R9 295x2 questions

[nikoloy]

a close friend of mine is selling his R9 295x2 which is second hand and around 6 months old at a very reasonable price
im planning to buy and crossfire whit my 290x
i want to know how much will it take to actually use it after i buy it
1. PSU. what is the minimun requirement for the xfire? i currently have a 600w
2. CPU. will my fx 6300 bottleneck the triple 290x xfire
3. Case. i know the 295x2 take a lot of space. i have an average size mid tower. do need to change to full tower?
4. RAM. i have 8gb. do i need more?
5. Mobo. do i need a new one? i have MSI 970A-G46
6. Case fans. only 2 atm and the case can hold 3 more. do i need to add?

 

[ASmith426]

a close friend of mine is selling his R9 295x2 which is second hand and around 6 months old at a very reasonable price
im planning to buy and crossfire whit my 290x
i want to know how much will it take to actually use it after i buy it
1. PSU. what is the minimun requirement for the xfire? i currently have a 600w
2. CPU. will my fx 6300 bottleneck the triple 290x xfire
3. Case. i know the 295x2 take a lot of space. i have an average size mid tower. do need to change to full tower?
4. RAM. i have 8gb. do i need more?
5. Mobo. do i need a new one? i have MSI 970A-G46
6. Case fans. only 2 atm and the case can hold 3 more. do i need to add?

1. First off, 600W is nowhere near enough power for a cross fire configuration. The 295X power consumption is about 500W alone (under load and requires 2- 8pin connectors). A 290X pulls about 290W underload, so look at upgrading to at least an 850w PSU (http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/amd-radeon-r9-295x2-review,12.html), probably should be lookin at closer to 1000W
2. That CPU will bottleneck a tricrossfire config. but to what extent is based on the games played
3. If you have a case like the Phantom 410, you will be fine. Some of the smaller "mid size" cases might give you problems...the 295x is 307mm so you can just measure the case clearance you have to be sure.
4. RAM amount doesnt matter for card configuration.
5.. It appears that your mobo will support both cards (http://us.msi.com/product/mb/970AG46.html#hero-overview)
6. I would recommend adding more fans. Without knowing your case/setup it is hard to give an accurate answer. But being that you want all that power in a midsize case, more airflow is always better, even if GPU discharge is through the rear like in a reference design 290x.

 

[burdenbound]

PSU isn't nearly enough, CPU will bottle neck, and I wouldn't try to crossfire the 295x2 with another 290x, I see compatibility issues ahead, plus scaling goes way down after 2 GPUs.

 

[nikoloy]

Thnx for the answers

PSU isn't nearly enough, CPU will bottle neck, and I wouldn't try to crossfire the 295x2 with another 290x, I see compatibility issues ahead, plus scaling goes way down after 2 GPUs.

i know the performance/cost ratio goes down when you multi GPU, BUT this is a R9 295x2 (granted it is 2nd hand and 6mo) for $400 (negotiable, aiming for $300). its cheaper than most 290x. i say the upgrade is worth it.

 

[burdenbound]

Thnx for the answers

PSU isn't nearly enough, CPU will bottle neck, and I wouldn't try to crossfire the 295x2 with another 290x, I see compatibility issues ahead, plus scaling goes way down after 2 GPUs.

i know the performance/cost ratio goes down when you multi GPU, BUT this is a R9 295x2 (granted it is 2nd hand and 6mo) for $400 (negotiable, aiming for $300). its cheaper than most 290x. i say the upgrade is worth it.

I think the upgrade is worth it also, I just wouldn't plan on using the 295x2 along with your current 290x. It might be fun to try and see what happens but expect to end up using just the 295x2. But if your going to use (essentially all 3 cards) your going to need something like a 1000W or 1200W PSU.