Question about running 3 monitors

Annisman*

Golden Member
Aug 20, 2010
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As far as I know you need 2 Nvidia cards to run more than 2 monitors (sounds confusing I know) I would look into ATI, as their single cards can run 3 monitors easily. Now, gaming on 3 monitors is a different issue, what are you planning, to just run 3 monitors, or to game across 3 monitors ?
 

yinan

Golden Member
Jan 12, 2007
1,801
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I am organizing my office and since the TV I have moved up there is so close to my computer, I would like to have the option of using it as a third display. So if I want to watch a movie or something while I have have VMs or web browsers on the other monitors.

I play games occasionally, but when I do that I am fine with 1 monitor.

Are ATI that much worse than nVidia? I have only really used nvidia for a long time.
 

mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
136
I am organizing my office and since the TV I have moved up there is so close to my computer, I would like to have the option of using it as a third display. So if I want to watch a movie or something while I have have VMs or web browsers on the other monitors.

I play games occasionally, but when I do that I am fine with 1 monitor.

Are ATI that much worse than nVidia? I have only really used nvidia for a long time.

Amd(ati) generally speaking has better price/performance, while nvidia has features and drivers, this is changing recently, there is no real "disadvantage" to using amd compared to nvidia, drivers are still sometimes more troublesome with amd then nvidia, but for triple monitor off one card ati is your only option. That being said eyefinity requires at least ONE displayport input, making one if your monitors must have displayport natively or you use an active displayport adapter.
 

Zargon

Lifer
Nov 3, 2009
12,218
2
76
Amd(ati) generally speaking has better price/performance, while nvidia has features and drivers, this is changing recently, there is no real "disadvantage" to using amd compared to nvidia, drivers are still sometimes more troublesome with amd then nvidia, but for triple monitor off one card ati is your only option. That being said eyefinity requires at least ONE displayport input, making one if your monitors must have displayport natively or you use an active displayport adapter.

they can drive 3 displays w/o eyefinity, you just cant meld it into one big display

which you do NOT want to do unless you are gaming on it. generally you make an eyefinity profile and activate it when you want to game, otherwise everytime to maximize a window BAM across all 3, its annoying for general office use.
 

kashwashwa

Member
Sep 13, 2006
90
0
66
they can drive 3 displays w/o eyefinity, you just cant meld it into one big display

which you do NOT want to do unless you are gaming on it. generally you make an eyefinity profile and activate it when you want to game, otherwise everytime to maximize a window BAM across all 3, its annoying for general office use.

You're right about the fact that if you maximize a window it stretches across all three screens, but that's literally the only annoyance with eyefinity I've experienced. The solution is to leave internet browser's windowed.

I've never felt the need to disable eyefinity.
 

Zargon

Lifer
Nov 3, 2009
12,218
2
76
You're right about the fact that if you maximize a window it stretches across all three screens, but that's literally the only annoyance with eyefinity I've experienced. The solution is to leave internet browser's windowed.

I've never felt the need to disable eyefinity.

oh I do it alot on my work machine i run it on

some of the aero shake stuff and drag to side to get it to maximize to half the screen works a lil wierdo

but I maximize windows all the time when working with SQL and ASP so its really inconvenient

in fact I almost never use actual eyefinity on the one machine, just use hte card for its ability to triples with a less than 100 dollar gpu
 

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
32,865
10,993
136
You're right about the fact that if you maximize a window it stretches across all three screens, but that's literally the only annoyance with eyefinity I've experienced. The solution is to leave internet browser's windowed.

I've never felt the need to disable eyefinity.


Cant you use Hydravision/hydragrid to set up 3 grids the same size as each monitor and use the maximise to grid thingy?
 

Synomenon

Lifer
Dec 25, 2004
10,547
6
81
they can drive 3 displays w/o eyefinity, you just cant meld it into one big display

which you do NOT want to do unless you are gaming on it. generally you make an eyefinity profile and activate it when you want to game, otherwise everytime to maximize a window BAM across all 3, its annoying for general office use.
Mine doesn't do that. You can choose to have all three displays act as one big screen or have each monitor be independent of each other (maximize a window in that monitor and it only maximizes in that monitor).