crossfireX or dedicated vid card? opinions please.

[Spunkzz]

i've been roaming around and have been reading about this crossfire feature on the GA-MA78GM-S2H board and its compatibility with the 3450 and 3470. i'm wondering if anyone out there is currently running a setup like this and if it was worth it? or is it better to get real dedicated video card and disable the onboard video? Also i noticed the southbridge is in the line of path of the pci-e slot any troubles getting a dedicated card to fit? thanks

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: crossfireX or dedicated vid card? opinions please.

Well yes a real card would be better then a Onboard one anyday! As for finding one that fits, I think you will be fine. The SB is a Very Thin heatink and should be missed by any card or they would have not designed it that way.


As for CrossfireX and a Card, Ahh I'd just say stick to a card alone. But it may be better with your onboard + A PCI-E card, only testing both ways would let you know for sure which performs better for how you plan to use it.

And just so you know, you can get any newer cards then the ones you mention, like any of the 3xx0 series or 4xx0 series cards all are CrossfireX compatible

I guess to be sure maybe you could get a friend to bring any PCI-E card over and check it out, but I think it will fit

[Spunkzz]

Re: crossfireX or dedicated vid card? opinions please.

i'm not a very serious gamer anymore so i'd just be playing games like warcraft III and counterstrike. i'm seeing some dedicated video cards for the same price as the 3450s and 3470s. i'm wondering if the crossfire 3470 and the onboard video would be worse or better than saying getting somethign like this:

Newegg.com - MSI N9600GSO-T2D384 OC GeForce 9600 GSO 384MB 192-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

that card and say a 3470 are the same price. i know i would need to disable the onboard graphics to use this. just trying to see what i can get more bang for the buck.

Thanks

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: crossfireX or dedicated vid card? opinions please.

Hmm. Not really sure as I do not game myself. That link is to a deactivated item, so I could not see your price range. But you would be better off with a ATI card on a ATI board I would say.

[auroa]

Re: crossfireX or dedicated vid card? opinions please.

There's no way a 3400 series radeon and a 9600 GSO are the same price. You can get a 3450 for $20 after MIR at newegg.

If you're playing 4+ year old games like CS and Warcraft then getting a 3450 and running it with the onboard is just fine. You could also play more recent games but only on low resolutions and graphics settings.