Blaze182

Firstly, I'm using an AMD chip, so I thought it could be more beneficial for me to use ATI - a GPU which I've never used before, but the specs look very good.

Firstly, will it be better going ATI because I'm going AMD?

Next, which is better/more efficient?
Three GPU's or two dual GPU's?

This is what I'm tossing up between;

3 x ATI Radeon HD 4890
or
3 x Nvidia GeForce GTX 285

OR If you guys thing running two dual GPU's is better (possible cooling issues though??) then this is what I'm looking at;

2 x ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2
or
2 x Nvidia GeForce GTX 295



I'm thinking going Radeon is better cause they have a higher DDR value and are partnered with AMD. Also, going 3 GPU's also seems better because it would draw less power and be a little easier to cool. Additionally, the dual cards both are based on less powerful cards from their respective manufacturers; i.e. the ATI 4870 X2 uses one DDR3 card, and one DDR5.

Anyway, plese share your thoughts

Quantum Reality

I have heard that the 4870 X2s have some issues with drivers. You may want to go for 3 x 4890.

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Afrodisiac

IMO, get 2 GTX 285s, that's plenty, but if you want to enter the "insane" range, then go for the 3 4890s.

If you are going AMD, the boards that support Crossfire (790FX, 790GX, 790X) are generally much better motherboards than the Nvidia chipset boards (780a, 980a); that is also a factor to consider.

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hoth17

Nvidia and Fold!

3 x 285 is a better deal than the 2 x 295

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Dopamin3

First, fill out your systems specs here. If you have an AMD chipset, chances are you can't run SLI. But anyway don't run 2 4870x2, that is overpriced and 4 gpus wont scale. Just get dual crossfire 4890's and call it a day. Unless you fold then get 2 gtx275s. Also I don't know why you want a gtx285, because gtx275 ~=~ 4890.

sgdude

2xgtx 295, its faster. I would just go tri sli though, with either GTX 275s OCED to hell, or GTX 285s. 3x gtx 275 would only cost you $600-$660...

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Blaze182

I dont have any, haha, its a new build I'm doing, I have 2 gaming laptops, but the cost to maintain/upgrade them is a fortune, and I can get much better in a PC, so I'm building one =]

Heres a few things I've decided on so far:

CPU: AMD Phenom X4 Quad-Core
HDD: Western Digital WD Caviar Black (1TB x2)
Power: Corsair HX1000W Power Supply
Mobo: GA-MA790FXT-UD5P (I'm unsure of the compatability of this Mobo, any tips? Will everything thus far join up to this? I havent built a PC in over 4 years, so I'm outta touch.)

Afrodisiac

The 790FXT-UD5P is a 790FX board, meaning it does not support Nvidia SLI. The 790FX only supports ATI Crossfire. That specific board, the UD5P, only has two PCI-E slots, meaning a max of two graphics cards.

That being said, the 790FX is the best chipset for Phenom II right now, and I recommend you go with the MSI GD70 790FX board (which has around 4 PCI-E slots). That way you can get triple 4890s.

Also, the 790FXT-UD5P and the MSI GD70 are AM3/DDR3 boards, which means you can only put AM3 CPUs in them, like the Phenom II X4 955, and they only support DDR3 memory.

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Blaze182

Thank you very much afro!!!!

THAT is exactly what I wanted/needed to know!! I'm gonna go read up on that mobo now. Cheers!

DevilGear44

Go with crossfired 4890s.