Need input on crossfire

[PPLP_SMorse]

Hello everyone,

I already have most of my components for a new computer, just waiting for the 3570K and the ssd to arrive. Meanwhile I've been thinking about my video card situation. I have an XFX 6950 1GB that I'm going to reuse. The thing is, my new asus board supports crossfire and I've been thinking of getting another 6950 to up my gaming performance a bit.

I would have bought a 7950 (or whatever nvidia comes up with to compete in the $400 range) but I decided to get the SSD instead and now I don't have enough to buy a worthy GPU replacement. I can get another 6950 for around 200-250 bucks, but I have a few questions:

Since I have the 1GB model, if I get the 2GB one, will I be limiting the new card?
Do I need to buy XFX again, or can it be another brand? I would prefer another brand because even though I got lucky and mine works great, I've heard bad stories about xfx.

How much juice will I need from my PSU? Will my antec 650W (80 plus, bronze) cut it, or do I need better wattage? I've done some research on the 6950 TDP and it looks like I would need a bit more power but I'd like to know exactly what I need, according to your knowledge... which btw, is way above mine

I can't think of any more questions now, if something comes up I'll keep asking.

 

[GideonP]

You can mix brands and your vRAM will be that of the lowest card, in this case 1GB.

Not sure about the wattage, but before you settle on CF, I would suggest you google around for microstuttering. YMMV but just a heads up

 

[PPLP_SMorse]

You can mix brands and your vRAM will be that of the lowest card, in this case 1GB.

Not sure about the wattage, but before you settle on CF, I would suggest you google around for microstuttering. YMMV but just a heads up

Thanks for the heads up man. Reading a bit about it now... I think it's not worth it if it can't be fixed. I might just end up waiting 2 or 3 months when I've saved enough for a good single GPU replacement.

Heh this is the first time I've thought about using a 2nd GPU, I'm glad I asked for input here.

 

[Denithor]

Um, pardon the stupid question, but if you can afford $200-250 for a second 6950 - why not sell your current one for like $150-200 and then buy a 7950 or 7970?

 

[PPLP_SMorse]

Um, pardon the stupid question, but if you can afford $200-250 for a second 6950 - why not sell your current one for like $150-200 and then buy a 7950 or 7970?

Selling it locally is complicated, not much of a market for used video cards. I live in the Dominican Republic. There are couriers that would bring the package and charge me $4 per pound on the shipping weight. And if the invoice is below US$200 I don't pay import taxes. If I sold it on eBay for example, I would have to add a very expensive international shipping with FedEx (and taxed at 16% from the local government).

But as I said, I might just end up saving money and buying a new card in August when I'll probably be in the US for vacations.

Edit: to clarify, the couriers I talk about work like freight forwarders. They receive a package at a US location, and ship it to me while handling all customs duties. It doesn't work the other way around (hence the reason of having to use FedEx)

 

[SickBeast]

IMO 1gb of vram will be limiting with a setup like that.

 

[PPLP_SMorse]

IMO 1gb of vram will be limiting with a setup like that.

Thanks for the input. What would you suggest I do for an optimal setup, taking into account that I want the best possible price/performance ratio from my current starting point.

 

[SickBeast]

Well, I just got my 7850 for $230 and it's pretty good, but it would really be a sidegrade for you aside from the 2gb and some more overclocking headroom.

I think that in order to get a "real" upgrade you should go right up to a 7950 or 7970. They've been recently discounted. I would say get a GTX 680, but you're budget constrained and really I think that the 7970 is just about as good but costs a good $80 less and has more vram.

OP you will also be cutting it close with that PSU for Crossfire.

Do yourself a favor and wait it out a bit or else go big like I said above. The GTX 660/670 will be out soon.

 

[KingFatty]

Right now, there was a listing in the hot deal forum about a 2GB XFX I think, for $200?

So, you have to wonder if that is a foretelling of what might happen to the price of your current 1 GB model? I bet you could sell it close to $180 if you act now, but if you wait, it might not be that you can sell it for that much.

2 reasons to sell asap before people expect to pay less as retail prices drop: 1) you can sell for $180 and turn around a use the money to purchase a 2 GB 6950 for not much more, except maybe buy 2 of them and crossfire so the 2 GB lets you really use all the power they can offer and not be VRAM limited in crossfire. 2) the other reason is to sell now because I think you are on the cusp of a price reduction where people won't be willing to buy when then start seeing more and more 2 GB models on sale, so you can get the maximum money now and use it to save toward a faster card (whatever that might be, whether 7950 or Nvidia's equivalent (670?). Although the current sale for new 2 GB is a limited shipment or something, I'm thinking the resale market will also start seeing more 2 GB for sale as people upgrade to faster cards.

 

[SickBeast]

nevermind...sorry...double post

 

[PPLP_SMorse]

Yeah the 680 is king right now but budget is more important to me. It really came down to choosing between a brand new GPU or taking the SSD. I chose the latter and it set me back $240 (crucial m4 256GB FYI) so you understand where I'm coming from

Thanks for the advice, the sweet spot right now might be saving for the 7950, unless someone has another opinion.

 

[PPLP_SMorse]

Right now, there was a listing in the hot deal forum about a 2GB XFX I think, for $200?

So, you have to wonder if that is a foretelling of what might happen to the price of your current 1 GB model? I bet you could sell it close to $180 if you act now, but if you wait, it might not be that you can sell it for that much.

2 reasons to sell asap before people expect to pay less as retail prices drop: 1) you can sell for $180 and turn around a use the money to purchase a 2 GB 6950 for not much more, except maybe buy 2 of them and crossfire so the 2 GB lets you really use all the power they can offer and not be VRAM limited in crossfire. 2) the other reason is to sell now because I think you are on the cusp of a price reduction where people won't be willing to buy when then start seeing more and more 2 GB models on sale, so you can get the maximum money now and use it to save toward a faster card (whatever that might be, whether 7950 or Nvidia's equivalent (670?). Although the current sale for new 2 GB is a limited shipment or something, I'm thinking the resale market will also start seeing more 2 GB for sale as people upgrade to faster cards.

Thanks, I see your pov. If I could sell mine easily I would, but as I said on a post above, it's complicated and expensive where I live.

 

[SickBeast]

OP you need an AmeriFriend who you could send the card to marked as a gift, then have them resell it for you.

 

[PPLP_SMorse]

OP you need an AmeriFriend who you could send the card to marked as a gift, then have them resell it for you.

Yeah that would be convenient.

Thanks again for the input guys, you made me reconsider the crossfire stuff, find the limitations of the setup (1gb) and get to a better alternative.

 

[SickBeast]

You're welcome. Good luck upgrading that GPU. It's going to be hard for you to find a meaningful upgrade within a reasonable budget. You're probably going to be stuck waiting for awhile, maybe 6 months or so.