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Going Crossfire, what do I need to know?

Forum Graphic & Displays : Graphics Cards - Going Crossfire, what do I need to know?

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TSIMonster   07-04-2007 at 04:09:54 PM

This maybe a dumb thread, but I am going to post it anyway.

Basically, I found another x1950Pro for a great price and I am going to buy it. I know my PSU can handle 2 of them with ease. My motherboard is crossfire capable (8x mode) and my case is more then adequate.

I planned to clean out all old drivers, install the other card, and go get the newest driver and enable crossfire.

Is there anything I need to know, or be weary of? The card is an ASUS EAX1950Pro, just like the one I have. Will I still be able to use Ati Tray Tools? Software wise, do I need to do anything extra? Also, I am assuming I will need CCC now?

You can't really talk me out of it, so don't try. This just makes since to me. I can potentially double my FPS for nearly $100, to me, that is a bargain. DX10 is a non-issue as I don't have any DX10 games and do not plan to buy Vista until December or later.

Thanks for any advice,
Jake

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jamesgoddard   07-04-2007 at 04:26:37 PM
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I didn't think the asus cards come supplied with the crossfire bridge connectors (little ribbon cables to join the two cards) - if you done have these, and the new card does not come with them, you may need to purchase them...

http://shop.ati.com/product.asp?sku=3186855

Reply to jamesgoddard
morerevs   07-04-2007 at 04:38:03 PM
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Are those with the onboard crossfire chip (or whatever they call it) otherwise make sure you have a mastercard (no not the creditcard :D ) or it might not work. I believe there is also a specific order in which to setup the cards but that's about it.

GL.

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Malaga93   07-04-2007 at 04:56:09 PM
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Quote :

Are those with the onboard crossfire chip (or whatever they call it) otherwise make sure you have a mastercard (no not the creditcard :D ) or it might not work. I believe there is also a specific order in which to setup the cards but that's about it.

GL.



This is with older ATi Crossfire cards, the X1950pro is the first card with bridge connectors, like nVidia cards.

Reply to Malaga93
TSIMonster   07-04-2007 at 05:05:24 PM
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The card I am buying comes with 2 crossfire bridges. And no, the x1950s do not require a master card, just 2 identical cards.

Thanks for the comments thus far.

Reply to TSIMonster
mike99   07-04-2007 at 05:42:11 PM
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What resolution do you play at? It needs to be 1600 or more to benefit from crossfire. What framerate/settings do you use at present?

Mike.

Reply to mike99
angelkiller   07-04-2007 at 05:44:09 PM
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Quote :

This just makes since to me. I can potentially double my FPS for nearly $100


Umm, I've never tried Crossfire, but I highly doubt this will be true. Yes you will see a boost in FPS, but don't get your hopes up. What resolution are you gaming at? Yes you have 2x the power but drivers will severly limit that power. I just want you think realistically. I'm not going to discourage you, as I am very curious about how this will turn out. Seems like your plans will work. Keep us updated! GL! :D

Oh, and what mobo are you using? Thx.

Reply to angelkiller
TSIMonster   07-04-2007 at 06:05:42 PM
- 0 +

Quote :

This just makes since to me. I can potentially double my FPS for nearly $100


Umm, I've never tried Crossfire, but I highly doubt this will be true. Yes you will see a boost in FPS, but don't get your hopes up. What resolution are you gaming at? Yes you have 2x the power but drivers will severly limit that power. I just want you think realistically. I'm not going to discourage you, as I am very curious about how this will turn out. Seems like your plans will work. Keep us updated! GL! :D

Oh, and what mobo are you using? Thx.

Most crossfire enabled games see 80% or so improvement on old drivers. Anandtech did a review on 1950Pros crossfired and most games showed 80% or so increase from the added card. Originally I didn't think it was worth it, but as drivers increase and prices come down, it seems like a great option. I am going to record some of my avg FPS on my games I play the most so I can update you guys on the difference. Of course, in source games, I think my CPU will limit me to an extent.

Thanks for the comments guys!!

Reply to TSIMonster
TSIMonster   07-04-2007 at 06:14:08 PM
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Oh yeah, I am using an ASRock ALiveXfireesata2 mobo. It has actually proved to be a very good motherboard. Overclocks well, TONs of BIOS options, crossfire support with AMD chipset, and HDCP compliant.

The card should be in sometime next week, assuming I get paid on time, lol. I'll keep you guys posted. I have done my homework on this and have been curious about trying a crossfire or sli setup for a while now.

I'll post some pictures and comparison benchmarks once I get it installed.

(Oh yeah, Anandtech was using 6.9 drivers in this review, so with the new 7.6 drivers, I am being optimistic and hoping for even better performance.)

One more thing, I am gaming at 1680x1050 right now with the occasional 1080i. The main games I am looking for increases in are FEAR, Oblivion, and some other games that are currently stressing my single card system too much.

Reply to TSIMonster
jamesgoddard   07-04-2007 at 07:03:51 PM
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Seems a nice board, tho I would like to try the Asus M2R32-MVP 580x based board, 2 x 16 way PCIe in a single chip sounds nice...

Back on topic - PM me your findings, the PC I have was always got with the idea of getting xfire if it all got a bit slow :)

Reply to jamesgoddard
TSIMonster   07-04-2007 at 07:44:54 PM
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Yeah, I woulda went with a more trustworthy brand, but this was a budget gamer build. It has worked out well so far. I slowly upgraded a few things and it does perform well. I will definitely let you know what my results are. hopefully by next Saturday if all goes as planned. ( I may be getting a Wii instead though, we'll see, lol)

Reply to TSIMonster
Rabidpeanut   07-04-2007 at 07:48:20 PM
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If you buy a Wii i will hunt you down and kill you with your Wiimote. You wont see a 100% increase but it is nice to have a few extra frames esp in oblivion and fear. Plus you can always find a buy for a rig like yours afterwards.

DONT
BUY
A
Wii.

Reply to Rabidpeanut
TSIMonster   07-04-2007 at 08:19:22 PM
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Why, I love the Wii! The family and I love the bowling and tennis so much! I am not buying it for uber graphics or anything really. Just something the family and I were going to split to play together.

Reply to TSIMonster
Rabidpeanut   07-04-2007 at 08:24:32 PM
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:Serial kills whole family: ;)

If you get the wii dont get it INSTEAD of the x1950, get both.

Reply to Rabidpeanut
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