Eyefinity Resolution/Preformance Question

[Karza]

Hi guys great site!

I have been pondering a three monitor eyefinity setup for some time and would appreciate some input on resolution and your experiences if you would. I recently purchased a 5970 and have a Intel Q9450 CPU clocked at 3.5ghz. I currently game on a 24" Samsung at 1920 X 1200, and have a second 22" 1680 X 1050. I would rather not purchase three new monitors if I could use one of my existing monitors. Bearing cost in mind (my budget and my wants seldom live on the same block), would you suggest going with three 1920 X 1200? Which might be rather expensive for me and perhaps a performance issues at that resolution? Three 1680 X 1050 (less expensive, probably best frame rates and higher game settings? Or last, adding two 22" monitors at 1920 X 1080 and forcing my 1920 X 1200 to that resolution? I know compromises have to be made but would really apprecaite your input so I dont compromise the most enjoyable aspects of eyefinity. Any input you could share regarding gaming quality, screen size, or resolution you might share would be great. Oh and yes I mainly game, love FPS, L4D, Crysis, MW2, ect.


Thanks!

[hunuok]

Hey there,

I believe that "mix and match" monitors can cause headaches.

It is preferable to use the SAME monitors.

Also, if you are running a 5970, running 3 1680x1050 res is a waste IMO.

Yes, you will get better frame rates and be able to run higher settings, but IMO it looks better in a 3 1920x1080 res.

I understand your budget concerns, so maybe you should go with what you have AND then decide.

Good luck.

[Karza]

Thank you very much on the feedback, especially on the 1680X1050 respose.

Thanks!

[Sideeffect]

I think 1920 x 1200 is nicer than 1920 x 1080. You gain some more vertical FOV but the monitors are generally more expensive.

I would say go with 3 1920 x 1200 if you can afford it. 3 of the same or very similar monitors looks nicer and you have less setup issues.

[HowlUK]

A lot of pre-rendered video content, as well as in-engine cutscene content, main menus, loading screens etc. etc. is directed to fit on a 16:9 screen. Probably because of consoles being the main destination for this content and PC's getting all the art assets second hand.

Normally this isn't an issue as on a 16:10 screen you just get weeny black bars that nobody notices. However, in Eyefinity the image will fit the vertical space, which means that it gets horizontally squished out onto your side displays by an inch or so.

Watch some Eyefinity videos on YouTube. Check the loading screens, cutscenes and videos on the 16:10 setups. They all squish over to the side displays and it looks very messy imo. This was a big reason why I opted for 16:9 displays.

I'm really glad I did. Everything fits the centre screen perfectly with no distortion or spillage over to the side displays.

[dmanna]

I think a 24" lcd is the sweet spot for eyefinity and thats what I would have been aiming for if I already didnt have a 22" 1680x1050 in my possesion, I have 3 22" monitors at 3x1680x1050 all of the same brand and while I love my eyefinity set up, having a little more screen realestate on the center panel would be perfect. 5040x1050 on 3 22" monitors is fantastic too, but 3 24" 1920x1200 is the way to go. I myself wouldnt want it any larger.

[phill1978]

yea thats why i went with 16:9 so i would scale instead of stretch :)

[AngelicPenguin]

I use three 24" 1900x1200 screens and it works very well. Keep in mind that the newer drivers have the ability to run a better middle resolution so you can opt for not using 5760x1200 and go to something more like your 1680x1050 on your 1900x1200 screens. Yes it will be blurrier running non-native, but it's a great option to have, as even with a 5970 some games won't play well on all three screens (Crysis, Metro, etc.)

Of course as a last resort, you can always just set the game to 1900x1200 if it really can't run on all three screens well, so it's a win/win.

[Karza]

Awesome advice guys, thanks so much! The input is great and you have already prevented several mistakes I would have made. Would you have any tips concerning monitors you like that may have smaller bezels?

[ChainSOV]

If you game mainly and love FPSs, then a higher resolution just means you have to sit more away from your screens, its the same fov whether you game on 5040x1050 or 5760x1200.


on the other hand, bigger screens cost more, take more deskspace, eat more power and worse of all, they make you a slave for life, a slave that has to buy the next high end gfx card, and the next, and the next, to be able to drive them in a native resolution.

I think a native smaller resolution with some AntiAliasing and other eyecandy is better than a bigger one without AA or blurry scaling.
Screen real estate is only of importance for RTS, MMORPGs or work, in FPS and Racers its just more to render, not more to see.
and going 16:9 just to succumb to crappy console ports, where is your rebel spirit ppl? :D 8)

So my advice would be, get another 2 22" 1680x1050 if they make the same model with display port.

[stangflyer]

If you game mainly and love FPSs, then a higher resolution just means you have to sit more away from your screens, its the same fov whether you game on 5040x1050 or 5760x1200.


on the other hand, bigger screens cost more, take more deskspace, eat more power and worse of all, they make you a slave for life, a slave that has to buy the next high end gfx card, and the next, and the next, to be able to drive them in a native resolution.

I think a native smaller resolution with some AntiAliasing and other eyecandy is better than a bigger one without AA or blurry scaling.
Screen real estate is only of importance for RTS, MMORPGs or work, in FPS and Racers its just more to render, not more to see.
and going 16:9 just to succumb to crappy console ports, where is your rebel spirit ppl? :D 8)

So my advice would be, get another 2 22" 1680x1050 if they make the same model with display port.

I have 3 1680x1050 monitors. One dell native dp and one samsung and a gateway. All black. I do have them color matched pretty well. Since getting the native dp I have not had any problem yet at all. I have not tried bezel management yet though. I have read that may be a issue with 3 diff monitors. To me it is not a big deal yet but I have not played any of my flight sims yet. With the smaller screens you seem to get just enough extra performance to play games with the settings slightly higher then the 1920x1200 and 1080 screens. I like this better but that is my opinion. Good luck with your choices. And yes I did try 3x1920x1200. This is with my i7 920 at 4.0 and my 5970.

[noquarter]

If you game mainly and love FPSs, then a higher resolution just means you have to sit more away from your screens, its the same fov whether you game on 5040x1050 or 5760x1200.


on the other hand, bigger screens cost more, take more deskspace, eat more power and worse of all, they make you a slave for life, a slave that has to buy the next high end gfx card, and the next, and the next, to be able to drive them in a native resolution.

I think a native smaller resolution with some AntiAliasing and other eyecandy is better than a bigger one without AA or blurry scaling.
Screen real estate is only of importance for RTS, MMORPGs or work, in FPS and Racers its just more to render, not more to see.
and going 16:9 just to succumb to crappy console ports, where is your rebel spirit ppl? :D 8)

So my advice would be, get another 2 22" 1680x1050 if they make the same model with display port.

Eh, higher resolution (ie lower dot pitch) allows you to sit closer to your screen without a drop in quality, I guess you just mean the larger screen size means you have to sit further away to take it all in? The edges of the right and left panel are fine in your peripheral so I don't think you need to sit further away..

I do think 1680x1050 is fine, but also on the crappy console ports I think it's best to have a 16:9 center screen to make sure the UI is going to fit since most games are aimed at fitting on 1920x1080. I've played on a 1368x768 24" monitor and it was terrible at the distance you sit from a monitor (~2.5 feet), no AA can fix the gap between pixels.