Asus A8R32-MVP With Cross Fire. Which VGAs I need?

[Kha]

Hi to all,

My intention is build a Cross Fire system around a Asus A8R32-MVP motherboard (ATI RD580 as you know).

The problem is in choosing the two VGAs needed. I don't know if i need a Cross Fire master board or not. I was thinking about these configurations:

A8R32-MVP + Sapphire X1900 Cross Fire Edition (same specs as X1900XT) + Sapphire X1900XT
or
A8R32-MVP + Sapphire X1900 Cross Fire Edition (same specs as X1900XT) + Sapphire X1900XTX
or
A8R32-MVP + Two Sapphire X1900XTX

But i don't know which configuration will work just fine in Cross Fire mode.

Would you be so kind to help me out with this?

Thank you very much to all. Kind regards.

 

[VERTIGGO]

first off, you can't have crossfire without a crossfire edition board as the master, because it has an extra chipset for the combining process of both cards' outputs.
second, in crossfire, the XTX has to be reduced to equal the performance of the Crossfire Edition, so both match, so your extra 100$ is wasted.

The only reasonable combination is a crossfire edition, with an XT in tandem. This, by the way, is the same exact setup I'm building.

BTW, don't forget the Oblivion crossfire patch available on ATI's website. It makes a big difference in the games performance and IQ.

 

[Heidfirst]

Originally posted by: VERTIGGO
first off, you can't have crossfire without a crossfire edition board as the master,

just to nitpick you can on Radeon XPress 3200 with e.g X1600s but not with (afaik) X1900s.

 

[VERTIGGO]

I know, but he wants 1900s

 

[T2k]

I'm thinking about getting Xpress 3200-based mobo too - what makes the Asus one $50+ more expensive over the Abit AT8-32x which comes with better slot layout?
Also does anybody know why both come with pretty low max CPU voltage (1.55V)?

 

[imported_shaw]

Originally posted by: T2k

I'm thinking about getting Xpress 3200-based mobo too - what makes the Asus one $50+ more expensive over the Abit AT8-32x which comes with better slot layout?
Also does anybody know why both come with pretty low max CPU voltage (1.55V)?

I actually prefer Asus's layout because you can fit two PCI cards with two PCI-e cards install. The Abit only comes with two PCI slot and the bottom PCI-e card will block one of the PCI slots.

 

[T2k]

Originally posted by: shaw

Originally posted by: T2k

I'm thinking about getting Xpress 3200-based mobo too - what makes the Asus one $50+ more expensive over the Abit AT8-32x which comes with better slot layout?
Also does anybody know why both come with pretty low max CPU voltage (1.55V)?

I actually prefer Asus's layout because you can fit two PCI cards with two PCI-e cards install. The Abit only comes with two PCI slot and the bottom PCI-e card will block one of the PCI slots.

Well, I'm not interested in more than one PCI card at worst case, I'd rather prefer to haver more PCIe slots available - and if you install 2 VGAs, there's no more PCIe available which is plain sux. 🙂

 

[VERTIGGO]

ASUS just makes better boards. They have faults, but are very stable.

 

[Aries64]

Originally posted by: VERTIGGO
first off, you can't have crossfire without a crossfire edition board as the master, because it has an extra chipset for the combining process of both cards' outputs.
second, in crossfire, the XTX has to be reduced to equal the performance of the Crossfire Edition, so both match, so your extra 100$ is wasted.

The only reasonable combination is a crossfire edition, with an XT in tandem. This, by the way, is the same exact setup I'm building.
BTW, don't forget the Oblivion crossfire patch available on ATI's website. It makes a big difference in the games performance and IQ.

Kha, not to hijak your thread but this info could be helpful for you:

VERTIGGO, you may want to step-up to the PC Power & Cooling 850SSI (or the 1K, but the 1K is really overkill). ATI recommends 38As' on the 12V rail for an X1900-Series Crossfire setup. The 510-Series all have 34As' on the (single) 12V rail, so the 510-Series output is may be a bit low for reliable operation.

PC P & C rates the 850SSI at 54A on the 12V Rails (16A for CPU1, 16A for CPU2, and 30A for Graphics). Yeah, I know 16+16+30=62, but those are PC P & C's numbers). PC P & C rates the 1K at 66A on the 12V Rails (16A for CPU1, 16A for CPU2, and 36A for Graphics). Again, yeah I know, 16+16+36=68, but those are PC P & C's numbers.

Link to PC Power & Cooling 510 SLI:

http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/viewproduct.php?show=T51SLI

and 850SSI:

http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/viewproduct.php?show=T85SSI

and 1K:

http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/viewproduct.php?show=TC1KW

Nice case choice BTW. If I ever go Crossfire I'll have to go V1200 to, since the 850SSI and 1K are too long (about 3" longer than the 510-Series) to accomodate a V1000 without modification. They are a perfect fit in a V1200 though.

 

[PSUPef2k]

Seeing as there are some A8R32-MVP users in here, I wanted to get your impression of the board. I know of some bugs and the board is still fairly new, but I was considering this board, but leaning toward the A8N32-SLI due to it's great reputation. My planned build is as follows:

A8N32-SLI
Opteron 170
G Skill Extreme 2GB DDR 500 memory
Sapphire X1900XTX
X-Fi Extreme Music
74GB WD Raptor
300GB Seagate SATA II
NEC 3550A DVD Burner
Gigabyte 3D Aurora Case
OCZ PowerStream 520W PSU
Klipsch Pro Media 5.1 Ultra Speakers

Now, I know it may be stupid to put a crossfire card on an SLI mobo, but the X1900XTX is better than the 7900 GTX apparently, which is why I want to go with that card. I have also seen great things with the A8N32-SLI motherboard and am very impressed with it, and heard dreadful things about the A8R32-MVP. Do you have any input with your experience? Am I making the right call?

 

[Aries64]

Originally posted by: PSUPef2k
Seeing as there are some A8R32-MVP users in here, I wanted to get your impression of the board. I know of some bugs and the board is still fairly new, but I was considering this board, but leaning toward the A8N32-SLI due to it's great reputation. My planned build is as follows:

A8N32-SLI
Opteron 170
G Skill Extreme 2GB DDR 500 memory
Sapphire X1900XTX
X-Fi Extreme Music
74GB WD Raptor
300GB Seagate SATA II
NEC 3550A DVD Burner
Gigabyte 3D Aurora Case
OCZ PowerStream 520W PSU
Klipsch Pro Media 5.1 Ultra Speakers

Now, I know it may be stupid to put a crossfire card on an SLI mobo, but the X1900XTX is better than the 7900 GTX apparently, which is why I want to go with that card. I have also seen great things with the A8N32-SLI motherboard and am very impressed with it, and heard dreadful things about the A8R32-MVP. Do you have any input with your experience? Am I making the right call?

I wouldn't call it stupid to use an X1900 card on an Nvidia-chipset board, unless you plan on running Crossfire. In that case I'm sure you know that you should go R580-based then.

From what I've read the A8N32-SLI is a rockin' board - lots of BIOS tweaks, very high build quality including 8-phase power, which makes for a stable system while overclocking. By your CPU and memory choice I figure you plan to overclock, so the A8N-SLI (Deluxe?) would seem to be a fine mobo choice. It has a mature chipset and drivers have also matured to a point where you have good support there too.

The only caveat for using the A8N32-SLI would be that there are numerous threads on the net' about the NB heatpipe not working too well when the board in mounted in a case that uses an inverted-motherboard layout. I don't know if this is true but it is something to consider. A call to ASUS Tech Support or Pre-sales (Pre-sales will probably refer you to the Tech Department anyway) to ask about this would seem to be a prudent thing to do if you plan on using something like the Lian Li V-Series (which use an inverted mobo layout).

 

[Witchfire]

I'm currently running the A8R32-MVP with a Opty 165 and an X1900XT reflashed to an XTX. I have had ZERO problems with this setup. It has overclocked quite well, and has been totally stable.

For my money, the ASUS is woth the extra few bucks for a few good reasons. They have great support, in my experiences with them. The ASUS utilitiesadd useful functions, like multiple ways to flash the BIOS, easy recovery from a bad flash, should it happen, and for as many times as I try to futz with the overclocking, I've NEVER had to touch the CMOS reset. Just good design. I can't recommend this board enough.

For the X1800/X1900 series video cards, you MUST have a Crossfire Edition (Master) Card to enable Crossfire.

The X1600's will allow Crossfire using two of the same card, not needing a Crossfire Edition type card or a dongle to connect the two cards.

As far as using an ATI video card on an nVidia chipset motherboard, I had no problems running my X1900XT on an eVGA nF41 SLi motherboard. If you only ever plan on running a single card video solution, you can pretty much go with any combination you want, nVidia GPU/ATI chipset, ATI GPU/nVidia chipset, ULI chipset, VIA chipset, whatever you want. The only time it really matters is if you plan to use a dual card video solution sometime in the future.

 

[PSUPef2k]

Originally posted by: Witchfire
I'm currently running the A8R32-MVP with a Opty 165 and an X1900XT reflashed to an XTX. I have had ZERO problems with this setup. It has overclocked quite well, and has been totally stable.

For my money, the ASUS is woth the extra few bucks for a few good reasons. They have great support, in my experiences with them. The ASUS utilitiesadd useful functions, like multiple ways to flash the BIOS, easy recovery from a bad flash, should it happen, and for as many times as I try to futz with the overclocking, I've NEVER had to touch the CMOS reset. Just good design. I can't recommend this board enough.

For the X1800/X1900 series video cards, you MUST have a Crossfire Edition (Master) Card to enable Crossfire.

The X1600's will allow Crossfire using two of the same card, not needing a Crossfire Edition type card or a dongle to connect the two cards.

As far as using an ATI video card on an nVidia chipset motherboard, I had no problems running my X1900XT on an eVGA nF41 SLi motherboard. If you only ever plan on running a single card video solution, you can pretty much go with any combination you want, nVidia GPU/ATI chipset, ATI GPU/nVidia chipset, ULI chipset, VIA chipset, whatever you want. The only time it really matters is if you plan to use a dual card video solution sometime in the future.

what memory do you have running on the board? I ordered the A8R32, opteron 170, g skill 2x1GB extreme DDR 500 memory, and x1900xtx last night. I will definitely be back here to get advice on OCing this thing, so I am glad to see people with similar setups.

 

[Witchfire]

I have 2 gigs of G.SKILL Extreme PC3200 running 236MHz w/ 2.5-3-3-8-1T timings. We have very similiar setups. My Opty 165 runs 2.6GHz idling around 32°C-34°C and mid to low 40°'s under load. Depending on the stepping you get, I wouldn't be surprised to see >2.8GHz from your setup on good air. The ASUS board is extremely easy to overclock, and if you flub it, it'll just reboot itself, saying 'failed overclock attempt' and prompt you to go into the BIOS & adjust it to better parameters. Best of luck. If you need any help, PM me & I'll be glad to help with what I can.

 

[PSUPef2k]

Originally posted by: Witchfire
I have 2 gigs of G.SKILL Extreme PC3200 running 236MHz w/ 2.5-3-3-8-1T timings. We have very similiar setups. My Opty 165 runs 2.6GHz idling around 32°C-34°C and mid to low 40°'s under load. Depending on the stepping you get, I wouldn't be surprised to see >2.8GHz from your setup on good air. The ASUS board is extremely easy to overclock, and if you flub it, it'll just reboot itself, saying 'failed overclock attempt' and prompt you to go into the BIOS & adjust it to better parameters. Best of luck. If you need any help, PM me & I'll be glad to help with what I can.

Thanks, I appreciate it. My settings will undoubtedly be different, as I am going to have an opty 170 and PC 4000 G.SKILL, but I will definitely keep you in mind.

 

[Elementalist]

"For the X1800/X1900 series video cards, you MUST have a Crossfire Edition (Master) Card to enable Crossfire.

The X1600's will allow Crossfire using two of the same card, not needing a Crossfire Edition type card or a dongle to connect the two cards. "

Managed to post - sorry for emailing you directly earlier!

Boy this is confusing me. I have the A8R32-MVP Deluxe and a master-slave matched pair of 1800s. I have everything working, though imho it didn't seem faster than one card, and then it started giving "you already have a 3d app running" error on Windows starting and "Enable Crossfire" is now greyed out. I had managed to 'fix' this by rebooting or re-installing CCC, but that doesn't seem to work this time.

I need to know how this setup is really supposed to work. I've seen lots of different and conflicting advice. With dongle? Without? What?

I'm being vague, aren't I? Sorry - it's hard to specifiy what I want to know, though, because pretty much everything seems to have varying advice from all over - I guess I would just like people who are using the same hardware as me to tell me how they have it working?

Thanks anyway to anyone that can be bothered to respond to my manic waffle!