Card suggestions for a dual monitor setup?

[Tectronix]

Hi all, I've been thinking about having dual 1920x1080 monitors as part of my new rig.

I'll mainly be doing audio work on the workstation.

I'll probably be getting a couple of Samsung S24B350H, seeing as they're not too expensive, which uses D-Sub connectors.

What would be a good video card to support the 3840x1080 resolution ?

Would 2GB of video ram be enough ?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Jaydip]

Whats ur budget?2GB vram will be enough for most games if u can settle for a low AA level.

 

[Tectronix]

Jaydip - I'm prepared to spend more than average as I prob wont be getting a new system for at least a couple of years.

I wont be playing video games on the new rig - just using it as an audio workstation.

It'll have a 3770K cpu but I reckon that the onboard graphics wont be enough for a dual monitor setup.

 

[3DVagabond]

Jaydip - I'm prepared to spend more than average as I prob wont be getting a new system for at least a couple of years.

I wont be playing video games on the new rig - just using it as an audio workstation.

It'll have a 3770K cpu but I reckon that the onboard graphics wont be enough for a dual monitor setup.

What software are you using for your audio work? Are you going to be using GPU acceleration with your programs? That could effect your decision. Also if you're transcribing large files, etc. that all could matter.

 

[KompuKare]

I'll probably be getting a couple of Samsung S24B350H, seeing as they're not too expensive, which uses D-Sub connectors.

That was my first worry there: 1080P on an analog output for work? Not a good idea. However, the monitor you linked does have HDMI so you should be able to go digital - your eyes will thank you later.

It'll have a 3770K cpu but I reckon that the onboard graphics wont be enough for a dual monitor setup.

I'm fairly sure that driving two 1080P monitors for 2D work is no problem for the Ivy Bridge iGPU. Also, for audio work the most important thing is usually having a quiet computer and it's easier to keep the CPU cool and quiet without worrying about a graphic card. The only determining factor is to chose a motherboard which has two digital outs.

EDIT: Ok, I hadn't consider dGPU accelerated audio filters so 3DVagabond's questions are relevant. However, if you are not using any of those, the money saved with an onboard could be used for a decent sound-dampened case and a quieter CPU cooler.

In fact, even if you get a dGPU, I think you're still well advised to read up silent system components on silentpcreview.com or similar sites.

 

[Jaydip]

Well u can buy a cheapo radeon then.

 

[Tectronix]

3DVagabond: Mainly Reaper and a bunch of other VSTis and VSTs.

Reaper's requirements are quite modest and I'll be working with 24bit 96kHz audio files, I'd like to futureproof the new workstation to some level.

KompuKare: I don't really know the difference between analogue and digital when it comes to video output.

I'd like to take the graphics load of the CPU which is why I wanted a suggestion for a graphics card.

And maybe a suggestion for a 1920x1080 monitor with a maximum response time of 2ms.

Thanks for your replies.

 

[3DVagabond]

Looked quickly at Reaper's site and forum. It looks like it uses purely CPU. As KompuKare said, it doesn't take much to drive a 2D workload. If the iGPU won't cut it for you, then the suggestion for something silent is a very good one. So, look at passively cooled cards, if possible.

 

[Tectronix]

Thanks 3DVagabond and Jaydip, will be looking at passively cooled dual monitor supporting cards.