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AM2 Crossfire?

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I sent emails to MSI and DFI just now. Hopefully we'll get some ETAs (or any results) out of them. 🙂


EDIT: Found some more info about MSI's K9A Platinum.

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/support/d.../dld/spt_dld_detail.php?UID=737&kind=1
FULL list of drivers, manuals, BIOS updates, utilities, etc for this motherboard. It has to be close to release.

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/..._cpu_support_detail.php?UID=737&kind=1
CPU Support status. Maybe this is the reason that it isn't out yet? 5 processors are still under testing. They need to hurry up or skip them. 😛
 
I have good news and bad news for myself actually. After this weeks paycheck being higher then i expected, i will most likely be ordering in 2 weeks from today as long as the paycheck is remotely close to what i just got. Woo hoo! lol.. bad news though is that if those crossfire boards arent out and available by the 17th Im going to grab a SLI board
 
Originally posted by: Tsuwamono
I have good news and bad news for myself actually. After this weeks paycheck being higher then i expected, i will most likely be ordering in 2 weeks from today as long as the paycheck is remotely close to what i just got. Woo hoo! lol.. bad news though is that if those crossfire boards arent out and available by the 17th Im going to grab a SLI board
Click to expand...

depending on your budget, why not go for a "quick and dirty" mobo solution for now (use just a single card and spend around $100 USD for the board) and upgrade to the CF board once it's out? you may even be able to return your initial board if it's within 30 days and you buy from a good retail outlet (CompUSA, Fry's... obviously look into it first) - albeit a small restocking fee may apply

if you can't return it, sell it or keep it for a budget machine or home file server 🙂

for me, if i'm going to invest in 2 x1900xt cards (or xtx) then it's worth it to have the board designed for those cards

FFT (food for thought?)

- kevin
 
Now would be an awesome time for Gary Key to show up and tell us when AM2 ATI motherboard reviews will be up. 😛
 
Originally posted by: CreepieDeCrapper
for me, if i'm going to invest in 2 x1900xt cards (or xtx) then it's worth it to have the board designed for those cards
Click to expand...

Hey CreepieDeCrapper,

Does this mean these AM2 boards won't require you to have a Crossfire card?

You'll bge able to run Crossfire with 2 identical x1900xt, x1900xtx cards?
 
Originally posted by: Liqwid
Originally posted by: CreepieDeCrapper
for me, if i'm going to invest in 2 x1900xt cards (or xtx) then it's worth it to have the board designed for those cards
Click to expand...

Hey CreepieDeCrapper,

Does this mean these AM2 boards won't require you to have a Crossfire card?

You'll bge able to run Crossfire with 2 identical x1900xt, x1900xtx cards?
Click to expand...
to my understanding, yes... i think it depends on the motherboard, check out this demo:
http://www.ati.com/technology/crossfire/howitworksdemo.html

and click on the "graphics card #2" menu item

also, see the basic motherboard layout here (bottom of page):
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2767&p=1

notice the CF connection is built onto the motherboard, so an external dongle (cable connector) is not needed, negating a "special" CF edition card to be used

someone please correct me if i'm wrong (i'm not 100%)... thanks!


 
Creepie, click Compatibility Chart on the same demo and you'll see that you need a Crossfire edition card. Only the X1300 and X1600 series do not require a Crossfire edition card.

And the chip you referred to in Anand's review was pointing out that there is no hindered bandwidth between the two cards because of the dual X16 lanes.

The Crossfire edition card merely handles the control of both cards and produces the final image from both cards. It would be slower to do that on the motherboard, since you'd have to transfer data from both gfx cards to the CF chip, rather than just one gfx card to the Crossfire edition card.
 
Did anyone else see the leaked image of what looked like a crossfire bridge like Nvidia has? looks sweet.. i wouldnt mind one of those, looks like it might be alittle more space saving then the cabling lol
 
Originally posted by: OBCT
Now would be an awesome time for Gary Key to show up and tell us when AM2 ATI motherboard reviews will be up. 😛
Click to expand...
Agreed, he said there was a comparison piece due on-site a week or two ago...
 
Originally posted by: OBCT
Creepie, click Compatibility Chart on the same demo and you'll see that you need a Crossfire edition card. Only the X1300 and X1600 series do not require a Crossfire edition card.

And the chip you referred to in Anand's review was pointing out that there is no hindered bandwidth between the two cards because of the dual X16 lanes.

The Crossfire edition card merely handles the control of both cards and produces the final image from both cards. It would be slower to do that on the motherboard, since you'd have to transfer data from both gfx cards to the CF chip, rather than just one gfx card to the Crossfire edition card.
Click to expand...

thanks for clarifying... my apologies for leading anyone astray with my assumptions 🙁
 
dont worry Creepie.. i thought the same thing when i read it and i was simply waiting for another person to have read it that way too to confirm my belief. I guess we were both wrong lol
 
HardOCP has a review of the ECS board with RD580/SB600.

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTExMywsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0

"The mounting bracket itself it backward compatible with the older style socket 939 bracket mounted coolers."
Oh my, I sense a Zalman cooler with the blue LEDs heading my way.

The cooling fan in the back might have to go, that's just odd, and I bet it isn't the quietest thing in the world.

It uses Phoenix AwardBIOS. The absolute best.

Ouch, max CPU Vcore of 1.3V? And no option to change the CAS Latency.

Well, if all else fails, this one with suffice for me. 🙂
 
Too bad about the two x1900xt/xtx Crossfire thing.

Aren't those white ATI AM2 engineer sample motherboards sexy?

I hope one of the big board makers makes them as well though I'm
pretty sure it's unlikely.
 
**UPDATE** I have been told that the 5000 isnt being produced anymore and the only ones that were available were the originals. If this is true i found a fairly good deal on a C2D 6600 and mobo pack for myself that supports crossfire. Someone please tell me the rumors are wrong so i wont have to buy C2D lol
 
Gary Key told me last week that they were now being told to expect the ASUS board for review either late this week or the week after, and that they should hit retail within a couple days after that.

If they aren't available by Friday this week, I will either have to go to college without a computer (until I can settle in enough to find out a shipping address and order on newegg ^^) or settle for the ECS as a temporary board. By the way, OBCT, where do you go to college? You could probably get an address for your dorm building and wait for them to become available and just have the board shipped there.

FFT (again)
 
I'll be going to Penn State. I don't leave until the 30th though, so I should be fine waiting for the Asus board if that is the actual release timeline.

Did Gary tell you anything about the DFI or MSI boards?
 
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