HD 5870 CrossFire - Ideas, suggestions, comments please!

[spirit]

So I have a single HD 5870 right now and for the time being it's absolutely fine, I'm just worried that in a few year's time I won't be able to max games out at 1080p any more because the card will be too old, so I was thinking about grabbing another 5870 for CrossFire sometime in the near future (possibly by the end of the year) and leaving my system with a 5870 CF setup for a while.

Right now most 5870s go for around £100 on eBay, so that's not an issue, and I reckon my power supply would be fine (OCZ ZS 650) but I'd need an extra pair of molex-6-pin PCI express power adapters (which I think I may have already anyway), I'm not sure if another 5870 would fit in my case though, I can only just fit a single 5870 in, so I'm not sure if another would fit. So I may need a new case too - I'd probably go for a Corsair 300R if it's big enough, or failing that an NZXT Phantom or something.

The other big question though is would I be better saving up for longer and buying a powerful single-GPU card such as the 670 than I would by 'cheaping out' if you like and getting another 5870? I know about microstutter and heat issues, but it does look as if I'd get quite a bit of a performance boost which could keep me going for a while -see http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/294?vs=300

Going for another 5870 and possibly a new case too would be cheaper than a GTX 670. I reckon I could get another 5870 for ~£100 and an NZXT Phantom for about the same, so that's ~£200 spent by going down that route, whereas a single 670 costs £300+ over here. It's going to be a while before I do any of this though, possibly looking to do it towards the end of this year/beginning of next year.

What do you think? Any comments, suggestions and other ideas are welcome. Sorry if the post is a bit complicated to understand by the way.

 

[wolfeking]

I personally would go crossfire. Worst case scenario is you have a better case, and micro shutter, which you could easily go to a 670 if you sell your CF setup.
Another option could be 3 way with a 5970, but that may be beyond your means. Not sure. It sounded good to me at the time I was buying. Too bad they don't have a GTX 490.

As far as teh power supply goes, don't go via adapters. it may not get the power it needs. I would get a better supply with 4 PCIe pins. There should be some good ones that could still keep you far below the price of a 670.

 

[claptonman]

What power supply do you have, again? OCZ something?

 

[spirit]

Yeah I'm not a fan of the adapters either. I'm possibly building a rig for a friend round Christmas time, so I may be able to sell him my case and current power supply to use in his rig and then put the money I make from that (plus the mark-up I charge for building the rig) towards another 5870, case and PSU. I'd need to get a PSU with 4x 6-pin connectors, any recommendations? I don't really wanna go over 750W if I can help it. Non-modular or modular, it doesn't bother me.

Currently my case looks like this:

I'm not sure if the ridge from the HDD cage would prevent me from installing another 5870? See how little clearance I get from a single 5870 in this case.

@Clapton, OCZ ZS Series 650W.

 

[wolfeking]

best thing to do to see if it will interfere is to shutdown your computer, and move your current one down to the next PCIe slot and see how it fits.

 

[spirit]

best thing to do to see if it will interfere is to shutdown your computer, and move your current one down to the next PCIe slot and see how it fits.

Good thinking, I'll do that some time. Or just measure it and see if the ridge will affect it. Would be nice if I didn't have to buy a new case because then I could save even more money and spend more on a better PSU.

 

[claptonman]

Since you're worrying about not maxing games "in the future", I'd hold off now and try to upgrade your case and PSU. Getting a better case will give you more room for cable management (getting that 24pin out of the way) and better airflow, obviously, along with more room to work.

PSU suggestions:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256072
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139030
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817116015
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703027

All have 4 PCI rails, some modular, some aren't. Would be plenty for two 5870s.

For the case, I wouldn't get a 300R for a system with two graphics cards. Seems like there's not enough space. I'd go at least a 500R and above. The HAF 922 is a great deal for how big the case is. I'd also look into Lian Li Lancool cases.

(your board has a second x8 slot, correct?)

 

[wolfeking]

he is in the UK. might be hard to get newegg over there.

and yea, hos board is 8/8 on crossfire.

 

[claptonman]

Yeah, just realized that. But I'm sure he can browse the stores he's familiar with and use the names.

 

[wolfeking]

yea, I never though of that. Stupid moment for me.

 

[byteninja2]

Make sure you get the full tower phantom. Almost all, if not all full towers can hold 2+ GPUs. I think you will need a 850w psu, 5870 CFX uses 380w. Obviously, you know what are good case brands. It sounds like you want a phantom. So, get a Phantom full tower, a Coraair HX850, and 5970 CFX. 5870 CFX I think would be a good idea, you should get some massive performance with that. I would start getting games on Steam to

 

[spirit]

Since you're worrying about not maxing games "in the future", I'd hold off now and try to upgrade your case and PSU. Getting a better case will give you more room for cable management (getting that 24pin out of the way) and better airflow, obviously, along with more room to work.

PSU suggestions:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256072
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139030
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817116015
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703027

All have 4 PCI rails, some modular, some aren't. Would be plenty for two 5870s.

For the case, I wouldn't get a 300R for a system with two graphics cards. Seems like there's not enough space. I'd go at least a 500R and above. The HAF 922 is a great deal for how big the case is. I'd also look into Lian Li Lancool cases.

(your board has a second x8 slot, correct?)

Yep I'd probably try to buy the new case, PSU and the extra 5870 all at the same time if I could, but I'd need a new case and PSU first. Like said before, I can probably easily sell my case and PSU to a friend who I'm likely doing a build for, so that would give me some money to throw into a new case and power supply.

I reckon this PSU would be good http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-231-SV&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=2283 750W fully modular 80+ Silver unit from Silverstone, will run two 5870s and an overclocked 2500K just fine, yes? If I'm a little tight for cash I could always sacrifice the modular interface and go for an 80+ Bronze unit such as this Corsair TX 750 V2, yes? http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-038-CS&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1084

As for the case, I like the looks of the Phantom and I think the cable management features are good. It's £94.99 so my £100 estimate was about right. Not sure if I'd get a black or a white one, I'll decide later. http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-035-NX

The HAF 922 is the same price as the Phantom but I prefer the Phantom I think. Any other case suggestions?

So if I went for one of those power supplies, an NZXT Phantom and say I got another 5870 for £100, that's £300 spent on upgrades there - but would spending all £300 on something like a GTX 670 or a 7950 and keeping my current case and power supply be a better option than buying a new PSU, case and another 5870? Which route would give me the best performance do you think?

The thing is, if I get a 670 or possibly a 7950 (I'd actually most likely go for a 7950 as it's a faster card) instead of another 5870, in the future if I found it's getting a bit slow, I could just throw in another 670 or 7950 in the future. The other benefit is the newer cards have more V-RAM, so playing at higher resolutions would be better. Even with two 5870s, I'd still only have a gig of V-RAM, yes?

If I were to get a 670 or a 7950, I probably wouldn't bother selling my 5870, I'd just put in the Core 2 Quad rig and be done with it.

he is in the UK. might be hard to get newegg over there.

and yea, hos board is 8/8 on crossfire.

Yeah usually I use Novatech but they're a bit limited on their cases and power supplies so most likely I'll get those from Overclockers or possibly Dabs if they're cheaper.

The board works fine with CrossFire. I don't want to replace anything apart from possibly the case and power supply and either get another 5870 or get a 670 or a 7950.

Make sure you get the full tower phantom. Almost all, if not all full towers can hold 2+ GPUs. I think you will need a 850w psu, 5870 CFX uses 380w. Obviously, you know what are good case brands. It sounds like you want a phantom. So, get a Phantom full tower, a Coraair HX850, and 5970 CFX. 5870 CFX I think would be a good idea, you should get some massive performance with that. I would start getting games on Steam to

Yep I'll get a full tower case. 850W PSU is overkill in my mind, I reckon a 750 would cut it just fine.

You're talking about keeping my 5870 and getting a 5970 there aren't you? Good idea, but the 5970 is a very long card so I'd definitely need a new case if I wanted one of those; and not to mention they are still pretty expensive on eBay (sometimes £200+). I reckon two 5870s would be a better option if I were to go multi-GPU. I agree though, I'd get more performance with a 5970 + 5870 setup.

Everybody on here is asking me to get Steam. I may get it, it's just the games I currently play aren't on Steam.

 

[wolfeking]

I reckon this PSU would be good http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-231-SV&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=2283 750W fully modular 80+ Silver unit from Silverstone, will run two 5870s and an overclocked 2500K just fine, yes?

I am pretty sure 750 would be plenty for you. As long as it has 4 PCIe lines, it will power your system pretty good.

If I'm a little tight for cash I could always sacrifice the modular interface and go for an 80+ Bronze unit such as this Corsair TX 750 V2, yes? http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-038-CS&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1084

This is also a good supply. I personally would go for the modular, but in a pinch a normal supply will work just fine.

As for the case, I like the looks of the Phantom and I think the cable management features are good. It's £94.99 so my £100 estimate was about right. Not sure if I'd get a black or a white one, I'll decide later. http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-035-NX

this looks like a fairly decent case. I personally think it is flashy, but that is personal preference.

The HAF 922 is the same price as the Phantom but I prefer the Phantom I think. Any other case suggestions?

Fractal design has good cases, as does corsair and NZXT if i remember right. stateside the Fractal Design Define XL is about the same price if I remember the price of the 922 right.

So if I went for one of those power supplies, an NZXT Phantom and say I got another 5870 for £100, that's £300 spent on upgrades there - but would spending all £300 on something like a GTX 670 or a 7950 and keeping my current case and power supply be a better option than buying a new PSU, case and another 5870? Which route would give me the best performance do you think?

I have no idea, but if you are not needing much more than the 5870 currently, then a CF setup would be more or less double what you need. the new cards are fine, but I would stay where you are rather than upgrade.

 

[spirit]

I am pretty sure 750 would be plenty for you. As long as it has 4 PCIe lines, it will power your system pretty good.

OK, I think I'll get that PSU then if I decide to go 5870 CF. Always wanted a modular power supply, and this one is fully modular, so even better.

this looks like a fairly decent case. I personally think it is flashy, but that is personal preference.

I like the look of the case, just not sure to go for a white one or a black one. I like the white one myself, but the black one is more discrete probably would give my build a cleaner look on the inside. If you think about it, I have a black board with red DIMMs and a red and black graphics card and the cables would be black, so I think a black interior would be better. Not too bothered about colour scheme anyway really.

Fractal design has good cases, as does corsair and NZXT if i remember right. stateside the Fractal Design Define XL is about the same price if I remember the price of the 922 right.

That case is beautiful, but it's £125 over here. I found a cheaper one from Fractual, it's £80, reckon it'd be a good choice for two 5870s? http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-008-FD

I have no idea, but if you are not needing much more than the 5870 currently, then a CF setup would be more or less double what you need. the new cards are fine, but I would stay where you are rather than upgrade.

Almost twice the performance sounds good. My games run nicely on the single 5870 right now, so maybe another one in the future would be good. I guess a CF 5870 setup would last me another 3-4 years, along with the 2500K and the other stuff I have. By the time the 5870 CF setup won't lay games, it'd probably be time to upgrade my whole system.

 

[wolfeking]

my thoughts exactly with the 480 SLI. By the time we need upgrades games will either be so far ahead that a 25(6)00K will be the equal of a pentium 4, or will need so much more that you need a much beefier system anyway. They will definately last until DX12 is out. A 8800 GTX is still a great card for most games, and it was 1st generation DX10, so if past holds true the 1st generation DX11 will be fine till DX12.

 

[byteninja2]

You could get a OCZ zt 750 like me It was a typo, 5970, I meant 5870. You could get a shinobi xl, to. Let me think if 750w is enough: 380w 5870 CFX and 115w CPU, and 50w of other stuff, so yeah, 750 is deffinatly enough, 650w would probably be just enough, dont get a 650w.

 

[spirit]

my thoughts exactly with the 480 SLI. By the time we need upgrades games will either be so far ahead that a 25(6)00K will be the equal of a pentium 4, or will need so much more that you need a much beefier system anyway. They will definately last until DX12 is out. A 8800 GTX is still a great card for most games, and it was 1st generation DX10, so if past holds true the 1st generation DX11 will be fine till DX12.

An 8800 is still a good card yes, so going by that then our cards will last a while yet. I can still play DX11 games on my 9800 GT in the C2Q rig at low settings, but something like a 9800 GTX+ or a GX2 would still play DX11 games fine I reckon.

I think right now I'm possibly going for a 5870 CF setup. I'd like to get another Sapphire card like I have now, just for looks, but if I can't get one I'll just get another 5870 with a stock cooler so they at least both look sort of the same.

You could get a OCZ zt 750 like me It was a typo, 5970, I meant 5870. You could get a shinobi xl, to. Let me think if 750w is enough: 380w 5870 CFX and 115w CPU, and 50w of other stuff, so yeah, 750 is deffinatly enough, 650w would probably be just enough, dont get a 650w.

The ZT 750 is about £20 cheaper than that Silverstone, so it's tempting, but I think I'd probably go for the Silverstone. OCZ definitely aren't a bad brand at all, I use and recommend their units, but I'd like to go for a Silverstone I think. If I'm tight on money though, I'd definitely fall back on the ZT suggestion.

I'd like a 750W really.

 

[wolfeking]

An 8800 is still a good card yes, so going by that then our cards will last a while yet. I can still play DX11 games on my 9800 GT in the C2Q rig at low settings, but something like a 9800 GTX+ or a GX2 would still play DX11 games fine I reckon.

I was doing pretty good with BF3 on the 4870 and it was running DX11. I think people really give up on cards too fast. I personally would take a 580 over any card on the market currently. It will still do a excellent job of maxxing everything. Keeping up buying new cards for the heck of it just waste money. Money that could better be spent buying games, or the most important things in life like Sweet tea and fried chicken.

 

[claptonman]

http://www.hwcompare.com/12574/geforce-gtx-670-vs-radeon-hd-5870/

Really, the 5870 is fast. Two of them should be good. Also another thing to take into consideration is it has more Vram, which would help at 1080p.

But if you upgrade the case and PSU now, you'll be set for a while. If you want to sell the 5870s, you could get $150 (Or whatever it is in pounds) for both of them easy. Then you can upgrade to a 670 when you need to.

Or buy a 670 now and upgrade your case/power supply if you ever want another 670.

It is a hard choice, really.

 

[byteninja2]

I was doing pretty good with BF3 on the 4870 and it was running DX11. I think people really give up on cards too fast. I personally would take a 580 over any card on the market currently. It will still do a excellent job of maxxing everything. Keeping up buying new cards for the heck of it just waste money. Money that could better be spent buying games, or the most important things in life like Sweet tea and fried chicken.

May I ask why? A GTX 670 is 2.5x better than a 580. And, is silver stone better than OCZ? I didn't think so, but if it is, I might buy a silver stone instead when I get the money tomorrow.