Crossfire with AMD Radeon HD 6850 - worth it?

A buddy of mine is running an AMD Ryzen 5 paired with a Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850. The rig is getting a bit old, and he’s been thinking about a little upgrade 😬 He was considering hunting down a used 6850 for maybe $400 max $167 to throw them into a Crossfire setup. I’ve been reading reviews online ( CLICK ), and people are actually seeing LITERALLY double the FPS compared to running just one card! That sounds incredibly worthwhile. It’s rare to see your FPS actually double just by adding a second GPU, so this seems like a pretty solid value proposition. Now, what I'm wondering is if there will be any issues on the CPU side—specifically, am I looking at a major bottleneck? And if there is one, will it actually be noticeable? It feels like a Crossfire 6850 setup should perform somewhere near a 7870 or even better, which makes it look LIKE A HUGE STEAL for a maximum $167 budget. I know back in the day, Crossfire was a nightmare with driver issues, micro-stuttering, and all that nonsense. Is it still like that today? Are drivers and support for modern games via Crossfire or SLI better than they used to be? Generally speaking, is this even a smart move to go for right now?

Adam Moore3 said:A buddy of mine is running an AMD Ryzen 5 paired with a Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850. The rig is getting a bit old, and he’s been thinking about a little upgrade 😬 He was considering hunting down a used 6850 for maybe $400 max $167 to throw them into a Crossfire setup. I’ve been reading reviews online ( CLICK ), and people are actually seeing LITERALLY double the FPS compared to running just one card! That sounds incredibly worthwhile. It’s rare to see your FPS actually double just by adding a second GPU, so this seems like a pretty solid value proposition. Now, what I'm wondering is if there will be any issues on the CPU side—specifically, am I looking at a major bottleneck? And if there is one, will it actually be noticeable? It feels like a Crossfire 6850 setup should perform somewhere near a 7870 or even better, which makes it look LIKE A HUGE STEAL for a maximum $167 budget. I know back in the day, Crossfire was a nightmare with driver issues, micro-stuttering, and all that nonsense. Is it still like that today? Are drivers and support for modern games via Crossfire or SLI better than they used to be? Generally speaking, is this even a smart move to go for right now?

He isn't getting double the FPS, no way... maybe a 30-40% bump at best, and if he has a garbage power supply, he can forget about it entirely...

plus there are plenty of other ways this could blow up in his face.
a) case temperatures will spike
b) more noise 🙂
c) drivers failing to handle the software side properly
d) the processor is a definitive bottleneck 🙂

It's a total waste of money. 🙂

What else is in the build? Give me the full specs.

Maybe a light OC on the CPU... maybe up to 3.6GHz, paired with an HD 7850, GTX 660, or an HD 7870, I guess.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing

Robert Rodriguez2 said:He isn't getting double the FPS, no way... maybe a 30-40% bump at best, and if he has a garbage power supply, he can forget about it entirely...

plus there are plenty of other ways this could blow up in his face.
a) case temperatures will spike
b) more noise 🙂
c) drivers failing to handle the software side properly
d) the processor is a definitive bottleneck 🙂

It's a total waste of money. 🙂

I don't know, if he doesn't get the boost, it'll be because of the processor. Everywhere I look for benchmarks, people using the 6xxx series are getting a 90% increase from a second card. Check this link. Metro 2033 1680x1050 4xAA AMD Radeon HD 6850 23 FPS vs Metro 2033 1680x1050 4xAA AMD Radeon HD 6850 Crossfire 46 FPS 🤷 And this isn't some random site like AnandTech; these are real-world benchmarks with measured FPS. I'm sure the power supply isn't trash. The 🙂 XFX 450W build was put together here on the forum a few years back. I know he has an MSI 870 motherboard, not sure which exact one, 4 GB of RAM, an AMD Ryzen 5, a Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850, an XFX 450W PSU, all packed into a GZ x4 case. If I remember right, I think you were actually the one who helped him set up that Flatron, but don't quote me on that 😬 As for temps and stuff—definitely. That's exactly what I told him to think twice about. Noise isn't a huge deal anyway when he's playing with 5.1 audio. Regarding the drivers and software side, that's what I was asking. I'm not sure how things stand currently, how modern games handle CF and SLI setups, or if micro-stuttering is still a major issue. But if the CPU is going to choke everything regardless, he's better off passing.
crimsonstag84, the CPU is an AMD Ryzen 5 and if I recall correctly, it can't be overclocked 🙂

EDIT: Yeah, it can be overclocked, but it seems pretty limited since the multiplier is locked...

You should definitely overclock it. It’s basically identical to the AMD Athlon II X4 series, just running at a higher clock speed. I actually managed to bump mine from 2.6GHz up to 3.3GHz without even touching the voltage. I guess hitting 3.6GHz shouldn't be an issue for you either, though you might need to nudge the voltage up a bit. Just make sure to increase the FSB in small increments...

Fair point, you're right about that. The real issue is the stock cooler... And if you're thinking about overclocking a Phenom without at least some kind of Katanica... You might as well just buy some earplugs right now 🙂

Adam Moore3 said:Fair point, you're right about that. The real issue is the stock cooler... And if you're thinking about overclocking a Phenom without at least some kind of Katanica... You might as well just buy some earplugs right now 🙂

Running two GPUs and that CPU? That XFX 450W build won't hold up. 😉He'd be better off putting everything toward one stronger card.

I'm not sure. I've always felt like those XFX 450/550W units were pretty reliable and a solid best buy. This setup would definitely be pushing that power supply to its limits 🙏 Anyway, I'll suggest he sells this one now; if he can manage to get $167 for it, great... He also has that Dirt 3 coupon and the CF bridge he got, plus the original packaging. It's a full bundle, so he should hopefully be able to squeeze out $167. If he adds another $600 or so, he could jump to an AMD Radeon R9 270 or something similar.

One card pulls about 100W during gaming—I think it would hold up, but it’d be running way too hot under load.
I'm with Robert Rodriguez2 on this one; he should just sell his current setup and pick up a single, more powerful card to save himself the headache.

CLICK It says Crossfire and SLI ready—but honestly, probably not. It’s putting out 34 Amps on the 12V rail, which hits about 408W. With efficiency sitting north of 80%, you're looking at maybe 350 effective watts. So, even though it claims it isn't meant for CF or SLI, I think it might actually hold up, though it'll be cutting it close. Plus, he'd have to mess around with those Molex-to-6-pin adapters... Let's not beat around the bush, though; it's definitely smarter to just grab one beefier card. What would be the best bang for his buck without creating a bottleneck? 😁 7870, 7850, AMD Radeon R9 270, or an AMD Radeon R9 270x? Personally, I don't think going lower than a 7850 makes sense since the 7790 or 260X are only a few FPS better.

Adam Moore3 said:CLICK It says Crossfire and SLI ready—but honestly, probably not. It’s putting out 34 Amps on the 12V rail, which hits about 408W. With efficiency sitting north of 80%, you're looking at maybe 350 effective watts. So, even though it claims it isn't meant for CF or SLI, I think it might actually hold up, though it'll be cutting it close. Plus, he'd have to mess around with those Molex-to-6-pin adapters... Let's not beat around the bush, though; it's definitely smarter to just grab one beefier card. What would be the best bang for his buck without creating a bottleneck? 😁 7870, 7850, AMD Radeon R9 270, or an AMD Radeon R9 270x? Personally, I don't think going lower than a 7850 makes sense since the 7790 or 260X are only a few FPS better.

Why push the power supply so hard? :/
It might work once... but long-term, it's not gonna fly.

Exactly what I'm saying. It would probably hold up, even if it's tight. Now, how long it would actually run like that—who knows. 😬 I'll tell him to pick one of those GPUs mentioned. Just so I'm clear, you need a second opinion on WHICH one of them? 😁

Adam Moore3 said:CLICK It says Crossfire and SLI ready—but honestly, probably not. It’s putting out 34 Amps on the 12V rail, which hits about 408W. With efficiency sitting north of 80%, you're looking at maybe 350 effective watts. So, even though it claims it isn't meant for CF or SLI, I think it might actually hold up, though it'll be cutting it close. Plus, he'd have to mess around with those Molex-to-6-pin adapters... Let's not beat around the bush, though; it's definitely smarter to just grab one beefier card. What would be the best bang for his buck without creating a bottleneck? 😁 7870, 7850, AMD Radeon R9 270, or an AMD Radeon R9 270x? Personally, I don't think going lower than a 7850 makes sense since the 7790 or 260X are only a few FPS better.

Your math is off there; it delivers all the wattage listed (high-quality power supplies often deliver even more)—you don't subtract those numbers based on the 80% efficiency. That percentage refers to how efficiently the unit pulls power from the wall outlet.

Kimberly Gomez34 said:Your math is off there; it delivers all the wattage listed (high-quality power supplies often deliver even more)—you don't subtract those numbers based on the 80% efficiency. That percentage refers to how efficiently the unit pulls power from the wall outlet.

Ahaaaa. 😬 Alright, thanks for the enlightenment 😍 But the question remains. 7850/7870/AMD Radeon R9 270/270x? In that case, I'd go straight for the 280 since it's cheaper than some of the 270x models...

I'd probably just go with the AMD Radeon R9 270; even that should give them a decent enough boost:
http://anandtech.com/bench/product/1077?vs=1043

Or, I guess if they're feeling extra fancy, they could grab a 280 and it might last a bit longer.

True, it definitely will. The only catch is that it’s not exactly a money-maker, which is the real kicker... I'll take a look on Craigslist to see if there are any interesting 🙂

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing
This isn't a bad deal.

http://anandtech.com/bench/product/1077?vs=1076

I find it a little weird regarding that HD 7850. There have been 2,200 views and not a single person has pulled the trigger 🙄 And honestly, the price is more than fair.

Maybe someone actually bought it, but the guy who posted the ad just couldn't figure out how to download it...

Adam Moore3 said:Maybe someone actually bought it, but the guy who posted the ad just couldn't figure out how to download it...

Then he is just like me.🙂

Moving on to the actual hardware. You are looking at an HD 7790 or an R7 260X, which will give you maybe 10 to 15 FPS more than a 6850. However, if you go for an R7 7870 or even an R9 270X, you are looking at a minimum jump of 30 to 35 FPS. It is much better to invest in one decent card. Buying two 6850s is a poor decision. It isn't worth it from any angle.

Your friend should sell that old Phenom setup and the current GPU. He ought to pick up a Phenom II X4 955 BE paired with a GTX 660 or an R7 7870 instead. Then, he can overclock that 955 as high as it will go.🙂