Hybrid/Crossover for a board with built on Radeon HD 3300

[rowedf]

Can someone recommend a good, certainly above average card I can run in my Hybird or Crossover slot ?  I can't break the bank on it (preferably under $200) but I want to make sure I maximize the card I do get.

Thanks,
Dave

[Transfusion]

Honestly, I wouldn't even attempt to bother with Hybrid Crossfire on an obsolete board; the HD 3300 in the 790GX chipset is *really* old

About equal to a GeForce 210/HD 4350 today. The effects of microstutter will be exaggerated due to alternate frame rendering because your onboard GPU is incredibly inferior to a discrete GPU.
http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,631668/Video-proof-Micro-stuttering-may-destroy-the-performance-gains-from-current-multi-GPU-technologies/Practice/
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/page-245454_15_0.html
Hybrid Crossfire is also disabled for higher-end GPUs because implementing alternate frame rendering between cards of such a large performance gap would actually be detrimental to perfomance. It is more for low end cards like the HD 3450/HD 3470, which are already 4 years old. No you cannot Hybrid Crossfire that HD 3300 with any HD 5XXX/6XXX series cards.


Since your budget is $200, I would strongly recommend the HD 6850 for a discrete GPU.
1) Pretty power efficient (229W with a Lynnfield i7 on full load! ) compared to other graphics cards of comparable performance. You'll need a PSU with two PCIe power connectors though. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/312879-33-minimum-rail-required-radeon-hd6850 12-20 A on the 12V rail will suffice, it's that efficient.
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2010/10/22/ati-radeon-hd-6850-review/9
2) Top price performance (has been top for more than 4 months already....)
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD+6850
It will run everything on mid settings at 1080p with 2xAA, no question.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6850-6870-review/20
$149.99 on newegg.

[rowedf]

That stinks, I didn't think my board was that old

Here are the details on what I have:

Mobo: ECS A790GXM-AD3 AMD 790GX Socket AM3
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition AM3
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

Does that change your recommendations for what I should do ?

Thanks again for the help !

[Transfusion]

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2008/11/12/ocz_700w_modxstream_pro_power_supply/8 The power supply is still acceptable for a gaming system, more ripple than acceptable and questionable build quality, but in the future I would stay away from ECS boards, they are known for a high failure rate, most notably bad capacitors, strange BIOS updates, and overheating northbridges.

700W is more than adequate for the HD 6850, and with dual 12V rails at 18A each on your PSU you're all set to go!   Would make a solid mid-high end gaming system.

[rowedf]

Thanks for all the help !