Need Advice on upgrading a few things

[Joerge]

CPU - Phenom II 965 @ 4ghz
Mobo - MSI 890fxa-gd70
power supply - xfx 650w
gpu - xfx 6870 be

things i want -
2nd 6870
new ram - currently have 8g of ddr3 ram at 1333 mhz


i am open to suggestions as to what type of ram i should go for, i redid my pc a bit ago but used ram from previous setup now i feel its time to improve that end, but stuff has changed and browsing im oblivious to know whats good as far as ram goes,im quite content @ 8g but again open to suggestions as to what my needs could be, primarily play WoW and will be playing bf3.

ultimately my price range can be anywhere from $60-130 USD but since i am purchasing my second 6870 along with it i have quite a bit set aside for this upgrade i just want something on par with the rest of my setup.

i appreciate your time and input

[BicycleMafioso]

Why would you need to upgrade/change RAM? The ones you have is likely perfectly fine.

For BF3, addin another 6870 you will most likely get quite a boost in performance. For Wow, you likely won't get any.

EDIT: Clarified that adding an extra GPU would be performance-increase in BF3, not RAM. >,>

[Uggorthaholy]

No reason to get new ram. little to no gain as Tetris said.

[taekvideo]

I just built my pc a couple months ago and I have the same ram... no need to upgrade it lol.
A 2nd 6870 would add a ton of performance for high-end games though.... not sure if 650w is enough but it's close.
edit: just ran a calculator and 650w should be enough

[BicycleMafioso]

I just built my pc a couple months ago and I have the same ram... no need to upgrade it lol.
A 2nd 6870 would add a ton of performance for high-end games though.... not sure if 650w is enough but it's close.
edit: just ran a calculator and 650w should be enough

And nowhere near close. D:

[taekvideo]

And nowhere near close. D:

lol
Don't make fun of me and my poor estimation

[Joerge]

really huh i guess im good on ram then thanks for the input i appreciate it i just figured it was old guess not

and 650w isnt enough i guess i didn't really consider that, bummer but what can you do

and yes the second 6870 is aimed for bf3 prep

thanks again guys

[zox]

650 should be perfectly fine for 2 6870s...

[BicycleMafioso]

really huh i guess im good on ram then thanks for the input i appreciate it i just figured it was old guess not

and 650w isnt enough i guess i didn't really consider that, bummer but what can you do

and yes the second 6870 is aimed for bf3 prep

thanks again guys

No, you misinterpret me. The 650w is more than enough for two 6870, without worry of being a strain.

[Joerge]

No, you misinterpret me. The 650w is more than enough for two 6870, without worry of being a strain.

Ah very nice thank you for reiterating appreciate it

[Cantii]

Should be good, though I'd like to play a little bit of the devil's advocate.

If you're like me, you can't stand your graphics stuttering. Especially when it's micro-stutter... so small and insignificant, yet horribly annoying. Adding a second 6870 will give you micro-stuttering like never before, especially at lower framerates (40 and below), it will be pretty bad. It's not so bad at higher framerates, but it'll be consistent. So be sure to weigh that option as well. Are you willing to get the higher quality at a potentially higher framerate, while accepting the micro-stutter? Or are you like me, wanting to throw your computer out the window because of the damn graphics stuttering >.< RAWR. The prevalent micro-stutter is the only thing that's keeping me from getting a second 6870.

FWIW, micro-stutter isn't nearly as bad on higher-end cards (such as the 6950/GTX 560 Ti). Also, using more than two cards in CrossfireX will reduce micro-stutter significantly, however, this can't be done with the 6870 unless you spring for the 6870 X2 for Triple Crossfire... and that's no chump change, either

[Joerge]

Should be good, though I'd like to play a little bit of the devil's advocate.

I weighed the possibility of this bothering me, which it undoubtedly can, im weird, sometimes the little things bother me and sometimes they just don't.

I guess i have to see it first hand to know for sure and then ill decide if i want to go another route for more beefy video power like the one you mentioned (higher end card).

[Uggorthaholy]

Micro stuttering irritated me. My buddy has dual 6870s and I could really notice it. I was not pleased.

[Joerge]

Micro stuttering irritated me. My buddy has dual 6870s and I could really notice it. I was not pleased.

i watched some videos of it, some are bad while others its minimal, but not acceptable, i might sell my current card and use those funds in addition to get a better single config situation, itll be the same money i would rather go the non possible bummer route

thanks guys

[ispano]

It also only happens in AFR mode, which is the basic mode for both Crossfire and SLI. If you change that to something else, it usually goes away. the other modes don't alternate frames, but each card renders part of the same frame.

[Cantii]

It also only happens in AFR mode, which is the basic mode for both Crossfire and SLI. If you change that to something else, it usually goes away. the other modes don't alternate frames, but each card renders part of the same frame.

I read that, as well. However, I can't come to a conclusion about which is better because I haven't seen any of the other modes, though I'd like to see some visuals on them to determine it for myself. Does anyone here have experience with the other modes?

[ispano]

I know with ATI cards you can set a different mode per game with RadeonPro.