Do i need to overclock?

[tyskeren]

Hey, i currently own 1 Radeon 5850 black edition, and i am thinking about acquirering a second one.

So my question is, do i need to overclock my CPU (i720 2,67 ghz, quad core) or will it be fast enough to get the full usage of 2 radeon 5850's?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Toxxyc]

Two 5850's will perform like a bitch on your system. You might need to punch up your CPU a bit yes. I cannot find a CPU like you mentioned that fits your description, so I take it you have the i5-720? If that is the case, you need to OC a bit to fully realize the power of the two 5850's. I'd say getting an aftermarket cooler (Cooler Master Hyper 212 +, Thermaltake Frio, etc. etc.) to handle the extra heat is a good idea, then OC to 3.2GHz~3.5GHz. You'll be needing around 4GB of RAM as well to not loose on that area, preferably in the 1600MHz range, but 1333MHz will suffice just fine as well.

 

[saint19]

Hi and welcome to Tom's forum.

Test it at stock, if you see problem then overclock it.

 

[natefostersr]

You don't need to but you should the I7's are begging for an overclock they easily produce a 1/3 to 1/2 more performance.

I also thought about getting a 2nd 5850 but decided against it after reading about certain probs people have encountered. I rather wait for a drop in a price on a 5970.
Check out this screenshot of how I modded my ATI overdrive.

 

[tyskeren]

Two 5850's will perform like a bitch on your system. You might need to punch up your CPU a bit yes. I cannot find a CPU like you mentioned that fits your description, so I take it you have the i5-720? If that is the case, you need to OC a bit to fully realize the power of the two 5850's. I'd say getting an aftermarket cooler (Cooler Master Hyper 212 +, Thermaltake Frio, etc. etc.) to handle the extra heat is a good idea, then OC to 3.2GHz~3.5GHz. You'll be needing around 4GB of RAM as well to not loose on that area, preferably in the 1600MHz range, but 1333MHz will suffice just fine as well.

Hey sorry i missed a letter. It's a "Core i7-920 8mb"

 

[tyskeren]

Okay, to make it alot easier for you, here are alle the specifications:

Intel Core i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67ghz (8 CPU's) ~2.7 ghz
6144MB Ram
ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series (5850 black edition)

I only currently running with a 1440x900 resolution, but might be changing monitor in the near future.

What i can deduce from the test results here, 2x 5850's produce on a very high level, and where i live a 5850 cost around 200$ right now, while a 5970 still costs around 900$

But now you now specifically what CPU i have will it be necessary to OC it (probably yes), how much will it need to be Overclocked, and can it be done without buying a cooling system?

 

[tyskeren]

Best answer selected by tyskeren.