5870 CF Upgrade Cost.

Alienware m17x 5870 CF upgrade will be expensive

Currently there are no parts to upgrade a single 5870 to a CF 5870. The conversion will require 3 new parts. It will be expensive almost double the cost as compared to the option on a new system.

When I called Alienware they said they were out of stock and didn't know when they would have stock or the price. But they did estimate that the parts would be roughly as follows in US dollars.


1) 5870 estimate $500
2) CF connector estimate $20
3) 240W power charger. $140

I think many people were told by their reps they could upgrade later. This is probably true but an expensive way to go. If you want CF and are able to send your unit back and reorder you are going to save money.

I think the reason the parts is not available is simple, they want you to keep your system and avoid as many returns as possible. If you ordered a single 5870 you may have 30 days to return your system and reorder. After the 30 days you are stuck.

 

It's not really even worth rushing to 5870 XF if you are already passed the 30 day return period for an R2. It's going to only give about 15-20% performance boost over the dual 4870s. I just received my R2 with dual 4870s today and my 5870 XF system will be here on or before June 3rd. I'll do direct comparisons when the time comes.

 

Do you think that the overall price of a 5870 crossfire upgrade will cost that much in a year? I currently don't have the funds but want to upgrade within the next year.

 

Hi Kenicholas29

I think replacement parts of video cards and displays are set rather high on purpuse to encourage you to buy a new computer rather than upgrade.

You will not be disappointed with the single 5870. It tore up left4dead2 at the highest settings.

At this price range I think all video options are going to have great frame rates. However there are new techniques in DX11 that allow for visual effects that are impossible to do dynamically in DX9 or DX10. Simply put DX11 games will look way better and run more efficiently. DX11 (in the same way as DX10) is not just about improved visual quality. It is about providing more efficient coding and interpretation so that the improved visual quality can run at a decent rate. For example the increased polygon count can be done in any earlier version of DX, but DX11 provides a new polygonal-interpolation algorithm which lets you increase polygon counts with very little hit on performance. DX9 and DX10 games can look fantastic such as "Crysis", but they are very inefficient compared to how the same game made in DX11 would be coded. And there are some new techniques in DX11 that allow for visual effects that are impossible to do dynamically in DX9 or DX10.

I think many people like myself have had bad experiences with laptop video cards in the past and have been left in the dust. For this reason they focus exclusively on frame rates. But I think many are going to be in for a rude awakening this Christmas when they have to play their DX11 games in DX10 mode. I think they will have a crisis.

It would be very interesting to see benchmark comparisons between all the card configurations but also would be interesting if someone would also compare DX10.1 vs DX11 at the same frame rates. As we all recall Crysis looked pretty crappy in low resolution mode as compared to the high end settings.

I think many people are comparing apples to oranges and comparing frame rates of a 4870 x2 to a single 5870, which is not a fair comparison and doesn't tell the complete story.

There are many games that you will not be able to see a visual improvement with the extra Gig. Look closely at these benchmarks at the 1920x1200 settings.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-5870-eyefinity6,2595-8.html

What they tell you is that the single 5870 performed better than the dual 4870 on Battlefield Bad Company 2, and the extra 5870 CF didn't really do much to increase frame rates. Personally I think a lot of people fell for the ruse that the dual 4870 were better because they cost $300 more. The web site always compared the increase efficiency of dual 4870 over single 4870 but they have never compared the single 5870 with the dual 4870 upgrade. I think there is a clear reason why they never made this comparison. One of the reasons the frame rate is higher on the single 5870 is that it is using directx 11 and the 4870 x2 is using the direct x10.

Here is a comentary on the architecture of Battlefield Bad Company 2 and how it incorporates the various Directx9,10,&11.

http://blogs.battlefield.ea.com/bat...2/19/bad-company-2-pc-graphics-details.aspx##

Here is a comentary on Frostbite 2 & DirectX 11

http://blogs.amd.com/how-to/2009/11/16/11-days-of-directx®-11-day-six-dice/

 

just wait till the next graphic card comes out... then maybe the price will drop or some will show up for sale in the forum

 

Thanks FalconMachV, I appreciate the very descriptive answer.

 

Isn't that Tom's Hardware review talking about desktop GPUs?

 

Yes!! Thay are.

 

Yeah desktop. I think 5870 mobility is actually based on some desktop GPU other than 5870 (you can probably figure it out by looking GPU tech specs ), so I think that comparison is not really relevant.

 

5870M is based on the desktop 5770.

 

Have not seen any benchmarks on mobile 5870 crossfire because it is too new. We only have desktop version to speculate with. Both 4870 and 5870 I believe are based on the 5770 & 4770 desktop version respectfully.

Both 5770 & 5870 both handle DirectX11, where as the 4870 & 4770 will not.

 

I think you will find that older games designed for DirectX 9 & 10 will flog better with the dual 4870. Newer games for DirectX11 will run faster on single 5870.

DirectX10 was designed for Vista which never met sales expectations. For that reason many games were designed with DirectX9 with XP users in mind. Now that XP is a legacy software developers are more likely to develop using DirectX11 which will require the newer card architecture.

 

I am using a Radeon 5970 on my desktop with a 24" monitor. In comparison the m17x with single 5870 appeared to play left4dead2 the same. The picture is so fluid on both that increased frames would not make a difference.

 

I really doubt it. Other then obviously you won't be able to run anything in DX11 mode. I think anything optimized for XF will run better with two 4870's. We're not looking at a real generational leap here.

I remember bearing the same hype you have for DX11 leading up to DX10. Never again...

EDIT: Also, Left 4 Dead 2 isn't that demanding of a game. Not something to try and push your GPU to the limits with.

 

DirectX 11 will result in higher frame rates, smoother and more realistic characters and terrains, and cheaper game development costs. One of the main improvements in DX11 is the support for tessellation. The tessellator enables games developers to create smoother, less blocky and more organic looking objects in games. It can be seen in the silhouettes of hills and mountains or the profiles of characters in games. Where artists previously had to trade off quality for performance, now artists will have the freedom to create naturalistic scenery.

 

Is this a sales pitch?

 

Left 4 Dead 2 is a well written Valve game with strong multi-core support. Time to dump the duo core boys.

 

My last Dell XPS cost $5000 and was built with the highest spec GPU at the time, the 7900GTX. Two months later Crysis came out and my system was obsolete. I phoned dell to upgrade to 8 series nvidia GPU and they told me I was S.out.of.Luck. Tried to return the laptop but they told me that it was past the 30 day mark.

 

What is going on in this thread? I feel like I've some how fallen into your live journal or something.

 

Is it 30 days for an R2, and not 21?

I think I'm currently at about day 22 since I got my R2, though about returning for 5870's but then realized it had been 21 days... If it's 30 that would be great, it would give me more time to decide what I want to do in terms of upgrading, since I really don't feel like paying an extra $1000 or whatever it may cost for the dual kit...

If it is 30, would people recommend returning my 4870 system for one with 5870's? I mean I am happy with my current system, but DX11, GDDR5, and a 15-20% boost for just $100 more seems too good to pass up...?

 

its like a geeky virsion of a tv sitcom

i love coming home and having a read on this forum its class

will it wont it
is it or isnt it out yet
will it fit
if i fit it will it work
where is it

seriously brilliant...

 

Hi swg1251

Here is Alienwares return policy in the USA. Call customer service. Tell them you want to return this computer. They will give you a UPS weigh bill in an email attachment. Don't forget to remove personal information from hardrive. Be sure to tell them you are going to reorder. If you tell them this they will probably wave the optional restocking fee.

Alienware: Learn More About Our Warranty

 

It's actually 21 but they sometimes let you return it up to 30 days if the system is defective. So if you want to send it back, do it now but it has to be defective in some way.

 

Hello,

Got my 17xr2 on the 9th may. It was part replacement for my old xps m1710 which kept breaking down and some more $$$. Could i still return this unit before 21 days to get the new cards. got 4870 cf's


Ant

 

Lol, 3 pages with zero posts related to the subject.
Any news about the price for 5870CF+HS+cable (from Dell)?

 

Yeah it's BASED ON that card. It's NOT that card.

 

This appears to be Alienwares written policy (see below). If you have information about a 21 day policy please post as this it is important to those who may want to return to avoid the higher cost of an upgrade.

This is a money back guarantee and does not require your hardware to be defective. That is another issue covered under warranty.

Quote from Alienwares webpage.

"30-Day Limited Money Back Guarantee
We take pride in the quality of the products that we sell and, as a direct result, offer a 30-day money back guarantee on all Alienware hardware, accessories, peripherals and unopened software still in its/their original sealed packaging. Shipping and handling fees are not refundable. Also, a fifteen percent (15%) restocking fee may be deducted from your refund or credit. To return merchandise, you must obtain a Return Materials Authorization number. Please call the Alienware customer service department and provide them with the invoice number, item description, and serial number(s) of the merchandise you wish to return. You must ship the merchandise within five (5) days of receiving your RMA number. Moreover, you must also return the merchandise to Alienware in its/their original packaging, in as-new condition along with any media, documentation, and all other items that were included in the original shipment, prepay shipping charges, and insure the shipment or accept the risk of loss or damage during shipment."

 

I sent my R1 back 27 days after recieving it with out it being defective. Well actually it was defective as all R1's come, but wasn't really causing me problems. I just called up and said it didnt meet my needs and they sent the return labels via email no hassle at all.

 

I think it makes good business sense that in 30+ days from the date of the sale of the first single 5870 the part and price will be made available for the upgrade.