Graphic Cards Does 2xHD6850 in xfire fit the bill?

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mithun

mithun

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Hello friends,
During the last month or so, I have managed to upgrade my system partially. The components added till now includes an AMD FX 8350 doing 4.3Ghz under a Corsair H80i harboured on an Asus M5A99FX-PRO, 2x4 Gb GSkill Ripjaws X DDR3 memory modules, a Plextor 128gb SSD and other small tidbits like case fans/lighting.
More importantly, the things retained are my trusty old Corsair VX450W PSU, CM 690 mid tower cabby and the 6850 Cyclone.

Goes without saying that the HD6850 is now the weakest link in the system and I plan to do something about it by this weekend. A 7950/GTX 760 seems like the most viable upgrade. I would just blindly buy the GTX760 if I could run it of my current PSU. However I am kind of keen on a crossfire setup, if feasible.

Reasons for xfire :
(i) El-Cheapo : 2nd used 6850 (5k) + 600-650w PSU (6k) = 11k (vis-a vis GTX 760 + PSU = 26K)
(ii) Geeky multi GPU setup, eye candy.
(iii)Decent performance bump across the bench for the price.

I do want to make sure that the 11k would be totally worth it, there would be no issues with compatibility, micro-stutters, instability, etc. else I would go for an expensive single card setup later on.

Seeking advice from members running multi-GPU setups.

Thanks
 
You can run the 7950/GTX 760 on the VX450.
Check the load power consumption chart here. The CPU used is an OC'ed i7. If you do not have loads of HDDs and fans, the current PSU can handle the load.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU13/598

What is your budget? Consider that you can get ~5k+ for your 6850 and ~2k for the VX450 if you plan to sell each or both.

It is always advisable to buy a single GPU setup. Multi-GPU setups are recommended when a single GPU is insufficient, either performance wise or any other reason( like no. of displays supported). Multi-GPU is power hungry, prone to issues which you mentioned above.


The only plus point of a multi-GPU setup in your case will be the performance gain per Rupee spent; excluding the PSU cost. A GTX 760 gives approx 2.5 times the frame rate of a 6850.
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_760_msi_hawk_review,16.html
The crossfire setup will get you closer to a GTX 760 performance with the added advantage of a new PSU which will support any further upgrades you plan for at least 2-3 years.
 
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I used to run a GTX 260 C216 (much higher TDP than 760) on the PSU but at that time the CPU was a 65w Conroe E6750.
The current peripherals include 3 HDDs , 1 SSD, 3 case fans, a Scythe fan controller, H80i pump with 2 fans and a NZXT LED strip.
As per the specs upgrading from a 6850 to a 760 incurs additional wattage of ~ 50w to the entire system. I do not wish to stress the PSU to its limits. I might consider getting the CPU back to stock clock till I manage a PSU upgrade. Will I still have safe headroom with the 760 installed?
 
You'll need something like this to calculate the actual power usage. Multiply the displayed wattage by the PSU's power factor to get the actual system power usage.
http://www.amazon.com/P3-International-P4400-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU

Considering your peripherals, I'd advise you to upgrade the PSU. If budget is not a constraint then get a single GPU setup and sell your current GPU. Do not consider a crossfire setup for the geeky/eye-candy aspect as any problems you encounter will make you hate your decision. Having 1 card with a recent warranty is better than 2 older cards with less warranty, two cards means double the point of failure.

If budget is a constraint then get a second 6850 and also keep in mind that you'll probably have to upgrade it much sooner than a GTX760.
 
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Taking the discussion a bit off-topic as it seems a PSU upgrade is imminent -

I have a budget of 7k for a Modular PSU. Between the CM Silent Pro 2 620w and the Seasonic M12 II, which one is better? How does the Corsair TX650-M fare against these? Any better option I'm missing out?
 
Gannu said:
Take a look at this compilation - http://www.techenclave.com/community/buyers-guide/best-power-supply-units/

Pick one that fits your budget. The customer support of both Corsair and Seasonic are pretty good.
Click to expand...

Yes! Thanks, had almost forgotten about this list.
Seasonic X-560 (SS-560KM) Rs. 7350 sounds promising. Why is Seasonic A.S.S. stated to be a negative point? Hearing the same from most Kolkata retailers too. I have bought a few components for my rig directly from Tirupati (RAM and SSD), has it got something to do with the national distributor or the principal manufacturer is at fault?
 
I've had very good experiences with Tirupati in the past (multiple replacements of my power supply and a Razer DA). I am really not sure why it has been mentioned that way. Maybe Eddy can shed some light here.

@Crazy_Eddy
 
mithun said:
Why is Seasonic A.S.S. stated to be a negative point? Hearing the same from most Kolkata retailers too. I have bought a few components for my rig directly from Tirupati (RAM and SSD), has it got something to do with the national distributor or the principal manufacturer is at fault?
Click to expand...
Yeah its about Tirupati since they handle Seasonic A.S.S. - heard some complaints about them from Mumbai, but it was a long time back. Some people say things have improved, and I haven't seen anyone complaining recently, so if you've had a good experience with Tirupati then I guess you should be ok. With retailer/dealer complaints, I get the feeling its more about business since Tirupati being a distributor also sells directly to end-users and undercuts them. Anyway, as someone said the best warranty is not having to use it : you really shouldn't have a problem with an X series unit unless its DOA. If you still want Corsair's no-questions-asked replacement warranty, a Corsair HX based on a Seasonic platform is the next best bet.

Seasonic X-560 (SS-560KM) Rs. 7350 sounds promising.
Click to expand...
Sorry but the prices are inaccurate now with the huge change in exchange rates. Do check dealer sites for current pricing. I got most of the pricing from hardwire.in.
Also it looks like the X-560 has been discontinued. The KM platform has been replaced with the updated KM3 platform, and IIRC there's no 560W model in that lineup.
 
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Two weak cards don't make a powerful one. Crossfire on anything other than 79xx is messed up due to the latency issues. Sell the 6850 and get a 7950 or wait till the new gpu launch in october.
 
Try to get a better card 2nd hand 6950/560/570/6970 ? 6 months down the road affordable to get another and great performance for 1080p
 
I have shortlisted the Seasonic G550 / M12II 650W for my rig. However, across the internet there is a buzz that the CPU power cable on both the units are too short to be routed behind the back of most cabinets. As you have been using multiple seasonic units it would be very generous of you to throw some light in this matter.
My current cabinet is a CM 690 bought 6 years ago and I intend to upgrade to a 600T/650D in the near future.
Please advice.

cheers

@Gannu
 
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