4870 + 4870X2 + core i7 @ 920

Ezciel · Sep 10, 2009, 05:22 AM

With the outbreak of the i5 and i7 @ 8 series the only way for my poor i7 to stay on top now is to run dual-gpu and get my system oc'ed to a reasonable level.

I already have an xfx 4870 and was thinking how much power would it take for me to xfire a 4870X2 into my system. My full system specs are under my profile. I'm currently using a CM Modular 700w PSU.

**kris23** · Sep 10, 2009, 05:31 AM

id say.... 850w should do it for that type of setup........ though id just wait till october to get the 5000 series cards

Ezciel · Sep 10, 2009, 05:41 AM

Well i was interested in the 5xxx series but i think it would be cheaper i guess to go with a 4870X2 and xfire it with my 4870 unless i take into account replacing my 700w with an 850w then it could be just about the same. Kinda want to test xfire out lol.

**kris23** · Sep 10, 2009, 05:59 AM

well.... 4870x2s are not exactly cheap....... you can get 2 regular 4870s for less and crossfire them with the 1st card....

sadly though, you have the crackhead board designed by some nuts at asus.... they dropped 2 PCI-E slots right next to each other and called it 3 way CFX/SLI compatible.... making it impossible.... probably their biggest flop but they got better....

i still suggest waiting for the 5000 series because no one knows exactly how well they will perform and the 4000 series will also receive price-cuts making it easier to get them if you still end up going that route.......

on another note.... you may want to go to 64-bit vista and 6GB+ gigs of RAM, 3GB isnt very much nowadays and is even considered subpar.... probably would bottleneck you pretty bad

Ezciel · Sep 10, 2009, 12:49 PM

you are absolutely correct about my mobo....i was disappointed but i guess i have to live with it lol. i guess single card setup using 5 series would be better or i could switch back to nvidia. only bought the 4870 because xfx made it.

**kris23** · Sep 10, 2009, 02:50 PM

yea XFX is a good company, you can really just go either way with that motherboard, but the new nvidia cards dont hit till december so you got a while to wait

BlueMak · Sep 10, 2009, 02:55 PM

Well, if you don't want to wait you can always buy another 4870 for crossfire or a 4870X2 and still have them. If I understand correctly, kris meant that you can't have 3 cards, not two.

I don't know how fast the 5xxx series will be, but I bet a 4870 crossfire or 3 way with a 4870X2 won't be that easily beaten (if that) by at least the first models (before the X2 of the line arrive later).

If you can wait, I would wait for the 5xxx series. If you don't want to wait, go for the 4870X2 and have them both.

Lowfat · Sep 10, 2009, 04:21 PM

700W will be enough power as long as your specific PSU is a quality unit. This power supply craze that came up the past few years has tricked people in to thinking that they need 1000W PSU's when in reality very few systems do.

Judas · Sep 10, 2009, 09:49 PM

A SteathXStream OCZ 600watt was able to run a similare system with only a single HD4870x2... and overclocked relatively well.. never once tripped the overload.... but with an additional HD4870x2... even a 850watt wasn't able to cope with the demands of the 2nd one pushing the wattage draw from 580watts sustained to 820-830watts.

I'm still not satisfied with my corsair 1000watt that i got..... i'm running into weird errors that don't happen with the 600watt stealth which baffles me.... have been trying a number of things for a couple months now with no success.

IMO a DAMN good PC Power & Cooling 850 would likely do the job VERY well, a 750 would probably be more then enough to.

Ezciel · Sep 11, 2009, 02:06 AM

I'm not sure how well the CM Modular 700w rates amongst PSU's though. I think it's pretty standard, i won't say it's incredibly good. I'll look for some up market PSU's if that's the case. New XFX PSU anyone?

A Desire to Game · Sep 11, 2009, 05:52 PM

Die hard XFX fan here, but I would tell them to stick to video cards and overpriced Intel boards.

**kris23** · Sep 12, 2009, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A Desire to Game

Die hard XFX fan here, but I would tell them to stick to video cards and overpriced Intel boards.

really now.....?

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews....d=839&pageid=5

id be crazy to tell them to quit the PSU market after they put out THIS masterpiece.......

A Desire to Game · Sep 14, 2009, 07:53 PM

Dunno, judging by the prices of their mobo's I imagine these power supplies might be too pricey for most. PC Power & Cooling and Corsair have it under wraps I think.

You're right though. I can't deny that it is an awesome power supply.

Double Lifetime Warranty???

Sep 10, 2009, 05:22 AM	#1
Ezciel DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Malaysia Posts: 21 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	4870 + 4870X2 + core i7 @ 920 With the outbreak of the i5 and i7 @ 8 series the only way for my poor i7 to stay on top now is to run dual-gpu and get my system oc'ed to a reasonable level. I already have an xfx 4870 and was thinking how much power would it take for me to xfire a 4870X2 into my system. My full system specs are under my profile. I'm currently using a CM Modular 700w PSU. __________________ Asus Intel X58 P6T Deluxe Intel Core i7 920 Quad (8mb Cache @ 2.66Ghz) Corsair Dominator Triple DDR-3 @ 1600Mhz (3 x 1Gb) W.Digital 320gb @ 7200rpm XFX Radeon 4870 1gb DDR5 Cooler Master Modular 700w PSU Mid Tower Cooler Master CM690 Vista Home Premium 32-bit

Sep 10, 2009, 05:31 AM	#2
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,019 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Re: 4870 + 4870X2 + core i7 @ 920 id say.... 850w should do it for that type of setup........ though id just wait till october to get the 5000 series cards __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Sep 10, 2009, 05:41 AM	Thread Starter #3
Ezciel DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Malaysia Posts: 21 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: 4870 + 4870X2 + core i7 @ 920 Well i was interested in the 5xxx series but i think it would be cheaper i guess to go with a 4870X2 and xfire it with my 4870 unless i take into account replacing my 700w with an 850w then it could be just about the same. Kinda want to test xfire out lol. __________________ Asus Intel X58 P6T Deluxe Intel Core i7 920 Quad (8mb Cache @ 2.66Ghz) Corsair Dominator Triple DDR-3 @ 1600Mhz (3 x 1Gb) W.Digital 320gb @ 7200rpm XFX Radeon 4870 1gb DDR5 Cooler Master Modular 700w PSU Mid Tower Cooler Master CM690 Vista Home Premium 32-bit

Sep 10, 2009, 05:59 AM	#4
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,019 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Re: 4870 + 4870X2 + core i7 @ 920 well.... 4870x2s are not exactly cheap....... you can get 2 regular 4870s for less and crossfire them with the 1st card.... sadly though, you have the crackhead board designed by some nuts at asus.... they dropped 2 PCI-E slots right next to each other and called it 3 way CFX/SLI compatible.... making it impossible.... probably their biggest flop but they got better.... i still suggest waiting for the 5000 series because no one knows exactly how well they will perform and the 4000 series will also receive price-cuts making it easier to get them if you still end up going that route....... on another note.... you may want to go to 64-bit vista and 6GB+ gigs of RAM, 3GB isnt very much nowadays and is even considered subpar.... probably would bottleneck you pretty bad __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Sep 10, 2009, 12:49 PM	Thread Starter #5
Ezciel DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Malaysia Posts: 21 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: 4870 + 4870X2 + core i7 @ 920 you are absolutely correct about my mobo....i was disappointed but i guess i have to live with it lol. i guess single card setup using 5 series would be better or i could switch back to nvidia. only bought the 4870 because xfx made it. __________________ Asus Intel X58 P6T Deluxe Intel Core i7 920 Quad (8mb Cache @ 2.66Ghz) Corsair Dominator Triple DDR-3 @ 1600Mhz (3 x 1Gb) W.Digital 320gb @ 7200rpm XFX Radeon 4870 1gb DDR5 Cooler Master Modular 700w PSU Mid Tower Cooler Master CM690 Vista Home Premium 32-bit

Sep 10, 2009, 02:50 PM	#6
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,019 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Re: 4870 + 4870X2 + core i7 @ 920 yea XFX is a good company, you can really just go either way with that motherboard, but the new nvidia cards dont hit till december so you got a while to wait __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Sep 10, 2009, 02:55 PM	#7
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,481 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	Re: 4870 + 4870X2 + core i7 @ 920 Well, if you don't want to wait you can always buy another 4870 for crossfire or a 4870X2 and still have them. If I understand correctly, kris meant that you can't have 3 cards, not two. I don't know how fast the 5xxx series will be, but I bet a 4870 crossfire or 3 way with a 4870X2 won't be that easily beaten (if that) by at least the first models (before the X2 of the line arrive later). If you can wait, I would wait for the 5xxx series. If you don't want to wait, go for the 4870X2 and have them both. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Sep 10, 2009, 04:21 PM	#8
Lowfat Xtreme Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grande Prairie, AB, Can Posts: 4,254 Rep Power: 101	Re: 4870 + 4870X2 + core i7 @ 920 700W will be enough power as long as your specific PSU is a quality unit. This power supply craze that came up the past few years has tricked people in to thinking that they need 1000W PSU's when in reality very few systems do. __________________

Sep 11, 2009, 02:06 AM	Thread Starter #10
Ezciel DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Malaysia Posts: 21 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: 4870 + 4870X2 + core i7 @ 920 I'm not sure how well the CM Modular 700w rates amongst PSU's though. I think it's pretty standard, i won't say it's incredibly good. I'll look for some up market PSU's if that's the case. New XFX PSU anyone? __________________ Asus Intel X58 P6T Deluxe Intel Core i7 920 Quad (8mb Cache @ 2.66Ghz) Corsair Dominator Triple DDR-3 @ 1600Mhz (3 x 1Gb) W.Digital 320gb @ 7200rpm XFX Radeon 4870 1gb DDR5 Cooler Master Modular 700w PSU Mid Tower Cooler Master CM690 Vista Home Premium 32-bit

Sep 11, 2009, 05:52 PM	#11
A Desire to Game HardwareHeaven Hoosier Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 296 Rep Power: 34 System Specs	Re: 4870 + 4870X2 + core i7 @ 920 Die hard XFX fan here, but I would tell them to stick to video cards and overpriced Intel boards. __________________ Three is my new favorite number. (SATA III, USB 3.0, and triple channel memory)

Sep 14, 2009, 07:53 PM	#13
A Desire to Game HardwareHeaven Hoosier Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 296 Rep Power: 34 System Specs	Re: 4870 + 4870X2 + core i7 @ 920 Dunno, judging by the prices of their mobo's I imagine these power supplies might be too pricey for most. PC Power & Cooling and Corsair have it under wraps I think. You're right though. I can't deny that it is an awesome power supply. Double Lifetime Warranty??? __________________ Three is my new favorite number. (SATA III, USB 3.0, and triple channel memory)