Single or Crossfire?

[videogames101]

I'm killing myself over which of these to buy, each has pros and cons, so what do you guys think.


#1 - Single

Case - Antec 1200 - $215
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129043

Mobo - Asus P5Q Pro - $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131299

CPU - e8400 - $170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115037

CPU Cooler - Zerotherm Nirvana - $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835887011

RAM - Corsair DDR1066 4GB - $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145197

GPU - Asus HD4870 - $285
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814121258

PSU - Corsair 750TX - $114
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139006

HDD WD 640GB - $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136218

Total - ~$1275



#2 - Crossfire

Case - Antec 900 - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129021

Mobo - Asus P5Q Pro - $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131299

CPU - e8400 - $170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115037

CPU Cooler - Zerotherm Nirvana - $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835887011

RAM - Corsair DDR800 4GB - $87
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145184

GPU - 2x Asus HD4870 - $570
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814121258

PSU - Corsair 750TX - $114
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139006

HDD WD 640GB - $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136218

Total - ~$1375





Questions

1. How much performance do I gain going with Crossfired 4870s over a single one?

2. Does the Antec 900 have enough cooling for a CF setup?

3. Can the Corsair 750TX power a CF setup?



TY for comments!


(and btw, my limit is $1400)

 

[DaveSimmons]

Wait and see the real reviews (vs. speculative previews out now) of the shipping 4870 x2 single card, it's expected to cost $500 and will run at 16x instead of the 8x/8x of P45 chipsets.

I'm happy with my single 4870, but I've only been playing Neverwinter 2, Mass Effect and Vampire TM: Bloodlines at 1600x1200.

Also, if running at stock the intel HSF is fine for the E8400.

 

[videogames101]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Wait and see the real reviews (vs. speculative previews out now) of the shipping 4870 x2 single card, it's expected to cost $500 and will run at 16x instead of the 8x/8x of P45 chipsets.

I'm happy with my single 4870, but I've only been playing Neverwinter 2, Mass Effect and Vampire TM: Bloodlines at 1600x1200.

I can't wait that long

Is the 8x/8x CF really that much of a performance hit compared to 16x/16x?

 

[modoheo]

When you're paying that much for GPU's it is. Why not go with this mobo and get the full benefit of crossfire?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813136051

 

[Goldfish4209]

Also, ddr 1066 won't be much of a performance increase unless you're OCing your FSB to over 2133, which you probably arent...

 

[videogames101]

Originally posted by: Goldfish4209
Also, ddr 1066 won't be much of a performance increase unless you're OCing your FSB to over 2133, which you probably arent...

533, you mean?

And yes, I know, but I want the fan.

(and btw, my limit is $1400)

 

[prolific7]

I'm sort of in a similar situation to you for a new build. For now I'm sticking with a single 4870. If the performance improvements of the 4870x2 are really drastic, then I'll buy that 5-6months down the line when the next iteration card comes out and the 4870x2 gets pushed into the $350 range.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

I haven't looked at benchmarks, but I'm just going to throw this out there for those saying he "needs" full Xfire support.

Doesn't the two PCI-e X8 (in Xfire) slots on the Asus P5Q Pro motherboard run at the 2.0 specification? Doesn't that mean they actually have the same bandwidth as the first generation PCI-E X16 slots? The bandwidth should be more than enough for a Radeon HD4870. The real question is if the 4870 is penalized by running in a slot with only 8 lanes (in Xfire mode) as opposed to 16.