HardOCP´s Kyle review Eyefinity (video)

flopper · Post by **flopper** » 28 Sep 2009, 23:39

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/09/28/amds_ati_eyefinity_technology_review

YouTube · Post by **ViciousXUSMC** » 29 Sep 2009, 06:06

Watched it, was a good watch.

Bad - Guy didnt seem to be too informed, 5770 5750.... its the 5870 and 5850!

But he made up for it when he called the Apple adapter crap lol.

Post by **Mach1.9pants** » 29 Sep 2009, 10:35

Well he didn't say the Apple Adaptor was crap!

He said it was 'shit' :lol:

But I can't believe he was playing WaW without the WSF and L4D/TF2 without modding the HUD config...he needs to get his ass over here and learn how the real pros use 3 screens ;)

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 29 Sep 2009, 12:11

Maybe someone should PM him a link to the widescreen fixer...

...of course, that presumes he doesn't just use it without mentioning us...

Post by **Gilly** » 29 Sep 2009, 12:25

he also says the HDMI is shared with one of the DVI's.

Interesting!

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 29 Sep 2009, 12:35

HDMI is shared with one of the DVI ports.

To be honest, I don't know why AMD/ATi decided on the TMDS transmitter layout they did. It doesn't really appear optimal. Still, there is probably a technical reason for it that I have no idea about.

Post by **Gilly** » 29 Sep 2009, 12:53

i actually get the impression that the 2x DVI + DP is sub optimal.

What i mean by that is that IMO the current option of running eyefinity is NOT what ATi intends people to use. IMO they want people to run out and get the minidp x6 card when it comes out. I get the idea that they are just in a public beta test.

think shortly with DP, when you can run 10bit colour but cant via DVI, etc etc its gonna be a pain in the arse.

no CF, Bezel management support etc all points to it being a feature that they dont want people to maximise yet. Maybe it was rushed to market because they were afraid of the GT300, i dont know.

After a long running respect for ATi drivers, it smacks a little of a hurried release.

It will all be fixed, i know it, 1) it wont matter to me 2) it wont be long (imo :P)

Dave Baumann · Post by **Dave Baumann** » 29 Sep 2009, 13:56

What i mean by that is that IMO the current option of running eyefinity is NOT what ATi intends people to use. IMO they want people to run out and get the minidp x6 card when it comes out. I get the idea that they are just in a public beta test.

You have to cognisent of the current install based - all of our prior high end reference designs for years have been dual DVI, so there is a large install base out there that is set up for that; we have to be able to slot into those systems with the minimum of fuss, but out displayout options still enable people to extend beyond their current capabilities.

I've mentioned this before, but you have to bear in mind that these boards are designed to appeal to everyone who can afford to spend in this price bracket, but also give the abilities, for those that want to, to extend beyond that.

no CF, Bezel management support etc all points to it being a feature that they dont want people to maximise yet. Maybe it was rushed to market because they were afraid of the GT300, i dont know.

Is bezel management the defining feature? Given that we have a hardware that is ready to go into production, we have working, WHQL certified drivers for DX11, etc., etc., the advantages to releasing this now far ouweigh the disadvantages.

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 29 Sep 2009, 14:15

I get the idea behind releasing a dual DVI card. I think many others do too. :)

And no, IMO it was better to release ASAP and get the tech out there - Matrox didn't have bezel management functioning when it launched Triplehead... but the advantages of weeks (possibly months) of sales without the competitions new top-end hardware available is a massive draw for that early launch.

I'm sure many look at EyeFinity and say, "But it doesn't do this, Triplehead can!" while conveniently forgetting that Matrox were in the same (or worse) situation when they launched TripleHead. There was no DVI support. When there was, it required a new device. All the other features of Triplehead have developed over time, they weren't there in the beginning.

Well, actually, from forums other than this one, I see a fair number of people saying "Ha! It's nothing but a gimmick, ATi screwed up this time!" but given that that is pretty much the same FUD they spouted when Bioshock was discovered not to support widescreen in the way the developer promised... I'd ignore them. No tech advances ever come by being conservative. ATi just brought the potential of triple screens to anyone who buys their new cards. Even if it's not used, it's a 'value add' feature that can be utilised if desired. Because there are also a fair number of people saying, "That is cool! I want!" Amusingly, those nay-sayers on other fora appear to be predominantly using nVidia hardware. Take that for what you will.

As drivers mature and features are added, it'll get better. No new graphics tech is completely without issues... DX10 still isn't utilised to it's fullest (although I suspect a fair amount of that is that it's Vista only, and while Vista install base has grown, there is still a significant userbase on XP... and developers don't want to alienate a large chunk of their potential audience before they even start.

However, arguing on the line that the previous high-end cards all had two DVI ports... from that logic I'd conclude that inclusion of three DVIs, rather than 2xDVI, 1xHDMI, 1xDisPort was the way to go with the 'initial' card launch. I don't know if that would be possible, however. :)

whismerhill · Post by **whismerhill** » 29 Sep 2009, 14:17

...

have to agree with this one
besides not every 5870 user/buyer will want to go multiscreen, so bezel management is more of a very nice side feature than a main feature which would have delayed the product launch ...

plus bezel management have its issues too since it involves cutting part of the image it means those parts are blind spots obviously...

Post by **Mach1.9pants** » 29 Sep 2009, 19:56

[quote]...

have to agree with this one
besides not every 5870 user/buyer will want to go multiscreen, so bezel management is more of a very nice side feature than a main feature which would have delayed the product launch ...

plus bezel management have its issues too since it involves cutting part of the image it means those parts are blind spots obviously...

Me too, EF is a free added bonus, to make headlines, take the commercially important 'tech high ground' (and sell cards to muppets like us with more gaming desire than common sense!). If DP is an enabler of this tech, so be it. If making a 3 x 'legacy' display card would cost the consumer 10 bucks more, then they made the right decision. Maybe 1% of users* will use this function and it makes no sense to increase the cost of the card to cater to a percentage of that 1% that already have the 3 monitors. The tech isn't perfect but it is working, the software set up shown on [H] was beautiful, simple and easy.... and better already than Matrox for that. Bezel management will come, I don't use it anyway on Matrox 'cos of the weird bending bug on the left monitor so I won't be losing anything.

Talk if this being a BETA for ATi is disingenuous, this a new tech and will have probs. If you don't like dealing with tech probs then the cutting edge is not for you... it comes with the territory. I say 'bravo', ATi, for putting something new on the market (like PhysiX, CUDA from NVidia); this more mainstream support will help all triple head gamers :)

EDIT: Forgot *: Number pulled out of my ass!

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 29 Sep 2009, 20:06

That last bit is probably the most important for the triplescreeners we already have - with ATi marketing this tech, developer support for triple-wide gaming will improve.

(I hope...)

Post by **Mach1.9pants** » 29 Sep 2009, 20:17

That last bit is probably the most important for the triplescreeners we already have - with ATi marketing this tech, developer support for triple-wide gaming will improve.

(I hope...)

Yeah maybe I should have bolded that entire sentence..... where is the 'pray to the gods of gaming' smiley ?

Post by **BHawthorne** » 29 Sep 2009, 21:37

It's preaching to the choir here but what most consumers don't get is that triple-head has been around for years and game developers are catching on that, while it's a niche market, they need to ensure compatibly. ATI coming into the triple-head game add credibility to those that want to convince game developers that this is really an option that is marketed to the general gamer public and not a hack like many see the TH2G as. While Matrox has some pull over game dev houses adding ATI into the mix just bumped that up a magnitude of consideration now. While I appreciate what Matrox did to make this sort of gaming accessible, I can't take Matrox as serious as a powerhouse in the marketplace as I can with ATI.

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 29 Sep 2009, 21:41

It's preaching to the choir here but what most consumers don't get is that triple-head has been around for years and game developers are catching on that, while it's a niche market, they need to ensure compatibly. ATI coming into the triple-head game add credibility to those that want to convince game developers that this is really an option that is marketed to the general gamer public and not a hack like many see the TH2G as. While Matrox has some pull over game dev houses adding ATI into the mix just bumped that up a magnitude of consideration now. While I appreciate what Matrox did to make this sort of gaming accessible, I can't take Matrox as serious as a powerhouse in the marketplace as I can with ATI.

It is preaching to the choir. But it doesn't make it any less correct, mate. :)

Post by **Mach1.9pants** » 29 Sep 2009, 21:44

Yeah we will have to go through the same 'learning pains' that we did with WS ..accusations of cheating (also used as an excuse by some games: BF2) and general internet bleating... hell it is still around now, remember the rubbish spouted by those supporting Bioshocks original VERT-!

But it will slowly move into the mainstream gaming collective conciousness and more and more acceptance (and support YAY!)

Post by **BHawthorne** » 29 Sep 2009, 22:19

Yeah we will have to go through the same 'learning pains' that we did with WS ..accusations of cheating (also used as an excuse by some games: BF2) and general internet bleating... hell it is still around now, remember the rubbish spouted by those supporting Bioshocks original VERT-!

But it will slowly move into the mainstream gaming collective conciousness and more and more acceptance (and support YAY!)

It's always been my favorite complaint when you have some game fanboy screaming cheaters and it's a -vert game to begin with. It shows an astounding level of ignorance by the average gamer...even after you attempt several times to explain what -vert is. :roll:

At least now we can take our forever stuck as -vert games and portrait rotate our screens into 15:8 aspect ratio and no longer really suffer anymore. Try to do that with a TH2G...lol :wink:

Post by **Mach1.9pants** » 29 Sep 2009, 22:23

Yeah my favourite answer to all those that complain of unfair advantge is that: Ok lets all have 800x600, 400dpi mice, 2 speaker sound, max and min FPS 30, etc...hell go buy a console cry baby :p

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