Mix and Match GPU's??

[w1llyg]

Hi,

Basically i have a VTX 5870 graphics card that i brought from OCUK.
Now they dont stock them, and i want to be prepared for some bargains when the 6*** series comes out.

Can i use a different brands of graphics cards together?(VTX and XFX together)
Do they have to be the same clock speed?(850 & 875)
Could i literally mix and match the cards? (5870 with the 5850 or even one of the 6***)

 

[Orcvader]

If not in crossfire, you can mix and match any card.
In crossfire, you can mix brands; VTX with XFX will be fine. For the 5870, you can crossfire them with a 5850, 5830 or a 5970, but not with the 6000 series. They don't have to be the same clock speed.

 

[w1llyg]

Thanks

But i have come up with another question.

Whats the advantage of crossfire instead of 2 cards not connected

 

[Jay85]

Whats the performance like with crossfiring a 5870 and 5850?

 

[Jay85]

Ah i just read a review and a few benchmarks and it seems the faster card gets brought down to the slower card if you crossfire different cards i.e. 5870 + 5850. It's basically having 5850's in crossfire instead.

The difference is due to the additional overhead of having unbalanced cards.

 

[Orcvader]

In non-crossfire, games will only use the primary card, meaning the other card will sit there idle. In crossfire, the two cards will work together, meaning an increase in performance.
From reviews I've seen, a 5870+5850 crossfire performs in between a 5870+5870 and a 5850+5850.

 

[Jay85]

So from your point of view, is it worth doing? Or better to get the same card different brand? Finding another HIS referrence model right now is like trying to find a needle in a hay stack!

 

[Orcvader]

Personally, I'll say get the same card if you can afford. Or just overclock the slower card to the faster card's speeds if you want to save a bit of money.

 

[MoRT489]

any make is fine (i have an asus and sapphire 5870 in crossfire) but really whether you need it or not depends on your resolution and the games that you play. I think over the next month the second hand market on 5870s is going to be around £200-210 so there will be bargains to be had.

I run my 5870s on an HX620 so your 650W will be fine.

 

[Jay85]

any make is fine (i have an asus and sapphire 5870 in crossfire) but really whether you need it or not depends on your resolution and the games that you play. I think over the next month the second hand market on 5870s is going to be around £200-210 so there will be bargains to be had.

I run my 5870s on an HX620 so your 650W will be fine.

Thanks for the reply, i usually game on 1900+ res with max detail if i can.. bit of an eye candy addict. Also glad to know that i wont have to change psu's either .