Get another 5850 or get new cards

[ross_mitchell]

I have 2 radeon 5850s in crossfire and am thinkins about upgrading(some DX11 stuff runs slow). Should i get a third 5850 or should i get 2 new cards (like the 6950 2Gb or a gtx 570)

My specs are :

Mobo = asus crosshair v
ram = 8gb kingston hyperx ddr3 1600
cpu = amd phenom ii x4 955 @ 3.6Ghz (Just crashes when i try to go higher)
PSU = 1000w thing (Unbranded but have been using it for 4 years and it has many 6 pin and 8 pin connectors)
Case = Thermaltake armour va8000

PS: I sometimes play at 1080p but i also play at 1280 x 1024

 

[iam2thecrowe]

Honestly at 1080p and lower res, 2x 5850's should be plenty, what is running slow for you? maybe its the CPU causing the slowdowns, not the graphics cards.... But if you are to upgrade, dont get a 3rd card, sell the 5850's and get a newer card like the gtx570., probably upgrade the no-name psu if you want to run 2 gtx570's.

 

[ross_mitchell]

Thanks for replying. I might get a couple of gtx570s. but do i really need to replace the psu, it has served me well so far and the reviews on ebuyer (i bought it in 2008ish) at the time were good(even though it is unnamed). Also the games which are running slow are crysis 2(maxed with DX11) and battlefield bad company 2(DX11) is sometimes slow along with other games which use tessellation.

PS: what uses more power sli 570s or crossfire 6950s
PPS: I know that the CPU might be causing a bottleneck but i am waiting for bulldozer

 

[swifty_morgan]

True your processor isn't the zippiest going but when it comes to DX11 you want a card that can handle it better. I had a 5850 and "retired" it a while back because it couldn't handle more demanding games without spitting and sputtering. A quick upgrade to a 6950 2gig card did the trick. Tessellation really hurts cards with lesser architecture.
Going to 2 cards doesn't give you 2gigs of memory. It still only 1gig regardless of what the manufacturer or e-seller hypes. Still, different architecture so it's more or less moot. 3 cards is totally stupid. They don't scale well and you're still handicapped.
One higher end/mid higher end card will do you justice.

 

[rickytrux11]

I think CPU bottleneck is causing the slow down. If I were you, I would have just got i5 2500k instead of new GPU.

 

[ross_mitchell]

I think CPU bottleneck is causing the slow down. If I were you, I would have just got i5 2500k instead of new GPU.

I cant get a 2500k as I just upgraded to a am3+ from a k9a2 platinum (for bulldozer) and cant afford a new board and cpu

 

[ross_mitchell]

True your processor isn't the zippiest going but when it comes to DX11 you want a card that can handle it better. I had a 5850 and "retired" it a while back because it couldn't handle more demanding games without spitting and sputtering. A quick upgrade to a 6950 2gig card did the trick. Tessellation really hurts cards with lesser architecture.
Going to 2 cards doesn't give you 2gigs of memory. It still only 1gig regardless of what the manufacturer or e-seller hypes. Still, different architecture so it's more or less moot. 3 cards is totally stupid. They don't scale well and you're still handicapped.
One higher end/mid higher end card will do you justice.

I like the idea of going for a couple of radeon 6950 2gb. They might be what i am looking for.

 

[ps3hacker12]

i doubt there is much of a CPU bottleneck, the Phenom 955 is still very capable, anyways, have you thought of OCing those 5850s? two 5850s in crossfire seems more than enough at that resolution.

 

[ross_mitchell]

i doubt there is much of a CPU bottleneck, the Phenom 955 is still very capable, anyways, have you thought of OCing those 5850s? two 5850s in crossfire seems more than enough at that resolution.

I have considered it but i am afraid of damaging the cards as they don't have upgraded cooling like my cpu(watercooled)

 

[ps3hacker12]

I have considered it but i am afraid of damaging the cards as they don't have upgraded cooling like my cpu(watercooled)

use software like MSI after burner, it will stop you going too far anyway. If you are worried about damaging the GPUs you shouldn't worry too much especially since GPUs can run (safely) at tempretures in the 80C range. You can use speedfan/HWmonitor while running furmark to see temps, if temps stay below about 87C then your completely fine.

[EDIT]:
heres a nice guide:
http://www.geeks3d.com/20091111/overclocking-a-radeon-hd-5850/

 

[rickytrux11]

I cant get a 2500k as I just upgraded to a am3+ from a k9a2 platinum (for bulldozer) and cant afford a new board and cpu

Thats good idea. BDs is expected compete with Intel SB.

If you face any Bottleneck then you can just get BD later.