2x R7 265 Crossfire Question

[SpaceJellyDonut]

Hey guys!

 

I'm looking to upgrade my budget gaming computer real soon and wanted to get one R7 265 now and then add another when the money is right in about 4 or 5 months. Now i know you guys are going to say that i should rather wait and save up for a single gpu solution, i know that a better single gpu would give me less problems but i've always wanted to have 2 graphics cards in my system it's just something i wanted to do for a very long time... Like a nerd wishlist if you catch my meaning. Also the R7 265's are really cheap here and i also like putting lower end hardware to their limits (it's just fun for me).

 

Now i wanted to ask a couple of questions... 1) Is AMD's crossfire drivers better than they were a year ago because i heard they had some sort of screen tearing (i don't know what to call it) issue. Has it been (mainly) resolved? I see a lot of people using crossfire setups nowadays and also Sli so i just want to know if the technology has become so that most all games and software would fully utilize 2 graphics cards. For Example when i get my system up and running i would love to play a few older games that i could never before fully enjoy (because of crappy system) like Skyrim, Mafia 2 and Anno 2070. Would those games be able to utilize crossfire fully? (I'm new to most of this so i don't fully understand how it works). 

 

I've also recently started using F@H extension on my chrome browser and wanted firstly to know what PPD means? And also if i get the 2 crossfire gpu's can the F@H software use Crossfire or Sli gpu's ? Will it then also use the processor or just the gpu's?

 

I'm sorry if these are stupid questions but everyone starts somewhere right? 

 

Thanks in advance! 

[lx_srs]

Hey guys!

 

I'm looking to upgrade my budget gaming computer real soon and wanted to get one R7 265 now and then add another when the money is right in about 4 or 5 months. Now i know you guys are going to say that i should rather wait and save up for a single gpu solution, i know that a better single gpu would give me less problems but i've always wanted to have 2 graphics cards in my system it's just something i wanted to do for a very long time... Like a nerd wishlist if you catch my meaning. Also the R7 265's are really cheap here and i also like putting lower end hardware to their limits (it's just fun for me).

 

Now i wanted to ask a couple of questions... 1) Is AMD's crossfire drivers better than they were a year ago because i heard they had some sort of screen tearing (i don't know that to call it) issue. Has it been (mainly) resolved? I see a lot of people using crossfire setups nowadays and also Sli so i just want to know if the technology has become so that most all games and software would fully utilize 2 graphics cards. For Example when i get my system up and running i would love to play a few older games that i could never before fully enjoy (because of crappy system) like Skyrim, Mafia 2 and Anno 2070. Would those games be able to utilize crossfire fully? (I'm new to most of this so i don't fully understand how it works). 

 

I've also recently started using F@H extension on my chrome browser and wanted firstly to know what PPD means? And also if i get the 2 crossfire gpu's can the F@H software use Crossfire or Sli gpu's ? Will it then also use the processor or just the gpu's?

 

I'm sorry if these are stupid questions but everyone starts somewhere right? 

 

Thanks in advance! 

F@H uses both CPU and GPU, and while it may not use your GPU's in CrossFire, it will still use them both.  As for the CrossFire issues you mentioned, I have no idea if they've been fixed as I don't have a CrossFire setup, but I'd imagine that is/was AMD's first priority in driver updates.

[Sauron]

2 R7 265s make no sense. Get a single R9 290 instead.

[SpaceJellyDonut]

F@H uses both CPU and GPU, and while it may not use your GPU's in CrossFire, it will still use them both.  As for the CrossFire issues you mentioned, I have no idea if they've been fixed as I don't have a CrossFire setup, but I'd imagine that is/was AMD's first priority in driver updates.

Thanks for your answer! So it wont use them in crossfire but will still use them both to their full potential? And will also use the processor to it's full potential?

[Timmy-P]

Thanks for your answer! So it wont use them in crossfire but will still use them both to their full potential? And will also use the processor to it's full potential?

Correct. Also, to answer your CF question, the Omega drivers are more ideal.

[Imakuni]

Thanks for your answer! So it wont use them in crossfire but will still use them both to their full potential? And will also use the processor to it's full potential?

Depends. I'm currently using A6-3500 APU at stock, along with a Gtx 970. I know this is a very mismatched setup, but it will serve to prove my point.

 

Anyway, when running Core 17 WUs, it eats up one entire CPU core, but GPU usage only hovers around the 80% mark. PPD is often on near 200k in those. However, when running Core 15 units, it only eats about 2/3 of a core, and GPU usage gets binned at 99%; PPD around 70k. Core 18 = 1 entire CPU core, usage around 80% as well, but PPDs near the 60-70k mark.

 

So it depends on your particular setup and the WUs you get. But in theory, if the application allows, and you have a strong enough CPU, FAH can use both GPUs to 100% at the same time.

 

 

Just remember to mind your temps, as well as your power bill.

[lx_srs]

Thanks for your answer! So it wont use them in crossfire but will still use them both to their full potential? And will also use the processor to it's full potential?

F@H will use your whole system to it's full potential when you are not using it.