Will this config run 2x HD 6970 in crossfire?

[purple stain]

Actually their is no difference what so ever between the i5 2500k and the 990x when it comes to playing games.They perform the exact same making it just a huge expensive trophey.

No their is hardly any difference.About 5FPS loss at maximum bettwen x8 and x16 slots.

 

[nytmode]

Ok so I have figured out these things by your help guys:

1. Dual 16x or Dual 8x doesn't matter because the difference is hardly noticeable.
2. My QX9770 is going to be a bottleneck for the crossfire so its better to upgrade.
3. 2x HD6970 with Accelero Fans will be a tight fit on my X48T-DQ6 and not really recommendable.

So if it all I have to "temporarily upgrade" till the X79 releases,

1. Should I go with a P67 or a Z68?
2. Should I get the Asus Sabertooth or the Gigabyte UD7 for max performance.

 

[purple stain]

You know if you go with the MSI Twin Frozr's they have just as good cooling as the Artic Cooling Heatsinks but they only take up 2 slots.

I can't give you any advice twards the mobo's cause I don't know Intel mobos but I would suggest getting a single 6970 and upgrading to a 2500k or 2600k.Until you have enough money for the other 6970 etc.

 

[nytmode]

and what would be the highest chipset and processor available with AMD at the moment? (which will not be a bottleneck)

 

[purple stain]

I would say out of the box a processor that won't bottleneck the 6970 crossfire would be the Phenom ii x4 980.The only reason I say that is because out of the box it operates at 3.7ghz.Really the Phenom ii processors are just the same technology as the core 2 extereme but they operate at higher speeds.Thats really all you need to do with your current processor.It you get it to a higher speed it won't bottleneck.But honestly the Phenom ii's are aging just as the Core 2 series.

I would suggest trying to O.C. your current proccessor first.

 

[brandondiep]

Wow, even if you get bottlenecked by your cpu you are still maxing out Bf 3. Why waste so much money for nothing. I would just keep your current cpu, get one or two 6970 (maxing it out with one anyways). Wait for the x79 and then you can add another card if you are unhappy with your maxed graphics.

 

[nytmode]

Okay so I got the two 6970's and now the crossfire isn't working. Both the cards are exactly the same Sapphire Radeon cards. When I start the PC with both of them in crossfire, windows does not recognize any AMD device installed. I get the normal 1280 x 1024 desktop which GPU-Z only showing one 6970 correctly. When I select the other 6970, GPU-Z freezes or shows weird readings.

Troubleshooting steps that Ive taken:

1. Tested the cards individually, both of them work single.
2. Tested both of the PCI-E x16 slots. Both the cards work in both slots individually.
3. Tested different 8 and 6-pin power connectors coming from the PSU.
3. Tried single crossfire cable, double crossfire cable, swapping the cables and directions, same result.
4. Tried Catalyst 11.2 - 11.8 (preview drivers), none of them recognize the cards installed when in crossfire.
5. Tried removing the X-Fi Sound card from the PCI Express slot, in case it was interfering. Same result.
6. Tried using different HDMI and VGA cables, same result.

I probably think it is the 800W PSU. Its inadequate because of the 5 drives that I have. Please help!!

 

[jjb8675309]

just use one drive and see if the problem persists, gigabyte isnt exactly the best psu manufacturer either, get a new psu

 

[brandondiep]

gg

 

[nytmode]

The drives are in raid so I cant really use only 1 and the Velociraptor is not the boot drive so can't use that either. I guess I will have use single 6970 for now and wait for a new PSU till that time. Thanks everyone for all the help. Really appreciated

 

[jjb8675309]

yeah most likely a psu issue in my opinion after reading through the thread again, good luck

 

[bystander]

I had a Q9450 at 3.4ghz with my xfire 6870. In BFBC2, I was running around 45-90 fps.. with 45 being in heavy action and average being around 55 or so. Playable, yes, would i settle for it as a hardcore gamer?? Hell no. When I switched platform to the p67 with the i5 2500k, I saw my fps jump to up 110-200. I average about 120-130 fps with every settings max at 1680x1050. People say you don't notice any fps over 60, but I believe this is untrue. Personally, I would say say the range of 80-90 fps gives you a more smoother gaming experience, and anything above that is not noticeable.

It's not about what is noticeable, it's about hardware limitations.

What hz is your 1680x1050 monitor? If it's 60hz, like most are, there is zero difference between 60 and 10000 FPS in smoothness. The reason is that your monitor only updates the image on it's screen 60 times per second regardless of how many frames your system generates, which is what the hz tells us. The only thing having more than 60 fps increases is screen tearing.

However, if you do have a 120hz monitor, then you can see improvements up to 120 FPS.

 

[jjb8675309]

^ yeah that comment made no sense in the context of the OPs 60hz monitor, I have a 955 that is oc'ed and I get 60+ in practically every game I play so there goes that argument out the window, for now you dont need a 2500k to game and I can't imagine that a 2500k at stock is pulling much more fps than a 955 at 4.2ghz and I'd like to see a comparison

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey