Crossfire or not

[youssef 2010]

I've heard from some trustworthy friends that crossfire offers only 150% performance,Is this correct?And will Ati's X2 cards always be better than Crossfire?

I am asking because in my country 2 HD4890s in crossfire are cheaper than a single 4870X2

 

[renz496]

are you sure the performance increase is 150% and not 1.5X ? from what i know adding another card would add 90% performance increase at the most. the X2 card is crossfire card in one PCB. however which one is better i'm not sure.

 

[Maziar]

What resolution do u play at ? for resolutions like 1920x1200 u will benefit from a second card in most games

 

[youssef 2010]

Sorry if I didn't provide more details but I mean is Does Crossfire offer better performance than Ati's X2s (The Board runs both slots @ x16)?

2 4890 or 4870X2 (cost is not an issue)?

 

[thegeeesta]

2 4870's in Crossfire will have the same performance as a 4870 X2
but the 4890 is a different card altogether with much better performance (100+ clock)
get 2 4890's.. even though they can get quite loud...

 

[Maziar]

Sorry if I didn't provide more details but I mean is Does Crossfire offer better performance than Ati's X2s (The Board runs both slots @ x16)?

2 4890 or 4870X2 (cost is not an issue)?

2x4890s perform better

 

[youssef 2010]

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my question

 

[Maziar]

No problem

 

[microterf]

if cost isn't an issue, get 2 4890s now, then in a 2 months, get 2 5870x2s and Xfire those badboys

 

[youssef 2010]

if cost isn't an issue, get 2 4890s now, then in a 2 months, get 2 5870x2s and Xfire those badboys

What I meant by that is that the price of4870X2 in Egypt is about 2700 L.E but the two 4890 cost 2600L.E which is a 100L.E less,so we can return the X2 and take 2 4890s instead(saving 100L.E. while we're at it)

So, I was wondering if this replacement is worthwhile(no change in the PSU)

Setup:
CPU: i7 920 D0(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202&cm_re=core_i7_920-_-19-115-202-_-Product)

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-EX58-Extreme(http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2957)

VGA : Powercolor 4870X2(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131116&cm_re=powercolor_4870X2-_-14-131-116-_-Product)

PSU: HEC Cougar 700W(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339027&cm_re=cougar-_-17-339-027-_-Product)

Ram: 3x2GB kingston KVR 1333 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134854&cm_re=kingston-_-20-134-854-_-Product)

Case: Gigabyte SUMO5115(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811233047&cm_re=SUMO-_-11-233-047-_-Product)

 

[renz496]

if i were given choice between 4870 x2 and 2 4890 surely i will go with 2 4890. not only it perform better than 4890 x2 the price also cheaper. maybe you should wait for ati 5000 series and go with single 4980 for now. when the 5000 series is out you may replace that 4890 and crossfire those 5000 series later on. if you're no interested with 5000 series then go for a second 4890

 

[youssef 2010]

Thanks for all your support and for taking the time to respond to my questions.It really is much appreciated

 

[eyemaster]

are you sure the performance increase is 150% and not 1.5X ? from what i know adding another card would add 90% performance increase at the most. the X2 card is crossfire card in one PCB. however which one is better i'm not sure.

That means exactly the same thing. Having 150% of something is the same as having 1.5x something.

To the original poster: Having 2 cards will never equal 2x the performance of a single card (200% increase), the average might be close to 150%, but it's your minimum frame rates that won't drop so low, and that is where this setup shines.

 

[yellosnowman]

get the 2xHD4890 even if its more expensive =P
try to get the non reference cooler designed ones like mine
ASUS EAH4890/HTDI w/ Super ML cap
because they are LOUD

 

[youssef 2010]

Noise isn't much of an issue for me but heat is so,Do the reference cards run hotter than the non-reference ones?

 

[obsidian86]

well time has come grab a 5870

 

[youssef 2010]

I think we have to wait for the 5870x2 to lower the 5870's price(it also won't hurt to see what Nvidia has up its sleeve)

 

[youssef 2010]

I think now that the 5850 is reviewed & its performance in CF is faster than any other configuration in the benchmarks(excluding the 5870 CF),it's time to grab a 5850 because of its lower price,power consumption & heat(especially in CF).Also, if you have a MSI 790 FX GD70,you'll be able to put four of them in CF if you ever need to.Alas,you can't do CF with the 5870 due to heat(especially if you live in a hot country like me)

 

[youssef 2010]

I think now that the 5850 is reviewed & its performance in CF is faster than any other configuration in the benchmarks(excluding the 5870 CF),it's time to grab a 5850 because of its lower price,power consumption & heat(especially in CF).Also, if you have a MSI 790 FX GD70,you'll be able to put four of them in CF if you ever need to.Alas,you can't do CF with the 5870 due to heat(especially if you live in a hot country like me)