Considering Multi monitor setup, need help.

[draigan89]

A while back i decided to buy a dell u2711 (2560x1440 native res), for the most part im happy with it, however on occasion i do wish that i had more desktop space.

Im starting out a programmer, (own business etc) but things arent going great at the moment so im looking for an affordable solution, untill i make some money. Ideally i would like multiple u2711's but i just cant afford it .

One solution i have looked at is having my main monitor in the middle with one of the dell ultrasharp u2212hm on either side, but postioned vertically like this.

ofc im open to suggestion monitor wise. Preferably ones with the adjustable orientation.

Graphics card wise i have 2 2gb 6950's(unlocked).

Now aside from programming i also play the occasional game, crysis, metro, fable 3, assasins creed, just cause 2, might get skyrim eventually and guildwars2 during the beta etc.

Now is it all possible to play games across all three if i bought the other 2 dell monitors if i set them all to the same resolution, this is not really a requirement just something id like to try.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

6950 cf can't drive eyefinity. Sorry

 

[supremor]

While you will have to compromise on settings to run at eyefinity res the 6950's should do fine for most games, just don't expect to be cranking up the AA or anything like that.
But I would keep in mind two things, first of all, all 3 monitors will need to be in landscape mode if you want to game on them. And secondly, I think that the rather large size disparity (27" primary, 22" sides) will be distracting and probably awkward.

 

[Mistwalker]

6950 cf can't drive eyefinity. Sorry

Wow, unhelpful AND inaccurate.

While you will have to compromise on settings to run at eyefinity res the 6950's should do fine for most games, just don't expect to be cranking up the AA or anything like that.
But I would keep in mind two things, first of all, all 3 monitors will need to be in landscape mode if you want to game on them. And secondly, I think that the rather large size disparity (27" primary, 22" sides) will be distracting and probably awkward.

You can do Portrait-Landscape-Portrait for general use, but as supremor says, they all need to be Landscape for Eyefinity gaming. (Well, with windowed mode and a hack you can game with them in PLP but Crossfire won't work, it'd be one card doing all the work).

Basically the answer to your question "is it possible to game on all three?" is yes.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

To run eyefinity even in 2-3 year old games you need a 7970 oc to 680 oc class GPU. For most games you will need a 7970 cf or 680 sli.

 

[notty22]

To run eyefinity even in 2-3 year old games you need a 7970 oc to 680 oc class GPU. For most games you will need a 7970 cf or 680 sli.

Hocp has been doing eyefinity reviews on AMD hardware since the 5870 launched. Lowering settings does not mean you can't game.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

I would rather play max at a lower Rez than do eyefinity with med settings or low settings. It is like saying a 6870 can do 1440p because it is playable at minimum settings

 

[BrightCandle]

It works in some games better than others. But to the ops question if he wants landscape + 2 x Portrait ideally he needs to find monitors that have a horizontal of 1440 to match the vertical of his middle monitor so that its the same vertical resolution across all the monitors.

 

[notty22]

I would rather play max at a lower Rez than do eyefinity with med settings or low settings. It is like saying a 6870 can do 1440p because it is playable at minimum settings

Ok, but the OP's question has nothing to do with what you want or like.
Your first answer was wrong

6950 cf can't drive eyefinity. Sorry

and now it's just getting awkward.
Let people with eyefinity help the guy out.

 

[draigan89]

Thanks for the help so far, (apart from aakskeytalwar).

Im still a little stuck monitor wise though.

I think that the rather large size disparity (27" primary, 22" sides) will be distracting and probably awkward.

This is something i had thought of, measured eveything up

portrait-landscape-portrait would be fine (size wise) but im not sure if id want them like that, its just something that caught my attention, extra screenspace without taking to much room seemed appealing initially.

But for games it would have to be landscape all the way which as you said would probably be anoying plus im not sure if id even like it during general computer use.

This leads me to comsidering getting 2 more 27" monitors at 1960*1080 as you can get them for around about the same price. For games i think this would be great but, during programming etc im not sure if id be overwhelemed and become anooyed by being closed in. Though i do occasionally use photoshop, sony vegas etc aswell.

Programming is my main concern though and thats what i do most of the time its also whats going to bring me an income, so its whats best for that really.

Any suggestions?

 

[BrightCandle]

I program across 3x 24" screens all 1920x1200. I don't see as much benefit from the third screen as the second but its still useful especially when you are monitoring log files and such. Its one hell of an expanse of screens however, the people that see it think its a bit extreme but at the same time its an awesome setup.

 

[Subyman]

I game on a 27" 120hz monitor and use a smaller 21" monitor to expand the desktop for work. I find that that is plenty of room to do what I need to (programming, latex, mathematica, etc.) I wouldn't focus on trying to game on 3 monitors while on a tight budget. Instead, since you seem happy with a 27" for gaming but want more real estate for working, I would go with a 24" cheap TN panel to extend the desktop while working and then just using the 27" alone for gaming.

When you hit it big then you can deck out the PC and do eyefinity 3x27" .

 

[Mistwalker]

For productivity work I think you'll be feeling the limited 16:9 vertical resolution. Honestly if the gaming is a bonus then I'd go with PLP (which will maximize the usable space for programming and design work) and just game on the center display when you need Crossfire-level performance. For less demanding games you can still run them across all three in a window (bit annoying), game in the center while having your web browser or whatever else open on the sides (no CF though), or buy rotatable displays on the sides and swing 'em as you need 'em (also a bit annoying).

I do agree with BrightCandle and in fact have the same setup, and yeah, when coding I'm looking primarily at only two of the three screens 90% of the time.

Also like Subyman's idea, really depends on just how tight your budget is.

 

[Dark Shroud]

Dell outlet's refurb sales are worth keeping an eye on for great deals.

 

[chimaxi83]

6950 cf can't drive eyefinity. Sorry

To run eyefinity even in 2-3 year old games you need a 7970 oc to 680 oc class GPU. For most games you will need a 7970 cf or 680 sli.

I would rather play max at a lower Rez than do eyefinity with med settings or low settings. It is like saying a 6870 can do 1440p because it is playable at minimum settings

lol, do you know what you're talking about? How wrong you are. You can't say something "can't" happen, based on YOUR opinion of what settings you'd like to play at. You "need" a 7970/680 overclocked to run multi-monitor? Then how, pray tell, have people been doing it for a few years now with Eyefinity?

Anyway, it seems gaming is of secondary concern to OP, but just for good measure, a few games:

Not the most demanding game, but here's Left 4 Dead 2 running Eyefinity on a single card

Here's Crysis Warhead in Eyefinity, Crossfired

Here's F1 2010 in Eyefinity, Crossfired

image source

Anyway, like the other guys have mentioned, it's really going to depend on your budget. My work setup is based on just two 24" 1920*1080, and it's been working fine for me as far as productivity. I game on only one of them and use the other for any monitoring utilities or TV if I feel like it. I was thinking of grabbing a 27" or 30" for gaming and using the other two in multi for work, but not until I can afford to do it right lol.

People have done portrait-landscape-portrait, so it's definitely possible.

 

[guskline]

6950 cf can't drive eyefinity. Sorry

You are WRONG!!!!!!!!!! Sorry. I AM running Eyefinity on rig 1 below with 2 5850s in CF so the 6950s will work but 2560x1440 native resolution may be a problem for 3 monitors. I have 3 24" monitors with 1920x1080 resolution so 3 x 1920= 5760x1080 max. I can game but have to use lower settings due to the Vram limit of 1 G. Make sure to buy an active displayport adapter for the 3rd monitor.

 

[Dice144]

Check out Ebay for some 27" Catleaps. Paid under $350 for a 27" 2560x1440 IPS panel (same panel Apple 27" displays use).

 

[KingFatty]

Catleap - what ... I saw a bunch of listings for Q270, how can it be so inexpensive? Ah crap, sorry to threadjack, but can you elaborate on it? Are you using it in a multi-monitor set up?

 

[draigan89]

I think as my ideal setup, was to have 3 of the u2711's. Im gonna start saving towards getting a second 1 soon, as productivity wise that should be fine. Then just carry on gaming on one monitor, leaving the second to do w/e.

Ofc this means dealing with the space isssues for a while longer, but im more likely to be happyier with my setup this way.

I think the 3rd would end up being more of a luxury for games etc, plus id probably need to upgrade anyway.

Check out Ebay for some 27" Catleaps. Paid under $350 for a 27" 2560x1440 IPS panel (same panel Apple 27" displays use).

I did and i was VERY tempted, as i could get 2 monitors for the price of what ill be paying for one. Then i could use then money to upgrade graphics wise, but the potential issues but me off ordering.
(A family member had problems with customs and ended up paying about £100-200 due to VAT and customs delivering it.)

Catleap - what ... I saw a bunch of listings for Q270, how can it be so inexpensive? Ah crap, sorry to threadjack, but can you elaborate on it? Are you using it in a multi-monitor set up?

No worries about thread jacking im quite curious about the price myself, maybe its due to it being close to manufacture, cutting of the middle man/men?

Even though it would be months away, before i could upgrade my pc (unless i could start making some proper money). How much room does my current pc have for improvement?

Asus p8p67 pro
Core i52500k @4.5ghz (even though some things keep reporting 3.3)
8 gb ram
240gb ocz agility 3
Windows 7 ultimate 64-bit.
antec df-85 case

and i think the power supply is 850w.

Could i run 2 7970's in crossfire?? or 2 gtx680's in sli. This is mostly just curiosity at this point but thought id ask anyway.

 

[KingFatty]

I looked around and found a very detailed write-up on the catleaps on some website, where a guy went into detailed analysis of how the monitors are so inexpensive. One thing is the monitor achieves improved gaming performance by doing away with add-ons between the LCD panel and the video card. Example - there is no HDMI port, just the DVI straight to the panel. There is no on-screen-display software stuff that would also add some lag. Apparently some of the catleaps can be run at 100Hz, even though they are officially guaranteed for 60Hz. Hmmmm, tempting to try to overclock your monitor heh. Also costs are saved by avoiding any additional coatings applied to the screen, like anti-glare.

So apparently for LCD monitors, the displays are manufactured by someone like LG, then sent off to different vendors who add their custom screen coatings and adjustment software, and scaling brains etc. etc. which adds costs. But the catleaps are just taking the display, connecting a DVI, and done. So if you want to scale the display, you need to rely on your video card scaling as the display wont' do it. Same with adjusting the colors and other settings. So it's a dumb display, but I'm thinking for gaming that won't matter as much since the increased potential refresh is highly valued, and more tech-savvy gamers will understand how to access all the display settings through the video card drivers instead of looking for non-existent control buttons on the front of the monitor.