Is crossfire worth it?

[Motoxrdude]

Hey, I ordered a X850XT and a crossfire ready mobo. I have two questions, first, how do you know if you can crossfire with a X850 XT? I heard somewhere that you can crossfire any ati card as long as one is a crossfire edition and the other one belongs to the same family as in x850 pro, xl, xt. Is that true?

Also, would crossfire be worth it? After i read this http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2477 it looks worth it for some games. I just want to know your guy's opinion on this.

 

[underworld288]

to my knowledge i dont think that the x850xt can do crossfire.

 

[Motoxrdude]

Did you read my post at all? You can crossfire any ati card as long as you have a crossfire card belonging to the same family. X50XT crossfired with a X850 crossfire ready card would work.
I just want opinions so the next time i upgrade my video card, should i buy a new card, or buy a x850 crossfire ready card?

 

[Beyond]

If I had the money to buy another card, I'd sell the X850XT and buy a better card..

 

[underworld288]

i wouldnt spend the extra money, it just another way for ati to get more money. my advice it to just overclock the card, then when it gets old get a new card.

 

[Motoxrdude]

I know thats what i am saying. When i get the money, what would give my the best perfromance per $, a $200 GPU, or two 850s in crossfire?

 

[4W4K3]

Fore best results you want to match 2 identical cards. different cards in the same family might work, but you're more at risk for compatibility issues and probably wo't get as good performance. the slower of the 2 cards will be your max speed.

as far as worth it, i say no. get a strong single card and be happy. i wouldn't spend more money even if you got double the FPS rating. If a single card can play the game decently, that's all i need.

 

[Beyond]

I know thats what i am saying. When i get the money, what would give my the best perfromance per $, a $200 GPU, or two 850s in crossfire?

The money from selling your graphics card now + $200 = best performance.

 

[tweaker]

how do you know if you can crossfire with a X850 XT?

You can, as long as one of the cards is a Mastercard.

I heard somewhere that you can crossfire any ati card as long as one is a crossfire edition and the other one belongs to the same family as in x850 pro, xl, xt. Is that true?

Possible CF configurations:

Radeon X1900 Series - Radeon X1900 CrossFire Edition

Radeon X1800 Series - Radeon X1800 CrossFire Edition

Radeon X1600 Series - Radeon X1600 Series

Radeon X1300 Series - Radeon X1300 Series

Radeon X850 Series Radeon - X850 CrossFire Edition

Radeon X800, PRO, XL, GTO, XT or XT Platinum Edition - Radeon X800 CrossFire Edition

Also, would crossfire be worth it?

Generally speaking, no. Multi GPU configurations is of most value for HD gaming. People who intend to play their games on a standard monitor up to say 16x12 might as well stick to a single high end card, which handles these resolutions fairly well. The benefit of CF/SLI is not worth the pricetag in such situations.

What monitor do you intend to use?

to my knowledge i dont think that the x850xt can do crossfire.

Sure it can.

should i buy a new card, or buy a x850 crossfire ready card?

A single higher end card is always the better deal.

i wouldnt spend the extra money, it just another way for ati to get more money.

There are plenty of people who benefit greatly from such configurations, but yes, both Ati and nVidia makes great money from the average Joe throwing away money in exchange for bragging rights.

When i get the money, what would give my the best perfromance per $, a $200 GPU, or two 850s in crossfire?

If you think about it, thats impossible to answer as we dont know when your buying and what will be out by then.

i wouldn't spend more money even if you got double the FPS rating.

Well theres zero chance of that happening anyways.

The money from selling your graphics card now + $200 = best performance.

Not a chance.

 

[fade2green514]

in my opinion the only way its worth getting a dual video card configuration is if you get two of the best cards out. such as two 7900gtx's or the x1900 crossfire. otherwise, two 7900gt's would cost like $600... and only score 1000pts. higher than the 7900gtx by itself... not to mention the 7900gtx has 512mb and its $150 less than dual 7900gt configuration. also, if i want i can add a second 7900gtx, which i probably wont since this things a beast anyway. of course, in a year it may not look so glamorous... lol 48 pixel pipelines and 96 vertex shaders.. pshh who knows whats next??! (maybe even a core clock of 2ghz lol)

generally speaking i mean to say that dual card configurations are for bragging rights for those who want to say they have two video cards in their computer... its just the idea thats really cool. not really ever a better or worse deal... just a different way of configuring it... sometimes better sometimes worse depending on the game.

 

[Motoxrdude]

Ok thanks guys. I think i get it now. CF/SLI is not worth the price, but if money isnt an issue, you would SLI/CF the top-of-the-line cards so that you will have better performance.
Ok thanks guys, i dont think i will CF my x850xt. Instead i will sell it when time comes and buy a better card.