Korean Modding Team Stumbles Upon Method of Enabling CrossFire in Crysis

[zekrahminator]

Since the X800 series of cards, ATI has been ensuring that just about every new game can get a performance boost from CrossFire technology, which allows people to use more than one video card in the same computer. Unfortunately, this has not been the case for the EA shooter Crysis. A Korean modding team, which goes by the name "ParkOZ", accidentally stumbled upon a method which brought a CrossFire performance boost of between 8 and 60% in Crysis, mainly dependent on the resolution you are gaming at (the lower the resolution, the faster the performance, and the higher the gains). Since the majority of you don't read Korean, I took the liberty of running the website through Google translator and detailing the procedure below. If you can read Korean, want the exact benchmark graphs, or are just a sucker for awesome Crysis screenshots, please follow the source link. The exact modding procedure is here. If you can read Korean, it is here.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[a111087]

good for ATi users
kinda bad for Nvidia

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

Omg Wow!

 

[nflesher87]

yay for crossfire

but zek if you look closer, the higher gains are actually yielded the higher the resolution

 

[Widjaja]

Didn't expect anything less from those Koreans, gaming being like a respected national sport over there.

 

[Scrizz]

ohhh yeah go crossfire

EDIT: sweet 2 HD3870s 34fps@1920x1200

 

[cookerjc]

yay for crossfire

but zek if you look closer, the higher gains are actually yielded the higher the resolution

QFT

 

[zOaib]

crazy-ness maximus , GO CF ....................... i am only holdin on to nvidia till hd 3870 x2 so please dont hate me =P

 

[EastCoasthandle]

I'm also waiting to see how well the 3870 x2 is. However, no offense but I cannot understand a thing on how they improve performance. If there is someone that speaks the language a better translation is needed.

 

[Dr. Spankenstein]

I would be skeptical of how consistent the performance between the two chips would be. As two card solutions are now, you can keep a hot clocker and shop around for another good card since the Crossfire clocks are dependent on the slowest card.

That is unless I am confused as to how CrossfireX works, which is probably the case...


*edit*- Reading further, I guess the HD 3870x2 would most likely utilize their Hybrid Crossfire idea. Like the ability to CF a 3870 with a 3850, it would dynamically scale the performance (though I am dubious as to how well).
I first though the idea of Quad CF via the HD3870x2 would be cool but my logical side see the potential for too much room for weak chips to drag the expensive video solution down. (Not like you could complain about having 4 GPUs working for ya!) I'd be more curious about R700.

 

[hat]

I assume CrossfireX is just more cards than the normal 2 for Crossfire.

 

[btarunr]

Great job Koreans!

Can I translate this into legible English, Zek?

 

[EastCoasthandle]

Great job Koreans!

Can I translate this into legible English, Zek?

Please do, specifically part "8."

 

[imperialreign]

Great job Koreans!

Can I translate this into legible English, Zek?

that would be friggin sweet - and I'm sure the rest of TPU would be grateful too!

 

[btarunr]

Disclaimer: Zek and all the other mods, hope this doesn't snowball into a IPR issue, I'm just trying to be helpful.

1. Introduction?
Right from the good 'ol days of the Radeon X800 series, Crossfire from ATI technologies has emerged as a viable Multi-GPU solution. It's been around for 3 years now. With the advent of a new niche of video cards with awesome price: performance ratio there has been a particular interest in the RV670 aka Radeon HD 3870 and its ability to work in multi-GPU setups performing to the level of a single GeForce 8800 Ultra while costing nearly the same. So from a commercial angle, the price of two RV680 units is less than a single 8800 Ultra unit and you come close to achieving that level of performance.

For all the technical specifications of the hardware, it should also translate into better performance of the software when properly configured because technology of this level does have a target-audience in mind, people who are willing to pay for it, and those who pay for it keeping in mind of what it offers, should get what they paid for.

But for all the number-frenzy specifications of the hardware, unfortunately it hasn't been able to deliver the goods, I am disappointed in it. Driver updates, to try and affect the performance has been a frustrating affair, shuffling endlessly through support forums from ATI. Crytek however claims a hotfix to fix the issue.[?!?]

[F***!]
For four days I was fooling around with these benchmarks, trying out various settings, getting various results. I hope these benchmarks help you make a purchasing decision.


2. Test bed:

Some of the components are OC'ed

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (OC'ed to 3.6 GHz from stock 2.4) [WOW]
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6
Mem: G-Skill DDR2 800 timings 5-5-5-15 [Size not specified]
Video card: Sapphire HD3870 512M D4 OC'ed to core: 800 MHz ; mem: 1.3 GHz (eff: 2.6 GHz)
Drivers: Catalyst Crysis hotfix 8-43-1 - 071113a-055589E, default settings. [?]
OS: XP-SP2 32bit ; Vista Ul 64bit. [everything else irrelevent]

3DMark scores:

The hotfixed driver used isn't supported by 3DMark. The scores are for reference purposes only.

3. Single HD3870 performance at various resolutions

The test was run four times, one each per resolution. High quality settings used.

[yikes proff...will continue translation tonight]
[ No images in view of IPR issues ]

 

[eidairaman1]

question, did the game work with SLI from the getgo?

 

[Wile E]

question, did the game work with SLI from the getgo?

no, it didn't.

 

[eidairaman1]

did it take a bunch of hackers to get it to work like Crossfire?

 

[Wile E]

did it take a bunch of hackers to get it to work like Crossfire?

I'm not so sure it works yet at all. I'll have to wait for an SLI owner to answer.

 

[mascaras]

in widow XP crossfire doesnt need moded driver to work with crysis , just use the ATi Hotfix , see my tests here >>> http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=169539



average = 39.5 fps @ 1680x1050 @ High settings

regards

 

[prepared]

I am Korean, and Parkoz member, but not the finder of this method.
Sorry for my English, I translate the key instruction.

How to Enable the CrossFire in Crysis

You must confirm this is not the Official patch of Crysis Tek.
I am not responsible for any risks on your system.

Your PC must support CrossFire with XP or Vista.
This is tested with the Driver Catalyst 8-43-1-1-071113a-055589E.
Vista Users must install the HotFix, KB936710, KB945149.

Follow the instructions

i) uninstall the Driver for HD 3870, shutdown your PC
and remove the Secondary VGA Card of HD3870 from the slot on your MainBoard.

ii) Boot on Safe Mode and uninstall the HD 3870 Driver with the Cleaner
and reboot your PC on Normal Mode.
For the Primary HD3870 Card, install the Catalyst Driver of version
8-43-1-1-071113a-055589E.

iii) Shutdown your PC and install the secondary HD3870 Card on your mainboard.
This time, you don't connect the CrossLink Cable.
Turn on your PC and install the driver for the secondary HD3870 card by the following.
If you execute Catayst setup file again, it overwrites the files for Primay Card.
So you must install the driver using the driver update button with the OS Device manager
Now, You will meet the message box meaning like
[The CrossFire does not work because of Disconnection of the CrossLink cable.]
Don't worry this message, this means you've done well.

iv) Shutdown your PC and
Connect the CrossLink Cable, and Turn on your PC, and
Enable CrossFire on CCC,
and You can hear the sound When OS recognizes some PnP Devices
and you run 3DMark and check the CrossFire works well.

v) Install Crysis SP Demo.
Backup the Folder of Crysis SP Demon\\Game\\Config.
uninstall Demo.
install the Retail Version of Crysis.
Overwrite the backuped folder to the installed Dir.
run ConSole window and Type r_MultiGPU and Press Enter key.
0 means CrossFire off, 1 means on, 2 is auto
Now, enjoy the game.

This method works in XP, Vista 32bit and Vista 64
but does not work in DirectX 10.

Why did they miss the config option in the retail version?

 

[btarunr]

Hah...that cuts short my work..thanks mate!

 

[craigwhiteside]

this is awesome , gotta hand it to them koreans

 

[[I.R.A]_FBi]

I am Korean, and Parkoz member,
Sorry for my English, I translate the key instruction.

How to Enable the CrossFire in Crysis

You must confirm this is not the Official patch of Crysis Tek.
I am not responsible for any risks on your system.

Your PC must support CrossFire with XP or Vista.
This is tested with the Driver Catalyst 8-43-1-1-071113a-055589E.
Vista Users must install the HotFix, KB936710, KB945149.

Follow the instructions

i) uninstall the Driver for HD 3870, shotdown your PC
and remove the Secondary VGA Card of HD3870 from the slot on your MainBoard.

ii) Boot on Safe Mode and uninstall the HD 3870 Driver with the Cleaner
and reboot your PC on Normal Mode and reinstall the Driver I used.

iii) Shotdown your PC and install the secondary HD3870 Card on your mainboard,
and Turn on your PC and install the driver by the following.
When you execute Catayst setup file, it overwrites the files for Primay Card,
so you must install the driver using the driver update button with the OS Device manager
Now, You will meet the message box meaning like
[The CrossFire does not work because of Disconnection of the CrossLink cable.]
Don't worry this message, this means you've done well.

iv) Shut down your PC and connect the CrossLink Cable, and Turn on your PC, and
Enable CrossFire on CCC, and You can hear the sound When OS recognizes some PnP Devices
and you run 3DMark and check the CrossFire works well.

v) install Crysis SP Demo.
Backup the Folder of Crysis SP Demon\Game\Config.
uninstall Demo.
install the Retail Version of Crysis.
Overwrite the backuped folder to the installed Dir.
run ConSole window and Type r_MultiGPU and Press Enter key.
0 means CrossFire off, 1 means on, 2 is auto
Now, enjoy the game.

This method works in XP, Vista 32bit and Vista 64
but does not works in DirectX 10.

Why they missed the config option in the retail version?

nvidia conspiracy?

 

[btarunr]

The way it's meant to be played.....unfair.