWO high end cards. at the settings and resolutions that having a second 4870 would be benificial having more than 512mb would also be just as important.

In instances of extremely high resolution and AA, more vram is important. But that is only one of the situations where an X2 benefits. The other one would be playing very demanding future games at normal resolutions and amounts of AA. The vram usage is unlikely to be too extreme, but the stress level on the card would be enough to benefit from having the extra power. The OP's monitor runs games at 1680x1050, 1GB of vram is not necessary.

Just look at history: FX5600 256MB or 9800 Pro 128MB. X800XL 512MB or 7800 GTX 256MB. Having more power and less vram has happened before and it did not cripple those cards much. 4870x2 with 512MB of ram will almost always be better than a 4870 single with 1GB for all but the most uncommon circumstances. It's not to say that more memory is bad or less memory is good, but people blow way out of proportion just how much you need the double memory version of a card these days.

I agree. Even Crysis at max settings and super high resolution is playable on 4870 512 CF, much more playable than GTX280 1GB:

http://images.hardwarecanucks....SFIRE/CROSSFIRE-26.JPG
4870CF: 42.8 FPS
GTX280: 36.8 FPS
4870512: 27.8 FPS

http://images.anandtech.com/re.../ATI/4800/CFcrysis.jpg
4870CF: 39.3 FPS
GTX280: 34.3 FPS
4870512: 29.7 FPS

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: dguy6789
It's not to say that more memory is bad or less memory is good, but people blow way out of proportion just how much you need the double memory version of a card these days.

Well I'd certainly disagree with that. Besides the benchmarks that show significant differences even at resolutions as low as 1680, what exactly do you think is going on when you see a 512MB 4870 and 1GB 4870 that are identical in every way other than RAM density differing even 2-3FPS over a time demo? Unless you've seen the difference first-hand hitches and stutters due to texture swapping, its not so obvious.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: jaredpace
I agree. Even Crysis at max settings and super high resolution is playable on 4870 512 CF, much more playable than GTX280 1GB

I remember seeing similar benches when the GTX 280 released and was compared to the 9800GX2. Oddly enough those GX2 users couldn't step up fast enough and once they did, seemed much happier as well.

 

[Tempered81]

Hey, could be. I've never used 4870 CF, nor GTX280. I'm sure micro stuttering and the other dual-gpu pains are reason enough to get anyone to switch to a powerful single gpu. However, I'm a speed freak these days. My vote always goes to dual-gpu for the high-end.

 

[Tempered81]

damn, $185. that's cheap!