Crossfire

[Elusive]

I've been pondering over what graphics card(s) to put in my new gaming pc.
I'm torn between a GTX580 or two 6870's in CF.
The last time I built a gaming PC (about 4 years ago) I was put off by the lack of drivers/support for crossfire, and the problems it caused back then.
I was wondering if that's all changed?
By the looks of the benchmarks, the two 6870's beats the GTX580 by a long way and for almost 2/3 the price.

If anyone could talk me over their experiences with crossfire (installation, support/drivers and performance) it would be a massive help.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Elusive]

Thanks for your reply.
So you say the drivers are good now? No problems with games not being supported?

Another thing I'm wondering is, do I need a specially chosen mobo with respect to the space between PCIe slots?
I've seen picture of review rigs where the two cards are basically touching ie. this guru3d review which looks dodgy to me?

Thanks.

 

[Elusive]

Another great answer.
I'm being more and more tempted by the idea of two 6870's now
I'll have a look to see what I can find and I'll be sure to ask what you think

Thanks again.

 

[Elusive]

PSU and Mobo

I've been doing some research into the mobo and PSU options for setting up the 6870's in crossfire.
Firstly, I've been looking at the Asus P8Z68-V mobo as it has a good gap between the PCIe slots which run at x8/x8:
here it is on overclockers.
I got an idea of the space from this youtube video: Dual GPU setup. (I know they're GTX280's but they're dual width).

Secondly, the PSU I was looking at is here on overclockers. I've been thinking about this one as it has quad rails for the 4 6pin connectors that the two 6870's will need.

I was hoping you'd be able to give some feedback,
Thanks

 

[Elusive]

From what I've read x16/x16 doesn't give much (if any) advantage over x8/x8, especially for the premium it costs to get a board that supports it.

This article covers what I mean: x16/x16 vs. x8/x8.