Radeon 3870 X2 Catalyst XFire Confusion

[Deville]

Hi guys! This is my First thread! This place is very informative.

Ever since I got into PC gaming I've always been an nVidia Fanboy, but I installed my first ATI graphics card yesterday... The Radeon 3870 X2.

I'm accustomed to the nVidia control panel, so this is taking some getting used to.

Question: Does this card use a form of Xfire to allow the use of both GPU's, or is it seen by the driver as a single card solution? And how and where do you enable or disable Xfire to reduce power consumption when not gaming?

Thanks in advance,
Scott

 

[aussiestilgar]

From what I've read I believe the 3870X2 handles everything internally and you don't need to manage Xfire at all.

 

[nitromullet]

Aussie is correct. The X2 doesn't require Crossfire management by the enduser. I believe the only thing necessary to ensure that both gpus are working is to make sure that Catalyst AI is enabled. Also, if you look in the ATI Overdrive tab of your Catalyst Control Center you will see that the card is automatically throttled to much lower clocks when in 2D mode. It will only clock up to the "Requested Clock Settings" when you run a 3D app.

 

[Deville]

Very cool! Glad we have knowledgeable folks here who are so willing to help. That answers a lot for me. Thanks, you guys!