Upgrade HD 5770 to ?

[MajestyMephisto]

Hey folks. Looking for some advice. First Specs:

CPU Q9300 OC to 3.0 recently (stable)
MOBO ASUS Maximus Formula
Graphics Card as above recently overclocked to 950/1310 (autotune)
Windows 7 Ultimate 64x
22 inch WS at 1680 x 1050.

Currently play mostly TF2, CoD BO, Dragon Age, Red Orchestra 2 etc.

I just pre-ordered BF 3 and will be getting MW 3 as well. So wanting to upgrade GPU. The plan months ago was to X-fire with another 5770/6770 but now think I should just go with one card...perhaps something like Radeon HD 6950 or even just Radeon HD 6870. I believe one 6870 is comparable to two 5770 in x-fire. Is 6950 overkill for my CPU/resolution?

Peace

MM

 

[spentshells]

560 ti as an 0wner of the 5770 myself ive only seen the 560 oc versions and they were crushing my 5770 @ 960mhz core

so from there the 560 ti is a good jump

 

[ras49]

A 570 is a worth while upgrade over the 560 imo, but if it's out of budget. I second that the 560ti is a great card.

 

[Au_equus]

i had a 5770 cf at your resolution. Its performance is similar to a stock 5870 or 6950:
http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/ati_radeon_hd_5770_crossfire_performance,12.html
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/294?vs=293 (5870 v 6950)
so getting at least a single 6950 would do the same as cf'd 5770s, in one slot
if you can afford it, try to get a gtx570/hd6970
if not, a gtx560ti/hd6950 would be fine

 

[megamanx00]

You have a crossfire board. The cheapest option is to just get a second 5770 and run it in CF. You can get a 6950. A year ago I would have said either setup is a bit overkill for your resolution but that's not the case with more demanding games like Crysis 2 or Metro. I run two 5870s at the same resolution. Two 5770s are a little faster than a single 5870 or 6870 and about at a 6950 depending on the game.

I say just add another 5770. Sure you could get a 6950 now and add another one latter, but by that time you'll probably want to upgrade the rest of your system as well ^_^

 

[MajestyMephisto]

You have a crossfire board. The cheapest option is to just get a second 5770 and run it in CF. You can get a 6950. A year ago I would have said either setup is a bit overkill for your resolution but that's not the case with more demanding games like Crysis 2 or Metro. I run two 5870s at the same resolution. Two 5770s are a little faster than a single 5870 or 6870 and about at a 6950 depending on the game.

I say just add another 5770. Sure you could get a 6950 now and add another one latter, but by that time you'll probably want to upgrade the rest of your system as well ^_^

Yeah I had thought of 5770/6770 being the cheapest option. I have lots of power/connectors etc so not a problem there. Just to be clear it looks like on the "official" xf chart you can go with a 6770/5770 in xf as long as the 6770 is the "first" card. I understand basically the same gpu with an improved/tweaked BIOS etc. Anyone actually seen this in the "field".

 

[megamanx00]

Just make sure they are the same clock speeds. I'd say go for another 5770 even though they are a little more expensive, but that's just me.

 

[MajestyMephisto]

Guys,

I just realized my chipset on my mobo is x38 and may not work? It isn't on the official CF chart at AMD. Anyone have a definitive answer on whether it will work with two 5770?

 

[megamanx00]

Yes it will work just fine on an X38 board. Just install the cards in the 16x slots, install the CF bridge (that flexible wide cable that connects the cards together) and you should be good to go. CF works on just about any board two PCI-E slots though there are a few exceptions which driver hacks can fix .

 

[MajestyMephisto]

Well just to end this...I bought a 6770 (xfx) with 2 free games (shogun and deus ex). Installed as the "first" card, installed 6770 drivers and bang we have XF with 5770 and 6770 on Maximus Formula MOBO. Getting good FPS on BO and TF2. Can't wait to see how handles BF3. Thanks for the help.

 

[professorprofessorson]

Yeah Crossfire 5770 tech runs solid. I have been running a Crossfire 5770 system for over a year now, no regrets. Just nice solid performance.

 

[megamanx00]

Deus Ex is awesome . Anyway hope you're happy with your setup for some time to come.

 

[drollzy]

Sweet peeps...was thinking of getting 6770 to xf with my hd5770
Only $99 and nearly double my performance why not...