More info please - Crossfire 2

[AndyAldrich]

I've had a quick google and searched on ATI/AMD's site for info on XFire2 and can't find specifics. Can anyone please answer me the following? Thanks:

1) XFire2 is going to use an internal connector as opposed to the DVI connector which XFire1 used. Is this the only hardware change to a XFire setup or will it be possible to run XFire without purchasing a XFire motherboard?

2) If I still have to buy a XFire mobo, will I also have the option of buying 2 nVidia cards and using SLi?

3) Now that ATi and AMD are a team, which almost makes AMD and nVidia rivals, do you guys think we will start to see more ATi mobo chipsets for AMD processors, as a replacement for nForce?

I'm thinking about buying an x1950Pro, you can get ones with 512Mb onboard, which makes them pretty good contenders if you ask me. I'm aware that there are other options out there, but this is the card I want to go for, I'd just like to know a little more about my options in the future.

My current point of view is that all dual graphics solutions are pretty lame and rarely offer as good bang-for-buck performance upgrades as just getting a single newer card. If I got an x1950Pro now, I doubt that the cost of a 2nd card would ever sink low enough to really validate all the fuss that dual graphics requires. Today's top-of-the-line will be tomorrow's mid-range and by the time I would consider buying a 2nd x1950Pro I'd probably be able to get something rivalling the power of an nVidia 8800 card. I think dual GPUs are best for those obsessed with power and less suited for those looking for a budget solution. Just look at the way that a single 7800 was equal to 2 6800s.

Apologies for the rant. I know it all makes answering my question seem a futile exercise, I'm just after info, cheers

 

[Chainzsaw]

"Xfire2" is already out.

1) Yes you will be able to use Xfire on the older Xfire mobo's, the only thing thats changed is that they integrated the dongle, just like SLI .

2) Hmm, I'm not sure, i've heard of "hacks" running on Xfire mobo's but I wouldn't trust it. In reality Xfire and SLI are not compatible.

3) Yes, we will start seeing more ATI chipsets for AMD processors since AMD owns ATI

If you do get an X1950 Pro 512MB it is actually a pretty decent - mid-somewhat high end card (midrange compared to 8800GT/GTX)

Since DX10 games aren't out yet, I would reccomend the X1950 as it would be a good choice for you. Heck if you want to, you could do a cheap upgrade, and get a zalman cooler for it, or even go liquid, and OC it a little to get more performance!

I have the X1900GT 256MB and it is doing pretty well in games, I cand run Warhammer 40,000 at 1600x1200 with no problem (although I know this game is 2 years old ), and I know the X1950Pro is a newer version of my X1900GT, so it's a good choice.

Basically, save your money (don't get the 8800GT) and wait for R600 or cheaper variants of the 8800's (8600GT?).

Don't bother with getting another X1950 later on, and just wait for the 8600 or whatever like I said earlier, you will save yourself some money, and you probably won't have to upgrade your PSU to accomodate another GPU!