Dual gpu and legacy programs

Dorkenstein

Diamond Member
Jul 23, 2004
3,554
0
0
Just wondering, will I have trouble with a dual gpu video card and older games like the infinity engine series (Icewind Dale etc.) and especially older games from Good Old Games that definitely don't support crossfire? I haven't installed any yet, but I do have a decent collection of older games and I want to make sure there's an acceptable solution before seeking a different video setup. Thanks!
 

Dorkenstein

Diamond Member
Jul 23, 2004
3,554
0
0
Hmm. I wonder if this is the micro-stuttering I've heard about. In Jade Empire, while running around in the field I get these hiccups where it seems like my character stops running in mid stride and then resumes. It happens very quickly, but it feels different while watching the screen.
 

GotNoRice

Senior member
Aug 14, 2000
329
5
81
There is very good crossfire support for games going back even 5-6 years. Even older games will run fine, as for games that old, even running on a single GPU would be overkill.

Microstutter is a very subtle phenomenon. It's definitely not a case where you notice each individual stutter. Generally in it's most severe form it will simply look like you are running at less FPS than you are, where you would lack that smoothness you usually feel at 60+ FPS and it would feel more like 30-40fps. But in the vast majority of games it never even gets that bad and the whole issue tends to be overblown.
 

blanketyblank

Golden Member
Jan 23, 2007
1,149
0
0
I think there was a tool someone posted that could force crossfire for new or old games without profiles. Performance wise not great, but better than nothing.

Of course I doubt you'd need the speed for older games, and in fact you may need to even slow down your system depending how the game was programmed.

btw what you described sounds more like framebuffering to me. It used to happen with my 4850 512 in Dragon Age except it was a bit slower. Although Jade Empire is old maybe it was programmed poorly. I doubt you'd be able to notice microstutter with the over 100+ fps you'd be getting in a game like that normally.