- Oct 17, 2005
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Hi everyone. I have a PC with 3 screens, 24" 1920x1200 60hz IPS panels hooked to two GTX 680s in SLI.
Let me start with this: when it works, it is WONDERFUL. I played Bioshock: Infinite on it and it was BEAUTIFUL.
But.
I have found NVIDIA Surround to be a GIANT PAIN IN THE ARSE over the time I've tried to use it. When in 2D mode (Windows desktop), window management sucks. Windows sees the desktop as one screen and then the NVIDIA drivers step in and try to lock windows to each real monitor, but they don't really work right. You get artifacts like weird borders around Chrome windows and the Start menu on Windows 10 doesn't look right and blah blah.
I can turn SLI off and get all three screens working "natively" in 2D, but then the monitor order changes and I have to rearrange the screens manually so my cursor travels properly between the displays.
Then I get to a game where I don't have enough GPU power to drive 5760x1200 pixels, or the game just plain ol' doesn't understand 48:10 aspect ratio (Skyrim), and I want to run in regular SLI (one monitor, 1920x1200). I only get TWO monitors in 2D! One display has to go dead. ARGH!
Has anything improved in the latest generation of video cards, AMD or NVIDIA?
I want to play my 3x 1920x1200 setup with one video card for last-gen games (Dishonored is what I'm working through right now) without breaking the bank. Is this possible?
Would adding a second card later for more "jam" (Crossfire/SLI) screw everything up again with the inconvenience factor?
Does this work AT ALL if I had an unlimited budget? I'm probably going to toss the 3-monitor setup for a single ultrawide 34" 21:9 display when I can afford it, but that's down the road a long ways. SLI 980 Tis or Crossfire Fury Xs and the 34-incher would set me back like $3000 Canadian.
Let me start with this: when it works, it is WONDERFUL. I played Bioshock: Infinite on it and it was BEAUTIFUL.
But.
I have found NVIDIA Surround to be a GIANT PAIN IN THE ARSE over the time I've tried to use it. When in 2D mode (Windows desktop), window management sucks. Windows sees the desktop as one screen and then the NVIDIA drivers step in and try to lock windows to each real monitor, but they don't really work right. You get artifacts like weird borders around Chrome windows and the Start menu on Windows 10 doesn't look right and blah blah.
I can turn SLI off and get all three screens working "natively" in 2D, but then the monitor order changes and I have to rearrange the screens manually so my cursor travels properly between the displays.
Then I get to a game where I don't have enough GPU power to drive 5760x1200 pixels, or the game just plain ol' doesn't understand 48:10 aspect ratio (Skyrim), and I want to run in regular SLI (one monitor, 1920x1200). I only get TWO monitors in 2D! One display has to go dead. ARGH!
Has anything improved in the latest generation of video cards, AMD or NVIDIA?
I want to play my 3x 1920x1200 setup with one video card for last-gen games (Dishonored is what I'm working through right now) without breaking the bank. Is this possible?
Would adding a second card later for more "jam" (Crossfire/SLI) screw everything up again with the inconvenience factor?
Does this work AT ALL if I had an unlimited budget? I'm probably going to toss the 3-monitor setup for a single ultrawide 34" 21:9 display when I can afford it, but that's down the road a long ways. SLI 980 Tis or Crossfire Fury Xs and the 34-incher would set me back like $3000 Canadian.