Last Minute Help Needed! (higher end cpu & vid q's)

[Irish Pilot]

Q6600 vs E8400 Wolfdale

Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors

vs.

Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor - Processors

Last minute decision here. Im building this thing for gaming, but I want to be future proof. Any last minute thoughts that could help?

...and Ive got 2 HD 4850s that I was thinking of crossfiring, and I cant decide whether to stick with the two or just go to the 4870 (or just stick with one 4850!)

Everything shows up today, I could really use you guru's help this morning! Thanks!

I have been reading articles night and day for two days straight and cant seem to get a straight answer...or more likely I am not looking closely enough.

I apologize for the onslaught of threads in this regard, but I have two 4850s coming today and I am wondering the benefit over, say, waiting for a 4870x2. Obviously I am biased leaning towards CF as I can start using it today vs waiting a few weeks for the 4870x2...but I need to be educated here so Im looking for guru wisdom.

Now, Ive seen all the benchmarks, etc. and the CF4850 is impressive. However my question is this in regards to crossfire:

If two $150 cards perform nearly identical to one $300 card, what are the pros and cons of having two vs one?

I keep reading how awesome crossfiring cards is, but at the same time all that I can think of is that you are possibly dealing with twice as many issues. Is crossfire a gimic to hold people over until a single card comes out that can perform the same as two that are already out?

Can someone straighten me out here? Any good articles of reference?
Apologies and thanks.

 

[wafflehammer]

Re: Seriously, Benefits of 2 VidCards vs 1 High End Card? Set This Straight.

well a 4870x2 is going to be better...because for one, it's the 4870 and not the 4850. but the x2 is still 2 cards in one...so it's still crossfire

 

[Irish Pilot]

Re: Seriously, Benefits of 2 VidCards vs 1 High End Card? Set This Straight.

well a 4870x2 is going to be better...because for one, it's the 4870 and not the 4850. but the x2 is still 2 cards in one...so it's still crossfire

That certainly makes sense, but specific cards aside is there a reason that crossfire is more beneficial than a single higher end card?

 

[wafflehammer]

Re: Seriously, Benefits of 2 VidCards vs 1 High End Card? Set This Straight.

my saying always is:

1 high end cards > 2 mediocre cards

unless you have a high resolution monitor then 2 cards in crossfire/sli might be needed..but other than that it'd probably be more hassle to do with it than positive things. ohh...and then you always have to worry about games that don't support duel cards

 

[NightSurge]

Re: Seriously, Benefits of 2 VidCards vs 1 High End Card? Set This Straight.

Well, if you're debating between 2x 4850 and 1x 4870, then the 2x4850 would perform better in almost every game unless that game has issues with crossfire. If you are playing at lower resolutions (such as 1600x1050 or lower), then one high end card would be a better option and you could always add another for crossfire in the future. If you play at 1600x1050 or higher, then the 2x 4850 would be better, as crossfire will sustain framerates in demanding high resolution games.

 

[Irish Pilot]

Re: Seriously, Benefits of 2 VidCards vs 1 High End Card? Set This Straight.

Well, if you're debating between 2x 4850 and 1x 4870, then the 2x4850 would perform better in almost every game unless that game has issues with crossfire. If you are playing at lower resolutions (such as 1600x1050 or lower), then one high end card would be a better option and you could always add another for crossfire in the future. If you play at 1600x1050 or higher, then the 2x 4850 would be better, as crossfire will sustain framerates in demanding high resolution games.

I would imagine most of my gaming-computing will now be at 1680 x 1050.

 

[Drizzt]

Re: Seriously, Benefits of 2 VidCards vs 1 High End Card? Set This Straight.

then your crossfire 4850's are going to destroy most games.

 

[Irish Pilot]

Re: Seriously, Benefits of 2 VidCards vs 1 High End Card? Set This Straight.

then your crossfire 4850's are going to destroy most games.

Destroy as in run amazingly well? Or destroy as in make unusable?

 

[Dainius]

Re: Seriously, Benefits of 2 VidCards vs 1 High End Card? Set This Straight.

run amazingly

 

[wafflehammer]

if you are going to spend $190 on a CPU why would you want 2 cores when you could get 4 for the same price?