CF RX 480

[guskline]

Thinker_145, please read the specs of my three machines. I'm hardly biased to AMD! I just thought it "interesting" to have a newer AMD card in the stable to compare.

Happy Medium, the good news is that AMD IS releasing CF profiles for games.

Since I own both a GTX1080 rig and now a CF RX480 rig, my feel is that the single GTX 1080 is the way to go starting out fresh, even a GTX1070. However, AMD does show constant improvement, especially in DX12.

 

[happy medium]

""Happy Medium, the good news is that AMD IS releasing CF profiles for games."

hey that's great. enjoy your cards.

here is some benchmarks you should expect from your system.
This is one of the best review sites, my new goto spot.
https://www.hardwareunboxed.com/rx-480-crossfire-performance-gtx-1070-killer/

 

[guskline]

""Happy Medium, the good news is that AMD IS releasing CF profiles for games."

hey that's great. enjoy your cards.

here is some benchmarks you should expect from your system.
This is one of the best review sites, my new goto spot.
https://www.hardwareunboxed.com/rx-480-crossfire-performance-gtx-1070-killer/

Thank you Happy Medium. I had seen that sight before and almost all CF RX480 articles. I custom watercool but the cost of the EK waterblocks does not support watercooling these RX 480 cards.

 

[Thinker_145]

Thinker_145, please read the specs of my three machines. I'm hardly biased to AMD! I just thought it "interesting" to have a newer AMD card in the stable to compare.

Happy Medium, the good news is that AMD IS releasing CF profiles for games.

Since I own both a GTX1080 rig and now a CF RX480 rig, my feel is that the single GTX 1080 is the way to go starting out fresh, even a GTX1070. However, AMD does show constant improvement, especially in DX12.

I understand that you are an enthusiast who did it because you wanted to so that's all great. I was responding to the comments suggesting that it's on par with 1080.

As a primary rig it makes no sense to have a 2x480 setup that's what I was saying.

 

[Thinker_145]

But those benches are from June. If scaling improved since then and on par with the other games it does well in (as per TPU charts), it looks very close the 1080. And at a far more agreeable cost. Though many potential buyers might not want multi-GPU solutions. Still, I wonder if AMD might have a dual GPU 480 based card out in a few weeks. If only to have something red in the bench charts that breaks the 4 top green slots.

That sounds like a poor reason to release a new card. AMD has done this before for that reason but dual GPU in one card has never been a popular solution with high end gamers.

 

[guskline]

This is awesome OP.

I have to decide myself when I stop mining if I will game with my 390X or two 4GB 470s.

I was leaning 390X but I am watching this thread closely.

Thank you poofhairguy. Late last night I played my flight sim IL-2 Sturmovik BOS/BOM. I enabled the option for multi-cpu and Ultra setting on my 6700k/CF RX480 rig and gameplay was stunning.

 

[guskline]

I understand that you are an enthusiast who did it because you wanted to so that's all great. I was responding to the comments suggesting that it's on par with 1080.

As a primary rig it makes no sense to have a 2x480 setup that's what I was saying.

I love these forums because we all tend to use such strident language such as "it makes no sense"

If I had a rig with a single RX 480 as my primary rig and wanted to upgrade to faster gpu play, my options for new cards are another RX480 for @$250 if I have a decent PSU or sell the RX480 and go to a GTX 1070 for at least $350. You recoup some of the cost reselling the RX480 but not as much as you hope for.

Since I own a GTX 1080 I can see the advantages over 2 RX480s in crossfire. However the gap is not large.

What I think might be lacking in this discussion is how far AMD, in particular, has come with it's CF performance.

I owned 2 R9 290s in CF AND watercooled which I replaced with a single GTX 980 TI SC. I noticed smoother game play from the single Nvidia card, eventhough the 2 R9 290s scored a little higher in benchmarks. Also the overall system powerdraw was much lower with the single Nvidia

So far the 2 RX480s in CF are smoother than the CF 290s, run cooler and draw much less power (the 2 r9-290s in the 4790k rig drew 700-750 Watts with all components stressed via Aida64 while the 2 RX480s in the 6700k drew max 480W. I used my Kill A Watt meter to measure system wattage.

 

[happy medium]

I love these forums because we all tend to use such strident language such as "it makes no sense"

If I had a rig with a single RX 480 as my primary rig and wanted to upgrade to faster gpu play, my options for new cards are another RX480 for @$250 if I have a decent PSU or sell the RX480 and go to a GTX 1070 for at least $350.

Since I own a GTX 1080 I can see the advantages over 2 RX480s in crossfire.

What I think might be lacking in this discussion is how far AMD, in particular has come with it's CF performance.

I owned 2 R9 290s in CF AND watercooled which I replaced with a single GTX 980 TI SC. I noticed smoother game play from the single Nvidia card, eventhough the 2 R9 290s scored a little higher in benchmarks. Also the overall system powerdraw was much lower with the single Nvidia

So far the 2 RX480s in CF are smoother than the CF 290s, run cooler and draw much less power (the 2 r9-290s in the 4790k rig drew 700-750 Watts with all components stressed via Aida64 while the 2 RX480s in the 6700k drew max 480W. I used my Kill A Watt meter to measure system wattage.

Hey, I say if you got the money enjoy all the cards you want!

 

[Rifter]

I love these forums because we all tend to use such strident language such as "it makes no sense"

If I had a rig with a single RX 480 as my primary rig and wanted to upgrade to faster gpu play, my options for new cards are another RX480 for @$250 if I have a decent PSU or sell the RX480 and go to a GTX 1070 for at least $350. You recoup some of the cost reselling the RX480 but not as much as you hope for.

Since I own a GTX 1080 I can see the advantages over 2 RX480s in crossfire. However the gap is not large.

.

Or if you already have a good freesync monitor, that would be a good reason to stick to AMD as well, at least untill Nvidia gets rid of the Gsync tax.

 

[Thinker_145]

1070+GSync = 2x480+FreeSync. The FreeSync argument works when using a GPU with great price performance which 2x480 don't have.

To say that there isn't "much" difference between 2x480 and 1080 is being dishonest.

If someone has a 480 and they want more performance then why did they buy a mid range card to begin with? If their financial condition has significantly improved then time to move to Nvidia.

There is no reason why you can't sell an 8GB 480 for $150 so buying a single 1070 is obviously cheaper. So hmm yup makes no sense.

AMD has improved CF? Unfortunately subjective statements don't mean anything. We can see that on average CF 480 is even slower than 1070 so unless we have evidence to suggest otherwise CF is no better than SLI.

Infraction issued for inappropriate language.
-- stahlhart

 

[Pariah]

Having used 2 xfire setups over the years. Never again. Friends don't let friends do multi-gpu setups. The last time multigpu setups made sense was when 3dfx was doing them. The only time someone should go multi-gpu now is if they are buying 2 titans so when sli doesn't work you are still left with the best performance possible. And when it does work, you are achieving things no single GPU is capable of. AMD doesn't currently make a card fast enough to put up with the headaches and piss poor support (same as Nvidia's) of xfire.

 

[Rifter]

1070+GSync = 2x480+FreeSync. The FreeSync argument works when using a GPU with great price performance which 2x480 don't have.

To say that there isn't "much" difference between 2x480 and 1080 is being dishonest.

If someone has a 480 and they want more performance then why did they buy a mid range card to begin with? If their financial condition has significantly improved then time to move to Nvidia.

There is no reason why you can't sell an 8GB 480 for $150 so buying a single 1070 is obviously cheaper. So hmm yup makes no sense.

AMD has improved CF? Unfortunately subjective statements don't mean anything. We can see that on average CF 480 is even slower than 1070 so unless we have evidence to suggest otherwise CF is no better than SLI.

Did you even read my post, i said if you ALREADY HAD a good freesync monitor, then it makes sense to stay with AMD.

Because selling your monitor for a loss, then buying a gsync monitor for 200$ more than you paid for your freesync monitor(even if it has the exact same panel in it, thanks to the gsync tax) makes no sense at all.

Obviously if starting fresh with no monitor and no GPU then it makes sense to go with a single card in whatever price range you can afford, but not everyone is building from scratch.

 

[tential]

Did you even read my post, i said if you ALREADY HAD a good freesync monitor, then it makes sense to stay with AMD.

Because selling your monitor for a loss, then buying a gsync monitor for 200$ more than you paid for your freesync monitor(even if it has the exact same panel in it, thanks to the gsync tax) makes no sense at all.

Obviously if starting fresh with no monitor and no GPU then it makes sense to go with a single card in whatever price range you can afford, but not everyone is building from scratch.

Or if gsync won't let you have a monitor you want you're stuck with freesync. If Nvidia actually allowed gsync into monitors I wanted, I'd pay the gsync tax and have a 1070. I can't even do that because of how limited my options are if I want gsync.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Or if gsync won't let you have a monitor you want you're stuck with freesync. If Nvidia actually allowed gsync into monitors I wanted, I'd pay the gsync tax and have a 1070. I can't even do that because of how limited my options are if I want gsync.

I'm curious, what FreeSync monitor are you eyeing?

 

[Rifter]

Or if gsync won't let you have a monitor you want you're stuck with freesync. If Nvidia actually allowed gsync into monitors I wanted, I'd pay the gsync tax and have a 1070. I can't even do that because of how limited my options are if I want gsync.

Yeah there is that too. In time though there will be more async monitors.

 

[tential]

I'm curious, what FreeSync monitor are you eyeing?

Already purchased a 32 inch freesync 4k monitor. The same from Nvidia is just a ridiculous amount of money. Doesn't even begin to let me use gsync on even larger panels.

But I get it, I'm a small subset of the population, Nvidia is too money centric to cater to me.

I might get lucky and see a gsync 4k alternative below $600 before Vega comes out.... At this rate anyway.

 

[guskline]

Thinker-145 "
"To say that there isn't "much" difference between 2x480 and 1080 is being dishonest."

Sorry but you are misquoting me.
Here is what I said.

"Since I own a GTX 1080 I can see the advantages over 2 RX480s in crossfire. However the gap is not large."

Perhaps I need to explain it further. Yes, the single GTX1080 uses less power and in most games has faster fps than 2 RX480s but the gap is not large. See my testing results for both above.

BTW I paid $699 for the Zotac GTX1080FE and $484 for 2 RX 480s so I guess that's a difference of ???? $215! That's a difference.

I started this thread to give some insight into the 2 RX480s in CF and how they compare to my single gpu GTX1080 and GTX980TI SC. I've tried to be honest and steer people toward a single gpu solution while still explaining my experience with CF.

I'll say it one more time, if you have the money and want to go high end right away the GTX1070 or even GTX 1080 is the way to go. Heck, why stop there, jump on the Titan X Pascal at $1299.

If you already own a RX480 and want to CF, for the extra $$$ in my opinion is it is not a bad move.

 

[richaron]

As a primary rig it makes no sense to have a 2x480 setup that's what I was saying.

Lol, you've decided what's best for the world and no alternative decision could possibly be logical.

Like wanting to do a little mining on the same rig? Or like buying with the intention of splitting up cards in the future? Or wanting to take advantage of Freesync? Or simply wanting similar performance for less money?

On topic; from what I've seen of AMD's GPU roadmap they're heading towards multi-GPU MCM type stuff. I'd assume this tech would somewhat rely on current gen X-fire so I don't see them giving up on it any time soon.

 

[tential]

Thinker-145 "
"To say that there isn't "much" difference between 2x480 and 1080 is being dishonest."

Sorry but you are misquoting me.
Here is what I said.

"Since I own a GTX 1080 I can see the advantages over 2 RX480s in crossfire. However the gap is not large."

Perhaps I need to explain it further. Yes, the single GTX1080 uses less power and in most games has faster fps than 2 RX480s but the gap is not large. See my testing results for both above.

BTW I paid $699 for the Zotac GTX1080FE and $484 for 2 RX 480s so I guess that's a difference of ???? $215! That's a difference.

I started this thread to give some insight into the 2 RX480s in CF and how they compare to my single gpu GTX1080 and GTX980TI SC. I've tried to be honest and steer people toward a single gpu solution while still explaining my experience with CF.

I'll say it one more time, if you have the money and want to go high end right away the GTX1070 or even GTX 1080 is the way to go. Heck, why stop there, jump on the Titan X Pascal at $1299.

If you already own a RX480 and want to CF, for the extra $$$ in my opinion is it is not a bad move.

What games have you played using the crossfire 480s? Which ones didn't work/had issues? Which ones had great scaling that really allowed you to crank settings?

Is it really that noticeable that crossfire is on? I really want to use it but I don't want to be disappointed and have a second gpu on hand for nothing that I have to get rid of.

 

[guskline]

tential, so far I've played BF1 with CF and it works well. Freesync is enabled and though I didn't measure fps difference between a single and dual gpus, I noticed the game play is faster and just as smooth. All settings are now maxed out. Of course I'm playing on the LGUM67P monitor which is a 29" 2560x1080 ultrawide. When I get the time, I will switch to my Dell U3415W which is a 3440 x 1440 34" ultrawide to see how it performs.

I've also played IL-2 Strumovik BOS/BOM which has a multi-gpu setting and flight was perfect in Ultra setting. Finally, I played a bit of COD BO3 and it ran well.

I think the difference is noticeable. A single RX480 drives the LGUM67P well. But with 2 it feels faster. Sorry, if I can't be more analytical.

When I get more time, I'll start doing some frap runs.

So far I haven't run into any issues, but from what I read, CF doesn't work with certain games.

 

[stahlhart]

I'm going to remind everyone here once again that there is nothing being discussed in this forum that justifies name calling or other forms of personal attack. Present evidence when stating your case, and agree to disagree respectfully if no accord is reached.

Thread reopened.

-- stahlhart

 

[Shmee]

I am thinking of going to 2x Vega when they come out, or possibly upgrading to a 1080Ti, but I will have to wait for reviews and see. I will mention that CF for the most part works pretty well since the introduction of Hawaii cards. Obviously, 480 CF allows for more 2x the video memory and overall faster than 290 CF which I have in the other system.

 

[guskline]

Shmee, I really liked my 2 R9290s in CF, especially since they were both water cooled with EK blocks and I used that MO-RA3-420 Pro radiator which I still have. Sold them to offset the cost of the new GTX 1080. When I built the third rig, 6700k I was lucky enough to snag, AT RETAIL, one of the Sapphire RX 480 8G. Having had experience with the R9 290, the biggest difference right away was the big drop in power draw for the performance. I was tempted to water cool it also but with the block being nearly 1/2 the price of the card it was hard to justify, even with the reference cooler.

I thought I was done with CF, but a number of factors played into my decision to change course.

First I found an EXACT reference Sapphire for the same price I paid for my first.

Second, CF profiles for these cards seem to be updated constantly.

Third, Vega seems to be pushed back further and further. Perhaps the upcoming ZEN release has AMD so focused on it that Vega was pushed back. Who knows. Fourth, I already have 2 other machines with relatively new and high end Nvidia cards (GTX1080/560x and GTX980TI SC/4790k) so I decided AMD needed to have a look see, especially with the release of Polaris. Please don't read into this that I am critical of the GTX1080/GTX1070 or even the GTX1060. I am NOT. They are excellent cards and compelling choices for a single computer owner (I note you still have the dual 290s in another system but your main one in your sig shows the GTX1070 SMART MOVE.).

My next reason was I now own a LG29UM67P monitor for the 3rd rig. It has Freesync support so the AMD choice was made.

Finally, I have to admit, as they say," curiousity killed the cat". In this case the kitten is still purring as are the dual 480s. Overall power draw, as measured by my KILL A WATT meter on the 6700k/Daul 480 rig below, running AIDA64 stress test, stressing ALL components was 480W max with the meter constantly hovering at 465W. I remember doing that with the dual 290s in the 4790k rig and being in the 675 to 750W range.

I am fascinated by multi-gpu technology and was interested to see how close the dual 480s came to the GTX1080.

Dual Vegas? HUBBA HUBBA!

 

[Face2Face]

Gus, have you got your wife gaming yet? If not, please tell me your grand kids are taking advantage of your sweet setups when they visit

 

[Headfoot]

What games have you played using the crossfire 480s? Which ones didn't work/had issues? Which ones had great scaling that really allowed you to crank settings?

Is it really that noticeable that crossfire is on? I really want to use it but I don't want to be disappointed and have a second gpu on hand for nothing that I have to get rid of.

I've found with CF when it works, it works really well. You get incredibly good performance and scaling. When my 2 x 290s kick in I've got performance between a 1070 and a 1080. When it doesn't work, it really doesn't work. Most common is that it "works" in that Crossfire can be enabled on a game, but you get horrible artifacts. Flickering textures / objects is the most prevalent bug you'll find. It's nauseating so you have to turn it off. These days its because games just aren't all that good with AFR, and only good PC devs put in the pointers and vendor specific code to get both SLI and CF working well out of the box.

Lots of 2d primary games absolute crash and burn with CF, e.g. 4x games and strategy games with lots of UI. I can't play any Paradox grand strategy with Crossfire, not that I need the performance. But you have to fiddle with turning it on and off a lot. It's much nicer now that they give you a per-game profile option to turn of CF or not (and it actually works now).

You'll get weird, inexplicable bugs too. In the Paradox games I mentioned (Hearts of Iron, Europa Universalis, etc.) when in crossfire there is weird shadowing, and certain 2d UI elements appear for half a second and flicker, and certain other UI elements appear totally normally but can't be clicked. Imagine your frustration when you can't click to move units for no apparent reason... Took me a day of googling to figure out it was a CF related bug.