Does the X38 Support "Masterless" CrossFire?

By Computer Guru
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Grand Master

Computer Guru

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I'm forced to get an ATi 3870 despite preferring the 8800GT more since it provides a much better prospect of upgrading and expansion on a Intel-chipset motherboard.

However, I have a question:

In order to run the 3870 in CrossFire mode, will I need a normal 3870 and a "CrossFire 3870" the way it was when CF first came out, or does the X38 support running of 2x3870 in CrossFire mode without any special hardware?

Thanks!

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HyBry

Posted
Posted

I believe you still need CF card and a thing on top of them to connect them together...

btw... Just looked and Techreport's 8800GTS review and 3870 CF scales up very well in games it works... in some you get up to 2x the performance of single and is on par with 8800GT SLI

Grand Master

Computer Guru

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It would be nice if someone who actually has an X38 can comment on this issue.

According to Hardware Canucks: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardw...-preview-4.html

Even though this card can be used in the new ?Crossfire X? setup which daisy-chains up to four HD3870 or HD3850 cards together, the Crossfire connector on this card is no different than that of the HD2900XT. There are two connectors, both of which need to be hooked up to another card via a Crossfire bridge if you want to enable Crossfire.

This leads me to believe that it works wany other 3870, but I'm just not sure...

Grand Master

PGHammer

Posted
Posted
I believe you still need CF card and a thing on top of them to connect them together...

btw... Just looked and Techreport's 8800GTS review and 3870 CF scales up very well in games it works... in some you get up to 2x the performance of single and is on par with 8800GT SLI

No; you do *not* need a special *CF Edition* card any longer. As long as the platform supports Crossfire (this goes for both AMD and Intel chipsets) you can run Masterless CrossFire with products that support it (HD2000 and HD3000 products primarily). This means you can indeed run identical HD3870s in Masterless CrossFire on an X38-based motherboard. Also, all HD3000-series products should include the internal and external CrossFire bridges (even if you just buy one).

Proof: http://ati.amd.com/technology/crossfire/charts.html

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HyBry

Posted
Posted (edited)

I believe all 3870 are CF edition by default...

I am not sure does the connector come in a package but they are CF capable out of the box... I am sure in worst case the interconnector can be found cheaply somewhere...

EDIT: ^^ You beat me to it.. and with better explanation... lol

Edited by HyBry
Grand Master

Prince Charming

Posted
Posted

ATi dropped the special CF master cards a while back. Now all modern cards ATi release (I think the x1900s were the first to introduce it) will crossfire without needing a special master card. They also use internal bridge chips and not external cable dongles :)

So no, just another 3870 is all you need for Crossfire, there is no special CF card.

Grand Master

Computer Guru

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I'll be using the ASUS P5E X38 - I was hoping to get the Maximus SE but it's ridiculously high rate of BIOS problems is a major turn-off for a board I want to rely on for the next 2-3 years. (And paying 500USD for 2x1GB of memory? I guess the Maximus Formula is instantly out of the question).

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