Any Crossfire users out there?

[blueonblack]

I got a new board recently that supports quad Crossfire, but unfortunately all I have is an 8800GT 512MB card. I'm considering an upgrade to two HD4670 cards in Crossfire mode, as I can't afford any ATI cards comparable to the 8800. I figure with that kind of expandability I can add another 4670 later and another after that if I need it. :)

I've never used Crossfire or SLI, and I'm wondering just how much of a performance increase Crossfire adds. I've done some research and the numbers look good for twin 4670's over the single 8800 but I was hoping to get some first-hand experience from some of you more knowledgable in the multi-video card area. $150 is hard to come by and I'd hate to spend it without some net gain, ya know?

[progbuddy]

Crossfire adds quite a punch. I would say on average it's a 1.6-1.8x increase in overall performance versus a single card. Also, if you wanted to upgrade, you can mix and match any of the HD 4xxx series and they would work together.

I think one of those 4670's would easily blow the 8800 out of the water. Just one 4870 pushed 2.5 times more FPS than a G92 8800GTS in Crysis. :)

[NightrainSrt4]

You will get a nice performance gain in games that support Crossfire well. In games that do not support Crossfire, you will be stuck at the performance of one 4670.

Most games support Crossfire reasonably well.

[blueonblack]

Thanks for the info, guys! +rep

[aintnothang]

Yo, blueonblack, we got the same board...you like it so far?

[blueonblack]

Yo, blueonblack, we got the same board...you like it so far?

So far I love it. Admittedly I haven't pushed it very far with one video card and a dual-core CPU but it has worked flawlessly. One thing I have noticed different from the K9A2 CF-F I was using, it takes a LONG time to read my drives when I want to save something. Say I have an Excel spreadsheet to save, I hit "save as" and then have to back up to the "my computer" level to tell it what drive to put it in, it takes forever to bring up the drive list. Way slower than that last board. The board is the only thing different so I figure it's got to be the culprit. I don't know enough about the tech to know what causes that but that is my only beef with it so far. I can live with it.

I just ordered those two 4670 cards so we'll push it a little harder in a week or so and see how it does. :D

How about you, any problems on your end?

[aintnothang]

How about you, any problems on your end?
Nope, The only thing that bothers me is the bright orange light. Its not really that big of a deal though.


I just ordered those two 4670 cards so we'll push it a little harder in a week or so and see how it does. :D

That will be fun. Which 4670 did you order? I may have to do something similar.

[blueonblack]

I got Gigabyte cards off of Newegg, $75 each, free shipping with a $20 mail-in rebate each. $110 for the pair when it's all said and done, I didn't think that was bad at all.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125244

After 12/24 they go up $6 and the rebate ends 12/31.

[aintnothang]

Wow, what a killer deal!

[aintnothang]

Did you get your cards yet?

[blueonblack]

You bet! Simple install, removed the Nvidia drivers, plugged them in, installed the Crossfire cables that came with the board, installed the latest ATI drivers (8.12 downloaded from their site, didn't use the CD that came with the cards) and away they go. These things rock. I was a little worried when I saw that they do not take (or require evidently) a separate PCIe power connection. They get all their juice from the slot and run better than the 8800GT I was using. I have a modular PSU so one less power cable is less clutter. :) They are shorter than the 8800 by a couple of inches also. All in all I am very happy with them!

Note: These cards are loud. Part of that is probably the fact that the 8800 I was using was passively cooled. I'm sure once I add passive coolers to these they will be fine. The temps seem comparable, and with the smaller size and improved air flow they should cool well.

[aintnothang]

Sounds awesome. This might be the direction I need to take. Upgrade my 3650....

[Jabyaeye]

I have dual 4850's that I just recently purchased (mid-Nov) and I love them. Far Cry 2 looks great on it in DX10, and NFS:U drives flawlessly in DX9.

I came from a single Radeon X1800 GTO 512mb, so it was a BIG increase in performance. I have not looked back since... :)

[haha49]

Crossfire adds quite a punch. I would say on average it's a 1.6-1.8x increase in overall performance versus a single card. Also, if you wanted to upgrade, you can mix and match any of the HD 4xxx series and they would work together.

I think one of those 4670's would easily blow the 8800 out of the water. Just one 4870 pushed 2.5 times more FPS than a G92 8800GTS in Crysis. :)

I dont see it in everything if the game suports crossfire then you see it unless it doesn then the preformance can only be from 20-30fps.. better to get 1 good card then 2 I use 2 ati cards in crossfire not worth it unless you get the new i7 cpus.. they wont bottleneck then

[blueonblack]

not worth it unless you get the new i7 cpus.. they wont bottleneck then

I'd have to say the new Phenom II processor would handle any bottleneck issues just fine also, for a fraction of the price.