To Crossfire, or Not To Crossfire

[TomTom111]

That is the question.

Here is my current set up...

GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3
FX-6300 @ 4.4GHz
VisonTek 2x 4GB PC3-14900 CL10 1866
Solid Gear ATX12V/EPS12V 850-Watts Power Supply
SAPPHIRE 100352-3L Radeon HD 7950
AZZA Solano 1000R Full Tower

I am looking to upgrade the GPU for next gen games.
My first thought was to get another 7950 for a crossfire set up, but I am still relatively new to PC building.
Is there currently a single GPU that can match the performance of a 7950 CrossFire setup that would be under the $400 price range?
Recommendations?

--Thanks

 

[burdenbound]

If you are using a single 1080p screen I would crossfire another 7950, would give you the best performance for price. If you plan on getting a 1440p monitor then look at the R9 290.

 

[TomTom111]

If you are using a single 1080p screen I would crossfire another 7950, would give you the best performance for price. If you plan on getting a 1440p monitor then look at the R9 290.

Thank you for the reply sir.
What might be the reason to go with the R9 290 with a monitor with higher resolution?

 

[burdenbound]

If you are using a single 1080p screen I would crossfire another 7950, would give you the best performance for price. If you plan on getting a 1440p monitor then look at the R9 290.

Thank you for the reply sir.
What might be the reason to go with the R9 290 with a monitor with higher resolution?

The 290 has a little more RAM, although I can't find any charts that show the 290 versus 7950 crossfire I bet they are probably close. I would stick with the 7950 crossfire and save the money, later down the road if it's still not enough might want to look at the 290x or what ever else comes out in the future.

 

[TomTom111]

Thanks!

I was leaning towards a crossfire setup, but i wanted to get the opinion of someone who may have more experience than me.

 

[burdenbound]

Thanks!

I was leaning towards a crossfire setup, but i wanted to get the opinion of someone who may have more experience than me.

Just be aware that your CPU will hold back your GPUs in CPU heavy games like battlefield 4 multiplayer. I use BF4 because every one seems to be using it as a comparison tool right now. My advice would be to look at CPU gaming benchmarks and see where your CPU performs.

 

[TomTom111]

Thanks!

I was leaning towards a crossfire setup, but i wanted to get the opinion of someone who may have more experience than me.

Just be aware that your CPU will hold back your GPUs in CPU heavy games like battlefield 4 multiplayer. I use BF4 because every one seems to be using it as a comparison tool right now. My advice would be to look at CPU gaming benchmarks and see where your CPU performs.

A quick search came up with this...
http://http://www.techspot.com/review/734-battlefield-4-benchmarks/page6.html
With these numbers, do you think the 6300 will hold its own for the time being, or would a CPU upgrade to the 8120/8150 be in order?

Thanks again!

 

[burdenbound]

Thanks!

I was leaning towards a crossfire setup, but i wanted to get the opinion of someone who may have more experience than me.

Just be aware that your CPU will hold back your GPUs in CPU heavy games like battlefield 4 multiplayer. I use BF4 because every one seems to be using it as a comparison tool right now. My advice would be to look at CPU gaming benchmarks and see where your CPU performs.

A quick search came up with this...
http://http://www.techspot.com/review/734-battlefield-4-benchmarks/page6.html
With these numbers, do you think the 6300 will hold its own for the time being, or would a CPU upgrade to the 8120/8150 be in order?

Thanks again!

Those benchmarks are for single player, won't notice a difference there but you will in multiplayer. I can't find the chart right now but some one has benchmarked a whole bunch of CPU during multiplayer and the gaps in performance become apparent.

I wouldn't upgrade to anything less than the 8350 if your motherboard supports it. Of course the intel chips get the best numbers but you would have to swap your motherboard out also. I will try and find that chart but having no luck right now.

 

[TomTom111]

Thanks, i will attempt to find that as well.
I've been wanting to go to Intel, but at this time may be a little above my price range. That may have to wait until the next round of upgrades.
Thank you for your reply sir.

 

[burdenbound]

Thanks, i will attempt to find that as well.
I've been wanting to go to Intel, but at this time may be a little above my price range. That may have to wait until the next round of upgrades.
Thank you for your reply sir.

Yeah the crossfire 7950 should last you a while so CPU should be the next component down the road.