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Crossfire HD7870XT or ??

Jony27

Jony27

Jony27

Soldato
Joined
15 Aug 2010
Posts
8,890
Location
N. Ireland
Hi all, I am currently trying to sell my XBOX to fund a HD7870XT but after some thinking, I am having second thoughts.
I just ordered myself a new motherboard which supports 8x8x for crossfire but now I think that maybe selling my current 7870XT and getting a single card would be the best option?

What do you guys think?
Cancel the motherboard order, sell my current GPU and get a single card
or
Get the new motherboard and a second HD7870XT(2nd hand)?

The second option should only cost me max £20 on top after selling my old mobo/xbox.
 
Really considering option A now but keeping the new motherboard for future upgrades.
Thinking along the lines of a HD7970.
Is it worth it?
 
The 7870 XT is a fine GPU, I have one myself.

The 7950 is about 15 to 20% faster clock for clock

And the 7970 is about 5% faster than the 7950 clock for clock.

Unless your running a large 26" 1440P monitor or higher res multi screen its not worth CF as a 7870 and up can handle anything 1920 x 1080P can throw at it, a 7950 is the perfect balance for cost to 1080P or even 1440P but not massively better than your 7870 XT which is literally about 20 times more powerful than your xBox 360 :p welcome to the big boys :D

A 7970 is not worth the premium over the 7950.
 
Been an xbox gamer for a few years but sadly it has to go now :(
I just have that upgrade itch, having the money after the Xbox sells :o
Currently have the GPU sitting at 1150/1550
So you reckon there is not much point getting a second 7870XT for crossfire?
I played Tomb Raider at ultimate settings and it dropped as low as 20fps.
I am merely preparing myself for current/upcoming games I would like to play.

Also, one thing I have noticed the most ever since getting a new case and cooler is the noise of the GPU :eek:
I have tried many different profiles but once its on full load, its really noticeable.
 
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Jony27 said:
Been an xbox gamer for a few years but sadly it has to go now :(
I just have that upgrade itch, having the money after the Xbox sells :o
Currently have the GPU sitting at 1150/1550
So you reckon there is not much point getting a second 7870XT for crossfire?
I played Tomb Raider at ultimate settings and it dropped as low as 20fps.
I am merely preparing myself for current/upcoming games I would like to play.
Click to expand...


I think I remember you from my Vally thread, yes I do, you beat me, how could I forget.

I think you already know just how capable the 7870 XT is, but we are all enthusiasts here, and AMD have some nice CF drivers coming in the next few weeks.

so if you have money and are itching to spend it, then you had might as well enjoy your passion.

But a word of warning, the Powercolor XT don't have the best coolers on them, as you no doubt know, so two of them in your case will generate a lot of heat, both together your not going to be able to overclock them much.

Failing that, just upgrade to a 7950, or even a 7970 if it takes your fancy.

Edit, the noise, yes, its the cooler on the Powercolor ones, the more expensive ones have the better quieter coolers on them. you want silence.

have a look at this HIS HD 7950 IceQ BOOST 3072MB
 
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Yes, yes that would be me :D
Yeah, no doubt the Tahiti LEs are very capable card running all my games at near max settings.
The 7970s do take my fancy but I know that CF 7870XTs would be better performance wise but at what cost?
And if I was to go down the CF route, I would want to get new coolers for each card which would add more to the cost.
 
Probably the cheapest and wisest for me is to just get an after market cooler for the card which lead me to another question. Do they really work?
 
I remember you sending me that link but all I cared about back then was whether the cooler fits or not :p
Thanks again mate :)
 
Seems like Im going to stick with a single HD7870XT with an after market cooler and save the cash for now.
Maybe some better case fans as the Fractals that came with the case dont move as much air as Id like them to. :o
 
Jony27 said:
Seems like Im going to stick with a single HD7870XT with an after market cooler and save the cash for now.
Maybe some better case fans as the Fractals that came with the case dont move as much air as Id like them to. :o
Click to expand...

Can you post a pic of the inside of your case?
 
eaidjn.jpg

Ordered a new mobo Z68X-UD3P in preparation for any dual GPU plans as I do not see myself upgrading mobo/cpu for another couple of years.
 
Jony27 said:
Ordered a new mobo Z68X-UD3P in preparation for any dual GPU plans as I do not see myself upgrading mobo/cpu for another couple of years.
Click to expand...

The case and its airflow looks good, could do with a 200mm fan at the front but it does not look like it would fit.

In anycase I can't see anything wrong with that.

If you do get an after market cooler for the GPU, a good way to go would be to get one with Memory IC Coolers.

the inside of my Case (before I changed the GPU)
 
Yeah, same here, currently idling at 35C with 30% fan speed, goes upto 45C when watching youtube and reaches low 70s when gaming @mid 60s fan speed.

@humbug, no mate, 200mm wont fit, either 2x120mm or 2x140mm
 
Mid 60s? Ouch, 40% was too loud for me. Took the fan/shroud off and rigged an old 120mm fan to cool it, load is about 75 now and much quieter but not quiet enough.
 
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