question about dual monitors and gaming

[Via]

I finally got around to hooking up another monitor to try out dual display for gaming and I like it. I wasn't sure about the bezel being an issue, but I was able to look past it fairly easily after a while. TRhe extra real estate is pretty cool.

I used an old 1600x1200 CRT with my current 22" widescreen. Things understandably look a bit uneven, so I'm ordering a another 22" to go with my current one.

Questio: should the second monitor have the same response time as my current one, and should I even go so far as getting the same brand for the best results?

I have a Samsung Synchmaster 225bw, and I think the response time is 5 ms.

This one looked decent: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236050

but the response time is 2ms. Would that be an issue at all, or does it not matter?

 

[LokutusofBorg]

I've been using dual monitors for years, and having them mismatched always bugged the crap out of me, so I always buy exact same make & model. I have some OCD tendencies though. But it makes sense to match them unless you're buying a *better* monitor for your second one and can't afford to just buy two at the same time.

Your question centers around response time, but the bigger issues are color and contrast matching (aside from resolution... mismatched resolutions is the absolute worst). If the colors or contrast don't match between the monitors it can really stand out.

Maybe that's just me. I don't know.

 

[Pia]

I don't get the rationale of dual monitors for gaming, as opposed to triple, where you would not have the bezel smack in the middle of your focus. (Not that I have a multi-monitor setup!)

With the dual setup, are you playing some rarity with asymmetric dual monitor support like Supreme Commander or some simulator? Surely not FPSs?

 

[pandemonium]

I agree with LokutusofBorg. I've haven't gotten around to using an Eyefinity setup, but if I were to do it, I'd probably be pretty picky about how identical the displays are otherwise it'd bother the crap out of me. >.<

 

[Spikesoldier]

i attempted to do this before, the new monitor that came had plastics that were similar, but not identical to the one i had bought probably a year before the second one.

i ended up returning the second one, since it did not stand up at the same height, and for some reason was much much brighter than my old one, even with the OSD settings the same.

 

[Via]

As far as dual vs. eyefinity I have two basic worries:

1) I'm not sure I have enough desktop space for three 22" monitors.

2) I'm a little worried about the res. I played a few games (Crysis, Mass Effect, Grid) at 3200x900 and they ran pretty smooth, but I don't know if it would be the same with eyefinity. I only have a single 5970.

Unfortunately Metro 2033 didn't work with the setup so I couldn't test it.

 

[LokutusofBorg]

i attempted to do this before, the new monitor that came had plastics that were similar, but not identical to the one i had bought probably a year before the second one.

i ended up returning the second one, since it did not stand up at the same height, and for some reason was much much brighter than my old one, even with the OSD settings the same.

Ah yes, I forgot to mention height. If I can't get my monitors to match up in height, it bugs the ever-living @#$% out of me. Along these lines is the swivel feature, which I never use, but the monitors I buy have it, and it makes even identical monitors hard to perfectly match up their heights, because just a little bit of (over- or under-) swivel in the panel can make the heights mismatch.

I *did* say I have OCD tendencies.

 

[LokutusofBorg]

I don't get the rationale of dual monitors for gaming, as opposed to triple, where you would not have the bezel smack in the middle of your focus. (Not that I have a multi-monitor setup!)

With the dual setup, are you playing some rarity with asymmetric dual monitor support like Supreme Commander or some simulator? Surely not FPSs?

I've always been an nVidia guy, so never had the option of Eyefinity with the stuff I buy. And when I game I just go full screen on one monitor. When I'm playing games that let me alt-tab without crashing or freezing (MMOs) then it's nice to have the second monitor for out-of-game stuff. It's still visible even when you're back into full screen on the primary monitor.

 

[Via]

Trying to match up 2 monitors with the bezel in the middle is a fricking nightmare.

It's making me crosseyed. I think I'm just going to buy a big single monitor.

 

[Pia]

I've always been an nVidia guy, so never had the option of Eyefinity with the stuff I buy. And when I game I just go full screen on one monitor. When I'm playing games that let me alt-tab without crashing or freezing (MMOs) then it's nice to have the second monitor for out-of-game stuff. It's still visible even when you're back into full screen on the primary monitor.

Ah, using second screen for reference material/chat/etc. That I understand. Back when I made the mistake of playing WoW I was constantly using laptop for that job while running game on desktop. But the prospect of playing a game and actually using two monitors for the game is still pretty weird. SupCom allows you to put a map on second monitor; I don't know of any other game having that kind of special treatment for additional monitors.

 

[NoQuarter]

Ah, using second screen for reference material/chat/etc. That I understand. Back when I made the mistake of playing WoW I was constantly using laptop for that job while running game on desktop. But the prospect of playing a game and actually using two monitors for the game is still pretty weird. SupCom allows you to put a map on second monitor; I don't know of any other game having that kind of special treatment for additional monitors.

Nice thing with WoW is you can run it on two monitor Eyefinity with the game set to full resolution (say, 3840x1080), use the viewport command to set the render space to 1920x1080, align it to the left monitor, and use the right monitor for quests/map/bags/etc, if you wanted.

EVE Online also lets you run a 2 monitor setup by invoking a 2nd client in slave or something like that, not sure the specifics.