Can My Machine Support 3 Monitor Eyefinity?

[dmw16]

I am thinking of getting 3 monitors (1920x1200) to setup in a 3-Monitor Eyefinity setup.

Do you guys think my machine can support this at decently nice graphics settings w/ playable framerates?

My specs are:

i7 860
4GB DDR3 (probably going to 8GB)
Radeon 5870

Thanks.

 

[TemjinGold]

Playable framerates playing what?

 

[lavaheadache]

worse thread ever...

Could you be anymore vague? You have a fairly highend rig. I'm sure you can run eyefinity pretty well ?!? without knowing what size screens you plan on getting and what game you plan on playing, all of our comments mean squat.

2560x1600 x3 on crysis ultra high= not

1680x1050 x3 modern warfare 2 = most likely

 

[thilanliyan]

Don't forget one of the monitors needs to have a displayport connection or you need to buy an active adapter.

 

[Daedalus685]

Don't forget one of the monitors needs to have a displayport connection or you need to buy an active adapter.

I thought the passive adapters would work fine for single link DVI? Though perhaps I am dreaming again.

 

[dmw16]

Sorry about that, I posted in a rush.

I like to play FPS's mostly. The screens would be 24" @ 1920x1200. Does the size matter or just the resolution?

I was looking at the Dell U2410 but will check into the display port. I thought any adapter would work but I will do some more research.

Thanks.

 

[thilanliyan]

I thought the passive adapters would work fine for single link DVI? Though perhaps I am dreaming again.

I've heard you need an active adapter if you don't have a displayport monitor.

 

[TemjinGold]

Still too vague.

1) Which FPSs?
2) What do you consider "playable"?
3) What is "decent nice graphics"?

Those last two are very subjective from person to person.

 

[aka1nas]

I thought the passive adapters would work fine for single link DVI? Though perhaps I am dreaming again.

They can, but the video device has to support DVI signaling on the Displayport as well to function with a passive adapter. Evidently the 5xxx series does not.

 

[Daedalus685]

They can, but the video device has to support DVI signaling on the Displayport as well to function with a passive adapter. Evidently the 5xxx series does not.

Ah, thanks for the correction.

 

[dmw16]

Still too vague.

1) Which FPSs?
2) What do you consider "playable"?
3) What is "decent nice graphics"?

Those last two are very subjective from person to person.

Sorry

1. Crysis, HL2, Counter-Strike Source, L4D, L4D2, Future Crysis games
2. Not really sure, ~40fps, maybe 60?
3. 2x AA, 1920x1200, high to very high detail

 

[Andrmgic]

Games that play well @ 5760x1080 on a 5870 -

1. Source Games (HL2, Left 4 Dead, TF 2, etc.) - 60+ fps
2. Dragon Age: Origins 35-80 fps depending
3. Modern Warfare 2 - 40-60 fps
4. GRID Pro Race Driver - 45-70 fps
5. Batman: Arkham Asylum - 60 fps
6. Mirror's Edge - 40-60 fps
7. Aion: The Tower of Eternity 50-100 fps

Games that run a little slow -

1. Borderlands (30-50 fps.. framerate is inconsistent, feels slow in some parts)


Games that are unplayable, unless you like slide shows

1. Crysis (have not tested warhead, but I don't expect that it would be much different)


Your system is better than mine.. so you may get higher framerates in some games than I do..

My system:

Intel Core2 Duo E8200 @3.2Ghz
4GB PC2 1066 DDR2 RAM
MSI HD 5870 1GB @ stock
Windows 7 Professional x64
3x Dell P2310H Displays (DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort)

 

[thilanliyan]

My system:

Intel Core2 Duo E8200 @3.2Ghz
4GB PC2 1066 DDR2 RAM
MSI HD 5870 1GB @ stock
Windows 7 Professional x64
3x Dell P2310H Displays (DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort)

How are you liking Eyefinity so far? Worth the cost? What about the monitor bezels?

 

[Andrmgic]

How are you liking Eyefinity so far? Worth the cost? What about the monitor bezels?

I love eyefinity.. I'm spending a lot of time looking for games that I can play in triplehead.

The bezels aren't really something I think about consciously. When ATI implements bezel management (nothing will be rendered behind bezels) it will get better, but they don't bother me even now.

I paid $600 total for my 3 monitors.. and I sold my previous 24" for around $150.. so overall out of pocket wasn't bad and totally worth it. After the new year, I'll probably upgrade to an i7 to get the most out of my setup. I think this core 2 is holding the 5870 back.

 

[betasub]

Andrmgic: are you using 2xDVI & 1xDisplayPort for your 3x1080p? Any adaptors involved?


Kudos to TemjinGold for doggedly pursuing those missing details from OP. Vagueness FTL - how long is a piece of strong?

 

[Andrmgic]

1x DVI 1x HDMI (hdmi to DVI monoprice cable) and 1x DP

All 3 monitors are DP capable, no adapters required.

edit: Borderlands runs worse than I remembered.. 40 fps on the high-end.. 23ish on the low.. definitely not an enjoyable experience.. For some reason the difference between 30 and 37 fps in that game is really noticeable.. if I cut it down to 3072x768, it runs at around 55 fps and still looks good thanks to the art style.

 

[cbn]

Games that play well @ 5760x1080 on a 5870 -

1. Source Games (HL2, Left 4 Dead, TF 2, etc.) - 60+ fps
2. Dragon Age: Origins 35-80 fps depending
3. Modern Warfare 2 - 40-60 fps
4. GRID Pro Race Driver - 45-70 fps
5. Batman: Arkham Asylum - 60 fps
6. Mirror's Edge - 40-60 fps
7. Aion: The Tower of Eternity 50-100 fps

Games that run a little slow -

1. Borderlands (30-50 fps.. framerate is inconsistent, feels slow in some parts)


Games that are unplayable, unless you like slide shows

1. Crysis (have not tested warhead, but I don't expect that it would be much different)


Your system is better than mine.. so you may get higher framerates in some games than I do..

My system:

Intel Core2 Duo E8200 @3.2Ghz
4GB PC2 1066 DDR2 RAM
MSI HD 5870 1GB @ stock
Windows 7 Professional x64
3x Dell P2310H Displays (DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort)

Did you feel like Eyefinity was worth the money?

 

[cbn]

I am thinking of getting 3 monitors (1920x1200) to setup in a 3-Monitor Eyefinity setup.

Do you guys think my machine can support this at decently nice graphics settings w/ playable framerates?

My specs are:

i7 860
4GB DDR3 (probably going to 8GB)
Radeon 5870

Thanks.

This is a high end machine.

But if you planned to play a lot of First person shooters I would actually recommend a 32nm Core i3 dual core (unless you had a Tower cooler and a pretty beefy PSU to handle the extra watts an Overclocked Core i7 needs)

 

[Andrmgic]

Did you feel like Eyefinity was worth the money?

Yes, I'm very happy with the setup. The additional screen real estate is great even for windows usage.

For $450 out of pocket after unloading my 24", this has been a good investment. Games are awesome, too.. especially first person titles like Mirror's Edge and Left 4 Dead.

 

[cbn]

Yes, I'm very happy with the setup. The additional screen real estate is great even for windows usage.

For $450 out of pocket after unloading my 24", this has been a good investment. Games are awesome, too.. especially first person titles like Mirror's Edge and Left 4 Dead.

It is good to hear that because (to me) multi-monitors would seem like a higher value move than a mobo/CPU swap.

 

[Andrmgic]

It is good to hear that because (to me) multi-monitors would seem like a higher value move than a mobo/CPU swap.

I think I'm going to need a mobo/cpu swap to get the most out of this 5870, though.

At least I'll be able to carry almost everything over to the new rig.. including power supply.. will just need a mobo + cpu + ram.. thinking about an i5 after tax time.