CF 6870 vs 1x fast GPU?

[Secret_Window]

Thinking of going crossfire with my ATI 6870 so I can max out my games a bit more and I am moving away from playing games in 1680x1050 resolution very soon anyway. However I am not sure whether to sell my 6870 and pay the difference to move to a faster single graphics card. Obviously in either upgrade decision I will need to upgrade my PSU, but I am really trying to figure out if CF is really worth it and whether a lot of its issues have been resolved or not.

What prompted all this is simply the brilliant prices on things at the moment.

 

[.Max.]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/301?vs=305

It's worth it, Crossfiring your cards will make them more powerful than a 580, and with a lower power consumption and lower temps

 

[Secret_Window]

But the question still remains on whether crossfire issues have been sorted in games.

 

[.Max.]

But the question still remains on whether crossfire issues have been sorted in games.

Ahh, I guess it's only got better but I think a few games do not fully support it

 

[Secret_Window]

I was thinking of dumping the ATI 6870 (well, selling) and paying the price difference for a ATI 6950 2GB (unlock to 6970) or Nvidia 480. There's just something off-putting about crossfire that I keep finding stuff about... and also the heat produced from 2 cards in my case is a concern after having lovely temps so far with just one.

 

[MoodyB]

If you really want / need the extra fps & aa levels that crossfire can provide, then go for it.

If you don't, go for the quickest single gpu you can afford. Less hassle imho.

 

[Final8y]

But the question still remains on whether crossfire issues have been sorted in games.

Far to ambiguous question to be of any value when the understanding of the fundamental continued evolution of game software techniques & hardware have never been fully in sync seeing as adaptation/compatibility is always needed & one has to exist before the other so delays of fully functioning at times between hardware & game software is inevitable as neither stay still & there is no such thing as coding drivers before you get your hands on the game software.

Seeing as this fact has been known for years the question is not about not having issues because there is no such thing with PCs & software development but can the users accept & live with the facts.

 

[Chris]

Hi

I had a pair of 6870's in crossfire then moved to a GTX 580.

The reason I did this was because the ATI drivers at the time were a nightmare with some games. BFBC2 which is one of my favourite games had horrible stuttering and freezing issues which never got resolved. The advantage of PhysX is also a plus as Dirt 2 & Batman Arkam Asylum which are also some of my favourite games has never looked so good.

A single graphics card is also quieter and cooler than 2 cards.

On the other side 2 x 6870's were very quick for some of the other games I play and if you enjoy benching they will also be better.

After having both types of cards I stand by my decision going to the GTX 580.

Thanks

Chris

 

[Stormar]

I run crossfire and it is a pain to get the right ati drivers to work with crossfire i will be going for a single gpu on my next upgrade,i,m on 2x5850's the 600 series might be better as the latest ati drivers support them but for me anything other then 10.4's or 10.10 cause me problems in crossfire mode.

 

[Mak3R]

I've been running CF 5770s for almost a year now and had zero problems, with various driver releases.

 

[Final8y]

I run crossfire and it is a pain to get the right ati drivers to work with crossfire i will be going for a single gpu on my next upgrade,i,m on 2x5850's the 600 series might be better as the latest ati drivers support them but for me anything other then 10.4's or 10.10 cause me problems in crossfire mode.

Very uncommon to only be able to use 2 drivers, seems like an OS install issue & maybe some driver or registry cleaner has been used at some point.

 

[Secret_Window]

I think I might just stick with what I have for now. I have a feeling that it won't be long before we start to see the 6850 and 6870 prices fall even nearer to the current 5830/5850 prices and then I'll just grab another 6870.

The card I was looking at going to (for a single GPU to replace my 6870) was the Nvidia 480 GTX, but the heat and noise put me off. Second choice was the ATI 6950 2GB (unlocked to 6970) but ultimately felt all of this was more hassle than it was worth.