That you saying it's useless on most games isn't correct, as most games aren't DX9 and as profiles come out with every driver release Crossfire gets better with the games it supports.
Ok i get what you meant now. I thought you were implying that profiles could fix frame pacing like some people have said "turn on AFR" to fix it(despite desktop GPU crossfire and sli always using AFR). However, if hes on this forum asking what to buy to play this game, its probably best to avoid any multi GPU solution.
Well, if I understood this thread correctly, it isn't a "Help me choose my parts" thread. It's more about "How can I get the most out of it" and that the best solutions would be turning off the second GPU (as you recommended) and (I hope you agree with me here) overclocking the CPU, since overclocking an FX-series CPU doesn't void its warranty.
He hasnt bought any of it yet. He could do that but i dont know why he would. A low end i5 and a single 970 or 980 would outperform it.
If OP hasn't bought anything, then I suppose it would be appropriate to at least suggest some alternatives. Changing to an Intel i5 CPU will definitively yield better results than an AMD FX-series CPU and a single GTX 970 is already a very good setup - GTX 980 is only viable if you have the money for it. One GTX 970 will suffice and it'll require less power and money than two 290Xs. These are of course only suggestions; it's up to the OP to decide what will actually be used. If OP wants to run what he picked then there isn't much we can do against it. The FX-series is as I said great for multi-threaded tasks, but on single-threaded workloads like Planetside 2, it just can't hold up against Intel's i5 and i7. On the other hand, it has great OC support from the manufacturer. Your call, OP.
First, why crossfire? 1440p or less, that's just a huge waste of cash, you won't benefit from that GPU processing power at those resolutions, a single card will suffice, easily.
Sorry that I didn't make myself understood properly first time However, just because someone is asking here doesn't necessarily mean he won't be playing other games which might necessitate Crossfire/SLI. High refresh monitor? While strictly true, the actual cost of the power increase is a pittance to household costs. The far greater cost would be the PSU you'd have to buy to run two of them. The 290Xs themselves have dropped by 1/2 or a 1/3 since the 390X was confirmed as being in development.
The user did not state monitor specification nor intended future gaming, we can all play the *upgrade for the future* game, but usually(i find - and all too often) that it translates into needlessly spending money, which i've done and watch other people(and clients) do far too often. The sensible approach is to just upgrade for what you need, as you need it(if you stretch something with minimal cost then do so), unless you grow cash in place of hair(or you are financially well off), in which case... have at it. We have not determined the needs of the user, let's not jump into SLI, water cooling or delidding cpus just yet... slow down fella...
I never said anything about future gaming, but it's always more efficient to keep the future upgrades in mind. However, that's irrelevant to my point. You asked why someone would go multi-GPU at 1080p. A high refresh monitor is one reason.
Allow me to clear the air. I am interested in altcoin mining, hence the 2nd GPU. I am now well aware that PS2 doesn't blend with CrossFire, no big deal. I don't need 2 GPU's for gaming, as I run a 60Hz, 1080p monitor. All I was looking for was input from players running with all-AMD systems. I know Intel/nVidia systems yield better benchmarks. I know AMD uses more power and generates more heat. I am not concerned about that. To BlackDove, sorry if I came across as condescending, even if i'm not sure how. However, I didn't want to start a thread with people telling me to get nVidia and barking to me about power usage. I'm perfectly fine with running a single R9 290X for gaming.
You shoulda put that in the OP man. However, I know the feels... I made a build thread saying I was gonna get an i7 4970k (while being on a $1000 budget) and skimp on some other parts, and people were up in arms, saying I should "just get an i5 dude!" I had to then further clarify that I am a content creator who uses 3D modeling and Video editing software on a regular basis, so the i7's hyperthreading is super important to me. Anyway, it's your build, and you're free to do as you wish. But just know that AMD's performance is worse than intel/nvidia in most games, and in PS2, and AMD CPU will really roast your performance (in general). Obviously there are exceptions. I know people with pure AMD builds who get solid frames. But everyone's build is different, and as a general rule, AMD and PS2 don't mesh well together. (Especially on the CPU side, you can get away with the GPU). Hopefully however, with the recent PS4 port, AMD performance should increase...
GM architecture has a barrel shifter. Is it even practical to mine on GPUs anymore? Wouldnt it cost you tons of money in electricity and wear and tear on the hardware?
AFAIK, your normal home GPU mining is now dead. It is simply impossible to make any money back without true farms running 24/7 so yeah, from that point of view Crossfire is pointless for the OP
