Need help with Video Card for new build

[Nogram]

The build will consist of:

2600k
Asus MB
12 GB Ram
Vertex 3 SSD
Corsair Graphite 600T case
and a
Video Card

The Video Card(s) will need to drive at a minimum of two 30" monitors, and likely a third 30" monitor. These are true 30s all running at 2560x1600 resolution.

I will use this machine about the following:

60% Spreadsheets / Access Databases / Other Office Apps. (this will be across all monitors)

20% for watching videos (this will be on one monitor)

20% for games - could be heavy graphics or not (gaming will only be on one monitor)

Now for the kicker, I like quiet, but I am not willing to go to water. I was thinking about putting the box in another room and running the cords through the wall, but I don't think that is practical. I understand that this is not going to be a quiet box.

Right now I am running 2 x 4870s and they are loud, much too loud at max fans.

I am thinking that a GTX 590 is going to get me where I want to be, but I am not sure it can run 3 30" monitors off a single card. Another option I was thinking was 2 x GTX 560 Ti. Also, if I run the GTX 590 and want to game on the middle of three monitors, will it know and send all the power to the one monitor or do I have to manually disable the 2 outside monitors.

I would appreciate any help people can offer. Due to heat and noise limitations I don't think I want to go with 2 x 590s or 2 x 6990s, other than that, I think everything is fair game.

Thanks

Nogram

 

[Will Robinson]

A couple of HD6950 2GB cards from AMD would do nicely.
You could run the Eyefinity feature to activate all 3 monitors and have plenty of horsepower for gaming on that 30inch panel.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161368

 

[happy medium]

I will use this machine about the following:

60% Spreadsheets / Access Databases / Other Office Apps. (this will be across all monitors)

20% for watching videos (this will be on one monitor)

20% for games - could be heavy graphics or not (gaming will only be on one monitor)

First off, welcome to our forums.

Sounds like you not a hard core gamer, so I would go with a quiet,cool running aftermarket single 6970 2gb. It seems to meet all your needs.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-371-_-Product

or when they come back in stock.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127581

 

[cusideabelincoln]

If these 30" monitors have DisplayPort inputs, a single 6950 or 6970 should do the trick.

If they don't, then you would need to 1) buy two expensive DP-> Dual Link DVI active adapters or 2) get a GTX 590 - it can run three 30" displays - or other SLI setup.

 

[Nogram]

Great point about the Display Port Inputs, I don't think that my current two 30s have them, one is about 5 years old, the other 3 years old. I assume the new one will.

I think that this pushes me towards either a GTX 590, or some other SLI / Crossfire solution (as noted).

I am leaning towards the GTX 590.

A bit more expensive than say 2x GTX 560 Ti, but hopefully it will be less hassles in the long run.

 

[RussianSensation]

I am leaning towards the GTX 590.

Why not 2x GTX570s? They cost the same as the 590 and are much better.

Also, dual HD6950s are superior to the 590 as well.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Great point about the Display Port Inputs, I don't think that my current two 30s have them, one is about 5 years old, the other 3 years old. I assume the new one will.

I think that this pushes me towards either a GTX 590, or some other SLI / Crossfire solution (as noted).

I am leaning towards the GTX 590.

A bit more expensive than say 2x GTX 560 Ti, but hopefully it will be less hassles in the long run.

You should definitely make sure the new monitor has DisplayPort.

If you were to keep this is to single GPU configuration, a Radeon HD 5870 would be a decent option. They have two DL-DVIs plus one DisplayPort, and these can be used at the same time to drive three monitors. Performance, of course, wouldn't be as impressive as a dual card configuration, but it may be acceptable to you.

 

[Nogram]

If I go with an SLI config like 2x GTX 560 Ti, or 2x GTX 570, do I still need to reboot when turning SLI on and off?

Nogram

 

[mosox]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-394-_-Product

http://www.testseek.com/computers/g...h-p-839cf6d2-0a31-0ca6-dc3b-35df2b29b9a0.html

You can use two legacy connectors (DVI and HDMI) for two monitors and for a third monitor if it has no DP you must get this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814999030
If it has DP you don't need that.

 

[notty22]

If I go with an SLI config like 2x GTX 560 Ti, or 2x GTX 570, do I still need to reboot when turning SLI on and off?

Nogram

No you don't have to re-boot. You can also make the 2nd one a dedicated physx card for some games. Without rebooting.

 

[Nogram]

Quick followup.

If I am only using 2 30" monitors, and I get two GTX 570's (or 560 Ti's), would I plug both monitors into one card, and enable crossfire, or one monitor into each card then turn on and off crossfire as required? Again, assuming that gaming would only take place on one of the two monitors.

Thanks,

Nogram

 

[Nogram]

Actually one more follow-up,

What if I went with no gaming, only MS Office / Web / Video viewing.

In this case would I simply need a card that could output the correct resolution, i.e. get a couple 9500 GTs (each have two Dual DVI output)?

I don't think I will do this because spending $2k on a box and not having any gaming capabilities seems silly, although it would improve productivity

Thanks again,

Nogram

 

[Silverforce11]

If you dont game and just want a cheap card to output three monitors, any low-end radeon from the 5k to current will do it fine and consume very little power.

 

[Vette73]

5770 cards are decent gaming and can output multi-monitor

 

[busydude]

5770 cards are decent gaming and can output multi-monitor

He has 30" monitors.. so he has to buy that $99 active adapter, I think going with 2 X 560 Ti is the best option.

Edit: On second thought.. I guess almost all 30" monitors have DP.. you can some times be VRAM limited if you go with a 1GB card.

 

[Nogram]

I think I have settled on 2x GTX 560 Ti's.

Cost is reasonable, but I really like the heat and sound aspects based on reviews. I think that they represent the optimal balance for what I want (performance, noise, heat, and to a lesser degree, price.)

I would have gone with the GTX 590, but a) they seem to blow a lot of hot air into the case, which could limit the GPU overclock, and b) they don't seem to be instock anywhere.

Nogram.

 

[Silverforce11]

2x 6950s is a better deal if you wanna head down the route of multi cards.

 

[Nogram]

It is until I need to buy a DP to Dual DVI adapter.

also the 2x 6950's are supposedly quite loud.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6950-crossfirex-review/15

 

[cusideabelincoln]

If you current monitors have HDMI or your third monitor is DisplayPort, you won't need an adapter.

 

[Cerb]

If your MB has more than one PCI-e 16x, there's no reason you couldn't get one gaming card, and one feature card (5570 or 5670, maybe, just so you know it will have enough power for any video post-processing you may want to use at some point). There's no need to have matched cards, unless you specifically want CF or SLI. Going AMD, you could easily get a nice assortment of DL-DVI, SL-DVI, HDMI, and DP, this way.