To Crossfire (5870) or not?

Hello all, I have 17x R2 with a single 5870, thinking of adding a second card, I know what parts I need and the task seems relatively straightforward even for someone who isnt pc savvy such as myself. My question is, is it worth it? I have heard of some issues with the XF set up with the solution in most cases being the disabling of the 2nd card. I am presently playing Fallout 3, New Vegas, Crysis 2, Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 and plan on getting most solid FPS's etc that come out in the future. What compatibility issues does the XF set up have with these games? Would I need to upgrade to a i7 920 or 940 processor and where should I look for one if so? Thanks.

RGB LED, i7 720, 6 GM RAM, Single HD 5870

 

I would say that it is worth it, and yes the 920 is must rather cheap too. I am purchasing one soon as the 720 just isn't cutting it for me anymore.

can't tell you about cyrsis 2 and the other, but L4D1/2 will run amazing completely maxed out 8xaa 16xaf all high or very high settings.

 

Thanks for your input. Where could I source the 920? I see them on ebay for a bargain, but Ive never changed out a CPU before and I am unsure as to compatibility. Would one like this do it?

Intel Core i7 920 2.66 GHz (AT80601000741AA) Processor | eBay

Is it really necessary to upgrade the CPU? Would the i7 720 be enough?

 

New Intel Mobile Core i7-920XM Extreme 8M Turbo 3.2GHz | eBay

the one you listed is a desktop i7 920

Yah the 920xm is really fast and even with my dual 5870's I notice that my 720 keeps being the bottleneck in game, and I get better FPS in some games when I overclock the 720.

 

ok now Im interested in upgrading my CPU as well, where should I look for the 920xm?

 

The link that I posted is one for sale for $386

 

Is this one legit?

New Intel® Core? i7-920XM Processor 2.0GHz/8m/1333 | eBay

 

Yup Shirley's is a seller that I have heard good results from 5150Joker got his from this guy says that he is really reliable, but either way you will be good


New Intel Core i7-920XM (QS) 8M 3.2GHz 1333 PM55 HM55 | eBay

 

disregard the last question, do you know of a good CPU swap walk-through?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/401382-how-change-your-m17x-cpu-guide.html

Its for the R1, but its the same process for the R2

 

Also, do you think this is a good deal for a 2nd 5870? It doesnt include the fan, which the seller also has for an additional $65. So $480 for the set-up? I wonder how much Dell wants for the whole thing, any idea where else to look?

ALIENWARE M17X 5870 CROSSFIRE LAPTOP GRAPHIC CARD RV546 - eBay (item 170638226705 end time Jun-06-11 16:18:56 PDT)

Thanks for the help.

 

For that price you are better off buying it through dell as it is the same price and it will then be covered under warranty. I purchased a set for 500 from the NBR market place. If you want you can look there Computer Components

But if your going to pay Dell's price you may as well just get it from them for the warranty Just repeatedly state that its the RV546 one.

 

Quote Number: 570711967
Item Number Quantity Item Description
RV546 1 Card,Graphics,Hard Drive,5870,Parker,Mobile Pci Express Module,Cable $334.99
11725 1 Warranty Longer of 90 Days or Remainder of System Warranty/ Svc Contract. 21 Day Return. Parts may be Reconditioned. $0.00
375-6061 1 Thank you, Dell Outlet $0.00
Subtotal: $334.99
Shipping & Handling: $11.99
Tax: $23.45
Environmental Disposal Fee: $0.00
Total Price w/Discounts: $370.43


Quote Number: 570711976
Item Number Quantity Item Description
F605N 1 Assembly,Fan,MXM-CARD,Right M17X $54.99
11725 1 Warranty Longer of 90 Days or Remainder of System Warranty/ Svc Contract. 21 Day Return. Parts may be Reconditioned. $0.00
375-6061 1 Thank you, Dell Outlet $0.00
Subtotal: $54.99

Shipping & Handling: $10.99
Tax: $3.85
Environmental Disposal Fee: $0.00
Total Price w/Discounts: $69.83


This was a quote that I received from dell

 

Wow, where can I purchase them? Im on the phone with Dell (again), where did you get that quote? I think I might jump on this. The ebay deal isnt that great. Do I need a heatsink?

 

Dell said the parts are currently unavailable

 

Yah that quote was for the 5870 w/ HS and XF cable
and fan That was a quote from dell I had them Email it to me.
I also used the Parts chat which is here( just choose parts chat)
Contact Us | Dell

That sucks did they say how long till they get more? People have said that it is difficult getting the 5870's from Dell. for me I upgraded from 4870's I was going to pay the 750 for both cards from dell but they kept cancelling and reissuing my order, and that took forever and I got lucky caught a member here looking for a PC on them and I bought them from him.

 

No but I inquired about a 2nd card with Dell in December and they put me on a notification list and offered to do so again. Given the wait time I declined. Thinking about jumping on Ebay deal, even though it is slightly more expensive. Have you played with one card disabled and can you tell the difference?

I can play L4D'2 on 1920 now with a single card without issues and a decent framerate (by eye) although I havent actually compared frame rate numbers vis-a-vis XF.

How long have you been overclocking your 720? What kind of gains with OC'ing, is it difficult and wouldnt it shorten its life?

 

I purchased the ebay deal as it appears to be the only one in the UNIVERSE available. Going to install soon, any advice? Could I get some help with BIOS updates, CCC etc etc? Thanks again.

 

I have been overclocking my 720 for months now. It is not difficult to do I use SetFSB to overclock it, I dont think that it will shorten its life significantly as long as your temps are good mine never get above 70 degrees. I have seen gains of 20+ FPS in some games just by overclocking my 720

Congrats on your purchase You will be happy! Plus if you decide to get the 920xm you will be even happier

That is my next move is to grab a 920xm

 

as far as 920xm is concerned, get it from Laptopmokey. I got mine there. Cheap, fast shipment (DHL from UK) and they will also give you the Extreme I7 sticker and a small flat solar calculator

 

Not trying to be a jerk.....but if you are thinking about replacing the processor with the 920 anyway, who cares if you shorten its life?

Personally, I've never owned a computer that was not overclocked (until my new r3...its fast enough already) and have never killed a component. Just don't get stupid with voltage and keep the heat within normal operating temps for your chip.

 

Awesome info, ok I want to OC my as well, while its all apart I am also going to go ahead and do the "ultimate cooling mod" and have ordered both AS5 and TX3. Any tips on this procedure? Duct tape or electrical tape? Im confused, am I supposed to bend the c-clips a bit and reinstall them on the screws or should I get washers?

Also, the ebay seller I purchased the 2nd HD5870 from said it is shipping sans machine screws, he stated that I could find a few "spares" on the skeleton? Is this the case or where can I purchase these screws?

As for the 920x, I just forked out $500 for the additional GPU, another $400 is beyond my spending ability at the moment. For that amount I might as well attempt to sell my R2 and save up for the 18x R1, which I hear is really only 12 lbs, starting weight.

Thanks for all the input, Im almost there, soon I will have a bad R2 like the rest of you.

 

Ya I have few choices here. Keep my current verson M17x r2 with 720 chip and dual 5870s. Save up for a Alienware M18 R?. In a few years. Or Buy the 920 chip and build a Desktop. I just like the moble abilty of laptops vs Desktops.

 

Be careful with those C-clips they can be a PITD. Also you can crack your CPU die. As far as OC goes get SetFSB and pay ABO 5 bucks and he will send you an activation code. Then choose the AsusG73jh PLL and hit GetFSB I have been able to go to 166.6 BCLK(1.8ghz) from 134.0(1.6ghz)
just go up slowly till you bsod then you know where your limit is. I personally also didnt do the cooling mod because I don't want to risk cracking my GPU's.

So I used Fujipoly Thermal pads 0.5MM
and TX-4 Paste
Temps never get above 75'

 

Or you can buy the 920XM for your m17x!

 

I have the same concern, I am worried I will crack the GPU's, somehow, I have a tendency to screw things up so if there is a potential risk its one I may suffer from.

Couldnt I do everything but the c clip mod in the "ultimate/supreme cooling mod"? Meaning, could I just remove the factory dell thermal pads and add AS5 to the GPU and TX-3 to the Ram, seal up the vents with duct tapes and be done?

 

The reason why you can't put paste on the RAM without the C-clip mod is because the gap is to big. The Thermal Pads fill that gap, and the ones I linked have a thermal rating of 6.0 W/mk which is better/or similar to high performance pastes.

 

I play battlefield bfbc2 an I upgraded my 5870 xfire M17xR2 cpu from a 720qm to a 920xm. I noticed a big difference. You can sell your 720/740 for about $150 or so which makes it about $200 for the upgrade.

PS
Use the make an offer button on ebay. I got my 920xm for $345 from Shirley.

 

Great points, but if he has warranty left he should not sell his 720 for warranty purposes/ replacement systems.

 

Crysis 2 still has a few quirks with CF 5870, but it isn't that bad.

You can run it on extreme with no problems. The biggest concern is the flickering issue. Some of these can be solved by using the 11.3 drivers with Cap 3. Others can be solved by adjusting the brightness. I upgraded to 11.4, and I get a slight flickering in some places, but since I beat the game twice before I upgraded, it really hasn't been too much of a concern for me.

 

Great points, considering upgrading CPU, would have to find a buyer for my 720 first. I also wouldnt want to void my warranty. Still debating.

 

Oh really? What should I do tuning wise once I get it in XF configuration? Do I need to uninstall and reinstall and update anything BIOS, CCC wise?