Crossfire/SLI options

C

Currency

New Member
Hello everyone,

As a member recently suggested I've been debating getting a second card for a crossfire setup. Main problem is the Tahiti LE core in my 7870 XT, this card will drop into another PCI-E slot when I purchase a newer card, if possible.

I found this information which says my Tahiti LE is not compatible with R9 series cards in crossfire.
"The Radeon R9 270X which is based on the Pitcairn XT die codenamed to Curacao XT features the CrossFire compatibility with Radeon HD 7970 GHz edition, not the Tahiti LE model. Similarly, the Radeon R9 260X is CrossFire-Compatible with the Radeon HD 7790."

This information leads me to believe I'll be stuck with 7970 or 7950 unless I can find another 7870 XT. Not had the time to check into benchmarks on the new R9's. I may wait until around April as prices will always fall, but I could end up waiting forever. Or, perhaps it's time to go green? I've already switched from AMD to Intel for CPU's, but that's another topic.

My planned future upgrades will include the following,
800-1,200 watt modular PSU,
Samsung SSD, thinking 256-512GB to replace the aging OCZ Vertex Plus,
Kraken X60 Or Corsair H100/I, for memory clearance,
2x8GB CORSAIR Dominator 1,600, if I can get my motherboard to handle them @ 1,600,
finally a decent crossfire/SLI setup.

To explain why I want to upgrade these area's.

Overall I want fully modular PSU for a cleaner looking case, better airflow. Replace the Hyper 212 EVO for better memory clearance and because I still do not like how it mounts to the CPU, feels like it should hold a little better. The memory upgrade is to eliminate the 4x8GB sticks I currently have which may or may not be the reason I'm forced to run them at 1,333 and not 1,600 to have a stable system. Then an SLI/Crossfire setup for better, how to word this, overall and/or more consistent frames @ Ultra settings.

Budget wise, around $500 for video cards, I don't want to spend $1,000 on top of the line multi GPU cards, but some decent price/performance options.

Motherboard Spec's,

http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4168#sp

Think that about covers it. Thanks guys and I can't wait to see what you come up with. I'm really open to any crossfire/SLI option but would prefer good reasons to choice the card(s) you suggest.
Thanks,
 
jonnyp11

jonnyp11

New Member
the new cards are just rebrandings, they have slight speed adjustments and lower prices, but the core itself is the same card.
 
jonnyp11

jonnyp11

New Member
Are you gonna crossfire? That's an absolute waste to get a 7970 and lock it down so much. Just get one used or something if you can't get another XT.

And actually they are releasing 2 new cards IIRC that are supposed to be the fastest ever, beating the titan and 690. Never looked much into to see the specs so idk, but pretty sure something said that and that the top card would launch around $700.
 
C

Currency

New Member
Other upgrade options

I will crossfire at some point in the coming six months, at that point I'll spend some time to research the top price/performance GPU and get two, then sell the 7870 XT GPU I have now.
The system I have now is around six months old, still new in my eyes as many others will ask why I'm already planning to upgrade after only six months. The answer would always be better performance. The upgrades I'm planning won't include a new motherboard and CPU for a couple of years, maybe. So just generally boosting performance in other ways. Gaming wise I believe my only options for better performance would be to crossfire/SLI and get a better SSD.

From my limited research, R9 290's should drop in around the $699 price tag, cheaper than the titan but more the a GTX 780. Still no information regarding side by side comparison's, just general spec's. Thinking R9 290 will compete with the 780 and the R9 290X will compete with the Titan, but from what I've seen the 780 is a better gaming option, or at least it makes more sense.

Those would be out of my price range for at least six months. Currently looking at Antec HCP 1,300 Watt PSU and perhaps a 900D. But if I went that route why would I stick a MATX board in such a huge tower? Then I'll want a new motherboard, and file bankruptcy. :(

The case and power supply would provide a more secure route for upgrades in the future. I don't see myself getting a $1,000 CPU or GPU at least until my student loans are paid off. I'm just an OCD type when it comes to how my system is setup, currently I do not like it, but when I purchased all the parts I thought I would. I don't know, perhaps I'm just different or crazy? :D
 
jonnyp11

jonnyp11

New Member
Why not just leave it be until you actually run into games that really need more power? I mean you might not be able to max crysis 3 right now, but that's only one game, you might be able to do BF4, not sure, but anything else you should max pretty much. I'd just leave it as it is for about a year and if you feel the need to, save 100 a month, then when you feel the need to do so, upgrade.

I haven't touched my computer since i built it...can't even remember when (well, KB and mouse at christmas) and it maxes all but 2 or 3 of my games (1440*900 is why :p hate my stupid 19" POS monitor), otherwise it runs flawlessly and i spent very little on it. Although part of that is because i am 17 and have no source of money for anything.
 
C

Currency

New Member
It doesn't get much easier as you get older. I work over 355 days a year, because my job requires me too and I always need more money. The more you make the more you spend. I spend $300 a month for gas because I drive an hour, 50 miles, to work every single day since my house is paid off and if I rent in the area I work it would be over $750 a month for an equal size house. :(

The reasons I want to upgrade are more OCD reasons. Planning for the future, among other things. I play a lot of Euro Truck Simulator on Ultra at 1,680x1,050 max supported resolution of my some what POS 23 Inch LCD. I seem to stick around 60 FPS but every couple of minutes it drops to around 25 FPS which you'll notice. Not sure why since its installed on the SSD.

My now retired gaming system didn't hang like that on high settings, AMD 235E, 6GB DDR2 800, XFX 5770, and 750GB HDD. I've lowered the settings even down to low and it still happens. I don't believe it's the SSD which is an OCZ Vertex Plus, some what older but faster than standard HDD's, or should be. It can't be the memory as I have more now than I did in the old system, and I'd think an I5 3570K would be somewhat quicker than the 235E. Then since the video card is, by far better than the 5770, 7870 XT, I can't figure it out. :(


I can play BF3 @ 60FPS on Ultra @ 1680x1050 without any issues, same with Tomb Raider without the hair FX or whatever it's called. Just Euro Truck sim does it. Sim City slows down as cities grow, but I think its the same for everyone. So since I know Euro Truck Sim doesn't hang for big people uploading video's to youtube I do not have a single clue as to why it happens to me. I know my system's not overheating since everything is at stock clocks and even when I had the CPU @ 4Ghz it stayed under 60C while gaming, somewhat warmer under stress tests but that is normal.

Still changing things around when it comes to upgrades but I'll share my current thoughts and you can give me an honest opinion if you want too.

Case: Corsair 900D $329
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139019

Power Supply: Antec HCP 1,300 watt $299.99, May get Corsair AX1200I.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371064

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO, may change this as time passes. $198
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147253

Monitor: Samsung T27B350ND 27" $329
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001568

or

LG 27EN43V-B 27" $299.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005416

Was looking at LCD TV's the other night, 42 inch for around $350, 46 inch $630. I thought really, $70 an inch for anything over 42 and under 47. Really annoying since 42 is nice, but 46 inch is better for a bedroom. Just nuts.
 
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jonnyp11

jonnyp11

New Member
An 800w can easilly run 2 graphics cards so over 1000 is pointless (they use less power every gen or 2 as dies shrink, fermi was the only that needed so much power). Euro truck might just be because you have AMD and they have nVidia? Some games prefer cuda cores and other nvidia features. I doubt a newer ssd will give you any really noticeable difference. If you upgrade monitors, 27" 1080p isn't great, the pixels are much easier to see than on a smaller screen. For 27" if you can afford it then you really want 1440p, but then you'll need a better gpu. Idk what yu make and how easy it would be, but a 1440p and an r9-290 or 290X would be my upgrade choice unless you go nvidia, but idk when they're launching their next gen.
 
C

Currency

New Member
salvage-this said:
That might be because of Vsync.
Click to expand...

I know what Vsync does. With Vsync off my frames are 78-115 and amazing drop to 33-45 every couple of minutes. That's running Euro Truck Sim on Ultra @ 1,680x1,050. The frame rate with the same resolution on med or high settings, sit between 140-160 and drop all the way down to 80 FPS, very noticeable frame drop with no real explanation.

May be career transitioning soon, so more pay with more days off. Either way 27" monitor just sounds nice, as I always sit several feet away even from the one I have now. As for 1080P or 1440P, either or would be fine with me, but most 27 inch monitors I've looked at max out at 1,920x1,080, found 39 on newegg that support 2,560x1440. The better brands pricing seems to start around $550 but a monitor is, at least for me, something that lives longer than the system itself. Reason why I'd pay more for Antec's 1,300 watt PSU, seven year warranty and some say as a PSU ages it becomes less efficient, another reason why I'd get the 900D.

Just wish my frames were more solid in ETS2, the system handles BF3 on Ultra @ 60 solid. So perhaps since ETS2 is produced by SCS, a smaller company it may not be developed in the same way as larger publishers, not as efficient? More resource intensive than it should be, kind of like Minecraft but that's a completely different story.
 
Okedokey

Okedokey

Well-Known Member
Currency, try updating the drivers and overclocking the CPU if possible. Those FPS bottoms are probably CPU related due to the resolution you're playing at.
 
C

Currency

New Member
Always running the latest GPU drivers, unless I move into beta drivers, I normally check for new video drivers every couple of weeks unless Windows Update finds them before I do which is not likely.

I can push the CPU to 4Ghz on air with the Hyper 212 EVO and have manageable temps, generally under 70C. I did notice the GPU hit 80C last night, highest I've seen it ever go. So I'll do some dusting tonight, and perhaps flip the top two 140MM fans from intake to exhaust.
I don't have a desk, more of a card table setup at the moment. So it has around a 2" metal lip around the entire table and with the tower under the table, you can notice the heat buildup within an hour of hardcore gaming. Not enough room to have the tower on top of the table, as I'd prefer it that way compared to on the floor. Will be moving the system sometime this week to a different room, so sadly it won't be near the return air duct for the heating cooling system which may help as it draws air a little better. :)
 
C

Currency

New Member
@ 4Ghz I seemed to have the same problem, also had it @ 1,024 x 768. Still on Ultimate settings, frame rates were really similar. I did have a new blue screen, first in a week or so, relating to DirectX, the Windows Debug tools stated similar "Memory Corruption" as a cause for the crash. @ 3.8Ghz it didn't crash, or perhaps it was a once every now and then thing. I've played BF3 @ 4Ghz for hours on hours, six or so without much of a break without any issues. :confused:

I've been fighting memory issues since the build was only 30 minutes or so old, here you'll find more information on finding the cause of the problem. I thought I had fixed it though.

http://www.computerforum.com/224244-programs-reading-dump-files-changing-settings.html

The last comment Gigabyte support made was, "This could be either memory controller (CPU) or memory stability issue." The link provides more information, looking at Corsair 2x8GB sticks at the moment. Problem is, switching memory may cause clearance issues with the 212 which would push me further towards a Kraken X60 or H100(I) to allow more room for memory clearance.

I don't know, I've nearly given up. This is my first completely or near completely new build since 486 days. I recently lost my 25Mhz system in a house fire, was to my knowledge the slowest computer in my home town still in proper working order. I'm going to bang my head off the wall for a bit.
 
Okedokey

Okedokey

Well-Known Member
Why didn't you RMA the memory in the beginning?

Just FYI, the lower the resolution, the more strain you put on the CPU and memory. The GPU only really gets worked up in the higher resolutions.

I would set everything to default, reinstall windows and test from there.
 
jonnyp11

jonnyp11

New Member
I'd just remove a set of 2 and try it, then the other set, and see if it really is the ram causing it seeing as your sig says you have 4x4GB
 
C

Currency

New Member
I've reformatted, reinstalled windows, drivers, and so forth three times and the issues still there. I haven't known the memory is a possible issue for about a month now, that's why I didn't RMA it. I ordered the CPU, memory, motherboard, and one of the two 2TB HDD's on 4/29/2013. So I got those items early May.

I can run 2x4GB sticks in any slot without any problems @1,600Mhz. So far, in about a week or so, I've been able to run 4x4GB @ 1,333Mhz with one BSOD relating to DirectX, memory corruption, @ 1,333 memory timings are 8-8-8-20, @ 1,600 they are 9-9-9-24. Not sure if timings may be causing any issues. which may have been from running @ 4Ghz, and messing around with ten or so different resolutions in ETS2 within a matter of a few minutes. Now two blue screens relating to DX, updated to latest beat video drivers. Will conduct more testing tonight. Also noticed last night in the Bios some how the memory went from 1,333 back to 1,600 yet I never changed anything and always save when exiting bios. :confused:

I don't have any BSOD's running 4x4GB with onboard video, I do have BSOD's while running 4x4GB with either my XFX 5770 1GB or Sapphire 7870 XT 2GB. The XFX card worked perfect in my old system, but doesn't in this one which makes me think the sapphire card's not the issue, so it pushes me to thinking its the memory controller on the I5 3570K, the Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (4 x 4GB) Very Low Profile, or the Gigabyte G1 Sniper M3. Gigabyte support said its not their board, and sapphire support said it's not their GPU causing it.

Since the memory ran 19-22 passes of Memtest86+ without any errors, could it still be the memory? If I RMA the memory, or the board, my systems just collecting dust for several weeks to a month, can't run it without either.
Also on a lighter note, I'll be ordering these soon..... after I pay off another retainer fee. Man, Lawyer's are expensive. :(

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233286
 
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