2x 6850 vs 6950 vs (something else)

[buska103]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1 week to 1 months
BUDGET RANGE: USD $250-$350
SYSTEM INFO ATM: AMD Phenom II 955 3.2ghz cpu, HIS Ice-Q ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb, MSI 790FX-GD70 mobo, Mushkin 2X2GB DRR3 1600mhz RAM, Corsair 750HX modular 750W PSU, Cooler Master HAF932 case, aircooled
OVERCLOCKING: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

Select Games, in order from most to least played:
Battlefield Bad Company 2
GTA IV
Crysis
Just Cause 2
Mafia 2
GTA EFLC
Team Fortress 2
Call of Duty 4
Crysis Warhead
GRID
GTA San Andreas
Left 4 Dead 2
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
DiRT2
Tetris
Minesweeper
Call of Duty Black Ops

Looking from a little bit of TomsHardware benchmarks, it seems that 2x 6850s are a good idea instead of getting a single 6950 on a couple games that I found. Personally, getting an extra 33% increase in fps sounds like a good deal for only spending $60 more than a 6950; however, I've heard horror stories about Crossfire, and that some games don't utilize crossfire at all. I can see that as a problem in older games, but then again, how many older games need anything more than single 6850, let alone my 4850?

Yes, my motherboard supports crossfire. The slots are...
2x PCI Express 2.0 x16
2x PCI Express 2.0 x8
Looking how this is, it doesn't seem that quad-crossfire is efficient, but I'm open to any ideas. I'm looking for the best value for 1920x1080.

I really need some input on this. Even though I have at least a week to go, I'd really love to bring every last dollar I spend to the maximum value...

 

[rolli59]

I will always get a single more powerful card. So HD6950! You can always add another one later for crossfire when need arises.

 

[17seconds]

Mafia 2 is a PhysX game.

 

[buska103]

Mafia 2 is a PhysX game.

Are you trying to suggest me to spend an extra $60 to get the 570 just so I can get a few extra frames in Mafia II?

 

[17seconds]

Are you trying to suggest me to spend an extra $60 to get the 570 just so I can get a few extra frames in Mafia II?

I'm just saying that you will never get to experience the Apex PhysX effects in your #4 most played game if you get an AMD card. If you wait a week, the GTX560 will be out and you might have another option to add to your list.

 

[buska103]

I'm just saying that you will never get to experience the Apex PhysX effects in your #4 most played game if you get an AMD card. If you wait a week, the GTX560 will be out and you might have another option to add to your list.

#5. The only reason it's up there is because I haven't finished it enough times. ^_^

Anyway, since I'll be buying in a week or so, I'll look towards the GTX 560. I love the value on the 460.. it's just not powerful enough for my needs.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

maybe 2x gtx460's are great. But yeah, you may want to look for a single better card to stat with, then add another later. @ the physx comment, you can always buy a cheap gt240 and run it as a dedicated physx card with an amd card for the few games that use it. Or score a cheap used 9600gt or something of ebay for physx.

 

[MMclachlan]

Physx is by no means a deal breaker, and certainly not in Mafia II! I have an Nvidia and an Ati based system, and all you would be missing in Mafia is some particles that fly off the cars when they collide - (Totally unconvincingly half the time, especially when the slightest rub causes a big burst of particles to fly off the front wing!) And also the shooting-destruction physics will be subtly more detailed on an Nvidia setup - you won't really notice though in my honest opinion.
You have a Crossfire only board and a 1080p monitor (and assuming you are willing to spend out on 6850x2 then you are looking for top eye candy from a reasonable investment.) So you'd have to get a really good single Nvidia and stay with that until getting a newer gen card if that's your route. That means a 570 or 580, as a 560 won't really be enough on its own - or something from Ati. 580 is too much money, 570 is a good card, and good value, but 6850 X-fire is a killer setup and better value. I have a P5E in my main rig so if I were to go for an upgrade that would be my choice. Crossfire scaling with 68x0 cards is better than 460 scaling in Sli, and tesselation is also good with 2 6850s. Bang for buck that's the way to go.
Wait for the 560s to come out though, they should make 6850s cheaper, and possibly put 6870 X-fire into budgetary range.

 

[buska103]

Best answer selected by buska103.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey