- Oct 3, 2013
- 8,409
- 0
- 38,960
AMD Radeon R9 2XX Crossfire facts and compatibility thread
**This thread is a sublink to the original thread here.**
**NOTE: This thread is still under development, things are going to be edited and changed - just keep this in mind, I'm working on it. **
**If you manage to spot a mistake, please private message me for an investigation and appropriate changes.**
This thread aims to give an understanding of crossfire, what cards can be crossfired, your system comparability and if crossfire is worth it to you due to scaling and performance. Two or more cards are beneficial to some users as the current most powerful single-GPU's are not enough for their tasks. If ever considering going crossfire you need to know if it will all work, and if it'll work well. The below describes everything you must check before going out and buying multiple Radeon R9 2XX cards;
Is your system Crossfire Ready?
All Graphics cards in the R9 2XX series support Crossfire when using Catalyst Control Center to enable the cards in the preferred configuration. The Dual GPU's cards such as the R9 290X2 and R9 295X2 can only be put in a 2/way configuration as there are two cards already mechanically joined on each PCB. The R9 270 and 270X can also only be put in 2/way Crossfire **The R9 270X Toxic is the only R9 270X card that can be put in 3/way Crossfire**. Currently, there is no definite number for the R9 285 crossfire amount, so it is left at a 2/way unless otherwise notified. The R9 280 on-wards can be put in 4/way Crossfire. Only the R9 270/270X/280/280X need to use the Crossfire bridge in order to be configured in AMD's Catalyst Control Center. With the bridge itself when using two cards you can use two bridges (if you have two connectors on both cards), but when using three or four cards you need to go from 1 to 2, 2 to 3 and/or 3 to 4.
Knowing if your systems compatible is crucial before going out and spending money on multiple graphics cards. To know, you must check the below -
NOTE:
-PCI-E is backwards compatible so don't worry if your motherboard slot is PCI-E X16 2.0 or in blue/black mode X8/X16 2.0. The difference is not noticeable.
- CPU Bottlenecking misconceptions: There is ONLY a bottleneck in your system if your CPU is at or close to 100% load, OR if it is throttling at a way to high temperature. If that is not the case with your current CPU, there is simply no bottleneck with your processor. If your current CPU is running close to 100% load, it is best that you soon invest in a new CPU to take maximum advantage of the cards in your chosen configuration.
1) Motherboard -
-Does your motherboard support Crossfire and does it support it in at least X8/X8 configuration? It is not worth buying another card if it is to be bottlenecked in X4 mode. If you are needing to get a second card but your motherboard only supports X16/X4, upgrade your motherboard. *CPU PCI-E lanes are a factor with multiple graphics card configurations on motherboards.*
-If going over two cards make sure that your motherboard has the right slot layout. If planning on just buying two cards, check if your card is abnormally high and hangs noticeably over two slots *This is only an issue with cards are a hairline apart due to slot layout*. To check out your or another specific card specifications and size, go to the previous page, select the series and scroll down until the card your interested in is listed. If you have a large air cooler and it's extremely close to the first slot, DONT use it. This can cause a short circuit in your system.
-Make sure you have enough slots on your motherboard depending on how many cards your planning on buying.
2) Power Supply -
-Calculating your system Wattage, does this power supply have enough Watts and headroom for your system? (See this page and times your chosen models TDP value by how many cards your planning on getting (If not buying the reference model all aftermarket cards have a higher TDP as they have been given an already small pre-overclock, take this into consideration and add this as headroom - the difference in TDP for the most part is not big). If overclocking your CPU/GPU make sure you plan extra watt headroom into it, the higher you plan to overclock, the more headroom you must have. Do NOT overclock with a poor quality power supply.)
-Does your power supply have enough amps to support your system? Checking the prior page to what cards your choosing, go onto the specific sublink page. Towards the end of that thread, check what amps is recommended for buying 2/3/4 cards. Check the sticker on your power supply under 12V (single/dual rails) to see what amperage it outputs.
-Does your power supply have enough power connectors? If not, you may want to use 4-pin molex adapters
-Is your power supply of reasonable quality? This will not determine if it can handle your cards but more so how stable your unit is, poor quality units aren't designed and aren't meant for multi-GPU systems. At least make sure your power supply is 80+ BRONZE certified. If planning on buying a new power supply I would go from trusted supplier such as Antec/XFX/Seasonic/Superflower/Corsair/EVGA with at least 80+ Bronze certification and a minimum of 5 years warranty (making sure it is of appropriate wattage). A power supply from this list is top quality and will be easily up for the job. You can also choose from the Power Supply tier 1 list on Toms Hardware (recommended for multiple cards), and also tier 2.
3) Case -
-Is your system chassis (case) big enough? Do you have enough room for the cards to fit? If not specified anywhere on the internet measure from back of case to when you first hit the HDD cage, if removing the HDD cage; till you hit the first object in the cards way. If your planning on removing the HDD cage make sure that with it removed it has enough space for how many cards your installing.
-Does your case have good ventilation? Crossfire setups tend to get hot, it is not unusual for the top card to get noticeably hotter then the bottom, ensure that you have enough case fans to move plenty of air to keep your system cool. Remember; Hot air rises so place fans that take advantage of this. Putting fans on the cases side is fine along with the front and back, even though this does not go by the saying it helps exhaust and intake air better. Placing fans at the bottom is one of the smartest locations for placing fans, as long as the bottom vents have enough space between the ground and the chassis, it's well worth mounting.
-Check to see if you have enough PCI brackets at the rear of your case. If you are installing a graphics card in the very bottom slot of your motherboard, make sure that there are enough brackets below the slot in order for it to be inserted and secured properly.
If that's all a pass then your system is Crossfire ready.
Multiple Monitor configurations with Crossfire:
When in Crossfire, you cannot always use any of the ports available on any card. For the most part, you must use the top card only. This is not the case for all cards however.
When wanting to game on multiple monitors you need to setup eyefinity. Note: All cards have a limit to how many screens can be connected, you cannot use up all card ports and expect all screens to work. When setting up Eyefinity with three or more screens, you need to occupy the displayport output on at least one graphics card in your desired configuration. (*This is not the case for all cards / this is the same not for Crossfire also*)
If using 120/144Hz screens, ONLY use either DisplayPort or DVI cables, The monitors HDMI inputs will not support 120/144Hz for the most part. However all Radeon R9 2XX cards support HDMI 1.4a, Which supports 120/144Hz. Also, do not use DP to HDMI adapters, they will limit the refresh rate to 60Hz.
What cards can be Crossfired?
Radeon R9 2XX cards have a much larger freedom to what cards can be crossfired compared to that of Nvidia. The below lists all of the card model configurations you can do;
NOTE:
-With configurations with Mixed X and non-X variants you can have any number of each, as long as it is held at a MAX of 2 (for the R9 270/X) / 4 graphics cards.
-Dual GPU'd graphics cards count as two GPU's in crossfire, as they are.
-Mixture of cards means ALL of the cards are limited to the slowest in your crossfire configuration. It is best that you buy the same Radeon R9 model of card, and also clock cards to the same level for optimum performance. However, it is perfectly fine and worth it buying a Non-X variant to crossfire with your current X model (or the other way round) if currently prices are too high or they are unavailable in your region.
-The numbers '2' , '3' and '4' refer to the amount of SEPARATE cards can be in that particular Crossfire configuration, NOT the amount of GPU's.
- '/' means OR. '/ + (2XX)' means you can add that card onto the current configuration.
-Before buying ANY cards, make sure your system supports it, the first section of this thread explains this.
-The R9 285 can only be crossfired with itself as far as we know.
-Recommended setups are ones that are of the same model (or GPU - e.g. 2 x Hawaii XT 's crossfired with (1) Hawaii XT - R9 295X2 with R9 290X), this is recommended over mixing cards such as X and non-X variants.
-R9 270X Toxic can go 3/way Crossfire but is not listed to avoid confusion.
R9 270 Crossfire 2/ way ONLY (Bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 270 + 270
R9 270+R9 270X 2/ way ONLY (Bridge required)
All Possible Configurations: 270 + 270X
R9 270X Crossfire 2/ way ONLY (with the exception of Sapphire's 270X Toxic) (Bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 270X + 270X
R9 280 Crossifire 2/3/4 way (Bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 280 + 280 / + 280 / + 280
R9 280+R9 280X 2/3/4 way (Bridge required)
All Possible Configurations: 280+280X / 280+280+280X / 280+280X+280X / 280+280+280+280X / 280+280+280X+280X / 280+280X+280X+280X
R9 280X Crossfire 2/3/4 way (Bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 280X + 280X / + 280X / + 280X
R9 285 Crossfire 2/ way (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
**Unknown how many of these cards is supported in Crossfire yet**
All Possible Configurations: 285 + 285
R9 290 Crossfire 2/3/4 way (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 290 + 290 / + 290 / + 290
R9 290+R9 290X 2/3/4 way (No bridge required)
All Possible Configurations: 290+290X / 290+290+290X / 290+290X+290X / 290+290+290+290X / 290+290+290X+290X / 290+290X+290X+290X
R9 290X Crossfire 2/3/4 way (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 290X + 290X / + 290X / + 290X
R9 290X2 Crossfire 2/way ONLY (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 290X2+290X2
R9 290X2+R9 290 2/way or 3/way (No bridge required)
All Possible Configurations: 290X2+290 / 290X2+290+290
R9 290X2+R9 290X 2/way or 3/way (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 290X2+290X / 290X2+290X+290X
R9 295X2 Crossfire 2/way ONLY (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 295X2+295X2
R9 295X2+R9 290 2/way or 3/way (No bridge required)
All Possible Configurations: 295X2+290 / 295X2+290+290
R9 295X2+R9 290X 2/way or 3/way (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 295X2+290X / 295X2+290X+290X
The card model (e.g. Asus DirectCU II) you have is not a factor when going Crossfire, you can choose any manufacturer and any card by them available. The only difference when doing this is the varying clock and memory speeds (if applicable), ALL cards in any configuration is limited to the slowest. For all cards not to be limited if they are the same variant (X or non-X) but a different model, you can overclock them to the same clock and memory speed level to rule out this factor. The limited cards won't make a big difference, but if every FPS counts then it is worthwhile doing.
NOTE: Before attempting any overclock you MUST know what you are doing. We are not held responsible for damage caused to components.
Video Ram allocation in Crossfire:
Video Ram is often at times a critical choice in our decision when choosing a graphics card. However before purchasing any card you MUST understand that in Crossfire Video Ram is NOT added, but mirrored. To visually see what this all means the below lists ALL scenarios for video ram configurations in the R9 2XX series only;
NOTE:
-There are no R9 2XX series cards with 2GB Vram that support 4/way crossfire.
-The lowest Video ram detected in a setup limits the rest of the cards to their value.
-All bold outcomes are the ones recommended for you to have.
2GB+2GB=2GB 2/way Crossfire
2GB+4GB=2GB 2/way Crossfire
3GB+3GB=3GB 2/way Crossfire
3GB+6GB=3GB 2/way Crossfire
4GB+4GB=4GB 2/way Crossfire
4GB+8GB=4GB 2/way Crossfire
6GB+6GB=6GB 2/way Crossfire
8GB+8GB=8GB 2/way Crossfire
2GB+2GB+2GB=2GB 3/way Crossfire (Sapphire Toxic R9 270X ONLY)
3GB+3GB+3GB=3GB 3/way Crossfire
3GB+3GB+6GB=3GB 3/way Crossfire
3GB+6GB+6GB=3GB 3/way Crossfire
4GB+4GB+4GB=4GB 3/way Crossfire
4GB+4GB+8GB=4GB 3/way Crossfire
4GB+8GB+8GB=4GB 3/way Crossfire
6GB+6GB+6GB=6GB 3/way Crossfire
8GB+8GB+8GB=8GB 3/way Crossfire
3GB+3GB+3GB+3GB=3GB 4/way Crossfire
3GB+3GB+3GB+6GB=3GB 4/way Crossfire
3GB+3GB+6GB+6GB=3GB 4/way Crossfire
3GB+6GB+6GB+6GB=3GB 4/way Crossfire
4GB+4GB+4GB+4GB=4GB 4/way Crossfire
4GB+4GB+4GB+8GB=4GB 4/way Crossfire
4GB+4GB+8GB+8GB=4GB 4/way Crossfire
4GB+8GB+8GB+8GB=4GB 4/way Crossfire
6GB+6GB+6GB+6GB=6GB 4/way Crossfire
8GB+8GB+8GB+8GB=8GB 4/way Crossfire
Crossfire Scaling: **This section of the thread is still under development**
The more cards you have in crossfire does not always mean the better it is. Micro-Stuttering and FPS loss is a huge factor when using more cards in crossfire. As far as the scaling goes, this part of the thread will show 2/3/4 way scaling over just using a single graphics card. Not just Min/Max/Average FPS will be listed, but how smooth the gameplay was and/or any bugs encountered. Just because the FPS is higher, that does not mean that the gameplay is smoother or better. The more cards you have in multiple games can also mean the worse FPS you can have.
NOTE:
-Only the reference model of the series is used for ALL tests. No aftermarket cooled models and no changes to it's original speed will be done, This is done for fairness. The R9 290X2 was not included as there is no crossfire review for it, if considering buying two of these cards look at the R9 295X2 as the test results will be almost identical.
-Only the same R9 2XX model card is used (No mixture of X and non-X variants)
-Do not base these results on what you should be getting, your systems will not be the same.
Higher Video Ram performance in Crossfire **This section of the thread is still under development**
Note: Non-reference cards will be used for ALL of these tests, but the cards compared will be either at a similar level or the same.
**The last two sections of the thread will be added soon after the launch of ALL Radeon R9 2XX subthreads. Regular updates on the main thread will be notified**
**This thread is a sublink to the original thread here.**
**NOTE: This thread is still under development, things are going to be edited and changed - just keep this in mind, I'm working on it. **
**If you manage to spot a mistake, please private message me for an investigation and appropriate changes.**
This thread aims to give an understanding of crossfire, what cards can be crossfired, your system comparability and if crossfire is worth it to you due to scaling and performance. Two or more cards are beneficial to some users as the current most powerful single-GPU's are not enough for their tasks. If ever considering going crossfire you need to know if it will all work, and if it'll work well. The below describes everything you must check before going out and buying multiple Radeon R9 2XX cards;
Is your system Crossfire Ready?
All Graphics cards in the R9 2XX series support Crossfire when using Catalyst Control Center to enable the cards in the preferred configuration. The Dual GPU's cards such as the R9 290X2 and R9 295X2 can only be put in a 2/way configuration as there are two cards already mechanically joined on each PCB. The R9 270 and 270X can also only be put in 2/way Crossfire **The R9 270X Toxic is the only R9 270X card that can be put in 3/way Crossfire**. Currently, there is no definite number for the R9 285 crossfire amount, so it is left at a 2/way unless otherwise notified. The R9 280 on-wards can be put in 4/way Crossfire. Only the R9 270/270X/280/280X need to use the Crossfire bridge in order to be configured in AMD's Catalyst Control Center. With the bridge itself when using two cards you can use two bridges (if you have two connectors on both cards), but when using three or four cards you need to go from 1 to 2, 2 to 3 and/or 3 to 4.
Knowing if your systems compatible is crucial before going out and spending money on multiple graphics cards. To know, you must check the below -
NOTE:
-PCI-E is backwards compatible so don't worry if your motherboard slot is PCI-E X16 2.0 or in blue/black mode X8/X16 2.0. The difference is not noticeable.
- CPU Bottlenecking misconceptions: There is ONLY a bottleneck in your system if your CPU is at or close to 100% load, OR if it is throttling at a way to high temperature. If that is not the case with your current CPU, there is simply no bottleneck with your processor. If your current CPU is running close to 100% load, it is best that you soon invest in a new CPU to take maximum advantage of the cards in your chosen configuration.
1) Motherboard -
-Does your motherboard support Crossfire and does it support it in at least X8/X8 configuration? It is not worth buying another card if it is to be bottlenecked in X4 mode. If you are needing to get a second card but your motherboard only supports X16/X4, upgrade your motherboard. *CPU PCI-E lanes are a factor with multiple graphics card configurations on motherboards.*
-If going over two cards make sure that your motherboard has the right slot layout. If planning on just buying two cards, check if your card is abnormally high and hangs noticeably over two slots *This is only an issue with cards are a hairline apart due to slot layout*. To check out your or another specific card specifications and size, go to the previous page, select the series and scroll down until the card your interested in is listed. If you have a large air cooler and it's extremely close to the first slot, DONT use it. This can cause a short circuit in your system.
-Make sure you have enough slots on your motherboard depending on how many cards your planning on buying.
2) Power Supply -
-Calculating your system Wattage, does this power supply have enough Watts and headroom for your system? (See this page and times your chosen models TDP value by how many cards your planning on getting (If not buying the reference model all aftermarket cards have a higher TDP as they have been given an already small pre-overclock, take this into consideration and add this as headroom - the difference in TDP for the most part is not big). If overclocking your CPU/GPU make sure you plan extra watt headroom into it, the higher you plan to overclock, the more headroom you must have. Do NOT overclock with a poor quality power supply.)
-Does your power supply have enough amps to support your system? Checking the prior page to what cards your choosing, go onto the specific sublink page. Towards the end of that thread, check what amps is recommended for buying 2/3/4 cards. Check the sticker on your power supply under 12V (single/dual rails) to see what amperage it outputs.
-Does your power supply have enough power connectors? If not, you may want to use 4-pin molex adapters
-Is your power supply of reasonable quality? This will not determine if it can handle your cards but more so how stable your unit is, poor quality units aren't designed and aren't meant for multi-GPU systems. At least make sure your power supply is 80+ BRONZE certified. If planning on buying a new power supply I would go from trusted supplier such as Antec/XFX/Seasonic/Superflower/Corsair/EVGA with at least 80+ Bronze certification and a minimum of 5 years warranty (making sure it is of appropriate wattage). A power supply from this list is top quality and will be easily up for the job. You can also choose from the Power Supply tier 1 list on Toms Hardware (recommended for multiple cards), and also tier 2.
3) Case -
-Is your system chassis (case) big enough? Do you have enough room for the cards to fit? If not specified anywhere on the internet measure from back of case to when you first hit the HDD cage, if removing the HDD cage; till you hit the first object in the cards way. If your planning on removing the HDD cage make sure that with it removed it has enough space for how many cards your installing.
-Does your case have good ventilation? Crossfire setups tend to get hot, it is not unusual for the top card to get noticeably hotter then the bottom, ensure that you have enough case fans to move plenty of air to keep your system cool. Remember; Hot air rises so place fans that take advantage of this. Putting fans on the cases side is fine along with the front and back, even though this does not go by the saying it helps exhaust and intake air better. Placing fans at the bottom is one of the smartest locations for placing fans, as long as the bottom vents have enough space between the ground and the chassis, it's well worth mounting.
-Check to see if you have enough PCI brackets at the rear of your case. If you are installing a graphics card in the very bottom slot of your motherboard, make sure that there are enough brackets below the slot in order for it to be inserted and secured properly.
If that's all a pass then your system is Crossfire ready.
Multiple Monitor configurations with Crossfire:
When in Crossfire, you cannot always use any of the ports available on any card. For the most part, you must use the top card only. This is not the case for all cards however.
When wanting to game on multiple monitors you need to setup eyefinity. Note: All cards have a limit to how many screens can be connected, you cannot use up all card ports and expect all screens to work. When setting up Eyefinity with three or more screens, you need to occupy the displayport output on at least one graphics card in your desired configuration. (*This is not the case for all cards / this is the same not for Crossfire also*)
If using 120/144Hz screens, ONLY use either DisplayPort or DVI cables, The monitors HDMI inputs will not support 120/144Hz for the most part. However all Radeon R9 2XX cards support HDMI 1.4a, Which supports 120/144Hz. Also, do not use DP to HDMI adapters, they will limit the refresh rate to 60Hz.
What cards can be Crossfired?
Radeon R9 2XX cards have a much larger freedom to what cards can be crossfired compared to that of Nvidia. The below lists all of the card model configurations you can do;
NOTE:
-With configurations with Mixed X and non-X variants you can have any number of each, as long as it is held at a MAX of 2 (for the R9 270/X) / 4 graphics cards.
-Dual GPU'd graphics cards count as two GPU's in crossfire, as they are.
-Mixture of cards means ALL of the cards are limited to the slowest in your crossfire configuration. It is best that you buy the same Radeon R9 model of card, and also clock cards to the same level for optimum performance. However, it is perfectly fine and worth it buying a Non-X variant to crossfire with your current X model (or the other way round) if currently prices are too high or they are unavailable in your region.
-The numbers '2' , '3' and '4' refer to the amount of SEPARATE cards can be in that particular Crossfire configuration, NOT the amount of GPU's.
- '/' means OR. '/ + (2XX)' means you can add that card onto the current configuration.
-Before buying ANY cards, make sure your system supports it, the first section of this thread explains this.
-The R9 285 can only be crossfired with itself as far as we know.
-Recommended setups are ones that are of the same model (or GPU - e.g. 2 x Hawaii XT 's crossfired with (1) Hawaii XT - R9 295X2 with R9 290X), this is recommended over mixing cards such as X and non-X variants.
-R9 270X Toxic can go 3/way Crossfire but is not listed to avoid confusion.
R9 270 Crossfire 2/ way ONLY (Bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 270 + 270
R9 270+R9 270X 2/ way ONLY (Bridge required)
All Possible Configurations: 270 + 270X
R9 270X Crossfire 2/ way ONLY (with the exception of Sapphire's 270X Toxic) (Bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 270X + 270X
R9 280 Crossifire 2/3/4 way (Bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 280 + 280 / + 280 / + 280
R9 280+R9 280X 2/3/4 way (Bridge required)
All Possible Configurations: 280+280X / 280+280+280X / 280+280X+280X / 280+280+280+280X / 280+280+280X+280X / 280+280X+280X+280X
R9 280X Crossfire 2/3/4 way (Bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 280X + 280X / + 280X / + 280X
R9 285 Crossfire 2/ way (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
**Unknown how many of these cards is supported in Crossfire yet**
All Possible Configurations: 285 + 285
R9 290 Crossfire 2/3/4 way (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 290 + 290 / + 290 / + 290
R9 290+R9 290X 2/3/4 way (No bridge required)
All Possible Configurations: 290+290X / 290+290+290X / 290+290X+290X / 290+290+290+290X / 290+290+290X+290X / 290+290X+290X+290X
R9 290X Crossfire 2/3/4 way (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 290X + 290X / + 290X / + 290X
R9 290X2 Crossfire 2/way ONLY (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 290X2+290X2
R9 290X2+R9 290 2/way or 3/way (No bridge required)
All Possible Configurations: 290X2+290 / 290X2+290+290
R9 290X2+R9 290X 2/way or 3/way (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 290X2+290X / 290X2+290X+290X
R9 295X2 Crossfire 2/way ONLY (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 295X2+295X2
R9 295X2+R9 290 2/way or 3/way (No bridge required)
All Possible Configurations: 295X2+290 / 295X2+290+290
R9 295X2+R9 290X 2/way or 3/way (No bridge required) *Recommended setup
All Possible Configurations: 295X2+290X / 295X2+290X+290X
The card model (e.g. Asus DirectCU II) you have is not a factor when going Crossfire, you can choose any manufacturer and any card by them available. The only difference when doing this is the varying clock and memory speeds (if applicable), ALL cards in any configuration is limited to the slowest. For all cards not to be limited if they are the same variant (X or non-X) but a different model, you can overclock them to the same clock and memory speed level to rule out this factor. The limited cards won't make a big difference, but if every FPS counts then it is worthwhile doing.
NOTE: Before attempting any overclock you MUST know what you are doing. We are not held responsible for damage caused to components.
Video Ram allocation in Crossfire:
Video Ram is often at times a critical choice in our decision when choosing a graphics card. However before purchasing any card you MUST understand that in Crossfire Video Ram is NOT added, but mirrored. To visually see what this all means the below lists ALL scenarios for video ram configurations in the R9 2XX series only;
NOTE:
-There are no R9 2XX series cards with 2GB Vram that support 4/way crossfire.
-The lowest Video ram detected in a setup limits the rest of the cards to their value.
-All bold outcomes are the ones recommended for you to have.
2GB+2GB=2GB 2/way Crossfire
2GB+4GB=2GB 2/way Crossfire
3GB+3GB=3GB 2/way Crossfire
3GB+6GB=3GB 2/way Crossfire
4GB+4GB=4GB 2/way Crossfire
4GB+8GB=4GB 2/way Crossfire
6GB+6GB=6GB 2/way Crossfire
8GB+8GB=8GB 2/way Crossfire
2GB+2GB+2GB=2GB 3/way Crossfire (Sapphire Toxic R9 270X ONLY)
3GB+3GB+3GB=3GB 3/way Crossfire
3GB+3GB+6GB=3GB 3/way Crossfire
3GB+6GB+6GB=3GB 3/way Crossfire
4GB+4GB+4GB=4GB 3/way Crossfire
4GB+4GB+8GB=4GB 3/way Crossfire
4GB+8GB+8GB=4GB 3/way Crossfire
6GB+6GB+6GB=6GB 3/way Crossfire
8GB+8GB+8GB=8GB 3/way Crossfire
3GB+3GB+3GB+3GB=3GB 4/way Crossfire
3GB+3GB+3GB+6GB=3GB 4/way Crossfire
3GB+3GB+6GB+6GB=3GB 4/way Crossfire
3GB+6GB+6GB+6GB=3GB 4/way Crossfire
4GB+4GB+4GB+4GB=4GB 4/way Crossfire
4GB+4GB+4GB+8GB=4GB 4/way Crossfire
4GB+4GB+8GB+8GB=4GB 4/way Crossfire
4GB+8GB+8GB+8GB=4GB 4/way Crossfire
6GB+6GB+6GB+6GB=6GB 4/way Crossfire
8GB+8GB+8GB+8GB=8GB 4/way Crossfire
Crossfire Scaling: **This section of the thread is still under development**
The more cards you have in crossfire does not always mean the better it is. Micro-Stuttering and FPS loss is a huge factor when using more cards in crossfire. As far as the scaling goes, this part of the thread will show 2/3/4 way scaling over just using a single graphics card. Not just Min/Max/Average FPS will be listed, but how smooth the gameplay was and/or any bugs encountered. Just because the FPS is higher, that does not mean that the gameplay is smoother or better. The more cards you have in multiple games can also mean the worse FPS you can have.
NOTE:
-Only the reference model of the series is used for ALL tests. No aftermarket cooled models and no changes to it's original speed will be done, This is done for fairness. The R9 290X2 was not included as there is no crossfire review for it, if considering buying two of these cards look at the R9 295X2 as the test results will be almost identical.
-Only the same R9 2XX model card is used (No mixture of X and non-X variants)
-Do not base these results on what you should be getting, your systems will not be the same.
Higher Video Ram performance in Crossfire **This section of the thread is still under development**
Note: Non-reference cards will be used for ALL of these tests, but the cards compared will be either at a similar level or the same.
**The last two sections of the thread will be added soon after the launch of ALL Radeon R9 2XX subthreads. Regular updates on the main thread will be notified**
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram