(2) 6870 crossfire -vs- GTX 580 (roughly same price) which is better?

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dalearyous

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so you usually find a 6870 for roughly $240. MAYBE $220 if you find a coupon or a deal is going. a pair of 6870s will run you anywhere from $440 - $480. the GTX 580 will supposedly come out at $499 (hmm newegg cheapest is $559). anyway, assuming the price of the GTX 580 levels out, which solution do you think is best for the money?
 
Wait for the 69xx's and see where prices go if you're price conscious and don't need a card immediately
 
6870s in crossfire is faster according to the reviews I can find. Its cheaper and faster- thats where I'd be going:) (in fact I did with 2x6850s ;-)
 
The best bang for buck are Crossfire 6850s since they overclock so well and are far cheaper.
 
itsmekirill said:
I believe for $500 the answer is (c) 470 GTX SLI.
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I disagree. I believe it is still 6870 Xfire seeing as they are virtually equal performance to the 470, but cost less and use less power/produce less heat. Not to mention MLAA, etc.
 
The thing I find unacceptable is the minimum fps using the two cheaper options.
 
flexcore said:
The thing I find unacceptable is the minimum fps using the two cheaper options.
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This x1000. For the past 6 months I've been dreaming about running a dual card solution. Now thaat I have the funds and started doing deeper research I found that xfire namely is not as pretty as most benchmarks make them look. Most review sites only account for average frame rendering. When you look at benchmarks that include minimum frame rate you'll quickly find that crossfire especially is overrated.

If you're wanting a balance of speed and smooth gameplay go with the fastest single gpu solution. I kept seeing people mention this on different forums and because of my fascination with having dual cards never took the time to really consider this. Now that I'm about to actually spend money you can bet it won't be on a dual gpu setup.
 
erf said:
This x1000. For the past 6 months I've been dreaming about running a dual card solution. Now thaat I have the funds and started doing deeper research I found that xfire namely is not as pretty as most benchmarks make them look. Most review sites only account for average frame rendering. When you look at benchmarks that include minimum frame rate you'll quickly find that crossfire especially is overrated.

If you're wanting a balance of speed and smooth gameplay go with the fastest single gpu solution. I kept seeing people mention this on different forums and because of my fascination with having dual cards never took the time to really consider this. Now that I'm about to actually spend money you can bet it won't be on a dual gpu setup.
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This x5000.

http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/19934/15
http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/19934/12

Good review with benches against 460 overclocked SLI and 6870 CF, the single GTX 580 is a bit slower on overall averages but is well worth it to avoid the normal dual-GPU issues of sometimes-slower MIN FPS, microstutter, input lag, profiles, driver dependency to iron out issues, etc. not to mention higher heat/noise.

Bottom line is the dual-card setups have much more dipping on min FPS than a comparable/nearly-same-speed single card setup, resulting in a worse gameplay experience. This is readily visible in any reviews that show the time/fps graphs, but even in some you can see min FPS is *LOWER* on a dual card setup even while average is faster, on many games.
 
I would not TRUST CFX with AMD period. Just ask my brother in law who spend 800 on his 5970 and still cant play Borderlands with the latest drivers. He is still using 10.4. I will get a pair of 470's or if you want AMD I will stick to SINGLE card solution. This is from my experience.
 
I agree with the criticisms of CFX here... I bought two of the best that ATI brought to the table in my Asus Matrix 2GB cards, and although they perform very well I am currently keeping my fingers crossed hoping that one 6990 will be able to replace them and satisfy my need for a smooth 5040x1050 Eyefinity experience. The bottom line is that the experience can be amazing at times, but it still has somewhat of a 'beta' vibe.
 
Seems like a powerful single GPU would be the way to go for the most competitive gamer.
 
Only one thing that knocks the 6850 and 6870, 1GB of framebuffer. At higher resolutions like 25x16 or multi-display, which is the GTX 580s home turf, framebuffer limitations will hit the CF configuration like a brick wall. Until that point the CF configs will probably be faster. And use less power even then.
 
ZerazaX said:
Wait for the 69xx's and see where prices go if you're price conscious and don't need a card immediately
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seems this might be the best solution. replies here show a bit of both and while i hate my 9800gtx right now i don't technically NEED a new video card atm.
 
I game on a 30" monitor, and always going with the biggest single gpu has always been great for me. When I have had multi gpu setups, I never banked on SLI or Crossfire to work 100% of the time, but I know that a single powerful gpu will always work.

One thing when you pair up two cheaper cards is you don't leave yourself an upgrade path. Adding a 3rd usually doesn't do much, but adding another GTX 580 for SLI and then you're talking.

What is it worth for you? It's different for every person but the GTX 580 was my decision this round. I thought I'd mix it up since I've been using ATI for so long now.
 
for me i made a rule for myself long time ago to never spend over $400 on a video card. i'm still not in a place where that is very realistic. also, i game on (1) 24" at 1920x1200 for now so my needs aren't great. however i do plan on adding 2 more monitors in the mix some point soon (developing on 1 screen is torture) which is why ATI was attractive to me. but it might be worth it to hold out and wait for the 69xx series and see if one of those cards is price below $400. or it will push the cost of the 6870 to around $200 mark.
 
Powerful single gpu all the way. Microstutter, bad drivers, etc. isn't worth it. It's just a serious pain in my ass. I would personally wait for the 6970 but the 580 seems like a decent card.
 
I never noticed any microstutter, and didn't really have many problems with drivers on my 5750 crossfire. only time I actually had trouble was with starcraft 2 beta, and thats what you expect with Betas.
 
erf said:
This x1000. For the past 6 months I've been dreaming about running a dual card solution. Now thaat I have the funds and started doing deeper research I found that xfire namely is not as pretty as most benchmarks make them look. Most review sites only account for average frame rendering. When you look at benchmarks that include minimum frame rate you'll quickly find that crossfire especially is overrated.

If you're wanting a balance of speed and smooth gameplay go with the fastest single gpu solution. I kept seeing people mention this on different forums and because of my fascination with having dual cards never took the time to really consider this. Now that I'm about to actually spend money you can bet it won't be on a dual gpu setup.
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At the risk of becoming a cliche, this x10000. No explanation needed.

GoldenTiger said:
... worth it to avoid the normal dual-GPU issues of sometimes-slower MIN FPS, microstutter, input lag, profiles, driver dependency to iron out issues, etc. not to mention higher heat/noise
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I will continue to avoid multiple card solutions indefinitely until the majority of these problems get ironed out. I've been waiting for years and it looks like I'm going to be waiting many more.




PS: This x50000. ;)
 
martinje said:
I would not TRUST CFX with AMD period. Just ask my brother in law who spend 800 on his 5970 and still cant play Borderlands with the latest drivers. He is still using 10.4. I will get a pair of 470's or if you want AMD I will stick to SINGLE card solution. This is from my experience.
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What the hell kinda res is he running even a single 5870 should floor that game, by can't play do you mean at all??

I say wait until the 6970 comes out, do not buy yet with the 6900s so close
 
6870 CFX outperforms the GTX 580 in games that offer proper CFX dual gpu support.
 
tenub said:
Which is pretty much every recent game.
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gtx580 trumps any crossfire setup where it counts, minimum frames per second. Shitty benchmarks are shitty. Most review sites only show average frames per second. The minimums on xfire setups are not much different from the single gpu solutions. Sad but true. I'd rather average 100 with a minimum of 40, rather than average 120 with a minimum of 25. If you'll notice reviews that contain minimums you'll see the single card solution, particularly the high end gtx series that still tops mid range xfire.
 
erf said:
gtx580 trumps any crossfire setup where it counts, minimum frames per second. Shitty benchmarks are shitty. Most review sites only show average frames per second. The minimums on xfire setups are not much different from the single gpu solutions. Sad but true. I'd rather average 100 with a minimum of 40, rather than average 120 with a minimum of 25. If you'll notice reviews that contain minimums you'll see the single card solution, particularly the high end gtx series that still tops mid range xfire.
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I haven't heard anyone complaining about the minimum fps, I sure don't have those issues with my 4870x2 which has a weaker single GPU strength
 
its hard for me to take some of these comments seriously when, if you read person's sig, they have a crappy computer with outdated graphics card. no one that i actually know with dual video card setups ever complain ... except in a random beta maybe.

anyways, when do the 69xx come out?
 
tenub said:
Which is pretty much every recent game.
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Is Borderlands a recent game? I can tell you that game crashes in CFX with anything later then 10.4 on a 5970.

To the OP read my sig, after seeing all the issues first hand I went with Nvidia for my portrait surround gaming system. Spend countless hours reading on the pro's and cons of all the cards that where out at the time.
 
dalearyous said:
its hard for me to take some of these comments seriously when, if you read person's sig, they have a crappy computer with outdated graphics card. no one that i actually know with dual video card setups ever complain ... except in a random beta maybe.

anyways, when do the 69xx come out?
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should be the 20th of this month
 
Taer said:
What, really? Are you sure?

I thought it was months away.
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rumor has it that they are doing it on/around the 20th. I can not of course verify this. but it is def suppose to be this month. (Nvidia in fact had scheduled the release of the 580GTX to go right around this but actually moved it up for reasons that people argue)
 
Valset said:
rumor has it that they are doing it on/around the 20th. I can not of course verify this. but it is def suppose to be this month. (Nvidia in fact had scheduled the release of the 580GTX to go right around this but actually moved it up for reasons that people argue)
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And because of the stupid NDA, we're going to have to wait EXACTLY 10 days to find out if we should buy the HD 6970 or not. Great.

Thank you, though.
 
martinje said:
Is Borderlands a recent game? I can tell you that game crashes in CFX with anything later then 10.4 on a 5970.

To the OP read my sig, after seeing all the issues first hand I went with Nvidia for my portrait surround gaming system. Spend countless hours reading on the pro's and cons of all the cards that where out at the time.
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I have Borderlands but haven't played it yet, if my 4870x2 plays it perfect I'm gonna lol
 
dalearyous said:
its hard for me to take some of these comments seriously when, if you read person's sig, they have a crappy computer with outdated graphics card. no one that i actually know with dual video card setups ever complain ... except in a random beta maybe.

anyways, when do the 69xx come out?
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Hey, I may have a crappy computer right now but I'm about to upgrade my processor and gpu(s). I'm just trying to be helpful and contribute to the thread.

You may be dead set on a dual gpu solution but if any of the legitimate reviews I've been reading are worth their salt (I've been reading reviews for 3-4 months now), a high end single gpu is superior to the dual gpu solution. Trust me, the enthusiast in me wants to have 2 video cards but the more I read and think about the pro and cons I'm heavily leaning towards a single gpu.

Btw, I'm not sure if I'm reading into your post too much but you kind of came across as a prick.
 
iviyth0s said:
I have Borderlands but haven't played it yet, if my 4870x2 plays it perfect I'm gonna lol
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Let me know, how it turns out, I even remember reading the drivers notes on driver 10.7 or .8

Improved performance in Borderlands.

I was AWESOME !! kept reading

Can cause random lock up in Borderlands in CFX mode.

I was WTF is ATi thinking. At that time Ati was their proper name.
 
erf said:
Hey, I may have a crappy computer right now but I'm about to upgrade my processor and gpu(s). I'm just trying to be helpful and contribute to the thread.

You may be dead set on a dual gpu solution but if any of the legitimate reviews I've been reading are worth their salt (I've been reading reviews for 3-4 months now), a high end single gpu is superior to the dual gpu solution. Trust me, the enthusiast in me wants to have 2 video cards but the more I read and think about the pro and cons I'm heavily leaning towards a single gpu.

Btw, I'm not sure if I'm reading into your post too much but you kind of came across as a prick.
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I take it your still on the minimum frame rates issue? the newer dual card setups just don't have the issues they did. BTW here is a 580GTX review that covers the 5970 and the 580GTX with the minimum frame rates. http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...s/37789-nvidia-geforce-gtx-580-review-10.html and you can count on a pair of 6870 doing better (they scale better as been shown on several reviews. this is also true of the 460GTX as well
 
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