To Crossfire 6870s Or Not?

[Xonim]

Hi guys! Long time lurker here, looking for some advice. I'm in the middle of a half-system upgrade right now. Here's my CURRENT setup:

CPU: i7 920 @ stock 2.67GHz using stock cooling & AS5
Mobo: eVGA X58 SLI
GPU: eVGA GeForce GTX260 Core 216
RAM: Corsair XMS Triple Channel 6GB (forget specific, not ready to tear apart my case just yet...)
PSU: Corsair 750TX
Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 940BW 19-inch @ 1440x900
Case: Termaltake V9
Several HDD's, OS drive = 500GB Seagate 7200rpm

So far in this upgrade, I've purchased:
Case: CM 690 II Advanced
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212+
Monitor: Asus VW246H 24" LCD @ 1920x1080
Video Card: XFX HD-687A-ZDFC Radeon 6870

My plan is to recase the entire thing (HATE my current case), drop on a new cooler, then try my hand at overclocking. I have the C0 stepping, so I know I won't see the 4+ GHz the D0's are known for, but I'm hoping to get at least 3.4 GHz. I'm new at it, so I dunno. I'm hoping to squeeze another 2 years of decent gaming performance out of the cpu/mobo/ram.

My question is...would it be worthwhile at the 1920x1080 resolution to purchase a second 6870 to put into crossfire? My current games are BFBC2 and Crysis 2. Games coming out later this year I will be playing are BF3 (isn't everybody?), Deus Ex: Human Revolution, SW:TOR, Rage, and Skyrim.

I don't have the new card / haven't overclocked yet, so I'm not sure what type of performance I'll be sitting at with just that. I'm one of those people that likes to get take it all in one shot if I'm going to be wanting to do it very soon anyway. Newegg's price on another 6870 after MIR is $170, which is pretty decent, rebate expires 7/31. I'd prefer to stick to XFX.

Is it worth the price, or should I just stick with one for now? Thanks!

 

[cusideabelincoln]

You should see a nice boost, but you should first see how you like a single 6870 before thinking about adding a second one.

 

[Xonim]

Yeah, that's kind of what my wallet was thinking anyway. I figured I'd ask someone that has more experience than I do (as I have none...) with Crossfire. I guess I'll wait on it. Thanks!

 

[Smartazz]

I currently run a 6870 at 1080p and I've been very happy with the results. Won't quite max everything out though. The other card you should consider is the 6950.

 

[Spikesoldier]

before you even think about adding the second card, you need crank your 920 to like 3.4 - 3.8 considering it a C0.

once thats done, your OC'ed 920 and two 6870's should max almost, if-not everything @ 1080p.

6870 is a good card, but not the ideal choice for 1080p in amd's lineup, thats the 6950. since you already bought one, i see no qualms in doubling up as long as it is affordable to you.

adding the second card is a near linear (100%) increase in performance with the way the 6xxx series scales.

if i wasnt holding out for 28nm cards, i would have sprang for either two 6870's or two 6950 2gb's.

 

[apoppin]

i wouldn't get that cooler if you want a good OC on your CPU
-Hyper N212+ has a rough surface and it is really a budget solution

And i really like HD 6870 CF; it is good performance bang for buck - try one first and then add one if you need more performance

 

[timma]

6870 OC not at good price.
it's good time to get it.:sneaky:

 

[Xonim]

@ Smartazz/Spikesoldier: I was actually looking at the 6950s and decided to go with the 6870s simply because the price was right. I'm kind of a brand loyalist when it comes to video cards (XFX/AMD or eVGA/Nvidia) due to previous experiences with customer support. Because of that, it looks like it'd be about a $55 difference per card after MIRS, and from the reviews I saw of the cards in CF, it didn't look like enough of a performance bump for $110. I could be wrong though.

@ Apoppin: Is there a better budget solution? I'm not looking to get any crazy overclocks, but rather just bump it up a little so it can keep up with newer games coming out. I don't know much about coolers as I've always used just the stock hs/fan, and the only reason I chose the 212+ was because of the price and Newegg reviews. I'm open to suggestions =)

 

[apoppin]

@ Apoppin: Is there a better budget solution? I'm not looking to get any crazy overclocks, but rather just bump it up a little so it can keep up with newer games coming out. I don't know much about coolers as I've always used just the stock hs/fan, and the only reason I chose the 212+ was because of the price and Newegg reviews. I'm open to suggestions =)

If you are talking a few hundred MHz, then the stock cooler is OK to about 3.2GHz (just watch your temps!)
- The issue with the Hyper N212+ is its rough base - you need a lot of thermal compound and it will scratch your CPU. It cools OK for a really budget solution.

CrossFire will roughly double your performance. If one is insufficient for your games, adding a second one is usually cost effective. And pricing is likely to go down - not up - over time. So you can always add one later on. You do not need to "match" brands.

 

[Smartazz]

Yeah, the performance difference could be hard to justify for an extra $110. I agree with apoppin that you should see how you like one, then add the second if you want more performance.

 

[Spikesoldier]

on the cooler: im going to back apoppin here and say that the 212+ is a subpar cooler considering what you have.

you have a 920 C0 which both that CPU and stepping in particular are known to be HOT when you up the clock and voltage. you already know that youre going to need more voltage to get the clocks you want compared to the D0, so i would recommend a beefier heatsink.



with the gpus: you're like me and hit sweet spots when buying vga cards. as long as you aren't afraid or incapable of adding a second card, you will be able to hit many more price/performance sweet spots.

the linear scaling on the second card is just icing on the cake.

 

[Xonim]

Well, the 212+ was ordered a few days ago already, so it's beyond the point of cancelling it. Rather than having to pay to ship it back, I'll probably give it a try and see what it can do. If it produces an epic fail, I guess I'm out $30. At that point I'd probably try a Megahalem, as that seems to be the other recommended cooler for the i7's.

Going to hold off on the 2nd video card til I see how it performs with the releases later this year. Thanks for the input!

 

[apoppin]

Well, the 212+ was ordered a few days ago already, so it's beyond the point of cancelling it. Rather than having to pay to ship it back, I'll probably give it a try and see what it can do. If it produces an epic fail, I guess I'm out $30. At that point I'd probably try a Megahalem, as that seems to be the other recommended cooler for the i7's.

Going to hold off on the 2nd video card til I see how it performs with the releases later this year. Thanks for the input!

It isn't a bad cooler. You will get 3.4-3.6GHz with it with no problem; the issue is that you can get 3.2-3.3GHz with the stock cooler.

Good luck with and enjoy your new build!

 

[Xonim]

Well, after a few hours messing around with it, I've determined that the Hyper 212+ is shorting something out. Swapped it out for the stock cooler, and the thing fired right up. I'm probably going to leave it as is. Idle temps are looking good (CPU @ 31C, cores at low-mid 40s, ambient is 26C).

Have the one 6870 hooked up, and after the amount of time it took me to get everything into the new case, hooked up, and working properly, I'm not in much of a hurry to tear into this case again. It'll have to be a really...really...really good deal. Or if BF3 doesn't play decently on a single 6870. Either or =P