Should I Crossfire?

[Jonjonth]

Hi,
So I have recently changed up my Motherboard for a Gigabyte H97-HD3 and notice that it states it Crossfire ready. Currently I have a Amd Radeon HD 7850 and was wondering if this was worth Crossfiring this, even though the second PCIe slot is only x4.

So the main questions are-
1. How much of a performance hit would the second GPU take from being in a x4 slot instead of x16?
2. Is the 7850 a good card to Crossfire or should I just get a complete upgrade? (bearing in mind I don't have more than about £150/$250 dollars)
3. Would my gaming performance on 2 cards be SIGNIFICANTLY greater than one?
4. Is it worth it or should I stick to one?

PC Spec:
Mobo-Gigabyte H97-HD3
CPU-Intel Core i5 4440
RAM-2x4 GB
SSD-Samsung Evo 128gb
HDD-Western Digital Blue 1TB
PSU-520w

Thanks in advance!

 

[AndrewCarter]

For 250 dollars go get a gtx 760.

 

[Jonjonth]

For 250 dollars go get a gtx 760.

How significant would the improvement be? Would that be better than both 7850's combined?

 

[AndrewCarter]

You'll be much happier with a GTX 760 without the hassles of Crossfire. There are several distinct circumstances (DirectX 9 games, OpenGL games, multiple monitors, unsupported games) where Crossfire delivers performance that is no better than a single card. Add in the extra heat, noise, and power consumption of Crossfire; and the single GTX 760 is just a more attractive and hassle-free setup, but still with great performance to play most any game at Ultra settings.

 

[KingSaif]

If there's one thing PC builders agree on its this: when faced with a dilemma between choosing to SLI/Crossfire or get a powerful single GPU, it's almost always the better option to go with the latter. The reason is because less issues with single card setup, way less heat, power consumption (most likely saving u on getting a new PSU), and the future is more secure (able to be Sli'd later on rather than now or can be more easily replaced since it's probably a newer card). Since u have a PSU wattage of 520, either the 270x or 760 will work well. Look at this chart and follow it carefully: http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm. The wattage number include ur entire setup's power consumption as well as the ideal amount of headroom (about 150w). Getting a 280 or 780 will push the recommended wattage to 550, 30W above ur PSU, so I wouldn't recommend it tho u could get away with it, but do u have a quality PSU? As of right now, I would strongly strongly recommend getting the 970 or just waiting for new releases/price drops. With how good the 970 is (only needs 500w PSU in a system, doesn't run above 65 degrees, and destroys games), it just doesn't make sense to buy a 290/760/780. If ur on a tight budget I stil recommend waiting for a price drop or saving up to get the 970. Trust me it will be the best option in the long run and u won't have to replace ur PSU (assuming it's a quality one). Good luck.

Edit; just saw that ur budget is $250, which is a decent budget.. But still I would advise u hold off a bit with ur GPU for a new release/subsequent price drop, u will be much happier u did. Do anything u can to get that 970, save up ur money for a few weeks just do anything.

 

[Jonjonth]

You'll be much happier with a GTX 760 without the hassles of Crossfire. There are several distinct circumstances (DirectX 9 games, OpenGL games, multiple monitors, unsupported games) where Crossfire delivers performance that is no better than a single card. Add in the extra heat, noise, and power consumption of Crossfire; and the single GTX 760 is just a more attractive and hassle-free setup, but still with great performance to play most any game at Ultra settings.

Cool, I'll look into it!
Would this be a good version to choose? Apologies for my British-ness! (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nvidia-GeForce-DirectCU-GDDR5-Graphics/dp/B00DBPKEOI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419880403&sr=8-1&keywords=nVidia+770)

 

[Jonjonth]

If there's one thing PC builders agree on its this: when faced with a dilemma between choosing to SLI/Crossfire or get a powerful single GPU, it's almost always the better option to go with the latter. The reason is because less issues with single card setup, way less heat, power consumption (most likely saving u on getting a new PSU), and the future is more secure (able to be Sli'd later on rather than now or can be more easily replaced since it's probably a newer card). Since u have a PSU wattage of 520, either the 270x or 760 will work well. Look at this chart and follow it carefully: http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm. The wattage number include ur entire setup's power consumption as well as the ideal amount of headroom (about 150w). Getting a 280 or 780 will push the recommended wattage to 550, 30W above ur PSU, so I wouldn't recommend it tho u could get away with it, but do u have a quality PSU? As of right now, I would strongly strongly recommend getting the 970 or just waiting for new releases/price drops. With how good the 970 is (only needs 500w PSU in a system, doesn't run above 65 degrees, and destroys games), it just doesn't make sense to buy a 290/760/780. If ur on a tight budget I stil recommend waiting for a price drop or saving up to get the 970. Trust me it will be the best option in the long run and u won't have to replace ur PSU (assuming it's a quality one). Good luck.

Edit; just saw that ur budget is $250, which is a decent budget.. But still I would advise u hold off a bit with ur GPU for a new release/subsequent price drop, u will be much happier u did. Do anything u can to get that 970, save up ur money for a few weeks just do anything.

Cheers! Sorry for sounding noobish (which I am on the GPU front) but when are the new releases/price drops taking place?

 

[KingSaif]

It's okay, everyone is noobish at first 😀

http://hexus.net/tech/news/graphics/78709-nvidia-geforce-gtx-960-expected-launch-22nd-jan/
according to this article, GTX 960 expected to launch Jan 22 and will cost around $200...wow, incredible. This card will shake the market definitely. I say u go for this OR when it comes out maybe GTX 970 price will drop? Idk how and when prices drop since I'm new to PC building, but if 970 price drops, definitely get that one over the 960! Or, even get the 980 which is about 7-10 FPS increase over 970. Good luck with ur choice.

 

[KingSaif]

Hey Jon thanks for selecting my answer as best! If u can, update me on which card u purchase Best of luck with your build, I would recommend watching CareyHolzman vids while building (I watched his Build a Gaming PC 2013 NEW version while building mine) Also, if it's your first build, watch out for electrostatic discharge while building as it can fry your parts or make them deteriorate gradually. Look up precautions to take while building, also handle components such as Mobo, Gpu, CPU, by its sides and never touch the pin connectors for they can be damaged by finger oils or be bent. Good luck

 

[Jonjonth]

Hey Jon thanks for selecting my answer as best! If u can, update me on which card u purchase Best of luck with your build, I would recommend watching CareyHolzman vids while building (I watched his Build a Gaming PC 2013 NEW version while building mine) Also, if it's your first build, watch out for electrostatic discharge while building as it can fry your parts or make them deteriorate gradually. Look up precautions to take while building, also handle components such as Mobo, Gpu, CPU, by its sides and never touch the pin connectors for they can be damaged by finger oils or be bent. Good luck

Thats ok man, thanks for writing those essays of advice for me! I've build several PC's in the past just have never taken a major interest in parts(I just buy whatever seems to be the best for the price at the time!) but thanks anyway. Hopefully the UK get a good deal on the 960 but knowing our luck it will do the whole "$200 = £200 with import tax!"

 

[KingSaif]

haha no problem just want to save u from making mistakes 😛 Anyway, good luck once again, peace