Noob Crossfire question

[cbell14]

Hey guys,

I have had my built computer for a while now ~1.5 years and I have a question about crossfire compatability.

There is a sale on 5850's for 140 bucks
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?SID=u0t0f0fp51017dd0c0s701&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16814102932&Tpk=N82E16814102932&RandomID=4679676851652520110502222307

I currently have an older 5850 that I originally purchased:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102857

So my question is, should I invest the money to put my 5850 up on crossfire (and for that matter is it compatible), or should I look into OC (which I have no idea how to do) the older one to bring up the speed a bit.

My current Rig:
MOBO: Asus p7-p55de pro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131621
CPU: Intel i5-750 lg1156 @2.6Ghz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
RAM: 4GB DDR3 1333 Ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276
PS: 700 W OCZ
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019

 

[Tamz_msc]

What resolution do you play at?

 

[Maziar]

As Tamz_mcs said,it depends on the resolution you play at but overall adding another card will give you much better performance than just OC'ng your current card
And brands don't matter in SLI/CF,so they're compatible.

 

[jyjjy]

As Tamz_mcs said,it depends on the resolution you play at but overall adding another card will give you much better performance than just OC'ng your current card

This is true but those reference HD5850s usually could OC nicely, often getting up to or near 1ghz on the core. So it may be enough of an improvement that a second card isn't really necessary.
Overclocking a video card is pretty easy. I would recommend using Afterburner. It's a very nice program and easy to use;
http://downloads.guru3d.com/Afterburner-2.1.0-download-2562.html

 

[jednx01]

...there's always option C... Buy another card and put it in crossfire and ALSO OC them.

 

[jjb8675309]

^ hey what samsung monitor do you have? I try the 24" bx (which is the low end) and was very dissapointed, are you ryan from the office? lol, jk

 

[cbell14]

I am running at 1080x1920, reasoning behind this is I will be buying a second monitor as well as a Bluray reader/writer. I do alot of gaming as well as some 3d modeling.

 

[Maziar]

On 1080p,it's definitely worth it to add another 5850.You'll see a significant performance increase from your current card in almost all games

 

[Tamz_msc]

^+1.

 

[jednx01]

^ hey what samsung monitor do you have? I try the 24" bx (which is the low end) and was very dissapointed, are you ryan from the office? lol, jk

I have the syncmaster p2570HD 25". It's an ok monitor, but there are better options out there... I like it, but if I was going to get a monitor again, I would probably get a different one. It's not the best monitor I've ever had, but it's not the worst either. My main annoyance with it is how big the pixels are (which I should have known when I got it, so that is completely my fault). When I compare it to the 15" screen on my dell e6510 laptop (which also has a 1920x1080 screen), the pixels look huge. lol

And yes, I am Ryan from the office. You're not the first person who's told me I look slightly like him. lol

 

[jjb8675309]

yeah it seems like its really hard to find a display that truly does everything you want it to for a reasonable price, oh well, thanks temp hey with those 6950s you have I would be looking to put together a few monitors for eye infinity...

 

[jednx01]

Yeah I would love to do eyefinity. Unfortunately, I'm going to be transferring colleges to one that is better but more expensive (University of Texas at San Antonio to University of Texas at Austin) so I'm gonna be pretty much broke for the next three years. As the components I have right now start aging and getting surpassed by newer hardware, I'm probably not going to have money to upgrade them unless they just break and I HAVE to replace them. My 6950s are probably the last major computer purchase I'm gonna make for a while. I'm hoping my current system lets me play games for the next 3 years and I can upgrade once I get out of college and get a real job. The past couple summers, I've worked full time as a city lifeguard and I'll be working full time as a pool supervisor this year. Most of my components came from money I got from family members when I graduated high school... Unfortunately, I'm entering the stage of life where I'm gonna be pretty much totally broke. College students: even poorer than temps.

 

[jjb8675309]

sounds good buddy and good luck, I am a college student myself at UNLV, and am too poor. Your 6950s should last a few years at least, I too need to keep my current gear for a little while. UT is a great school btw