Dual graphics vs Single graphics for dual monitors

[PENTA97]

Hello, first of all, this is all i can work with, i don't have money for anything else, so, here's my problem.

Is it better to run crossfire with A8-6600K APU, and 1GB DDR3 6570
Or to have a single card 6770 512mb GDDR5
For dual 22" and 23" monitors ?
Rest of the specs are:

AMD A8-6600k CPU
FM2-A55M-E33 motherboard
2x4 GB (Kingoston HyperX Fury)
640 GB Hard drive
600W Cooler Master PSU (although it's pretty old)


Thanks in advance

EDIT: Can it also be possible to crossfire APU with 6770 ?

 

[iyzik]

I'd say a single 6770 would probably be better, and no they cannot crossfire. I believe 6450, 6570 and 6670 are the only ones you can crossfire with.

 

[PENTA97]

Even though it's only 512 mb?

 

[iyzik]

Is this a card you already own? Why is 512mb the only option and not 1gb?

 

[PENTA97]

Yes, i own both the 6570 and 6770, currently using 6770 for single monitor. I got the 6770 512 mb pretty cheap, with 2 years warranty so that's why i have it (~30$)

 

[iyzik]

Well with the GDDR5 memory on the 6770 you will have higher bandwidth than the 1GB DDR3 on the 6570.. IDK, personally I'd take computing power over VRAM size. I'd just turn down memory-eating options such as AA and AF. If the low VRAM is still causing issues in the games you like to play..pull it out and try crossfire APU / 6570..

 

[PENTA97]

Thanks a lot for awsering I'll probably go with the dual option, since i play League, and i want to try other games, on which i'm limited because of the VRAM lacking in the 6770

 

[geofelt]

Dual monitors should not be an issue.
Connecting a side monitor to the same gpu as the gaming monitor does not impact gaming performance.

Since you have both cards, why not test each option with YOUR games and decide which is better?

I might guess that your gaming experience will be better with a single fast card.
VRAM has become a marketing issue.
My understanding is that vram is more of a performance issue than a functional issue.
A game needs to have most of the data in vram that it uses most of the time.
Somewhat like real ram.
If a game needs something not in vram, it needs to get it across the pcie boundary
hopefully from real ram and hopefully not from a hard drive.
It is not informative to know to what level the available vram is filled.
Possibly much of what is there is not needed.
What is not known is the rate of vram exchange.
Vram is managed by the Graphics card driver, and by the game. There may be differences in effectiveness between amd and nvidia cards.
And differences between games.
Here is an older performance test comparing 2gb with 4gb vram.
http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Video-Card-Performance-2GB-vs-4GB-Memory-154/
Spoiler... not a significant difference.
A more current set of tests shows the same results:
http://www.techspot.com/review/1114-vram-comparison-test/page5.html

And... no game maker wants to limit their market by
requiring huge amounts of vram. The vram you see will be appropriate to the particular card.