Time to add another 4850?

[chronophayze]

I bought a 4850 when it first came out with no intent on crossfire, and instead to upgrade to another single card in the future.

So I'd like to do some upgrading, and my question is, is it better to just grab another 4850 and crossfire (and how future proof is that), or would it be worthwhile to just shell out another hundred or so bucks on a better single card (4890)?

Any help would be appreciated.

I'd also like to add that I use this computer primarily for gaming.

 

[xc0mmiex]

Do It... there is one on newegg for $80

I had the same exact question like a month ago... the second best choice i've made with my computer, first being buying the first 4850

 

[masterjaw]

If your PSU can handle it, why not. Else, uhm.. get the PSU first.

 

[shubham1401]

But did your mobo supports CF?
If not then you have to buy Mobo+4850.

Better buy 4890 if ur mobo doesn't support CF.

 

[outlw6669]

What resolution are you gaming at and what are the specs on the rest of the machine?
Assuming your system can support it, 4850 Cf will give you better performance in most games than a single 4890 and will cost less.

 

[chronophayze]

I started off without a cf supported mobo, so in this upgrade I was considering buying a cf supported mobo + another 4850, or maybe a 4850x2 and triple cf. and my psu is a corsair 650w. My understanding is 2 4850 in cf should be supported.

I game at 1680 x 1050. My specs (right now):
amd athlon x2 6000+
4gb ram
ati 4850
asus m3a mobo (yeah, I know this mobo sucks)

I believe those are the only specs really to consider for my question.

I plan on upgrading to a:
phenom2 955
4gb ddr3
some 790fx mobo for cf
another 4850?

I'm not that much of a computer savvy expert, so any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[outlw6669]

It is unfortunate your current motherboard does not have support for the latest PII CPU's.
Other than it's lack of CrossFire support, it does not look to bad for a budget board.

Your planned upgrades look sound and you may want to test your system with the single 4850 before getting the second one.
The PII 955 is quite a bit more powerful than your current x2 6000+ and, depending on what games you play, upgrading to it alone may give you a healthy boost.
If the new CPU does not give you enough of a boost, a second 4850 would be the most cost effective way to max out your graphics.

 

[megamanx00]

Well, if you're going to upgrade to a crossfire motherboard anyway then yeah it is a good idea to go with two 4850s in CF. While the 1GB versions are preferable the 512s are still good and sometimes run faster than a single 4890. The 4890 will win out over the 4850 512s in crossfire though in some of the more memory demanding games. At current prices getting another 4850 is cheap. Personally I'm waiting for DX11 cards before I replace my two 3850s.

 

[chronophayze]

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I'll do further research on these forums, but so far I'm leaning towards outlw6669's suggestions on grabbing a 955 and a crossfire supported mobo with my existing 4850 and trying it out.

If the single 4850 still struggles with my games and future games, a second 4850 in crossfire, or maybe a 4850x2 triple crossfire should keep my upgraded system chugging along at a reasonable price.

 

[chronophayze]

Well, if you're going to upgrade to a crossfire motherboard anyway then yeah it is a good idea to go with two 4850s in CF. While the 1GB versions are preferable the 512s are still good and sometimes run faster than a single 4890. The 4890 will win out over the 4850 512s in crossfire though in some of the more memory demanding games. At current prices getting another 4850 is cheap. Personally I'm waiting for DX11 cards before I replace my two 3850s.

The 1g 4850 weren't available when I bought my card (at least I don't think so, bought it when the 4800 series first came out).
Putting a 1gb 4850 in crossfire with a 512mb 4850, from what I've read and heard is not a very smart idea, right? Crossfire does not share the memory between the two cards and thus the 1gb card would be held back by the 512. I'd have to purchase another 512mb card with similar clocking as my current card. Correct me if I'm wrong or if there are better suggestions.

 

[outlw6669]

You understand it correctly.
Matching a 512Mb card and a 1Gb card would still only give you 512Mb of usable RAM.
When you CrossFire or SLI, both cards have to duplicate the frame buffer.
If one is larger than the other, it will only use the smallest common amount.

Do not worry to much about having 'only' 512Mb of RAM either.
At your resolution it is plenty and you would see no increase in performance from 1Gb.

 

[masterjaw]

If you're not in a hurry to get some eyecandies, try upgrading the cpu/mobo first and wait for the dx11 cards to come. But they won't be as cheap as having a second 4850.