"Grouper" first look

[Gambit_2K]

RDX200 next week, LP UT CF-BT 3 weeks but it is coming. DFI are tweaking the memory traces over 4 layers to hopefully boost the overclcoking even further, hence the slight delay. They also have had to source all the components to ATI specs..( and they are very high) so that has taken time also.

So you have the choice of 2 crossfire boards from DFI, Oskars RDX200 and the CF-BT, i will have the RDX next week and will report how it is and as soon as i have the CF-BT you know I will be posting.

Best news I've gotten in a long long time. Thx for the update BT.

[Tony]

Hey Tony, when you say next week for the RDX200 is that available to buy or just anounced? If its available to buy, are we talking US only or UK too?

Thanks man.

samples, not retail

[madpete]

Right ok, thanks.

[4rory]

3 More week! Whoa, I don't think I can wait that long man... I hate waiting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These last minute changes better be worth it!!! Please hurry up

[MaxT]

3 weeks just for the samples? That means retail availability in at least a month? I can't wait that long either.

Was supposed to have my new pc built by the end of July. I can't wait anymore.

[Tony]

You will need to wait anyway as the NF4 Expert will ship in a few weeks and the RDX200 will hit sores in 2 weeks as well.

Why rush now when so many boards are just about to launch?

[fareastgq]

do what I did, buy a $40 ecs x200 board to tide u over, heh

[MaxT]

You will need to wait anyway as the NF4 Expert will ship in a few weeks and the RDX200 will hit sores in 2 weeks as well.

Why rush now when so many boards are just about to launch?

Well, the DFI NF4 expert is what i was going to buy, since i saw ETAs as early as September 30 and October 6th. It is between dfi nf4 expert and DFI CF-BT for me. But you are just crushing my hopes with those new ETAs, lol.

[MaxT]

do what I did, buy a $40 ecs x200 board to tide u over, heh

I would, but i plan on spending a few hours building my PC, wiring each individual wire around the case for better airflow. So i only want to build it once. Only thing holding me up is the lack of a good motherboard. It's going to be either DFI nf4 expert or DFI CF-BT, whichever comes out first. I lost interest in Grouper. Sapphire took too long getting it to the market, and they cut too many corners. Might as well pay the premium and get a DFI board.

[nn_step]

So no chance that I can get one before my birthday?

[4rory]

Yeah I hate eta's that never arrive.

[Hound]

holy i just read all 43 pages

i really hope at least one of these mobo's come out before christmas, coz im planning a major upgrade....finally (bit of a change from a 900mhz duron )

ive read some good things, ive read a lot of bad things(a certain brand which cuts corners?), i reckon that somebody should probably start selling these motherboards?

and about that issue of 1600 x 1200 @ 60....im gonna cry if it cant do better with a X850 XT PE, coz thats what im getting

[loonym]

holy i just read all 43 pages

ive read some good things, ive read a lot of bad things(a certain brand which cuts corners?)

Since, as far as I can tell, there are only 2 posters in this thread, up til now, that are in a position to know just what manufacturers are doing, and there are very few people if any that actually have a retail CrossFire mobo, 99% of this thread is pure speculation.

http://www.ati.com/buy/promotions/Cr...herboards.html

[Tony]

ATI have had a hard time getting the chipset this far, the issues have been quite huge as they had to design a performance chipset from the ground up. Please remember NVidia have been at performance chipsets a lot longer so will be a little further ahead.

Now, i have spoken to Sapphire and have been assured they are putting the good components back on grouper(single 16x slot) so those looking for this board need to keep Oct 10th or so in mind. I have been promised an early sample so will post as it arrives.

I talked DFI into making the crossfire version, they wanted it to overclock ram a little better so are reworking it slightly, I have been told end of this month for this board. The RDX200 board which is engineered just like the NF4 expert is out next week for samples and week after for retail I hear. Also i hear the expert NF4 will not feature the new chipset that does 16x x2 its still does the old 8x8 so keep this in mind if you were looking for 16x16.

Finally i also hear ECS have done a crossfire clone, I have NOT seen this board so i can't comment on what it does, i know Wesley over at Anandtech is getting a sample soon so we will know as soon as he sets the board up.

ATI have been keen to show just what the engineers are capable of designing, i expect we will see some of the features from grouper etc moved into many forthcoming motherboards. As I said earlier in the thread its been over a year since I suggested a few design must haves, the boards have have changed many times trying to perfect each aspect. i can now say even in raw reference mode the ES boards clock pretty damn sweet, they clock well under phase as they were designed with extreme cooling in mind and they have the best voltage regulation i have ever seen.

Whether you wait is purely upto you.

[AgentVX]

Now, i have spoken to Sapphire and have been assured they are putting the good components back on grouper(single 16x slot) so those looking for this board need to keep Oct 10th or so in mind. I have been promised an early sample so will post as it arrives.

Excellent news. Sounds like this board will time in fairly nicely with the arrival of my Opteron 144. Once again thanks for all your efforts Tony, you da man

[VulgarHandle]

oh, i'll wait, would love to only have to buy 1 socket 939 mobo, and i'm certainly glad i've held out this long

[LowRun]

Tony

Oct 10th is retail for the Sapphire Grouper?

Thanks very much for keeping us in the loop.

[4rory]

Out of all the boards coming out that will support crossfire, which will be the best overclocking board? A small list maybe? Is the one coming out on the 10th any good?

[loonym]

I have a feeling, because of sapphires reputation as ati's premier partner, the board will be up to spec and an exceptional performer.

[4rory]

Im running a dell 24 inch lcd, native res is 1920 by 1200 I play cs source at the moment alot, and at 1920 by 1200 my 9800 pro at past xt speeds is having trouble. Now I read somewhere that 1600by 1200 @ 60hz limitaion of the current crossfire platform doesnt matter for lcds... because lcds dont use refresh rates? Is this true, will I notice anything negative if I run my games at 1920 by 1200?

I paid alot of money for my screen... more then the crossfire setup will cost me... so if this doesnt effect me Ill buy it, But I am not willing to run a lower res.

[fareastgq]

I still don't understand why ati just doesn't release a BBATI board.... someone want to enlighten us? Everyone knows the BBATI cards are first class. Guess ati doesn't have the facilities?

[LowRun]

Im running a dell 24 inch lcd, native res is 1920 by 1200 I play cs source at the moment alot, and at 1920 by 1200 my 9800 pro at past xt speeds is having trouble. Now I read somewhere that 1600by 1200 @ 60hz limitaion of the current crossfire platform doesnt matter for lcds... because lcds dont use refresh rates? Is this true, will I notice anything negative if I run my games at 1920 by 1200?

I paid alot of money for my screen... more then the crossfire setup will cost me... so if this doesnt effect me Ill buy it, But I am not willing to run a lower res.

You won't be able to use more than 1600x1200 if you don't use ATI's next gen GPUs, it's just that 1600x1200@60Hhz is playable on a LCD but will kill your eyes with no delay on a CRT.

[4rory]

well I'm playing only on this lcd, and so refresh rate has no effect on an lcd? so how about 40hz? wont notice it?

[Tony]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatal...amb_2d001_2dsp

Grouper on pre order in the UK

[Afterburner]

I wonder when its gona reach Singapore......we have always had good availability of Sapphire hardware though we have to wait initially for them to arrive.....