Crossfire / SLI - How Picky?

[deadfolk]

I'm saving up for a 5870 (or possibly whatever comes from NV by the time I have the cash), but if, say, a year down the line I can afford another card for crossfre/SLI, how similar do the two cards have to be?

Will, for example, any two 5870s work together, or do they have to be the same manufacturer, model, etc.?

 

[reflux]

ATi CrossFire will run any two cards of the same series together - so you could run a 5870 with a 5750 for example. Performance gains would be questionable though.

 

[twist3d0n3]

generally you can use any 5870 for example, but it would probably be best to stick to the same manufacturer to be on the safe side. i've always used sapphire, it's doubtful there is any difference between manufacturers if its the standard 5870. when you get the other models (vaporX etc) you want to keep them the same, as they're geared for higher clocks.

in my experience, i've clocked the cards to the same core/mem frequencies to eliminate any possible issues arrising.

 

[deadfolk]

Cool - I'll just try to stick to a manufacturer who's likely to still be making them a year down the line.

Thanks.