quad core intel and crossfire

hey guys, a quick question
If i run two 4870's in crossfire (or a single 4870x2), will the Intel Quad core Q9300 CPU LGA775, 2.5ghz, 1333mhz fsb, 6m cache be powerful enough?

also will 4GB of 1066MHz RAM be sufficient?

thanks lawrie34

Yes and yes.
If you need more power, go into the BIOS and change the FSB from 333Mhz => 400Mhz. Basically a free upgrade to 3.0Ghz. With a little more work, you can overclock the CPU even further.

Also, unless you plan on overclocking past 3.0Ghz, get 4Gb of DDR2 800 with 4-4-4-12 timings. There is no real performance increase to running DDR2 1066 over DDR2 800.

No and yes.
Both chips have the potential for massive overclocks. The Q9300 will be more dependent on your Mb's ability to overclock as it has a lower multiplier. If you want a great value overclocker, get a Q6600. With a 9x multiplier, you can take it to 3.6Ghz (if your cooling is good enough) before you have to worry about overclocking your Mb. It will run 3.0Ghz on stock cooling with stock voltages even.

For today, 4Gb is more than enough. Unless you are doing video editing or high level photoshoping you will, currently, not need more. If you want to stay in line for future requirements, get a 2x 2Gb kit now and another when required.

From the previews of the 4870x2, it performs nearly the same as 4870 Cf. In some cases, it is a little slower as all data for both cards is being moved thru one PCIe slot. Get one 4870 now and Cf it later with another for the same level of performance as the x2.

That is probably a good idea. The reviews that are out for the x2 are all on engineering samples without proper drivers. It is possible that, between now and release, something is activated on the card thru drivers that boosts performance. In any case, one 4870 will give you plenty of performance. You might be happy enough with it that you no longer need the x2