Crossfire inquiry

[starravier]

Im currently using a 6850 HD Toxic@1000/1200

I was going to get a 6870 IceQ X Turbo@920/1120(stock)

i was wondering how would i calculate Power consumption as im currently using an Enermax 620W
as well as for them to run the same or perform the same, Id have to run the 6870 at 1000/1200?

 

[megamanx00]

Not much of an upgrade honestly. Did you consider just adding another 6850 to run in Crossfire? Your PSU should have room to spare for a single 6870

 

[iam2thecrowe]

i agree. worthless upgrade.

 

[starravier]

LOL oops do you guy think i was changing my 6850 for a 6870?
i meant that i wanted to crossfire them both together

 

[ko888]

An HIS Radeon HD 6870 Turbo will draw an extra 11 Amps from the +12 Volt rail under typical gaming load.

If you run the FurMark GPU stress testing utility the HIS Radeon HD 6870 Turbo may draw up to 14.1 Amps from the +12 Volt rail.

The +12 Volt continuous current rating of 48 Amps on your power supply is more than sufficient to run your system with both cards.

Since you didn't specify the model number of your power supply I can't tell you if you have enough (i.e. three) PCI Express Supplementary Power Connectors to be able to use both graphics cards together.

 

[starravier]

its a modular, i could always add them

 

[jonnyrb]

its a modular, i could always add them

Your pushing in close on the watts under load if you OC at all. I would just get another 6850 for xfire.

You can check guru or anandtech - benchmarks for power consumptions. I'm at work and a few websites are blocked, otherwise i'd give you a link...

 

[ko888]

its a modular, i could always add them

You're good to go. You can go and purchase that shiny 6870 IceQ X Turbo you were considering.

 

[megamanx00]

If you want to run both a 6870 and a 6850 make sure to set the 6870 as the primary card (since it's the faster card thanks to extra shaders and rops). a 6850/6870 combination should prove slightly faster than two 6850s, but mixing cards of different speeds can produce some issues (minor annoyances).

 

[starravier]

If you want to run both a 6870 and a 6850 make sure to set the 6870 as the primary card (since it's the faster card thanks to extra shaders and rops). a 6850/6870 combination should prove slightly faster than two 6850s, but mixing cards of different speeds can produce some issues (minor annoyances).

any ideas as to what to annoyances would be?

 

[jonnyrb]

any ideas as to what to annoyances would be?

driver issues with compatibility as far as xfire scaling goes, perhaps some stuttering as well since the one card IS in fact weaker. load balancing is always a @$%&$

 

[starravier]

so should i just get another 6850 Toxic?

 

[jonnyrb]

so should i just get another 6850 Toxic?

I personally would yes, the difference is nominal at best. Even if you had 2x 6870's is hardly any different than 2x 6850's

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/302?vs=301