Crossfire or Upgrade ?

Okey Dokey.
Here are my specs, as of Speccy :

Operating System
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU
AMD Phenom II X4 940 39 °C
Deneb 45nm Technology
RAM
8.0GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 400MHz (5-5-5-18)
Motherboard
MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO.,LTD DKA790GX (MS-7550) (CPU1) 34 °C
Graphics
X224W DVI (1680x1050@60Hz)
1024MB ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (Microsoft Corporation WDDM 1.1) (ATI AIB)
Hard Drives
977GB Seagate ST31000528AS ATA Device (SATA) 33 °C
488GB Western Digital WDC WD5000AAKS-00A7B0 ATA Device (SATA) 34 °C
39.1GB Corsair CSSD-F40GB2 ATA Device (SATA-SSD) 1 °C
Optical Drives
Optiarc DVD RW AD-7220S ATA Device
Audio
High Definition Audio Device


I've been getting into more gaming lately, and finding that the newer games are "stuttering" and framerates are dropping, (I also use IOBit Gamebooster Premium) .
I have a powercolor 4870 1 gig GPU, and my question is :
What's the best card to upgrade to? 6900 Series ? (no, im not spending $700 on the 4gig 6990)
I am ATI/AMD loyal .
Also, with my AM2+ Mobo, I guess I'm about as good as I can go with the Phenom ][ x4 BE @3ghz ?
I'm not really into overclocking, although I have toyed with it, but wouldn't do it consistently with my stock cooling.

 

What else can I do to boost performance for gaming, using the Mobo I already have ?

 

You seem to be maxxed out, except for your video card. I vote for upgrading your video card to a 6950. That should be sufficient for playing just about any game at high resolutions.

 

Yeah, I was maxxed out, even with the GPU when i first bought the system, now (for example) I got Shift 2 Unleashed, and some areas get jerky and have low framerates. I was quite surprised (and a bit disappointed).
I don't mind spending some money on my card, (but $700 is out of the question) so getting the (almost) best thing out there is certainly possible . I would be choosing from this page, as this vendor is local to me, and I can go there to pick it up, instead of waiting for mail .
http://directron.com/radeonhd6900.html the 6950 ? 6970 ? Some cards with same specs have quite different price points from different manufacturers . http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=639&card2=638 shows that 6970 is a better card . .
What choice would you (or anyone else reading) make from that page ?
Also, whats the best way to use my older 4870 ? I'm aware if I crossfire, then the faster card gets throttled down to the same speed as the slower card, so im not going to do that, is Craigslist really about the only option I have to get any money back out of the card (works perfectly, never had any problems with it whatsoever) . Just wondering .

 

Oh, and today is payday, and I'm off work all weekend, in other words, I wouldn't mind getting this done TODAY !

 

Also, what would you or anyone else think of my getting a better cooling system, and overclocking my BE ? I can simply change the multiplier the 227 to get to 3.4Ghz, without even messing with voltages, and I did it one time, then ran Shift 2, only to have Shift 2 error out, at which point I IMMEDIATELY changed the multiplier back to 200 . Doing that would shorten the lifespan of my Phenom ][, I know, but I have heard that the new X6 will work on AM2+ Mobos, although performance increase is minimal, if at all , but i WOULD be the first person I know with a hexacore !

 

I'm not into AMD ATM but hexacores are AM3's to the best of my knowledge. I'd look at replacing your video card. BTW Crossfire means two or more video cards working in concert, same as SLI FOR nVidia cards so you would need a pair of PCI-EX16 slots on your motherboard, which you have. In your case I'd look for a better card and make sure your power supply is up to the task with a more power hungry card.

 

Yes I do understand that the hexacores are AM3 but, from more than one source such as : http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/its_official_amd_confirms_hexacore_thuban_cpu
I have seen that (at least some)the new hexacores WILL WORK with AM2+ . Yes, I know Crossfire means two or more video cards working in concert, that is why i stated "I'm aware if I crossfire, then the faster card gets throttled down to the same speed as the slower card, so im not going to do that" in my 3rd post . I have upgraded to a Thermaltake 850watt PSU, which should be plenty for a 6970 or 6950 .
Which leaves the question of what to do with my perfectly good 4870 ? What is the best way to sell it ? Craigslist ?

 

Sorry to have answered so many perceived questions that you had already answered.:-o The PSU is perfect, even for Crossfire. As to selling it, as long as a prospective buyer doesn't walk in my house possibly casing it, I'm fine with that. Maybe a local computer club? Perhaps you'll get a PM from an MG'er making you an offer.

 

That article has it wrong. The Phenom II X6 cpus only work with AM3 sockrts.

Look at all the cpus here, they all require an AM3 socket
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...007671 600005585&IsNodeId=1&name=Phenom II X6

 

http://www.google.com/search?q=will...fficial&client=firefox-a&source=hp&channel=np

Many sources claim that the X6 will indeed work with AM2+(is there is BIOS update), but I don't see myself going to an X6 being limited to my slow rated ddr2 .

 

You can believe what you read on the internet, or believe the specs as listed with the cpu itself. It's up to you. I have no investment in it.

 

Abekl LOL. Really makes no difference, I'm not going to attempt a change to X6 . I'm really just trying to get opinions on GPU's. Right now im leaning toward the 6970 .

 

I decided to wait another week before taking the new GPU plunge .
Anyone want to buy a perfectly functional HD4870 ?

So, I'm looking at http://directron.com/a69702gbd5m2dh.html .
$30 Cheaper than newegg, plus no shipping charges as directron is local, and only a mile or two from my house - i can pick it up in person .

So i guess thats the one ill get . .

 

6970, nice, puts my old 5870 to shame. What about a bit more and get two 6870s?

 

Two 6870 outperform 1 6970 ? I'll have to check that option out .

 

Indeed. Though, you'll have to deal with crossfire issues in any games.

Just a quick note:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-radeon-hd-6990-geforce-gtx-590,2912-5.html

Then the next page shows the dual cards. Eh, just a suggestion.

 

After some research, admittedly not a LOT of research, but enough for me to decide I may be better off with ONE 6970 than two 6870's, although the two 6870's would outperform the 6970, I am seeing much about cossfire issues in some games . With my luck, it would be problematic for MY favorite games .
Im glad I waited and didn't make my purchase yet .
I put my money away, it was burning a hole in my pocket lol. I EVEN DROVE BY DIRECTRON.COM yesterday but didn't stop . GAH ! ! !

 

heh, yeah, hence why I haven't bought another gtx 580. But, went with two (vertex 3's). Though, my upgrade won't be happening soon.

 

Just out of cuiosity, what are your system specs ? I was thinking about maybe doing a minor overclock (3.0Ghz stock to maybe 3.2) - just a minor change so I dont have to buy an aftermarket cooling . I already changed the multiplier once and got it to 3.4, which everyone on the forum said they accomplish with no problems at all, but when I tried it, Shift 2 crashed after only a few seconds, so I immediately changed it back to stock settings. I think I changed the multiplier from 200 to 227 to get from 3.0 to 3.4, so I guess a change from 200 to 213 would get me to 3.2 ?
I'm not much of an overclocker, so It makes me a bit nervous. I've been reading up on it quite a bit. Maybe I'll post in the overclocking section here at MG.

 

Yep. Going with http://directron.com/a69702gbd5m2dh.html
Better price than Newegg, plus they are local to me and I can pick up in person .
So no more jerky SHIFT 2 for me, no siree !

Unless someone knows something i dont - is there a newer generation just around the corner that will smoke the 6970 next month ?

 

A little research turns up series 7xxx wont be around till maybe Q4 2011-2012, not anytime soon. So may as well dive in .

 

So i took the plunge and now have a lovely 6970 whirring happily away in my case. It is surprisingly quiet, single fan, not even a tiny bit louder than the 4870 . Stuttering has mostly ceased, I suspect improved drivers will be out sooner or later .
Anyway, a month later I'm quite satisfied with my new toy.