Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo / GPU

[priyam1309]

This weekend I am going to get a new Gaming Rig for about 50K and maybe in a month or two get Razer 6950 HD Twin Frozr III OC.

I have a doubt, earlier I planned that I would get 2nd GPU in another 6-7 Months and go with CrossFire. But for that I would need a 750W PSU minimum for around 7-7.5K and due to budget contraints I would be getting MSI Z68 GD65 B3 Mobo.

Should I invest in PCI Ex 3.0 supported Mobo (to make it future proof) and drop the plan of CrossFire and hence get a 600W PSU (which will accomodate the price of better Mobo) and rather get a better GPU and wait till Games pass this GPU. Then, as my Mobo would be supporting PCI 3.0, get a new GPU maybe say 2-3 yrs later?

Sorry if I am too confusing!

One Line Question - Should I invest now in Average Mobo + Expensive PSU + 2 X Mid Range GPU (1 now & 1 later) or should I get this -
Good & Latest Mobo + Lesser Powered PSU + High range GPU (now) and later when Games get better and more resource hungry, I just need to change the GPU so no Dual GPU.

Also if I get PCI 3.0 supported Mobo, will it reverse support PCI 2.0 now without issues?

 

[rajnusker]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

CPU: i5 2500k -> Rs 10.6k
M/B: MSI Z68A-GD65 -> Rs 10.8k
PSU: Seasonic 850AT 80+ -> Rs 6.6k
RAM: Corsair XMS3 2*2GB 1600Mhz -> Rs 2.1k
HDD: Seagate 1TB 7200 -> Rs 2.7k
DVD: Asus 24x -> Rs 1.15k
CASE: NZXT M59 -> Rs 3.8k
GPU: 2 MSI R6870 Hawk 1GB -> Rs 23.4
MONITOR: ? You need extra money for this.

Also if I get PCI 3.0 supported Mobo, will it reverse support PCI 2.0 now without issues?

Yes.

CF the 6870, the performance will be sexy. Here a CF review:

Radeon HD 6950 CrossfireX review

 

[priyam1309]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

Hey,
So you are suggesting that I should go with CrossFireX instead of single better GPUs like upcoming AMD 7000 Series?

 

[Skud]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

Fill up the template first, for better suggestions:-

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/pc-components-configurations/128247-pc-build-questionnaire-template.html

 

[priyam1309]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

Skud,
I am not seeking Full Config suggestions, I just info on CrossFirex vs Single GPU

 

[rajnusker]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

Hey,
So you are suggesting that I should go with CrossFireX instead of single better GPUs like upcoming AMD 7000 Series?

It totally depends on you. If you can wait, then wait for the 7k series.

 

[Skud]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

Skud,
I am not seeking Full Config suggestions, I just info on CrossFirex vs Single GPU

OK, then this article might help:

Micro-Stuttering And GPU Scaling In CrossFire And SLI : Micro-Stuttering, Multi-Card Scaling, And More!

Currently, it seems like cards less powerful than the Radeon HD 6950 are not well-suited for dual-card CrossFire. Even if the frame rates look decent, the slower the GPU, the more pronounced you'll see micro-stuttering during gameplay.

Now, take your pick. BTW, what's your budget?

 

[doomgiver]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

imho, dont go for multi-gpu setup unless the price get too high for a single gpu to justify the expense.

case in point : 6990. its a 40k card(afaik), but you can get much more performance if you put 2x6970 in crossfire for the same amount of money.

and a multi gpu setup requires a very good psu and motherboard, so you have to spend extra.

 

[priyam1309]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

BTW, what's your budget?

Ok, well here's my Budget
Immediate (for everything except GPU) - 50K
Feb 2012 (GPU) - 16-18K
Nov Dec 2012 (2nd GPU) - 16-18K

 

[Skud]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

By Feb 2012, HD7000 will be in the market. Although specs are not final, check this (scroll down to the last couple of rows):-

*www.techarp.com/article/Desktop_GPU_Comparison/ati_4_big.png

If the specs are right, the rumored 7870 will end up performing better than a 6970, and making a calculated guess, it should debut at 15-16k max. So the next step, aka, 7950 should be within 18-20k max. So its better to hold on till then. And at this moment, invest in a better mobo if you can. And don't skimp on SMPS.

 

[priyam1309]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

And don't skimp on SMPS.

Based on the Predictions on the attached screenshot, the current drawn by 7870 would be lesser than current 6950 and hence, a good 650W PSU would do be fine and also leaving lots of room for case modding?

 

[Skud]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

I think so. Power draw of 7950 will be higher, though it should be significantly lower than 6950. So, 650W should be more than enough. Else you can opt for 750W to feel a little safer, just in case you opt for some insane OCing.

 

[Tech_Wiz]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

In the Table it says Ram Type is GDDR5. Isn't it supposed to be XDR2 Rambus Memory?

I recall reading it and it also said its twice as fast as GDDR5 one? :-/

 

[Skud]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

XDR2 is for the high end 7900 cards. Mid range Barts replacement would be DDR5 based.

 

[Tech_Wiz]

Re: Urgent Help Needed - Unable to decide - Go with CrossFire or get a better Mobo /

Bummer