6950 xfire worth it?

[MentalIlness]

as do the gtx series compared to the 5xxx series, whats your point?

You think the 6xxx series scales 13% better then the gtx 5xx series.
13% is the difference between the gtx560 and 6870 cards if performance of 5870 is that of the gtx560.
That would mean xfire would have to scale 13% better to tie.
The gtx 5xx series scales at about 90%+ , that would mean the 6870 would have to scale at 103% in all cases to win.
Thats not gonna happen.

Why so defensive ?

My point ? 6870 Crossfire is cheaper "going to stay cheaper" than 560 SLI. And probably in some games, lose to it...tie in others, and win in others. So explain to me how this isn't a win for the OP ?

And yes, a few reviews I have seen 6870 Crossfire like Far Cry 2 "which I still play" it does scale alot better than 470 SLI / 5870 Crossfire.

So can you say with absolute certainty, that 560 SLI will win in every case ? If you do, I am awaiting proof of your claims. Or are you saying, 560 SLI is going to dominate 470 SLI ?

The only thing you seem to be clear on, is that 560 SLI is the end all/be all to dual graphics cards setups. Like you did with the GTX460.

And the bolded part above.....so your saying if 6870 Crossfire does "not" scale 103% in ALL cases, that its a loss for the 6870's ?

By stating, Thats not gonna happen. You seem awful certain of yourself.

Back on topic. OP.....My position remains the same. The only reason to wait would be to save a few bucks on the 6870's. And whether you decide to wait or not, Id go with XFX or the Gigabyte model.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Why so defensive ?

My point ? 6870 Crossfire is cheaper "going to stay cheaper" than 560 SLI. And probably in some games, lose to it...tie in others, and win in others. So explain to me how this isn't a win for the OP ?

And yes, a few reviews I have seen 6870 Crossfire like Far Cry 2 "which I still play" it does scale alot better than 470 SLI / 5870 Crossfire.

So can you say with absolute certainty, that 560 SLI will win in every case ? If you do, I am awaiting proof of your claims. Or are you saying, 560 SLI is going to dominate 470 SLI ?

The only thing you seem to be clear on, is that 560 SLI is the end all/be all to dual graphics cards setups. Like you did with the GTX460.

And the bolded part above.....so your saying if 6870 Crossfire does "not" scale 103% in ALL cases, that its a loss for the 6870's ?

By stating, Thats not gonna happen. You seem awful certain of yourself.

Back on topic. OP.....My position remains the same. The only reason to wait would be to save a few bucks on the 6870's. And whether you decide to wait or not, Id go with XFX or the Gigabyte model.

this is why i'd wait, if I was going to buy them new.

I am a little worried about that jerkiness some have spoke about.

 

[Skurge]

as do the gtx series compared to the 5xxx series, whats your point?

You think the 6xxx series scales 13% better then the gtx 5xx series.
13% is the difference between the gtx560 and 6870 cards if performance of 5870 is that of the gtx560.
That would mean xfire would have to scale 13% better to tie.
The gtx 5xx series scales at about 90%+ , that would mean the 6870 would have to scale at 103% in all cases to win.
Thats not gonna happen.

I don't know where that 13% came from, but all I know is atm crossfire scales better than SLI.

 

[MentalIlness]

this is why i'd wait, if I was going to buy them new.

I am a little worried about that jerkiness some have spoke about.

Yes, I hear that the "stutter' is possible. But if you decide to wait a little while longer, I bet someone will chime in with the cards in question that don't notice/barely notice/or dont even have that problem.

It is hard to say what exactly is causing it. Every rig is different. Even identical rigs can act different sometimes.

Im chiming in...... So far, I haven't had any problems with the setup in my sig. And if I change out the 6870's, its because it will be in favor of a 6970 for test/benchmarking purposes.

Which if you are considering a GTX570, you should also consider the single 6970. Which at highest res/settings, sometimes ties the GTX580.

Its all about how long you want to wait. And if waiting for better prices that is great.

But I will say, 6870 Crossfire/GTX560SLI/GTX570/6970. You wont go wrong with any of them. Because I have no problem in recommending "both" companies. Its just that, for the performance, the 6870 Crossfire is the cheapest/fastest. In over a week, GTX560 SLI may be a little faster than the 6870's, but they will also be more expensive. Maybe $30-$50 per card ? We don't know yet.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Anyone know how those sapphire 6870's xfire? Guess i'll need to do more reading.

 

[happy medium]

Why so defensive ?

My point ? 6870 Crossfire is cheaper "going to stay cheaper" than 560 SLI. And probably in some games, lose to it...tie in others, and win in others. So explain to me how this isn't a win for the OP ?

Defensive? No I live for our debates
So your saying to the OP, "hey go spend your money now" when 2 new cards are being released in a week? Why not let him see the reviews for himself, make a decision then.
He will save a few buck too. Prices will drop, I think we can agree on this.

Or are you saying, 560 SLI is going to dominate 470 SLI ?

Yes ,thats what I'm saying. The gf104 chips scale better in sli look at the gtx460 scaling vs the gtx470/480. They scale 90%+, and I'd expect the gf114 to do the same. I never seen a gtx470 scale like this.

Quote from review:
"Because SLI scales so well, giving two GeForce GTX 460 1GB graphics cards a 90% performance boost over a single card "

And scaling has gotten even better then 90% with drivers.

And the bolded part above.....so your saying if 6870 Crossfire does "not" scale 103% in ALL cases, that its a loss for the 6870's ?

By stating, Thats not gonna happen. You seem awful certain of yourself

I am.

remember this thread? I am 3 for 3 so far.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2126529

and I had the gtx560 performance pegged back on DECEMBER 10 also
http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=30900991&postcount=80

 

[MentalIlness]

Defensive? No live for our debates
So your saying to the OP, "hey go spend your money now" when 2 new cards are being released in a week? Why not let him see the reviews for himself, make a decision then.
He will save a few buck too. Prices will drop, I think we can agree on this.



Yes ,thats what I'm saying. The gf104 chips scale better in sli look at the gtx460 scaling vs the gtx470/480. They scale 90%+, and I'd expect the gf114 to do the same.

I am.

remember this thread? I am 3 for 3 so far.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2126529

Did I say spend money now ? Maybe instead of being so defensive, you'll read my post above this one.

So one more time. if GTX560 SLI is a few percent faster than 6870 Crossfire, and the 6870's lose in "ONE" benchmark, even though its cheaper by quite a bit probably, then the 6870 Crossfire is worthless and loses out completely ?

Do you really think this way ? Or ?

Based on your poll of "opinions"

gtx560 faster then the 6870 = 29
6870 faster then the gtx560 = 26

6850 faster then the gtx550 = 28
gtx550 faster then the 6850 = 18

Looks like based on "opinions" of forum users, its a wash.

And anyway, based on the OP....$400-$450 looks like he wants to spend no more than $450 ? OP ? That would have to put the GTX560's @ around $220 each. Thats not gonna happen.

 

[ViviTheMage]

If 560's perform better then 6870's xfire'd ... then spending a few more for bucks on 560's, but I have a feeling that wont scale as well as the 6870's, for the price bump that is.

 

[MentalIlness]

OP ?

What size is your monitors, and resolution you will be running ? And what is the max you are willing to spend ?

 

[ViviTheMage]

2x 24" Dell's....1920x1080 ..price point can flucuate up, IF the 560's do perform/scale better then 6870's.

 

[happy medium]

Looks like based on "opinions" of forum users, its a wash.

If you look at the poll it was worthless contributions some people voted for all the cards.

And anyway, based on the OP....$400-$450 looks like he wants to spend no more than $450 ? OP ? That would have to put the GTX560's @ around $220 each. Thats not gonna happen.

I said just the opposite. You get what you pay for, if performance is close at the time of release then he should buy the cheapest option.
Then again that cheaper option could become even cheaper if he waits.

 

[happy medium]

2x 24" Dell's....1920x1080 ..price point can flucuate up, IF the 560's do perform/scale better then 6870's.

Then there is no reason not to wait a little.
They will perform better, its just a matter of how much better for the price.
good luck man.:thumbsup:

 

[ViviTheMage]

Now I am feeling like I should just get a single card ... with all of these stuttering SLI/XFIRE issues.

 

[MentalIlness]

If you look at the poll it was worthless contributions some people voted for all the cards.


I said just the opposite. You get what you pay for, if performance is close at the time of release then he should buy the cheapest option.
Then again that cheaper option could become even cheaper if he waits.

It was your poll that you linked to. But now its a worthless poll ? And how does a Anand member vote for more than one card? I thought it was one vote per member ?

Ok, you convinced me. Here is what I am going to do. I will cancel the 580 I ordered. And when the 560's launch, I will purchase two of them. I will run them in the UD4 2500K build for testing. Then I will run the two 6870's in the UD4 2500K build for testing. Plain on oc'ing the 2500K to a max of 4.0.

So this will tell the tale for me anyway. And I will post pictures of the scores/cards/setup for proof. Just name the game you want benched, I have a library of over 213 games now. And I have "most" of the latest ones.

 

[happy medium]

It was your poll that you linked to. But now its a worthless poll ? And how does a Anand member vote for more than one card? I thought it was one vote per member ?

Ok, you convinced me. Here is what I am going to do. I will cancel the 580 I ordered. And when the 560's launch, I will purchase two of them. I will run them in the UD4 2500K build for testing. Then I will run the two 6870's in the UD4 2500K build for testing. Plain on oc'ing the 2500K to a max of 4.0.

So this will tell the tale for me anyway. And I will post pictures of the scores/cards/setup for proof. Just name the game you want benched, I have a library of over 213 games now. And I have "most" of the latest ones.

Hey, I can't wait to see the benches, you are the man.
Till next time bro... and good luck with your builds buddy:thumbsup:.

 

[happy medium]

Now I am feeling like I should just get a single card ... with all of these stuttering SLI/XFIRE issues.

I really think thats a thing of the past.
I have no first hand experience, but I havent heard much complaining since the 6xxx series or the gtx5xx series.

Mabe someone else will chime in? :whiste:

 

[MentalIlness]

Only one thing concerns me though. Will I be able to run Age Of Empires II at 1080P with a 2500K and either 2x6870's or 2x560's ?

That game is absolutely fabulous. Did I just say fabulous ?? Twice ???

 

[ViviTheMage]

Only one thing concerns me though. Will I be able to run Age Of Empires II at 1080P with a 2500K and either 2x6870's or 2x560's ?

That game is absolutely fabulous. Did I just say fabulous ?? Twice ???

I love AoE.

I want to see those benchies too.

 

[happy medium]

Only one thing concerns me though. Will I be able to run Age Of Empires II at 1080P with a 2500K and either 2x6870's or 2x560's ?

That game is absolutely fabulous. Did I just say fabulous ?? Twice ???

hey Mr. fabulous....

How is the microstutter with those 6870's?

 

[tweakboy]

Youll feel bad if you do that and 6 months later a 7950 comes out that beats Xfired

 

[ViviTheMage]

hey Mr. fabulous....

How is the microstutter with those 6870's?

This is what I want to know too.

Youll feel bad if you do that and 6 months later a 7950 comes out that beats Xfired

this is the case for any tech ... especially GPU's.

 

[createdAmonster]

Now I am feeling like I should just get a single card ... with all of these stuttering SLI/XFIRE issues.

That is a recommendation I have come across quite often; single card, although not as fast overall, is the more reliable solution.
And as MentalIlness said, the causes are obscure and hard to pinpoint. Drivers? Hardware? Or just simply the application/game it's hard to tell why exactly it occurs.
In the end it's a gamble, with a detriment to your wallet.

 

[createdAmonster]

Some reading material on the subject of micro stutter;

http://www.overclockers.com/micro-stutter-the-dark-secret-of-sli-and-crossfire/

EDIT; It is interesting that the author can subjectively notice the micro stutter. And that is what ruins the experience. If it were a more gradual loss of frame rates it wouldn't be so detrimental to gaming. Not only that, but in the end you might end up having to sell your secondary video card, like some people have done because they simply couldn't stand it.

 

[happy medium]

That is a recommendation I have come across quite often; single card, although not as fast overall, is the more reliable solution.
And as MentalIlness said, the causes are obscure and hard to pinpoint. Drivers? Hardware? Or just simply the application/game it's hard to tell why exactly it occurs.
In the end it's a gamble, with a detriment to your wallet.

I thought that was a gtx285/4890 issue?
I'm here evreyday, I havent heard much lately about it.

Createdamonster, that article is old.

 

[MentalIlness]

I love AoE.


I want to see those benchies too.

And these were with the lowly 9800GTX in my sig.