Single GPU vs Dual GPU Dilemma

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DaMaN841

Limp Gawd
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I'm considering an upgrade from a 7950GX2, and ideally I would like to support 3 monitors, however, if it doesn't seem to be the best decision, then I'm open to other options. The Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4850 X2 2GB DDR3 with 4 DVI outs was what made me initially drool, since it would be a perfect solution. However, I've had some issues in the past (When I had the 7950GX2's in SLI) with a Multiple GPU setup, in that in some cases it was slower or there wasn't any improvement.

Anyway, so my question after that preface; Is the HD4850 X2 a good card to get for a game like World of Warcraft, that doesn't necessarily optimize for that of dual gpus? Mind you, the game would be run in a windowed mode & maximized mode, in that it will be run in a 2560x1600 window (that way I can still have access to both of the other monitors during gameplay - sad I know). My other option would just be to invest in a card of equal value, like a GTX 280, and just give up on trying to have a performance machine and multi purpose workstation in the same box.

Thanks in advance.
 
DaMaN841 said:
I'm considering an upgrade from a 7950GX2, and ideally I would like to support 3 monitors, however, if it doesn't seem to be the best decision, then I'm open to other options. The Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4850 X2 2GB DDR3 with 4 DVI outs was what made me initially drool, since it would be a perfect solution. However, I've had some issues in the past (When I had the 7950GX2's in SLI) with a Multiple GPU setup, in that in some cases it was slower or there wasn't any improvement.

Anyway, so my question after that preface; Is the HD4850 X2 a good card to get for a game like World of Warcraft, that doesn't necessarily optimize for that of dual gpus? Mind you, the game would be run in a windowed mode & maximized mode, in that it will be run in a 2560x1600 window (that way I can still have access to both of the other monitors during gameplay - sad I know). My other option would just be to invest in a card of equal value, like a GTX 280, and just give up on trying to have a performance machine and multi purpose workstation in the same box.

Thanks in advance.
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for the price the 4850X2 is NOT worth it at the moment. (at least in my opinion). However I can't think of anything better in this current generation for what you want. (now that I am thinking about does crossfire allow more then two monitor?) as you only have one PCIe 16 slot on your board. I hate to ask but have you considered upgrading your motherboard? that would make what you want a lot easier.
 
You can upgrade to a Geforce GTX280 video card, run dual display on that 1 video card. Then, you can get a cheap PCI video card to run your 3rd monitor. This should work
 
Hey, thank you both for the responses. I am eventually going to upgrade the entire rig down the road, but I'm milking it until the i7's come out. I only built this one as a very economical holdmeover that I would redistribute as a server when the time came. I currently just want something that is relatively future proof, for when I build a real machine, and not a smaller form factor. In this case, a GTX 260 or 280 would be fine for me, and definitely yield a lot more performance over the 7950 GX2, let alone my having a 7950 GX2 while playing WoW is akin to a 7900 GTX, but that was another mistake in itself.
 
HardwareGuru said:
You can upgrade to a Geforce GTX280 video card, run dual display on that 1 video card. Then, you can get a cheap PCI video card to run your 3rd monitor. This should work
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he only has one PCIe slot on his motherboard, that is why I was asking about upgtading
 
If you can live with two monitors I would recommend the 4870 1gb

if you need three, then go with the 4850 X2 (make sure it will support them)
 
After doing a bit of rethinking and gathering the information from all of your replies and reviews, it just seems foolish to spend so much on a video card, just to accrue the dual purpose ability. I think I'm going to go with a GTX 280 (possibly 260), and enjoy the boost in games on the 30. I will figure something else out down the road to put the other monitors to use.

Thanks for all the help.
 
idk if anyone notices, but the 4850x2 has 4 dvi ports i believe EDIT : nvm
 
DaMaN841 said:
After doing a bit of rethinking and gathering the information from all of your replies and reviews, it just seems foolish to spend so much on a video card, just to accrue the dual purpose ability. I think I'm going to go with a GTX 280 (possibly 260), and enjoy the boost in games on the 30. I will figure something else out down the road to put the other monitors to use.

Thanks for all the help.
Click to expand...

kind of hard to recommend the GTX280 right now, kind of at a bad price point. If you can get it on a deal its good but as its within throwing distance of the 4870X2 price wise (its around $385 last I looked, 450 AR for the 4870X2) and a hundred dollars more then a 4870 1gb its hard to justify it. Best bang for the buck at this level is the GTX260 (old version) for around 200, next the 4870 512mb for about ten bucks more, next is the 4870 1gb. the GTX260 216 core are not worth the price IMO

They do have some USB monitor adapters that can run a third monitor
 
DaMaN841 said:
Anyway, so my question after that preface; Is the HD4850 X2 a good card to get for a game like World of Warcraft, that doesn't necessarily optimize for that of dual gpus? Mind you, the game would be run in a windowed mode & maximized mode, in that it will be run in a 2560x1600 window
Click to expand...

Running WoW in windowed forces the use of only one GPU, even Windowed maximized. The new shadows are also broken with crossfire. (you can just set that one slider lower however)

If you're dead set on that, then you want the fastest single-GPU card you can get.
 
Linked said:
idk if anyone notices, but the 4850x2 has 4 dvi ports i believe EDIT : nvm
Click to expand...

Yes, that is the entire dilemma and the reason for this post. Is the 4850x2 which has 4 dvi ports worth it in an game that only takes advantage of 1 gpu. In this case, most of us have decided it isn't worth while, and a better single gpu solution will yield better results.
 
GotNoRice said:
Running WoW in windowed forces the use of only one GPU, even Windowed maximized. The new shadows are also broken with crossfire. (you can just set that one slider lower however)

If you're dead set on that, then you want the fastest single-GPU card you can get.
Click to expand...

Well consequently, the only reason I ever ran it in Maximized Windowed Mode was because I could take full advantage of the 2560x1600, and still have the ability to look at either screen, whether it was a website, or vent, etc. The only reason to continue running it in Maximized Windowed Mode, if I were to get the fastest single-GPU card, is if I were to keep one monitor attached, which with just one, ruins half of the reason in the first place. I'm sort of in a catch 22 here. I could half ass it with a 30 and a 20, I could just use the 30, which would make full screen the only solution, or I suck it up and have all 3 run with a performance hit.

To me, since this is solely a gaming machine at this point, I'd most likely sacrifice one monitor, or if it is still possible, get a second card that is solely a video card (not a performance one) that will be compatible with both drivers, and maybe that will work. As of yet, if that is possible, it's a viable solution, but I haven't really heard a definite yes or no as to how that will fair.
 
I still have vent, xfire, etc up on my 2nd monitor while I use fullscreen mode in WoW, the only difference is that I have to alt-tab in order to move my mouse off of the primary monitor rather than being able to move it between monitors seamlessly. But for vent, etc where I just sort of want to be able to see it and don't really need to interact with it, it still works out fine.
 
Yeah, I hear ya. I know it's not that big of a deal. I'm just partial in hopes that there would be a perfect solution. Unfortunately, there will always be a caveat since nothing is perfect, so I just need to lean toward what is more important, instead of settling somewhere in the middle.

In lieu of that, I'm pretty certain I'm going to go with a 260, save myself $100+. If Vista continues to fail with the onboard intel video, then I'll gladly go back to XP (even though I loathe all that is windows regardless). With that, I'll test the difference between Full Screen mode as GotNoRice suggested and Windowed mode, and depending upon the results, will determine what I will do.

Thanks for all the advice guys, I really appreciate it.
 
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