4870 X2 or 4890 or 5870 X2

[niallm1dotcom]

No probs! Dude you got way too much money to spend! Do you wanna take over the world with your PC or something? Maybe you'll have to in order to pay for all this! I'm sure they'll come out with a waterblock fairly soon after it launches. Also make sure you get something something like this:

NCIX.com - Buy Enzotech SNBW-SLI Sapphire Northbridge Waterblock 1/2" Barb Fittings - SNBW-SLI In Canada.

Their customer service is really good with all my dealings with them so far! I hope for your sake AMD decides to make dual-socket AM3 motherboards. Altough seeing as you have so many sheets to blow buy two of the new Six-Core AMD Opterons (Six-Core AMD Opteron? Processor) and a compatible dual-socket motherboard. You'll flip the world over with that thing!


IRQ Conflict you've got the plan man! I'm also trying to stay a little behind although these day that seems to happen by default with all the new tech being launched. Although the new ATI HD4770s look pretty sweet.

[Realityshift]

The 4870X2 however has some link between the two memory chips and I think processors that can be activated via software, i.e. Catalyst drivers. However ATI hasn't yet released these. Basically it will allow the two separate processors, memory interfaces to run as one. Effectively it means that instead of the single card having two separate memory interfaces at 1GB each they will run as one interface at 2GB. Should come out soon though.

Thats just dumb, when crossfiring you want the performance between the cards to be exact, otherwise you get frames out of sync and micro stutters ect. you cant just mound all your ram together like that and theoretically apply it to 1 core to get 3gb, it has to be evenly distrubuted between the GPUs... Crossfire/SLI has to be symetrical for it to work.... Put the memory out of sync and your in trouble, I think ATI knows this well enough to release software allowing for memory realocation... Not to mention the ram for either GPU is physically linked to the GPU not to both GPUs.

The 4890x2 should perform near the GTX 295 and id expect it to be released at near the same prices if ATI wants to make any money...

Im not sure why we are specualting at a 5870x2 when everyone knows the x2 models always comeout late in the game, ATI has to release and perfect the single cards before they fully release x2 cards...

[Patlabor]

Yes my comps have always been on the way too powerful side.
I would love to take over the world with it and don't worry I get all my stacks of green from the Canadian army, go Armour !

And niallm1dotcom there will be water blocks on the vid cards, mosfets, NB, and ram(maybe) all cooled by a TEC.
And the CPU will be phase change cooled.

So as you can see I am of the thought you can never have enough power : )
If any one has an old super computer they want to get rid of just call me up.

[Patlabor]

Thanks for blowing that guy out of the water niallm1dotcom.

I always like it when some one knows what there talking about.
Thats what these forums are for.

[FtGF]

Originally Posted by niallm1dotcom

Comparison of ATI graphics processing units - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jun 25, 2008 HD4850 & HD4870
Aug 12, 2008 HD4870X2

Oh wow, look everyone, a whole 48 days or 1 month and 18 days. Oh no! Everyone knows that means it's late in the game. A whole 48 days, that's far too much. Some people need to think and research before they make stupid comments.



Compatibility Charts. ATI, who design these cards in case people didn't know, doesn't know that Crossfire has to be symmetrical.

"This flexible architecture allows asymmetrical configurations as unlike cards can be used for physics processing in both 1+1 and 2+1 setups where one or two graphics cards are used for game rendering, while another card is used for physics." - ATI CrossFire™ and Physics Some people need to think and research before they make stupid comments.



"you cant just mound all your ram together like that and theoretically apply it to 1 core to get 3gb, it has to be evenly distrubuted between the GPUs..." Oh no Realityshift knows something no one else knows -

AnandTech: AMD's Radeon HD 4870 X2 - Testing the Multi-GPU Waters
4870X2 was step two: step three is imminent ??? [Archive] - techPowerUp! Forums


Look at the pretty little picture seeing as you can't read -

http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/...2/sideport.jpg

Some people need to think and research before they make stupid comments.
Some people need to think and research before they make stupid comments.
Some people need to think and research before they make stupid comments.
Some people need to think and research before they make stupid comments.

What are we children here? You couldn't have just pointed out the article to inform him? That is what we are all here to do is help each other out. Also your links don't really prove him wrong at all. Personally I think you should be banned for that. Plus this whole thread is stupid. Contemplating buying a 5870x2 that no one has a clue when it comes out and this also "The 4870X2 however has some link between the two memory chips and I think processors that can be activated via software, i.e. Catalyst drivers. However ATI hasn't yet released these." Again stupid this card has been out almost a year this not going to happen.

[Realityshift]

Compatibility Charts. ATI, who design these cards in case people didn't know, doesn't know that Crossfire has to be symmetrical.
"This flexible architecture allows asymmetrical configurations as unlike cards can be used for physics processing in both 1+1 and 2+1 setups where one or two graphics cards are used for game rendering, while another card is used for physics." - ATI CrossFire™ and Physics Some people need to think and research before they make stupid comments.

First off when did I EVER mention there wasnt cross compatability between the 4870 and the 4870x2? IF you crossfire those 2 and the 4870 is only 512mb of ram, ya they will be compatible but all 3 GPUs will only use 512mb of ram each, the rest goes unused. Im sorry but this proves nothing, multi GPU rendering in games HAS TO BE SYMETRICAL, theres no 2 ways around it. The way multiple video cards render frames in a video game is portion of the frame per video card, if you try to finish a frame faster you will either A) have some very horrible frame tearing or B) not gain ANY performance as your speed is always going to be locked to the slowest cards frame output. This is common sense...

"you cant just mound all your ram together like that and theoretically apply it to 1 core to get 3gb, it has to be evenly distrubuted between the GPUs..." Oh no Realityshift knows something no one else knows -

Im pretty sure ANYONE who has done any sort of reading on SLI/Crossfire setups knows exactly how it works and that what your proposing wont. Im taking what youve said in your post as a personal attack on a member who has been here and active quite a bit longer then you. 1 in a half months is quite signifigant in the PC world, and like I said we STILL dont know IF the 5870x2 will even be released or how soon after the original 5870 it will follow. You need to grow up and do your own research instead of relying on very horribly thought out links as proof...

Thanks FtGF for having my back ;) and parlabor

---

Thanks for blowing that guy out of the water niallm1dotcom.

I always like it when some one knows what there talking about.
Thats what these forums are for.

Grow up as well, I was in no way blown out of the water by his response or links... but fueling haters fires is a good way to get you into trouble with either the mods or long time members who just wont take you seriously.

[hertz9753]

I hope these guys don't stick around, since one knows all the answers and the other one agrees with everything that he posts.

They are probably doing PM's right now.

[niallm1dotcom]

Ya sorry everyone I'm extremely rude! My bad.

[niallm1dotcom]

And yes, who the hell knows when the 5000 series will come out let alone if they'll even release a 5870X2.

Sorry yeah, I should be banned! We're all here to learn and not vent frustration. My apologies yet again.

Now, the symmetrical thing...Yes and no. If you buy a 4870X2 its kinda dumb to get a 512MB 4870 as this would surely run slower than a single 4870X2. What I think you mean is that yes you can run different cards: for instance my HD4830 512MB GDDR3 will Crossfire with my HD4890 1GB GDDR5. But both will only each run with 512MB memory so what's the point in having one card running with 512MB GDDR3 and 512MB GDDR5 rather than a single at 1GB GDDR5. So in this sense "symetrical" cards in Crossfire will give you way better performance. If sideport were enabled on a 4870X2 and you Crossfired with a 4870 1GB you would get 2GB (as both GPUs each with 1GB would now be linked together) + 1GB rather than 3GB I'm assuming?

The other thing...The sideport. I also doubt it will be activated as it apparently won't make much of a performance impact. However, the new 790GX AM3 boards do utilise sideport technology for the onboard graphics so who knows with future ATI cards.

Buy two 4870X2s and be done with it. These should surely last a while still with a good motherboard.

[Realityshift]

I think you have a skewed view of sideport, sideport uses only the alocated memory located on the motherboard almost as cache for the GPUs to use, it doesnt link the memory of the videocards together physically and would not link all 3 cards together to make 3gbs of ram, normally its just an extra 128mb that helps load critical data faster and really doesnt even do that well from what ive seen. Sideport is really only meant to boost integrated graphics performance and the technology from my research on the subject in no way allows for a user to lump multiple videocards memory together. Also sideport is motherboard based, its not inherent in the actual video cards and its not software based, its a physical chip imbeded in certain AMD motherboards that allow for the added ram, software would not allow for videocards to lump ram physically located and alocated to 1 GPU to be shared unevenly with another GPU. Not yet anyways.

If sideport were enabled on a 4870X2 and you Crossfired with a 4870 1GB you would get 2GB (as both GPUs each with 1GB would now be linked together) + 1GB rather than 3GB I'm assuming?

This just cant happen, as ive said before crossfire when gaming relies on a symetrical platform in order to render frames identicaly across the board. And even with stuff like parallel processing there is no point to unlocking and realocating ram as each GPU NEEDs its set amount of ram. Crossfire is basically 2+ identically performing (even if forced) GPUs performing some sort of alternating frame renderings, you cant do that if you have unmatched video cards, if you start having 1 card finish its frames faster it can put the entire chain out of sync. Or it would just have no performance increase as youd still be stuck waiting everytime for the slower card to finish its frames.

Also as for your 4890/4870 crossfire set up, you can do that but both cards will run at the speed of the SLOWEST card, so your 4890 is running at the same speed as the 4870 to maintain symitry when rendering, otherwise there would be a ton of artifacts and tearing. I have done my research on the matter for both crossfire and SLI, from the original SLI/Crossfire cards to current ones I have always been interested in the matter and have read everything I could. I accept your appology and im not about to complain to a mod and get you banned, just watch how you talk to any user on HWC or you may just find yourself faced with the ban stick.

If you have links that show that sideport would allow for ram lumping let me know as id be interested in reading them, I cant see how it would be usefull in the long run but its still interesting. Also check out the Asus mar GTX 295, which is 2 full fledged GTX 285s linked together, each providing 2gb of ram for a total of 4gb per card (2gb per GPU), Its a real beast and currently holds a few world records ;)