Pcper.com : 7970 3GB Crossfire review - Driver woes

[GaiaHunter]

According to hardwareheaven, SLI is broken too in skyrim.

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/revie...ri-crossfire-graphics-card-review-skyrim.html

Sapphires 7970 allows us to play Skyrim at 5760x1080 without issue, even when enabling maximum detail and anti-aliasing. There is little scaling in this game though and that is true of NVIDIA and AMD who surprisingly both struggle with this ageing engine and multi-GPU modes.

 

[PrincessFrosty]

This is partly why I ditched my 5970 for a GTX580, after a whole bunch of games not scaling correctly in the last 6 months and various other crossfire issues, I decided that crossfire just isn't supported enough to warrent the price premium that you pay.

I'm not sure SLI is a whole deal better, I can't really say but Crossfire support has been terrible lately and It's not acceptable at all, if someone is dropping 2 or more high end cards into their rig or purchasing severely price inflated dual GPU cards then the level of service should reflect that, and it doesn't, by a long shot.

 

[boxleitnerb]

According to hardwareheaven, SLI is broken too in skyrim.

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/revie...ri-crossfire-graphics-card-review-skyrim.html

If they don't know what a (partial) CPU bottleneck is, they should not write about stuff like this. Reviewers should really learn how to use MSI Afterburner to measure GPU load. And know what AAA and TrSSAA are and activate them with these powerful cards.

Heck, they even test only with FXAA in some cases...with 3x7970! I wonder why AMD doesn't promote their DX9 SGSSAA more or implement driver-based OGSSAA, encouraging reviewers to test with it. Due to their massive fillrate advantages, their cards should really shine.

 

[DrBoss]

..

 

[Vesku]

I know it's a very popular game, I own it too, but are we really going to use Skyrim as a measure of modern GPU capability? It's a DX 9 engine that operates off a single primary thread. I'm not familiar with what goes on under the graphics driver hood but it seems that DirectX 11 goes a long way towards making Crossfire and SLI scale well.

That said, NVIDIA does tend to offer beta drivers for new titles at a quicker pace than AMD. Has anyone tried custom profiles with AMD? They finally implemented that feature, correct?

 

[Dark Shroud]

That said, NVIDIA does tend to offer beta drivers for new titles at a quicker pace than AMD. Has anyone tried custom profiles with AMD? They finally implemented that feature, correct?

Yes AMD does custom profiles and gets them out pretty quickly actually. They role them into the next monthly driver release. Nvidia & AMD are pretty much on par with drivers these days.

If anything AMD has the slight edge between their auto-updater & Steam driver updates.

 

[INGlewood78]

Pointing out that a driver for brand new piece of hardware isn't working perfectly on launch day, serves little purpose considering all hardware/drivers need to be tweaked post-launch. Making it a brand issue (in this case AMD) is even more ridiculous.

^^ It would be inaccurate for me to comment on this since its opinion.

From my perspective, if I spend $1200 on new videocards, my expectation is that very obvious things are working correctly right out of the gate. In this case, I'd hope that popular games such as BF3 and Skyrim work on launch day in xfire. That's the whole point of xfiring right?

This does serve my purpose since it has stopped me from buying 2 7970s until this issue has been resolved. No fanboyism here...I was happy that I could finally play BF3 in eyefinity across 3 screens. Now that will just have to wait.

 

[Lonbjerg]

Good insight into the OP's stance on AMD/Crossfire here.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2159305
Ends up being a pretty funny read

With this rig i've been able to eliminate crossfire issues with Skyrim by disabling the game's built in (garbage) AA and AF and forcing AA & AF through the Catalyst Control panel.

Skyrim is just another shining example of how consoles have negatively impacted PC gaming. While, i've managed to get the game running smoothly at max detail, it was a hassle getting to that point. I blame the game engine which was designed to run on the Xbox' antiquated hardware.

Why spend time coding for current/next-gen hardware when you can swim in the endless piles of cash achieved by focusing your time on simpler hardware (ie, the lowest common denominator). It's just the nature of the beast. Rage, Skyrim, Crysis 2, the list goes on and on.

If you want to make things easy, throw out your PC and only by console games... otherwise just accept that you are going to have to invest some time making sure these games make the most of your powerful hardware. It's what i do, and will continue to do.

Pointing out that the driver for a brand new piece of hardware isn't working perfectly on launch day, serves little purpose considering all hardware/drivers need to be tweaked post-launch. Making it a brand issue (in this case an attach on AMD) is even more ridiculous.

False, I am talking about multiGPU there...that covers both NVIDIA(SLI) and AMD(CrossFire)...care to edit your post to reflect the facts?

 

[DrBoss]

i do care.

 

[Vesku]

Yes AMD does custom profiles and gets them out pretty quickly actually. They role them into the next monthly driver release. Nvidia & AMD are pretty much on par with drivers these days.

If anything AMD has the slight edge between their auto-updater & Steam driver updates.

Was more referring to http://www.anandtech.com/show/5223/...stom-application-profiles-hd3d-crossfire-more

 

[AdamK47]

According to hardwareheaven, SLI is broken too in skyrim.

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/revie...ri-crossfire-graphics-card-review-skyrim.html

I posted in another thread about this. SLI either doesn't work well with Skyrim and it will never be fixed (also see: Fallout 3), or Nvidia is aware of the problems and will eventually fix it. Besides performance, SLI breaks HDR, water reflections, and water displacement mapping. SLI AA works better

 

[Lonyo]

I would never look at Skyrim as an example of something to show or prove anything.
First thing I would put any issues with any hardware and any Bethesda game down to is the game itself.
Bethesda have a history of putting out games with issues. Just look at the PS3 version of Skyrim. First port of call is to blame the game, then if the game can be shown to have no issues, blame the hardware and/or drivers.

Here's a guide, from nVidia, on how to improve Skyrim performance:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...epth-guide-to-improving-skyrim-pc-performance
When a GPU manufacturer can release a 20 page guide on how to improve performance in a game using .ini tweaks, first you look at the game.

Note that in Skyrim a form of Vertical Synchronization (VSync) is enabled by default, and cannot be disabled using the in-game settings. This means your framerate will be capped to your refresh rate (typically 60 FPS)

 

[Jacky60]

Interesting how the entire AT subliminal Nvidia focus group trots out for this thread!


This inflammatory rhetoric is off-topic and serves only to derail the thread while flamebaiting the community.

Please do not approach this community in such an unproductive manner again.

Administrator Idontcare

 

[Eugene86]

AMD is having driver issues again?

I would have never guessed...

 

[VulgarDisplay]

AMD is having driver issues again?

I would have never guessed...

Mutli-GPU having driver issues again?

There let me fix that for you. Nvidia and AMD both have their share of multiGPU issues so who cares.

 

[blackened23]

False, I am talking about multiGPU there...that covers both NVIDIA(SLI) and AMD(CrossFire)...care to edit your post to reflect the facts?

You really need to calm down and be more objective instead of throwing so much hate at AMD

Honestly, you will run into annoying issues from time to time with both SLI and xfire. Over a year of using crossfire the only real issue I came across was bf3 took 2 weeks longer than nvidia for AMD, but sometimes AMD is faster with new games.

Also, I got flickering in Skyrim when using SLI on the system in my sig. I was able to rectify that but, with any dual gpu solution you will have to be much more cognizant of driver + profile changes.

 

[blackened23]

Mutli-GPU having driver issues again?

There let me fix that for you. Nvidia and AMD both have their share of multiGPU issues so who cares.

Pretty much this. You will run into annoyances whether you're green or red , period.

The big issue is day 1 support for dual gpu. It doesn't always happen regardless of which brand you get.

 

[-Slacker-]

Infact I do...as I have no personal interest in aqurring micro-stutter...was that your point?

*Sigh* Yes Lobjerg, that was exactly my point, to the letter. Glad we got that settled.


facepalm.jpg

 

[Lonbjerg]

Techpowerup.com have the same findings:

In their conclusion:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7970_CrossFire/26.html

We see plenty of performance for the latest and greatest titles at maximum resolution and maximum settings. Unfortunately AMD's reviewer driver did not ship with working CrossFire profiles for Batman Arkham City and Elder Scrolls Skyrim. Battlefield 3 at 2560x1600 also fell back to single GPU performance, even though lower resolutions scale just fine. While I am confident AMD that will provide working CrossFire profiles for these major titles soon, they really need to work on getting their driver support to work right at launch day, when loads of people want to play these games.

 

[nsavop]

Not surprised that crossfire support is lacking with the launch of the 7970, its been the one shortcoming of AMD drivers of late.

 

[DrBoss]

*fist shake

 

[Kenmitch]

Techpowerup.com have the same findings: In their conclusion: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/A...ssFire/26.html

My advice to you would be not to buy any AMD products. Maybe just stick to a single Nvidia card as SLI isn't perfect either. When both are working correctly tho it seems like AMD's scale better.

I wouldn't worry about crossfire scaling as it'll get fixed just like SLI does most of the time.

If you want something that works out of the box and never has any issues then I suggest Apple products. There magical

If your looking to buy a couple of 7970's then I can see your concern. Somehow I think you have no interest in AMD's products at all.

Live long and game harder!

 

[Lonbjerg]

I know it's a very popular game, I own it too, but are we really going to use Skyrim as a measure of modern GPU capability? It's a DX 9 engine that operates off a single primary thread. I'm not familiar with what goes on under the graphics driver hood but it seems that DirectX 11 goes a long way towards making Crossfire and SLI scale well.

That said, NVIDIA does tend to offer beta drivers for new titles at a quicker pace than AMD. Has anyone tried custom profiles with AMD? They finally implemented that feature, correct?

It's not just Skyrim.
It's also Batman, Deus Ex and a single resolution in BF3.
More games might show up....or this might be it....we don't know yet.

 

[Arg Clin]

While I am confident AMD that will provide working CrossFire profiles for these major titles soon, they really need to work on getting their driver support to work right at launch day, when loads of people want to play these games.

It's not launch day yet. This issue might never actually affect as much as a single end-user. Catalyst drivers surely have their share of faults - though not nearly as bad as some people would make it out to be IMO. But lack of crossfire scaling on a card that isn't available to the public yet..?

 

[Lonbjerg]

It's not launch day yet. This issue might never actually affect as much as a single end-user. Catalyst drivers surely have their share of faults - though not nearly as bad as some people would make it out to be IMO. But lack of crossfire scaling on a card that isn't available to the public yet..?

Actually it is?
9th January...
And sold online:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2218328&page=8