New to Surround

[Strawbs]

Hi,

Have been running an SLI set-up on a single monitor for about 2 years now and decided to purchase a couple more identical screens. My base system set-up is:

3 x HP LP2475w monitors (Native res is 1920 x 1200)
2 x EVGA 285FTW Cards
EVGA SLI Classified Motherboard
i7 920 CPU
6 GB DDR3 Ram

I have switched the option in the NVIDIA Control Panel to Surround and all three monitors have been picked up successfully. I then complete bexel adjustment which results in a resolution of 6060 x 1200. I have also installed display fusion s that I can have profiles that make working with multi-applications snapped to each screen easy. Up until this point everything has gone really well and must say has been quite easy to set-up. However, as soon as I try to run a game the problems start. Upon launching the gaming it appears fine then as soon as the game is supposed to start all screens go black. The monitor lights remain on but there is no graphics on any of the screens and no sound either. I have tried to inttiate a number of games but all end up doing the same things. The games I have tried are Dirt3, Torchlight, World of Tanks and Crysis 2. Being new to the whole surround thing I am not sure if I am missing something really obvious as no games are working at all? I know the graphics cards are probably a bit underpowered for what I am trying and I am looking to see what the Kepler offer is going to be but I was at least expecting to see something running. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Hardware things I have checked so far are:

a) Polarity on Vsync on monitors - All monitors are the same make. The revisions type of the 2 new ones are GIG184 and the revision of the old one is GIG143. Am not expecting it to be different but am trying to check with HP.

b) Have checked on the EVGA Motherboard that both Cards are plugged into x16 pci-e slots - which they are.


Any help or suggestions would be really good as am considering a Kepler upgrade somewhere in the future but did hope to get the bare bones of even a simple game like Torchlight up and running just so I know that it all works.

UPDATE: Have just managed to get Torchlicht to work in Windowed Mode of 4040 * 1024.

Now I'm really lost - any suggestions how to get this to work properly?

[ACHILEE5]

Hi :)

I'd try deleting the games config files!

Also, try installing another game that you don't have any saves or config files for. And see if they will start!

I have problems sometimes with my 120Hz monitor setting my games to 120Hz! I say problems because my two side monitors are 60Hz ones!
So I have to boot into the game with just my 120Hz monitor and set the Hz to 60Hz, and then I can start the games on my three screens :)

[exgringo]

I have only FSX on my PC but sometimes have the same thing happen. With FSX it happens when the Resolution set by the control panel is not adequate for the program. eg I had FSX set for 5970x1080 but the control panel as set for 4800x1020.
Maybe the same is happening to you.
The advice to backup your game .cfg file (I just rename mine) and let the game build a new one may solve it also.
Good Luck

[tricky]

One flag I see when reading your post is the software "DisplayFusion" (which does look pretty cool).

Try disabling that and launching again, it might be interfering. (I know the Matrox PowerDesk software interfered with my media player "Zoom Player").

Second thing I would try is to go into Nvidia Control Panel -> Display -> Change Resolution

and then Customize -> Create Custom Resolutions for the triplewide resolutions if not already existing:

6060x1200x60
5040x1050x60
4340x900x60
etc.

This way the video card will know it can use those resolutions and can report to the game...

Finally, try a game that has native support for triplewide like Alan Wake (some games you have to edit ini files etc).

Good luck! Once you go three-way, you can't play single.

[Kayden]

I hate to break the news to you, but Surround gaming will only works properly with 3x 285 cards. Here is the link from Nvidia.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d-vision-surround-system-requirements.html

They started to make it possible for 2 way SLI for Surround with the 400 series on up.

[Tommy Trauma]

I hate to break the news to you, but Surround gaming will only works properly with 3x 285 cards. Here is the link from Nvidia.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d-vision-surround-system-requirements.html

They started to make it possible for 2 way SLI for Surround with the 400 series on up.

I just switched from my DTH2go over trying to run 2d surround. I'm getting the same blackened screen as the OP. By what I see on that chart, my 295gtx will only do this with 3D projectors? I have the two dvi, and one hdmi cable in and all three screens with a total of reported 5040-1050@ 60hz working correctly.

[Thunderbolt300]

I hate to break the news to you, but Surround gaming will only works properly with 3x 285 cards. Here is the link from Nvidia.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d-vision-surround-system-requirements.html

They started to make it possible for 2 way SLI for Surround with the 400 series on up.

Not quite true... according to that chart, Surround is supported on 2-Way SLI on 200, 400, and 500 series cards, and it will work with LCD's or projectors. I had a double-take at it too when I glanced at it the first time, but there is a division line that doesn't extend all the way. If you go to connector types, it lists the setup configuration for 2-way SLI setup on 200, 400, and 500 series cards.