It certainly has some potential: http://www.vr-zone.com/?i=2273&s=1
One big advantage of Crossfire is that it doesn't require AFR profiles, as is required for SLI, but that it will accellerate any Direct3D game. A fine tuned AFR profile will of course speed up the game even more, but at least you don't have to wait till ATI/game developers releases them.
JoetjeF
Junior Poster in Training
67 posts since Jun 2005
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Chuck me just about any 'fact' about SLI/Crossfire and why it's 'good' and I'll counteract it with an argument showing why it's a waste of time. Let's start with the ones stated so far.
The claim that Crossfire will 'kick SLI's butt' is a bit hasty. It will be faster in some respects and slower in others.
The claim that 'doesn't require AFR profiles, as is required for SLI, but that it will accellerate any Direct3D game' is just words aired for little purpose. SLI/Crossfire is really designed at games to come, not games we already have. Any existing game will run quite well enough on any decent existing single display card, so for those SLI/Crossfire is a redundant issue. future games will, of course, have AFR profiles available for them so the difference has no import really.
Catweazle
Grandad
4,335 posts since Mar 2004
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OK, time to answer that little misconception.
Firstly, before that year is out the R520 cards will be out and available, and they'll do double the X850XT performance with a single card. In addition to that, don't pin your hopes on the current top of the line card hanging around getting cheaper and cheaper. History proves that just doesn't happen.
When the next generation of display cards comes out, the top of the line cards from the previous generation rather rapidly disappear from the marketplace. A cut-down version of it will linger for a while till the mid-range cards of the next generation become established.
If you want to use two top of the line cards of a particular generation in SLI configuration, you gotta get them them from the outset or shortly after. That's for NVidia SLI.
ATi Crossfire is a little different. That requires a new card which can act as a 'master' card. So you're gonna be able to get that X850XT Crossfire master and a new Crossfire enabled motherboard and do the job. But hey, all you're gonna do is get the same performance as you would if you waited and installed an R520 based ATi card anyway, and it's most likely gonna cost you just as much!
Sorry, but I don't see much point in that ;)
Catweazle
Grandad
4,335 posts since Mar 2004
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Thanks for the heh heh..........
:D
As you can see, I've kinda got a 'bee in the bonnet' about dual display cards. I really dislike the way they're being marketted as something they're not. To be quite honest, I think the only real world use for them is to boost the egos of super rich benchmark whores who can afford to buy two of the fastest display cards that money can buy, and then sit back getting an epenis enlargement from the fact that they can get benchmark results wich beat those of anybody else they know.
They've got a reasonably practical application for people who are content to sit a fair bit back from the cutting edge with a mid-range card and want to stretch their system life out a bit, but that's the only real life value they have at present in my view. In time to come they'll quite possible be apretty standard thing, but certainly not until the graphics chip race slows down, and we no longer see ATi and NVidia putting out a new graphics chip each year which is twice as good as the previous one.
Catweazle
Grandad
4,335 posts since Mar 2004
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My post might not be that clear, but I agree with Catweazle. I'm actually only interested in the technology involved, no way I'll pay that amount of money for a dual graphics card.
This kind of development is for people who can afford it, not for people who need it. No doubt ATI had to do something to compete with Nvidia's SLI, it's all about image. We'll see what happens next.
JoetjeF
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67 posts since Jun 2005
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Yes, u have a point that they are usless for us people of course. If you look now some company's are switching their workstations to SLI because you dont need to render the graphics from both monitors on the same card. Its true that SLI was awsome and all, but us canadians here prefer to stick with our shit (sorry for the language). Ive been wanting to upgrade for a while, and ill be getting that crossfire system. Finally ill be able to play far cry lol
goaliemike
Junior Poster in Training
66 posts since Jun 2005
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goaliemike, I can play FarCry perfectly well on a Socket A Athlon XP together with an FX5900XT AGP card! No bloody SLI setup needed for that one ;)
Catweazle
Grandad
4,335 posts since Mar 2004
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Ok should i play far cry without any problems on this setup
amd xp 2000+
sapphire atlantis 9200se
1gb ram
goaliemike
Junior Poster in Training
66 posts since Jun 2005
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A 9200SE is a REALLY crappy video card. Far Cry might play but you'd definitely need to reduce graphics options, and even then it'd likely be 'choppy'.
You don't 'need' SLI, you simply need a better display card!
Catweazle
Grandad
4,335 posts since Mar 2004
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Yep. 9200se sure is crappy. My cousin has P4 2ghz with this card and he'd rather not play far cry cuz he has to put everything almost at minimum and still the quality is not great. Before, I had a 9600xt and it had resonable graphics.
If you want a new video card you should get a 6600GT or radeon x700 at least if you want it to be good for some time. A 6600 GT can be bought for about 160$US to 200$US.
Ya k u kno my comp belama, remember i got ure external HDD.
Ok now im going 2 be going AMD 64, maybee the FX series. But i kneed a pretty good comp, so i might get a Crossfire mobo from ATI, but only 1 card for now. Woulds a x300 do for gaming for a while (PCI-e), and is it worth its amount.
goaliemike
Junior Poster in Training
66 posts since Jun 2005
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An X300 card is TOTALLY unsuitable for gaming. Games performance is heavily reliant on the power of the display card, and much less reliant on the power of the processor. In addition, if you want to use Crossfire you will need to choose an X800 series card or an X850 series card. No other ATI cards will be suitable for use in Crossfire configuration until the R520 based next generation cards are released, according to currently available information.
If you plan on a system for games, and your budget won't stretch to a better card than an X300, then choose less processor and more video card ;)
The configuration you've suggested there sucks!
Catweazle
Grandad
4,335 posts since Mar 2004
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Ya ok, i didnt know if the card was gaming or not. Ok i have a budget of 3,000 CND. But i prefer to pay around 1,000. I would go with a 3000+ as minimum, and a X800 with 1GB ram.
goaliemike
Junior Poster in Training
66 posts since Jun 2005
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