Crossfire X850XT's or X1900XTX?

[Rapajez]

I am currently using a 9800 Pro (wahoo!) on a ABIT mobo without PCI Express, I was considering upgrading to an ABIT AT8 with XPRESS 3200, and two Saphire X850 XT's.

Would I be better off spending a little more money on a single X1900XTX? I realize that the advantage would be the ability to purchase a second down the road, but by that time newer generations of cards would be out anyway.

Are there any major features that I would be missing out on if I went with the X850s setup? If there is not a significant reason to buy the X1900 I would like to use the Crossfire setup just for the sole reason that it's 2 video cards. :)

Also, is the AT8 32X a good board for this setup?

[bf2nut]

I am currently using a 9800 Pro (wahoo!) on a ABIT mobo without PCI Express, I was considering upgrading to an ABIT AT8 with XPRESS 3200, and two Saphire X850 XT's.

Would I be better off spending a little more money on a single X1900XTX? I realize that the advantage would be the ability to purchase a second down the road, but by that time newer generations of cards would be out anyway.

Are there any major features that I would be missing out on if I went with the X850s setup? If there is not a significant reason to buy the X1900 I would like to use the Crossfire setup just for the sole reason that it's 2 video cards. :)

Also, is the AT8 32X a good board for this setup?

hi
grab a dfi ultra d sli mobo,and a sinlge x1900xtx will almost beat 2 x850xts in crossfire.heh just imagine in a year after u buy your single x1900xtx u could add another and be happy u did,food for thought.

[Rapajez]

If the dfi ultra d is sli, will it be crossfire compatible? I thought a ATI Crossfire Xpress 200 or 3200 was required.

[casecutter]

You need a Crossfire board to run Crossfire. THe DFI CFX 3200 is a very buggy board and I suggest to avoid it unless you like the challenge. I run the ASUS board and it is rock solid except for being limited to 328HTT. THe ABIT and Sapphire boards are supposed to be at least as good if not better than the ASUS board.

X850 Crossfire is limited to 1600X1200 max resolution @ 60mhz refresh rate. Other than that, it is VERY cheap and if you feel the urge and don't mind buying yesterday's tech you should. I love crossfire and will miss it as I move on to my latest upgrade thanks to the motherboard I just won here.

[orangutang91]

That is low!, 60 mhz, can I change my vote?

[Darthtanion]

60 Hz I take it ya'll mean?

At any rate, this isn't a problem if you're running an LCD display. 60 Hz provides about the same visual quality as 72-75 Hz on a CRT. Even for my eyes (they are very sensitive and require at least a 72 Hz setting on a CRT), the 60 Hz setting gives me no problems on an LCD display. I now use them both at home and at work and have no intentions of going back to a CRT.

[Munkul]

a single xtx would be better cause you dont need crossfire board to run it,just get whatever board you fancy. when you feel like upgrading, you can then sell the xtx and buy newer hardware. i realise there are advantages to crossfire and sli but you dont get benefits in many games even now. the x850xts would suck in some games (ie tombraider legend) and they dont support SM3 and HDR which looks significantly better in some games. personally, i would always buy the most powerful card i could afford, regardless whether i had a dual graphics motherboard.

[Yawgm0th]

60 Hz I take it ya'll mean?

At any rate, this isn't a problem if you're running an LCD display. 60 Hz provides about the same visual quality as 72-75 Hz on a CRT. Even for my eyes (they are very sensitive and require at least a 72 Hz setting on a CRT), the 60 Hz setting gives me no problems on an LCD display. I now use them both at home and at work and have no intentions of going back to a CRT.

60Hz is the only refresh rate I've ever seen on an LCD. It's not a problem for them because the technology is simply very different, and doesn't involve flashing light at you a certain number of times a second. Simply put, you cannot get the same irritation from an LCD that a sub-72Hz CRT will provide you, regardless of how sensitive you are.

The visual quality, however, is not the same. LCDs are still not on the same level as CRTs in terms of pure visual quality. However, a good LCD will make the differences negligible even to hardcore gamers. CRTs are still an absolute necessity for certain medical applications, especially surgery. For gaming, the big limitation of Crossfire and of LCDs is the 60Hz. The most immersive possible experience is framerates consistently at or over 72FPS, which requires 72Hz refresh rate to see. IMO almost any game is playable and enjoyable at well under 72FPS, but the difference between 60 and 72 is still descernable and for highly competive first-person shooters, it can be the difference between life and death. It's kind of like having a generic opical mouse instead of a super-sensitive, ergonomic, weighted, laser mouse.

[sruane]

You need a Crossfire board to run Crossfire. THe DFI CFX 3200 is a very buggy board and I suggest to avoid it unless you like the challenge. I run the ASUS board and it is rock solid except for being limited to 328HTT. THe ABIT and Sapphire boards are supposed to be at least as good if not better than the ASUS board.

X850 Crossfire is limited to 1600X1200 max resolution @ 60mhz refresh rate. Other than that, it is VERY cheap and if you feel the urge and don't mind buying yesterday's tech you should. I love crossfire and will miss it as I move on to my latest upgrade thanks to the motherboard I just won here.

Congratulations on winning that Motherboard! I checked with Gigabyte Tech Support and thay say it will do Crossfire. I was thinking about pitting a pair of x850s on mine.