Crossfire 7970 or GTX 780

[buckethead]

I am currently torn between either purchasing another gigabyte 7970 to crossfire or getting a single gtx 780. I know that the 7970's will offer more raw power but I am so paranoid/worried about micro stuttering and compatibility issues, which is the only thing holding me back from going crossfire. I would appreciate feedback on issues of crossfire from current users, or anyone with an opinion/advice on the matter would be great as i have never seen/used/owned crossfire cards before. Also, it would be great if a 780 owner could tell me of their experience with the card.

 

[Jack1n]

A 780 with an aftermarket cooler will be faster than a stock cooled titan and it has decent price/performance for a high end card,7970 CF will be faster in most cases but if you can sell your current 7970 easily i would probably go for the 780.

 

[ruff0r]

A 780 with an aftermarket cooler will be faster than a stock cooled titan and it has decent price/performance for a high end card,7970 CF will be faster in most cases but if you can sell your current 7970 easily i would probably go for the 780.

You forgot to mention micro stuttering in cf
You will have a smoother experience with one card then with two cards even while having lower fps.
And don´t get me starting with the other problems with CF/sli profiles, drivers ....

 

[Mathragh]

Well, although its a really old argument, you might want to wait for... Drivers.

AMD promised new crossfire drivers this month, which should specifically target most crossfire woes people currently have. They might once again be late/overhyped however, so it's up to you.

 

[Vario]

You could consider a 7990 as well, which might be a good choice as it will hold resale well too.

I'm betting on the new drivers myself because I snagged a second 7850 2gb for $120.

A 780 is probably the best move.

 

[wolf]

I'm always a bigger fan of the single more powerfull card than two that amount to more power. if you can get a good return on the 7970, I'd go the 780.

 

[RCoon]

780. Two AMD cards produce so many runt frames in crossfire, the reported FPS figures are a total and complete lie. I lived with 7950 crossfire for a year, so I know what's a fanboy's arguement and what isnt. 780 will produce smooth and very high framerate, and can be maxed out overclocked extremely easily. Two 7970's is simply asking for trouble. AMD promised me drivers for a long time. They didnt deliver, I got tired of "useless" runt frames and switched.
Until these promised drivers are released, steer clear of crossfire unless you're particular to reported figures and big numbers. Also epeen.

 

[radrok]

I'm surprised no one brought this up.

Which resolution are you playing at? Would be easier to give you an advice based on that.

If you run 1080p a single 7970 is fine for everything.

Crossfire is a no-go atm, to be honest it has never been a viable option based on my countless number of experiences.

nVidia is the only camp that has multi-gpu done right so if you need the 7970 CFX power or more you'll have to pay a premium.

 

[shovenose]

After my recent experience building a $1800 gaming rig for somebody, CrossFire is a piece of crap.
Really go for a single nVidia card, the best you can afford, in this case a GTX 780

 

[fullinfusion]

I guess im the only crossfire user that has no issues with frame rates.
I've used x2 cards and loved them and this round I chosen 7970s.. frame rates are constant. . And rcoon saying runt fps... I think u have other issues.. mabey a broken card?

I have used nvidia before in the past and hated them.. I hate the driver set up, and always havind to use other software to oc.. to be honest if you dont know how to run or have the hardware to run cross fire then by all means use a single gpu..

Oh and amd promised You a driver fix? That's funny. Call me a fan boy if you like but names dont bother me... I run intel and CHOOSE to run amd gpu's for he fact video just look better. Really its just my opinion

 

[radrok]

You probably don't notice issues because the games you are running would still be smooth with a single 7970.

Try playing with one and then try playing with two enabled, I'm pretty sure you'll see no difference.

 

[Jack1n]

You forgot to mention micro stuttering in cf
You will have a smoother experience with one card then with two cards even while having lower fps.
And don´t get me starting with the other problems with CF/sli profiles, drivers ....

I didnt mention it because no every one who runs CF has micro stutter,i also know of some people who have stutter with SLI.

 

[dir_d]

If you arent scared of creating profiles and messing with radeon pro go for crossfire. If you feel like the task will be too daunting and overwhelming then go for the single card solution.

Personally i went with crossfire and back when the 5870s came out and i can manipulate the problems that arise.

 

[buckethead]

I run a single monitor at 1080p.

 

[Vario]

I run a single monitor at 1080p.

If thats the case why would you even need more than a single 7970?

 

[Vlada011]

One GTX780 always before any Radeon combination. It's not everything in power, something is and in optimisation, card design, quality of production. AMD is behind NVIDIA.
I don't want to talk about smoother gameplay on NVIDIA last more than 3 years constantly always.
And sometimes who decide to go on 7970 CF will stay on one card. Maybe and even more often than he think.

 

[buckethead]

Well I don't really need anything more than a 7970, but I just like a lot of power. That and even more future proofing, especially if i decide on a higher resolution or multiple monitors later on.

 

[cdawall]

No problem with 7970's in crossfire if you can play around with the profiles some. I just got my second 7950 and have not had any issues with the games I play. We will see when I get back stateside and how well eyefinity does vs the single monitor.

 

[erocker]

Well I don't really need anything more than a 7970, but I just like a lot of power. That and even more future proofing, especially if i decide on a higher resolution or multiple monitors later on.

Then the best thing you can do is buy a 7970 now. A month or two from now AMD should be refreshing their game bundle, buy the 2nd card then. By then there should (hopefully) be a crossfire fix driver.

 

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

I also am having no problems with either of my crossfired rigs. Hell the one running 6850's run every game I throw at it without issues. I ran BioShock Infinite for around 4 hrs on it and never seen any stutter from it.

 

[buckethead]

Thanks for the help everyone, I went to a local Tiger Direct store today and got a deal on a evga gtx 780 sc edition with the acx cooling. I really wanted to try it out and it was the only one left in stock. Also, I figured that since I am kind of a power freak i can always sli it down the road if they get cheaper or i come up with the cash.

 

[radrok]

You will enjoy your choice sir, well done.

Next one is 1440p/1600p!