290 & 290X CF?

[altrewin]

So I've just seen the that love 290X DCUII on offer and I'm wondering. Is it worth it getting it to CF with my current 290P DCUII? I'd of course need to upgrade my PSU, thinking of either an EVGA 850W G2 or 1000W G2.

Primary games would be GTA5 at the moment, probably Witcher 3 in the near future after I've finished Witcher 2.

So there are a few concerns I have:
1) Does the performance benefit of CF outweigh the downsides of heat & power consumption? (My room already gets quite toasty with 1 290 after a few hours of GTA5 in the evening).
2) I'm assuming a 290P and 290X will play nice in CF?
3) 850W or 1000W?
4) There's a little quirk in our house where if someone uses an appliance that needs a lot of power while the dishwasher is on (e.g. toaster/kettle/microwave), it'll often trip the circuit, which also seems to mean everything upstairs loses power too. As a 290(X)'s in CF can draw quite a bit of power, do you think it would be enough to cause problems?

E - Might also get a 140mm fan to for the side panel to keep temps down, any recommendations?

 

[daresso]

"Location: Weston-Super-Mare"
Talk to Stulid

 

[slick rick]

I would spend the money on a sparky first to see what the deal with your electrics is!

 

[Uncle Petey]

^ That

1) Usually, yes. However, with two non ref blowers, you'll find that they'll put out a fair bit. Luckily, your mobo has good spacing, so that should help along with a side exhaust (or intake - try both ways and see how it goes)
2) Yep
3) You'll be fine with a decent 850w, though I'd recommend 1000w for a bit more headroom if you want it.
4) Dunno

Fan wise, Alpenfohn/Corsair/Scythe/Phanteks etc. Take your pick

 

[Bonjour]

What resolution are you playing at?

 

[altrewin]

Sticking with 1080p for now, but thinking of moving to 3440x1440 when the prices come down a bit. Currently my single 290 can't max GTA5, would be nice to have it all maxed with maybe 4x MSAA. Also have a feeling Witcher 3 will be demanding. I suppose another option is wait for the 390X and see if it's better to go for that instead of 290 CF. I also expect prices (at least 2nd hand) would drop a bit more at release.

 

[Bonjour]

At 1080p you're probably CPU bound in GTA V, unless you're using a fair amount of MSAA.

In GRA V, I see no improvement with Crossfire at 1440p unless I enable 3k(vsr) and add 2x MSAA on top.

 

[nashathedog]

I'd wait for the 390x, If you don't you'll more than likely have crossfire problems to look forward too in the future. It's really close to the new card now and your 290's fine for keeping 1080p playable so wait.