Graphics card upgrade

[jmb1981]

Hello,

I currently have an HD 5770, and while it performs well, I am considering adding an HD 6770 in crossfire since I can pick one up for about 90 bucks. My question what kind of improvement can I expect from crossfire in this way. Also would it be better to spend a little more and just replace the 5770?

System Specs:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4GHz
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DD3 1600
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1TB
2x Radeon 6870 (this card and reference card
Roswell 630watt
Antec 200 Black ATX Mid Tower

 

[inzone]

I don't know much about ATI/Radeon/Amd and crossfire since I have always gone with Nvidia , but having a crossfire/sli setup is much better than a single card and if you just upgraded to a newer single card you would have to go up several models to get a performance level equal to the two cards you mentioned in crossfire. One thing you do want to do is make sure you can crossfire two different cards , I know with Nvidia they have to be the same gpu for sli.

 

[spp85]

Hello,

I currently have an HD 5770, and while it performs well, I am considering adding an HD 6770 in crossfire since I can pick one up for about 90 bucks. My question what kind of improvement can I expect from crossfire in this way. Also would it be better to spend a little more and just replace the 5770?

In my opinion stay with your current card for few more months and consider buying a new card when AMD releases Radeon 7000 series.

 

[jmb1981]

I don't know much about ATI/Radeon/Amd and crossfire since I have always gone with Nvidia , but having a crossfire/sli setup is much better than a single card and if you just upgraded to a newer single card you would have to go up several models to get a performance level equal to the two cards you mentioned in crossfire. One thing you do want to do is make sure you can crossfire two different cards , I know with Nvidia they have to be the same gpu for sli.

The 6770 is just a firmware upgrade to the 5770 chip I have confirmed that they will work in crossfire. I am just wondering if the improvement in performance is worth 90 bucks.

 

[ajay_vishvanathan]

purpose of x-fire?
6770 is just a software upgrade of 5770 as you said... so it will be better if you just change the firmware of 5770 to 6770 and make a 6770 in your house.. 😉 but the risk is yours..

just kidding..

if you are looking for gaming.. 5770 is quite good for now if you have a 18.5 inch screen.. anything above that.. well yeah.. the gpu will struggle..
if your display is greater than 18.5 inch, you can go for xfire 6770.. but it will not be a great improvement.. i mean price-performance optimism will not be there.. if i were you, i would rather put the 90 bucks in savings to earn interest and after some time i will sell the current gpu and buy the best one with the additional cash..

 

[jmb1981]

In my opinion stay with your current card for few more months and consider buying a new card when AMD releases Radeon 7000 series.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-5770-review-test/

Thanks for the link. Looks like for 90 bucks it would be a nice improvement.

 

[inzone]

The 6770 is just a firmware upgrade to the 5770 chip I have confirmed that they will work in crossfire. I am just wondering if the improvement in performance is worth 90 bucks.

Like I said two cards in crossfire are going to be better than a single card so the performance boost is worth it and it is only costing you $90. Some people pay two or three times that for crossfire/sli to get the performance boost.

 

[inanition02]

purpose of x-fire?
6770 is just a software upgrade of 5770 as you said... so it will be better if you just change the firmware of 5770 to 6770 and make a 6770 in your house.. 😉 but the risk is yours..

just kidding..

if you are looking for gaming.. 5770 is quite good for now if you have a 18.5 inch screen.. anything above that.. well yeah.. the gpu will struggle..
if your display is greater than 18.5 inch, you can go for xfire 6770.. but it will not be a great improvement.. i mean price-performance optimism will not be there.. if i were you, i would rather put the 90 bucks in savings to earn interest and after some time i will sell the current gpu and buy the best one with the additional cash..

First off - good luck find a bank paying much in interest these days - best online (US accessible) banks pay ~1.1% which is about 99 cents per year on $90.

Also, screen size matters not - it's resolution that matters. A 17" WS with 720p resolution is the same to the GPU as a 42" plasma at 720p. I have a 5770 and use it for gaming across 3 screens in eyefinity (center is a 24" 1920x1080, sides are 2x 17" 1280x1024 lcds) and it does ok. Medium to high settings in most games I play (flight and racing games, RTS, some shooters) are just fine. Not super high, but I'm okay with that.

Two thing to consider with any high end GPU/xfire arrangement - will your PSU handle it? And will it just bottleneck on other system components?

 

[jmb1981]

First off - good luck find a bank paying much in interest these days - best online (US accessible) banks pay ~1.1% which is about 99 cents per year on $90.

Also, screen size matters not - it's resolution that matters. A 17" WS with 720p resolution is the same to the GPU as a 42" plasma at 720p. I have a 5770 and use it for gaming across 3 screens in eyefinity (center is a 24" 1920x1080, sides are 2x 17" 1280x1024 lcds) and it does ok. Medium to high settings in most games I play (flight and racing games, RTS, some shooters) are just fine. Not super high, but I'm okay with that.

Two thing to consider with any high end GPU/xfire arrangement - will your PSU handle it? And will it just bottleneck on other system components?

PSU is 630w should be fine with these two cards from what I have seen. I don't use eyefinity at the moment, I use a 23" view sonic and play at 1920x1080 mostly. Current 5770 can handle most games reasonably well, just wanting a little more out of my system. Money is not an issue; I'm just cheap I guess. The only reason I am looking at crossfire upgrade is I can pick up the 6770 on New Egg for 90-100 bucks after rebate. If I choose to replace the 5770 I'm sure I can sell it and get a few dollars out of it. If I go the replacement route I would like to spend under $200 dollars, and I am not sure if I can get the value/performance vs. going the crossfire method.

 

[jmb1981]

Like I said two cards in crossfire are going to be better than a single card so the performance boost is worth it and it is only costing you $90. Some people pay two or three times that for crossfire/sli to get the performance boost.

Yeah it's only 90 bucks but I figured I would get a few opinions on the matter. Thanks for the input, it's much appreciated.