Release of the 3870 X2s? This changes EVERYTHING! Help on deciding

[Alexinator]

Okay, so my new build was going to involve the 780i EVGA board with the QX9650 and two water cooled 8800GTXs. But now that the 3870 X2 is out, I'm having second thoughts. See, I already have one 8800GTX, so I was just going to buy a second one and SLI.

I may just go with the ASUS Maximus Extreme X38 board, pick up two 3870 X2s for Crossfire action and some DDR3 RAM with the QX9650. What do you guys think?


(I do know that you currently can't crossfire two 3870 X2s until the drivers come out in a month or two, but I can;t pass up the chance to get two.)

 

[Whirlwind]

I am thinking about one of these cards also....or one 8800GTS 512

This is gonna be a tough decision....I would love to know what kind of temperature the 3870X2 is gonna run at.

I am gonna need something good enough to power the newer games at 1680 x 1050 because that is the resolution of my new 22" Lcd.

I like the idea of 2 gpu's on one pcb and not having to use crossfire.

If you crossfire these Alexinator, that would be sweet for some super high rez gaming....for sure!

 

[Drizzt]

Okay, so my new build was going to involve the 780i EVGA board with the QX9650 and two water cooled 8800GTXs. But now that the 3870 X2 is out, I'm having second thoughts. See, I already have one 8800GTX, so I was just going to buy a second one and SLI.

I may just go with the ASUS Maximus Extreme X38 board, pick up two 3870 X2s for Crossfire action and some DDR3 RAM with the QX9650. What do you guys think?


(I do know that you currently can't crossfire two 3870 X2s until the drivers come out in a month or two, but I can;t pass up the chance to get two.)

Well.... you have that 8800 gtx like u said... its up to you but you would probably sell it right...


I thought the general opinon was DDR3 is not worth it atm?

 

[Okitasoshi]

I say get one 3870X2, then when the drivers are out and the prices drop a little get the second one, no use getting two if you can't CF them, and that gives you time to sell your GTX.

DDR3 RAM is pretty steep, but then again so is that Processor, so I say GO FOR IT!

 

[Alexinator]

Exactly, if you haven't noticed I'm not one to be skimpy with the green. My concern is actually price increases and low availability. I don't mind getting both now and waiting to use them, it just means I'll be the first in the DIY community to give you guys benchmarks

I think it's decided. Two weeks from now I'll be the proud owner of two of these bad boys. So the new setup will be:

ASUS Maximus Extreme
Core 2 Extreme QX9650
G.Skill 2 x 1GB Dual Channel DDR3 1600
ASUS 3870 x2
ASUS 3870 x2
ABS Tagen BZ 1.1 Kilowatt (1100w) PSU (With the two 8-Pin PCI-e connectors I'll need in addition to the 2 6-pin ones)

 

[Wildside]

I say get one 3870X2, then when the drivers are out and the prices drop a little get the second one, no use getting two if you can't CF them, and that gives you time to sell your GTX.

DDR3 RAM is pretty steep, but then again so is that Processor, so I say GO FOR IT!

the HD 3870 x2 crossfires with only one. U can get another for Quad-Crossfire.

 

[Alexinator]

Why would ATI put a crossfireX interface on the PCB if you cant crossfire? And why would they tell us Quad Crossfire drivers will be out in a month or two if we couldn't crossfire these? Heh, don't worry, I will be X-Firing two 3870 X2s

 

[mgcook]

3870x2 barely keeps up with an Ultra...plus there are no drivers to support "quad-fire" out right now. the 4th core would be almost useless, as 3 GPU's is stretching it.

I would just pick up another GTX for $350 and watercool them. You'll still be able to wax anything on the market at the moment.

 

[Alexinator]

ATI CrossFireX™ multi-GPU– Upgrade to even greater 3D performance quickly and easily thanks to plug-and-play ATI CrossFireX technology with up to quad-GPU support.

Right on their product page.

ATI Radeonâ„¢ HD 3800 Series - Overview

Plus, the cards just came out. I can almost guarantee newer drivers will enable this thing to blow nVidia out of the water, and that's coming from a complete nVidia/Intel fan boy

ATi Stated upon release that the PCB only included one CrossFireX interface because the drivers will only support quad CrossFireX and won't allow for a third card to be used.

 

[Drizzt]

What will ddr3 help you with?