What happens if you try to Crossfire 2 incompatible cards?

[Mr Kagouris]

So, what would happen? Would the system just fail POST or would there be risk of damage? And please, I'm not looking for "don't try it to be safe" responses, I need to know what would happen.

 

[nigelivey]

I'm not sure anyone would readily do something that is known to be incompatible just to answer your question!! Give it a go yourself perhaps if you don't want the obvious answer then share it with the rest of us!

 

[COLGeek]

So, what would happen? Would the system just fail POST or would there be risk of damage? And please, I'm not looking for "don't try it to be safe" responses, I need to know what would happen.

Explosions and the end of mankind as we know it!!!

Actually, nothing will happen. You may get a BSOD or Catalyst may simply warn you of the incompatibility.

 

[CountMike]

DirectX 12 is supposed to make them compatible. One of it's strongest points.

 

[COLGeek]

DirectX 12 is supposed to make them compatible. One of it's strongest points.

Good point.

That has indeed been advertised, but "the check is in the mail".

I wouldn't count on this performing up to expectations any time soon. Just a thought.

 

[Mr Kagouris]

I'm asking because I want to add a second GPU to my system, an R7 370 with my R9 270X. Yes I know that *technically* the 370 isn't the 300-series successor of the 270 but the 270X cards still available where I live are way too expensive for their performance and as I understand it the main difference between the 370 and the 270X is that the 370 has a fewer unified shaders. Problem is that people either tell me that it's gonna work or they tell me that my system will explode (more or less, might be exaggerating on that ), so since I can actually get my hands on an R7 370 to test this I wanted to know what would happen in case it didn't work.

 

[USAFRet]

Well...it won't work.
The level of 'won't work' is debatable and unknown. Anything from 'no boot' to 'no display' to 'explody'.