Eyefinity Choices

[jk336699]

i recently sold my old desktop and looking for parts for new build.

Here is the question, the crossfire 5770 config and a single 5830 are about the same price range, and i have 3 old LCD 1024X768 monitors.

Should i get the 5770 config or a single 5830?!? which one would do better on eyefinity??!!

(the 5770 has 128-bit memory bus but the 5830 has 256-bit)

[Guest_Jim_*]

My suggestion is get the single 5830 because you'll be able to drop another one in later if you want. The two 5770's in crossfire I think perform around either a 5850 or 5870, but then there isn't really an upgrade path for them. I don't run an eyefinity setup, so I can't speak to that, but I just remembered something important, and I hope someone can confirm or deny this. Don't you need to have at least one monitor connected through display port for a 3-monitor eyefinity setup? So how old are these monitors of yours and what connections do they have?

[joel.monteiro]

Two 5770 is approx 5870 performance,so 5770 hands down. good luck with eyefinity.

[Bosco]

2 X 5770's will walk on a 5830 its a no brainer

[IVIYTH0S]

Two 5770 is approx 5870 performance,so 5770 hands down. good luck with eyefinity.

2 X 5770's will walk on a 5830 its a no brainer

Exactly!! Who cares if there isn't an upgrade path, you wont need to upgrade as soon

[Guest_Jim_*]

From the ATI Eyefinity Technology page:

To enable more than two displays, additional panels with native DisplayPort™ connectors, and/or certified DisplayPort™ adapters to convert your monitor’s native input to your cards DisplayPort™ or Mini-DisplayPort™ connector(s), are required

This would of course be true for one card, but I don't know what would happen if you used two 5770's. Maybe two cards would allow for more non-display port monitors (unless of course yours are, then there isn't any issue) but I don't know.

Apparently the need for the displayport connection has to do with the clocks within the card; two internal and one external. VGA, DVI, and HDMI require an internal clock to themselves, while multiple displayport connections can use a single external clock. (Article talking about the clocks: AMD's Eyefinity Technology Explained: Counting Pipes.)

By having two cards, and thereby four internal clocks, maybe you can run a three monitor setup without displayport; two driven by one card and the third from the other. I'm not sure about this though.

Exactly!! Who cares if there isn't an upgrade path, you wont need to upgrade as soon

Good point.

[wevsspot]

I got so tired of hearing the "you will lose your upgrade path if you buy the HD 5770s" that I think my eyes and ears actually started bleeding......

 

Having ran twin Sapphire HD 5770s in a Crossfire setup for the better part of six months I can tell you from experience that they are a great pair. Twin 5770s in Crossfire will stomp a single HD 5850 and performance wise they are in line with a single HD 5870. Think of a 5770 as a 5870 chopped in half - which is essentially what it is. Put two together and you get almost a whole 5870 at a cost savings.

 

But..... you could buy a 5850 now and add another later when you need it.....

 

My response to that is I'd rather have the satisfaction right now of running Crossfire with the cards I want and the cards I can afford. But the real reason is that my twin 5770s run every game I like to play at 1920x1200 resolution with fair amounts of AA/AF and plenty of eye candy. I don't need anything more than that. And when the time comes that I do need extra graphics power then I'll be ready to upgrade to the latest technology anyway.

 

I used the same logic when I bought the two GTX 460 cards for SLi.

Edited August 6, 2010 by wevsspot

[Guest_Jim_*]

I got so tired of hearing the "you will lose your upgrade path if you buy the HD 5770s" that I think my eyes and ears actually started bleeding......

 

Having ran twin Sapphire HD 5770s in a Crossfire setup for the better part of six months I can tell you from experience that they are a great pair. Twin 5770s in Crossfire will stomp a single HD 5850 and performance wise they are in line with a single HD 5870. Think of a 5770 as a 5870 chopped in half - which is essentially what it is. Put two together and you get almost a whole 5870 at a cost savings.

My apologies, I've just read so many times that it is better to go with the best single card setup you can get that I think it as well.

I just realized, none of us asked what the primary use of this build will be! So, jk336699 what will this build be for, primarily?

[wevsspot]

No need to apologize Jim. That philosophy of buying the single best card you can afford is a very popular opinion - and in fact if you cruise around various tech forums the majority of people making recommendations will say the same thing.

 

While this may have held true two or three years ago when SLi and Crossfire scaling were mediocre at best, and many game titles didn't fully utilize the technology - or performed worse when ran with a dual card setup, for the most part all of those "issues" have been ironed out. Driver support was also a problem and in general it was just a big pain to get SLi or Crossfire working correctly. Again, for the most part all of those issues are resolved.

 

Economically, with several of today's mid-range cards a two card setup up makes perfect sense because the performance is on par with their "big" brothers and there is almost always a cost savings.

 

Other factors include space - with many of today's "big" dog cards insanely long. Throw in heat and noise produced by the high end cards and I think you have at least three compelling reasons to consider mid range cards in SLi or Crossfire.

[jk336699]

My apologies, I've just read so many times that it is better to go with the best single card setup you can get that I think it as well.

I just realized, none of us asked what the primary use of this build will be! So, jk336699 what will this build be for, primarily?

Thanks for you guys advice...

My build is for gaming and homework...

 

I got another question, the 5770 has the 128-bit memory bus, would it be double since its running 2 cards when crossfire?!?

i think the memory bus is important since 3-monitor have high resolution...

 

I wonder why ATI would set the memory bus at 128 bit...

[Guest_Jim_*]

Thanks for you guys advice...

My build is for gaming and homework...

 

I got another question, the 5770 has the 128-bit memory bus, would it be double since its running 2 cards when crossfire?!?

i think the memory bus is important since 3-monitor have high resolution...

 

I wonder why ATI would set the memory bus at 128 bit...

And now my overly analytical mind activates and this is what it comes up with. If you are doing homework then you are obviously a student. It should be a reasonable assumption that you are either a high school or college student. If you are a high school student you may not have a great amount of income and may be trying to save up for going to college, so get the more powerful option of two 5770's (best bang for the buck). If you are a college student then again you may not have a great income because of tuition, text books, possibly room and board, so again, get the two 5770's for crossfire, as it is the better bang for the buck, at the immediate moment. So my vote has changed to two 5770's; they will, performance wise, give you what you want.

[IVIYTH0S]

Thanks for you guys advice...

My build is for gaming and homework...

 

I got another question, the 5770 has the 128-bit memory bus, would it be double since its running 2 cards when crossfire?!?

i think the memory bus is important since 3-monitor have high resolution...

 

I wonder why ATI would set the memory bus at 128 bit...

They did it to save money and lower the performance. Also, no it wont be doubled but the handicap caused by it will be far less obvious with two