Are 2 x 4890's *Actually* faster than a GTX 295?

[Soldier786]

Hi,
I've heard a lot of people going on about, no don't go for a GTX 295, go for a 4870x2 or 2 x 4890's (which is apparently faster).
The thing I'm worried about is the noise level and the heat produced from the 2 4890's if I decide to go for them.
I'm not much of a ATI fan because of all the problems I've heard about them... and i hardly hear any from the Nvidia side.
So currently my mind is set on getting the GTX 295

So my question was is 2 x 4890's actually faster in performance in games or is it just faster on paper (If you get what i mean).

Thanks!

 

[jigger]

Depends on what games you play. Some favour crossfire, some SLI, some will only use one GPU regardless.

Two 4890's should beat the 295 if everything was equal.

 

[steve258]

they're about the same, some games go to 295 and some to 4890 cf. there are lots of reviews about on the internet.

price performance wise though it has to be 4870x2 given the prices they're going for atm. for the price of a single GTX295 you can get a 4870x2 and still have enough for a single 4870 1gb for a nice tri-crossfire x setup

 

[Soldier786]

they're about the same, some games go to 295 and some to 4890 cf. there are lots of reviews about on the internet.

price performance wise though it has to be 4870x2 given the prices they're going for atm. for the price of a single GTX295 you can get a 4870x2 and still have enough for a single 4870 1gb for a nice tri-crossfire x setup

Dude, i didnt know you could do that?
What so i can buy a 4870x2 and buy like a 4870 to go along with it in the same system?

 

[Overslop]

You can even get 2 4870x2s for quadfire!

However, 3 and 4 GPU setups don't perform significantly better than dual GPU ones. For now, at least.

 

[MrMoses]

You can even get 2 4870x2s for quadfire!

that setup should will score generously in 3d mark 06.


Personally I would get a Single 285Gtx and pair it with an Extreme Intel processor.

 

[Lightnix]

that setup should will score generously in 3d mark 06.


Personally I would get a Single 285Gtx and pair it with an Extreme Intel processor.

Intel "Extreme" processors are the biggest ripoff known to man (I mean seriously, 4 times the price for an extra 600MHz is not exactly brilliant), and the GTX285's aren't exactly the best bang-for-buck in the world even at 'only' £240 (which I'll not hesitate to remind you is only 10-15% or so faster than the £140 4890, same goes for the £175 GTX275)

 

[AMG]

that setup should will score generously in 3d mark 06.

only a little its prerty damm cpu bound that thier fore inaccurte good brag factor through.


and my understanding is that you need a crossfireX mobo not just a crossfire mobo to do that, I m not so sure through as the X2s are two HD4870 chips back to back on the same PCB, so I m not very sure on this.

someone let me borrow Two HD4870X2s so I can test it on my crossfire rampage formular

 

[steve258]

Dude, i didnt know you could do that?
What so i can buy a 4870x2 and buy like a 4870 to go along with it in the same system?

hmm actually i'm not so sure if you can do it anymore, I'm getting mixed results on google. This guy here had the setup and said it worked wonders but guys over at the extreme systems forum are saying you can't do it:

ATI responded to my ticket:

Unfortunately, you cannot crossfire an HD 4870X2 with an HD 4870.

You must crossfire the HD 4870X2 with another HD 4870X2. For triple crossfire setup, you would need to crossfire 3 HD 4870s

Reviews from techreport doesn't show much performance gain either running 4870x2 with 4870 1gb in crossfire x.

 

[ViRuS2k]

there was a video test done on the tubes showing.

4870x2 + v4870 Tri Fire Vs 2x 4890s, 4890s won the tests...
then there is the overclocking on the 4890s, dont get me started on that one lol

950+ cores anyone 1100-1200 memory

 

[Final8y]

You can even get 2 4870x2s for quadfire!

However, 3 and 4 GPU setups don't perform significantly better than dual GPU ones. For now, at least.

3 GPUS in crossfire are the sweet spot in given noticeable performance jumps.
It was for me anyway.

 

[Overslop]

3 GPUS in crossfire are the sweet spot in given noticeable performance jumps.
It was for me anyway.

Maybe it's different at super-high resolutions, but the reviews I've seen at 1920x1200 show a big jump between one and two GPUs. Then the third one is added and the performance doesn't go up much.

 

[MoRT489]

Hey Overslop and AMG, quick question, (may or may not be relevant to the OP so sorry to jump in), do either of u run dual monitors with ur xfire 4890s? If so, can u game on one screen with xfire enabled and still use the second monitor simultaneously (i.e. msn, web page, movie, etc.)?

 

[arc@css]

Yes, more often than not.

 

[ac1d1ty]

Depends on what games you play. Some favour crossfire, some SLI, some will only use one GPU regardless.

Two 4890's should beat the 295 if everything was equal.

This.


Personally I would prefer the crossfire solution, but im a little biased since I just brought one xD

 

[AMG]

Hey Overslop and AMG, quick question, (may or may not be relevant to the OP so sorry to jump in), do either of u run dual monitors with ur xfire 4890s? If so, can u game on one screen with xfire enabled and still use the second monitor simultaneously (i.e. msn, web page, movie, etc.)?

no my desk is not big enough I only have a samung 24inch red rose.

I think one monitor can be set to show desktop not sure if you can use it through. some games like sup com can be confgiured to show like the stregic veiw (map) while the toher is tactical

 

[Final8y]

Maybe it's different at super-high resolutions, but the reviews I've seen at 1920x1200 show a big jump between one and two GPUs. Then the third one is added and the performance doesn't go up much.

Most likely that is so.
Anyway here are the benchmarks.

Triumph of Asymmetry: 3-Way Multi-GPU Systems Comparison
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/3way-sli-crossfire.html

 

[kylew]

This.


Personally I would prefer the crossfire solution, but im a little biased since I just brought one xD

Brought?

 

[kylew]

Intel "Extreme" processors are the biggest ripoff known to man (I mean seriously, 4 times the price for an extra 600MHz is not exactly brilliant), and the GTX285's aren't exactly the best bang-for-buck in the world even at 'only' £240 (which I'll not hesitate to remind you is only 10-15% or so faster than the £140 4890, same goes for the £175 GTX275)

Look at his sig too.

On-topic:

295 is just too over priced. If you want crossfire, go for 2 4890s because of their added overclocking headroom, if you want a single card, a 4870X2 is great value for money.