Crossfiring

Hardware Hub GPU
1

After giving it thought I have decided that I have 2 options for upgrading. I can buy a 290x and a PSU and sell my 7870 or I can buy another 7870 and a better PSU(only 550 watts). I have always used single GPU configs in the past since I have heard of horror stories of lagging, crashing and other BS problems. I have also heard that AMD has stepped up their game with the drivers and been fixing crossfire issues and frame times.

I have been looking at some benchmarks and it looks like I could have Titan level performance with games that scale CF well. I also play quite a number of older games that date back to early 2000's. Is it pretty common to have to turn off CF while playing older games that don't support it?

Also what kind of PSU do I need to look at? I currently run an 8350 stock, 4 HDD, 10 case fans and a couple other miscellaneous items. I don't think my XFX 550 could hold up to a 7870 CF. I would like have some overhead to apply a small OC to both cards.

2

3

Get the 290x, will be much faster and more bandwidth than 2 crossfired 7870s.

 

4

I tend to play stressful games such as R2 Total War and FC3. I know a 8350 can draw around 200W on load and benchmarks are showing the 290x at around 400W under load. So I guess I should get a 750W minimum?

5

Just be prepared for your 290x to run at 94c

6

The temps do worry me as well as the cost. It will cost 650 for psu and 290X or ~260 for 7870 and psu, whereas the 7870 will run much cooler. I have already been having heat issues with my case. I just don't know if CF is worth the headache.