5770's Crossfire vs single 6870?

[Weed Whacker]

After Christmas I plan on upgrading my graphics card due to the fact I will be running on a higher resolution (1920 x 1080). I've been trying to decide whether or not to Crossfire my 5770 or to just shell out the extra cash and buy a 6870. I've heard that Crossfire is unstable and all games don't utilize its full potential all the time so I'm just wondering what I should get.

So should I go with a single powerful 6870 or Crossfire 5770s?

Note: This is for gaming if I didn't make it obvious.

 

[wa1]

Dual HD5770 are faster than single HD6870.
But single card gives you less problem, less heat and noise, and more future proof because you can add another one later in the future.
I would say wait for a while until 69xx series out, after that you can sell your current HD5770 to get new high end card...

 

[purple stain]

I would get the 6870 then crossfire with another.

 

[AG Renagade]

5770 CF would give you more performance but you'll be running outdated cards in a year or so. 6870 would give you less performance but you have the ability to CF it later down the road and you won't be outdated as early. The choice is up to you.

 

[purple stain]

^what i was saying

 

[re-play-]

i think u should wait until HD6900 are out, them look at the market again, i think
the 6950 will be on par with the GTX570... but that just my speculations ^^

 

[sneak3]

Dual HD5770 are faster than single HD6870.
But single card gives you less problem, less heat and noise, and more future proof because you can add another one later in the future.
I would say wait for a while until 69xx series out, after that you can sell your current HD5770 to get new high end card...

I still dont get it how can a single 6870 be more more future proof than 2, since, from what I was told, you can only CF with boards from the same prefix (ie 68xx). Series 69xx is coming right now so it seems it wouldnt matter picking only one 6870 if he wont be able to crossfire it with the news 6950/6970 anyway!

 

[alandjackson]

Keep your eye on slickdeals or sites like it and if you can get a good deal on a 2nd 5770, grab it. The 5770 already does dx11 and eyefinity so you aren't really losing out on features.

If you were buying new, I'd never suggest 2 5770 cards, but since you already have one, if your PSU and motherboard support it, getting another 5770 really is the easiest and cheapest option.

Another thing to consider is how long you'll keep it. If you are going to want an upgrade in 3-6 months, then the 2 5770 cards are going to be a waste since you'll have to throw them both away and start over. In that case, getting a 6870 and adding a second one later would be a good idea. If you are going to upgrade a year or more out, get the extra 5770. You'll be able to get a 69xx or maybe even a 7xxx card late next year to replace both 5770's for a good speed boost.