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x1950xt in CF...how?

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  • Radeon
  • Crossfire
  • Graphics
  • Product
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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13 December 2006 01:14:43

how does one run the new x1950xts in crossfire...i know the pro has the new interconnect...but i have no idea how to run one of these in it...the reason i ask is im building a new rig in less then a month...thank god...and im debating between the xt and the pro...i wouldnt add another card for awhile though if i did go CF on the MSI Platinum X975 board im going to get

More about : x1950xt

13 December 2006 01:45:59

You need an x1950 crossfire edition master card, these are priced a few dollars higher than the x1950XTX, and run at XTX speeds, although it will slow to XT speeds if paired with an XT.

As such, its not really economical, as the x1950 Crossfire master is as much as an 8800GTS, and with the x1950XT as well it is more than the faster performing 8800GTX, which also shows better image quality.
13 December 2006 01:56:44

Quote:
the pro has the crossfire chip intergrated into the gpu and uses an internal bridge whilst AFAIK the xt still has the crossfire chip on the card and needs a dongle like usual.

only the new GPU's based on the 80nm process have the crossfire chip intergrated on the gpu.


Completely correct, hence the need for the expensive Crossfire master with the x1950XT
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13 December 2006 02:02:16

Quote:
You need an x1950 crossfire edition master card, these are priced a few dollars higher than the x1950XTX, and run at XTX speeds, although it will slow to XT speeds if paired with an XT.

As such, its not really economical, as the x1950 Crossfire master is as much as an 8800GTS, and with the x1950XT as well it is more than the faster performing 8800GTX, which also shows better image quality.


thanks...thats what i thought...but i wasnt entirely sure...its def not economical
14 December 2006 20:08:35

Quote:
You need an x1950 crossfire edition master card...


To my knowledge you do not need a 'master card' with the x1950xt. Starting with the v6.11 drivers, CF is enabled through the software so you can just buy 2 xt's and viola.

check this out:
http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/1000/software_crossfi...

The only thing I'm not sure about is if you still need the dongle?? I assume you wouldn't because if you bought 2 x1950xt's they would not come with a dongle..
14 December 2006 20:13:40

I took a minute to actually read that article and you don't need the dongle with software Cf. Very 8)

Quote:
For clarification, your monitor will need to be plugged into the primary video board, which is the one in PCI-E slot #1 on your system. In simpler terms, plug the monitor into the board that would be used in a single board setup.
16 December 2006 00:52:53

Quote:
You need an x1950 crossfire edition master card...


To my knowledge you do not need a 'master card' with the x1950xt. Starting with the v6.11 drivers, CF is enabled through the software so you can just buy 2 xt's and viola.

check this out:
http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/1000/software_crossfi...

The only thing I'm not sure about is if you still need the dongle?? I assume you wouldn't because if you bought 2 x1950xt's they would not come with a dongle..

I stand corrected, serves me right for not keeping up on ATi development other than RD600 and R600 :D 

Still that was only posted on the 3rd Dec, and thats my excuse :p 

From those (not very through) tests, it still doesn't seem worth it though. Without a compositing chip I can only assume they have the CPU doing the image composition which seems a very bad idea to me.
16 December 2006 04:08:37

Quote:
i aint sure but i think they go down the nvidia way which is to use the gpu to do it. like i say i ain't sure but either way it isn't as good as a dedicated hardware solution. cheaper yes, better no.


Oh I get that the newer GPUs like the R600 and the x1950Pro will do it that way, but I wouldn't have thought it would be a simple driver upgrade that allowed the x1950XT to do it, surely it would need GPU hardware support, or it would need to be done on the CPU?

Still, this is just speculation. I have no evidence to back this up!
23 December 2006 09:20:55

software crossfire works fine use 6.12 drivers to do so. you see more fps performance advantage over non crossfire on the higher settings.