Crossfire

[joshr]

Hello,

I have a fair amount of computer experience but am unfamiliar with power requirements with regards for a "crossfire" setup.

I am looking to build a new pc. The motherboard is an Asus P6T6 WS. It has 6 PCI-E Gen2X16 slots.

I am looking to run a 2- ATI Radeon HD 4670 cards in Crossfire. (perhaps 3 in the future) or even step up to HD 4850 card(s).

Ultimatley, I will probably have 5 harddrives and 2-3 optical drives.

I am trying to decide on a power supply for this rig.

I can't seem to get information from the ati site for what I would need. Messing around with "power supply calc's" I have specked out as little as 700 up to >1000 watts.

ATI' website show a variety of power supply' for the hd 4670. The listing seem to indicate single video cards, not crossfire. I want to go with a corsair power supply but am open to suggestions. I am seeking a quiet solution.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer. Please feel free to offer any other comments regarding this build.

 

[Outlander_04]

4670 is such a low end card why would you crossfire it? It would be far cheaper to buy a single card that works .

 

[joshr]

4670 is such a low end card why would you crossfire it? It would be far cheaper to buy a single card that works .

What would you suggest?

 

[Outlander_04]

what are you trying to achieve?

gaming? , or general use and no gaming. Impossible to make any reccommendation with out this basic information . Its also important to consider the resolution of your intended monitor.

For a power supply calculator try
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

I'd be really surprised if you needed anywhere near 700 watts to run the rig you describe

 

[xthekidx]

For the rig you described, I would recommend an Antec Earthwatts 500w.

But I agree with outlander that you should just invest in 1 better card.

 

[Why_Me]

Hello,

I have a fair amount of computer experience but am unfamiliar with power requirements with regards for a "crossfire" setup.

I am looking to build a new pc. The motherboard is an Asus P6T6 WS. It has 6 PCI-E Gen2X16 slots.

I am looking to run a 2- ATI Radeon HD 4670 cards in Crossfire. (perhaps 3 in the future) or even step up to HD 4850 card(s).

Ultimatley, I will probably have 5 harddrives and 2-3 optical drives.

I am trying to decide on a power supply for this rig.

I can't seem to get information from the ati site for what I would need. Messing around with "power supply calc's" I have specked out as little as 700 up to >1000 watts.

ATI' website show a variety of power supply' for the hd 4670. The listing seem to indicate single video cards, not crossfire. I want to go with a corsair power supply but am open to suggestions. I am seeking a quiet solution.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer. Please feel free to offer any other comments regarding this build.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011 $109.99 ($89.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102803 $89.99 ($79.99 after $10.00 Mail-In
Rebate) Free Shipping*
SAPPHIRE 100265L Radeon HD 4830 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

 

[joshr]

what are you trying to achieve?

gaming? , or general use and no gaming. Impossible to make any reccommendation with out this basic information . Its also important to consider the resolution of your intended monitor.

For a power supply calculator try
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

I'd be really surprised if you needed anywhere near 700 watts to run the rig you describe

Thanks so much for your reply.

I am building this new machine and you know trying to stay current with technology as much as one can. Trying to make everything top of the line so that it's not obsolete in a year. I've been following the video card evolution for a couple of years. I'm finally looking to jump in.

Primarily, I use the machine for internet, filemaker pro, MS Office, etc. I do play some games once in a while . I am seeking a quiet solution that offers high end graphics. I run 2- Dell 24"(2405FPW) wide screen flat panel displays(1920X1200).
Would also love to be able to hook up to larger flat panel tv for blue ray HD content.

I must admit I am pretty overwhelmed by all the video card choices. The reviews on the ATI HD 3870X2 looked good but seemed like such a gamer card.

 

[xthekidx]

If you want high end graphics to run 2 24 inch monitors and an HDTV, then the card for you is the HD 4850x2. Those large monitors are going to want some good GPU power to power them both. The 4850x2 has 4 DVI ports on it, most other cards only come with 2. You can convert the DVI into HDMI for your TV via a connector that is included with it. Since you say you do play games once in a while and you want to hook up 3 displays, this is the best option for you.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102809

There is also a cheaper version of that card, but it is sold out at newegg. However your computer will benefit from the extra 1gb of ram of that card^^ since you want 3 large displays.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102813

 

[joshr]

If you want high end graphics to run 2 24 inch monitors and an HDTV, then the card for you is the HD 4850x2. Those large monitors are going to want some good GPU power to power them both. The 4850x2 has 4 DVI ports on it, most other cards only come with 2. You can convert the DVI into HDMI for your TV via a connector that is included with it. Since you say you do play games once in a while and you want to hook up 3 displays, this is the best option for you.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102809

There is also a cheaper version of that card, but it is sold out at newegg. However your computer will benefit from the extra 1gb of ram of that card^^ since you want 3 large displays.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102813

That sounds great. Seems like a good solution. What size power supply would be ample to run those cards?

 

[xthekidx]

I would go with a corsair 650tx
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&Tpk=650tx

 

[joshr]

Thank you for the reply. The corsair was one I was entertaining. The 4850X2 has everything I need but I do have my concerns about the excessive fan noise I have been reading about.

For anybody who wants to respond, I started to thing that I might be better off starting out with 1(quieter if possbile)- HD 4870 and adding on another one later(when prices drop)? I dont know that I would actually need to crossfire them for my needs.

To house this/these cards I was considering an Antec 1200 or P182 case. The P182 appeals for the noise dampening. The 1200 is real nice but I am concerned about how much fan noise it will generate.

Would love to hear what you think. Thanks.