R9 280x Crossfire or Single 780/290x

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ConorC

ConorC

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Nov 6, 2013
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Hi everyone,
I have a Asus R9 280x Matrix graphics card and I want to upgrade. Should I get another one for crossfire or sell it and buy a High end graphics card, like the GTX 780 or R9 290x? I've specifically been looking at a 780 Lightning from MSI as it matches my MPower motherboard. My PSU is a Be Quiet! Pure Power L8 630W, so I'd probably have to upgrade, right? My monitor is 1080p and 60Hz (will be upgrading to either a 144Hz or higher res monitor in may). Would two 280x's be too loud or hot?
 
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jeremyp79
Power supply would most likely be ok without going with sli or cf. CF has some scaling issues, so your best option would probably be a single 780 or 290x.
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Rohit Jackdaw

Rohit Jackdaw

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Feb 3, 2014
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I always prefer a high end single card to get the most out of money and keep temps reduced. If two cards are added then they won't run in full potential as one single card does. Get a single card. But also consider that a 280X which u have is not at all bad for 1080p gaming.
 
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maurelie

maurelie

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Oct 26, 2013
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I would definitely stick to one GPU, dual GPU's can cause you some problems like microstutternig, will draw more power and will generate more heat. If you can sell the R9 280X, get the GTX780 or R9 290. Also i would change the PSU to brands like : Corsair (avoid CX units), XFX, Seasonic or Antec
 
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jeremyp79

jeremyp79

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Jan 9, 2012
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The be quiet power supplies have actually reviewed quite well, though I have not seen a review for this particular model.
 
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s4in7

s4in7

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Feb 14, 2014
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280X Crossfire is vastly more powerful than a 780 or 290X--hell my Crossfire 270Xs are more powerful than those cards--and should be more than enough to max everything out at 1080p60 for years to come.

However, a single 780 or 290X is more than enough to max out games at 1080p60 so the extra performance of Crossfire 280Xs is kinda negligible. Going with the single route, you'll have the option way down the road to add another card.

So, 280X Crossfire is better than either of those cards, but either of those cards is enough to max out 1080p60 so it really just depends on how much money you want to spend.
 
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jeremyp79

jeremyp79

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Perfomance wish, the 280x cf would be superior to any single card, but going that route, you would have to buy a new power supply as well. AMD has had quite a few problems with cf drivers and microstuttering as well. Going with the most powerful single card you can get will be your best option. Plus, you can probably get a 780ti for about the same price as 2 280x's, of course that depends on what you can sell the one you have now for. The asus version you have now should sell pretty well though, I would imagine.
 
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P

pfunkmd

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Apr 11, 2012
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This is my third crossfire setup and in my opinion crossfire performs very well with the new drivers. Even with my older crossfire setup I never really had a lot of micro shudder problems. The big problem with the older cards was the heat but I fixed that with a better case. My new cards don't really get hot at all maybe like 70 max
 
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s4in7

s4in7

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Yeah, people saying there are micro-stuttering issues with Crossfire are just repeating old information and don't actually run a newer Crossfire setup--I have zero micro-stuttering issues on my Crossfire 270X setup.

They'll also say that frame times are higher for Crossfire which is true, but the difference is negligible because you'll never even notice (we're talking hundredths of a second higher frame time, not noticeable to the naked eye at all).

Crossfire/SLI remains the best high-performance, low-cost graphics solution and every single AAA game has support for them (eventually, usually at launch but sometimes afterwards... cough Titanfall cough)
 
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jeremyp79

jeremyp79

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I was running 7850's in cf until december, and had a lot of issues with microstuttering, along with other issues. In some instances, it is the best way and most cost effective way to go. But the price of a new card + power supply would be higher than selling the single card, using existing PSU, and getting a gtx 780ti.
 
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