Check these Specs for me Please.

[Justsomebloke]

A pair of Para-Souls X1950Pro 512Mb graphics cards.
Gigabyte P35-DQ6 Rev 1.0 motherboard.
CPU I've got a Xeon 3210 (like a
high-spec Q6600, runs at 2.13GHz stock, or clocks up to about 3GHz) and
2Gb of PC8500 Ballistix

What do you reckon this lot is worth & what would it get in 3D 06 ?

[Justsomebloke]

I appreciate this is a bit out there as a set up but some must have an opinion of a Quad core crossfire set up & it's pit falls.
Complex, Over complicated, hot running, dodgey gaming issues etc etc
Also what do you reckon the Power draw would be ?
Anybody ?

[LeperousDust]

I think the problem with old school crossfire is its not worth anything because its not in any shape "fast" anymore or on the enthusiasts list, and the people who would be buying the machine won't want the hassle involved with crossfire. Everything else seems nice/standard really. I couldn't put a price on it, but i don't think its going to sell for loads, its just standard spec now, even the little touches like slightly faster RAM are generally ignored at this consumer level second hand price.

Basically its a used up enthusiast PC you can't sell it to enthusiasts because they'll have mostly the latest, and the people who have the right money won't care that the ram is slightly faster or the processor is "special" etc...

Hope you don't take that wrong but that what i observe.

//Edit: Wait a second i just assumed you were selling it, are you selling or buying ? Depending on the price if you're buying it you can use what i just said to your advantage Only thing i can see being hassle worthy is the crossfire, but that shouldn't really be a problem

[Justsomebloke]

Well I am badly in need of an upgrade & have been offered the above for 200 quid.
Dude reckons it's good for 10k in 3D 06 which is a major upgrade for me as my current system only kicks just over 4k.
The guy has the best feedback I've seen on M&M like over 130 odd, he is building & testing the above & is prepared to deliver.
Having absolutely No money at all I am Scared to spend what little I have.

So with that What do you reckon my options are

[semi-pro waster]

I'm not sure I'd bother with the Crossfire myself but is that part of a bundle that won't be split? It is a pretty decent setup although older, the X3210 is more optimised for applications than gaming if memory serves but it is still no slouch.

If you can negotiate a decent discount without going for the Crossfired cards (say £80 off) then buy a G92 8800GTS 512mb or even better an ATI 4850 and enjoy the better performance with less hassle. Power draw will also depend on what else you have so difficult to estimate but if you've got a decent PSU in the 550-600w range or above then you should be fine with that setup, you might be ok with a bit less but if your PSU is old or less than 500w I probably wouldn't risk it.

[Mark]

Well, the CPU isn't quite a Q6600-equivalent because the Q6600 is 2.4GHz stock, but otherwise it's very similar spec (LGA775, 65mm process, 8MB L2, etc.) and as it clocks well (a common trait of Xeons) it's as good as.

I rate the Gigabyte boards myself. I've got two of them (though not the DQ6), both overclocked, both running 24/7 and not even a hint of trouble from either of them.

Crossfire your mileage may vary. Never seen the need myself but then I'm not a gamer. You could always sell on one of the graphics cards if it doesn't work out, though I suspect it'll be OK, or sell on both and do as above if he won't split.

The price doesn't sound extortionate, though I don't know the going rate for sure, and I have no idea about anything to do with 3DMark06.

[LeperousDust]

Yeah agreed, its good, and if you can get it without the crossfire for money off definitely much much better. Crossfire will be more hassle than its worth, since you will be essentially playing with cutting edge technology for mid level gaming...

[Justsomebloke]

Could you resist that Coz i cannot
The Dude is booting it up now for a test & is talking about delivering it to my door late tonight
Can you see all that Tech Lovelyness that Will be Mine
As for power it is touch & go as I have an Antec Trueblue 480w but he does assure me that although a heavy weight set up the cards are not that power hungry & my PSU should be fine. I can live without maxing out the clocks until I raise enough for a bigger PSU if needed.
I am In Love with how it looks though & have that 12 year old excited feeling about my purchase so **** it, Unzip those flys & Balls out I say

[Justsomebloke]

I've just read your posts again & am getting that O Crap feeling

[semi-pro waster]

If necessary you could always run it with only one of the graphics cards in, it should still be at least on a par with your current graphics card (I can't remember offhand if you have an AGP X1950 now or still with the AGP 7800GS?).

Antec do make pretty decent PSUs so you should get away with it but I think you would be right not to try much in the way of overclocking for the moment.