Dell 2407WFP/B?

[DFischer]

Is the Dell 2407WFP or 2407WFPB good for 3x Eyefinity gaming or not really? I already have one 2407WFP I could pick up 2 more for $200 each on craigslist.

[Paradigm Shifter]

While I've not got direct experience of the 2407, I've got two of it's older brother (the 2405) and a 2410 set up in nVidia Surround and it works very well.

[DFischer]

Ah, okay. So it being TFT isn't the end of the world?

You need to get an adapter for those displays right? If I use Eyefinity that is... NVidia it would work straight "out of the box?" So to speak... Thanks.

I'm curious if it's better to get two more 2407 WFP's or just get brand new monitors off of newegg now for $200. Which would be better?

[Paradigm Shifter]

Yes, nVidia would work 'out of the box' but you need two GPUs to do it. And frankly, nVidia shows very little interest in fixing bugs/adding features to nV Surround compared to AMD and EyeFinity. But it's a good solution when it works, which is 99% of the time provided the game will support triplewide resolutions. ;)

And no, TFT isn't the end of the world... all flatscreens are TFT. Except plasma telly's obviously. But if you're worried about 'LED'... it just means the backlight. An LED monitor will use LED backlights as opposed to the classic CCFL backlights.

You'll need one Single-Link DisplayPort to DVI adaptor, there should be links for where to get 'em in other threads in the EyeFinity forum. :)

[DFischer]

Sorry, I edited my post right when you posted that so including something I added:

I'm curious if it's better to get two more 2407 WFP's or just get brand new monitors off of newegg now for $200 each. Which would be better?

And really, nVidia isn't showing much interest in 3 monitor gaming? Hmm. Do you think it's just a fad or is it here to stay? Is PhysX on nVidia cards much of a benefit or not really?

[Paradigm Shifter]

Well, it's not that they're not showing interest... it's just that they don't seem to have the enthusiasm for Surround that AMD does for EyeFinity. It's like they're using it as a tick-box feature for competition comparison - "What, you mean they can do triplewide gaming? Hell, so can we!" (tick)

You need to make sure you're running monitors that are all the same if you want bezel compensation for EyeFinity. If you mix and match monitors it won't allow you to do bezel correction. Which sucks.

PhysX is pretty much a gimmick unless you play a relatively small selection of games... and even then the PhysX effects can't be too much of an essential as that instantly means the dev cuts their target audience down by a large percentage.

I like my 2405s. I like my 2410. If I had been able to get a third 2405, I'd have done that and probably gone the EyeFinity route. If I was going after all-new monitors, I'd look at getting three of the Dell U2311H, which has a DisplayPort for easier EyeFinity.

You need to decide whether you want to go single GPU with adaptor route, single GPU with three new monitors (with DisplayPort) or two GPUs and whatever monitor combination. :(

[DFischer]

I think I have to go the dual GPU route either way to get any playable framerates at multiple-monitor setup. Isn't that right?

For example, playing Metro 2033 on 3 monitors would require at least 2x 6950's, and I doubt that would be at any respectable quality.

I think I have to get either 2x nVidia GTX 570's or 2x nVidia 6970's. ~$700

I can either use 3 Dell 2407WFP's (use the one I have now, and get 2 more on craigslist for $200 each) ~400

vs.

I can get 3 new monitors on Newegg for $200. I'd do this if the monitors on newegg are better quality than the dell. I'm not sure how to gauge this though?

I would get those new Dell panels you mentioned but they're $300 a pop and that turns this from $400/$600 to $900 and that's a bit much I think.

[Paradigm Shifter]

The Dell 2407 is a PVA type panel IIRC, which is not as good as IPS, but miles better than TN type, which I suspect those $200 monitors will be.

I think a single 6970 should cope with everything bar Metro 2033, to be honest (and even multiple top-end cards struggle with that in Surround).

I understand that getting three 2311H's is probably pushing the budget too much. ;) Although if they're $300 apiece, they're a lot better value in the States than they are in the UK (where they're ~£265 although they're not badly priced here for an IPS panel. :)

I'd probably try out twin GTX570s and get two more 2407s (I vastly prefer 1920x1200 to 1920x1080). But check out the GTX460 1GB vs. 2GB VRAM comparisons here - more VRAM helps a lot.

[Gilly]

The Dell 2407 is a PVA type panel IIRC, which is not as good as IPS, but miles better than TN type, which I suspect those $200 monitors will be.

I think a single 6970 should cope with everything bar Metro 2033, to be honest (and even multiple top-end cards struggle with that in Surround).

I understand that getting three 2311H's is probably pushing the budget too much. ;) Although if they're $300 apiece, they're a lot better value in the States than they are in the UK (where they're ~£265 although they're not badly priced here for an IPS panel. :)

I'd probably try out twin GTX570s and get two more 2407s (I vastly prefer 1920x1200 to 1920x1080). But check out the GTX460 1GB vs. 2GB VRAM comparisons here - more VRAM helps a lot.

What he said :)

[DFischer]

The Dell 2407 is a PVA type panel IIRC, which is not as good as IPS, but miles better than TN type, which I suspect those $200 monitors will be.

I think a single 6970 should cope with everything bar Metro 2033, to be honest (and even multiple top-end cards struggle with that in Surround).

I understand that getting three 2311H's is probably pushing the budget too much. ;) Although if they're $300 apiece, they're a lot better value in the States than they are in the UK (where they're ~£265 although they're not badly priced here for an IPS panel. :)

I'd probably try out twin GTX570s and get two more 2407s (I vastly prefer 1920x1200 to 1920x1080). But check out the GTX460 1GB vs. 2GB VRAM comparisons here - more VRAM helps a lot.

Got it - I'm scouring craigslist now for 2407's. I just got a bit of christmas money as well so now I'm thinking about going for the 2311H's or even more daringly 2410's (ouch $1,500!)

Also, regarding the video card. You recommend the GTX 570's over 2x 6970's? Main reason I ask, if RAM is such a big issue wouldn't the 6970's offer more performance at a higher resolution?

[DFischer]

Found this =>

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Dell-UltraSharp-U2311-H-23-Monitor-U2311H-/150533350299?pt=Computer_Monitors&hash=item230c7ca39b#ht_2785wt_1142

Good deal?

[Paradigm Shifter]

Yeah, that seems a good deal. If money was no object, I'd say go triple 2410. I like that monitor a lot. But $1500 seems a lot... :(

The reason I'd go 570SLI over 6970CF is basically because CrossFire and EyeFinity can be a bit of a hit-or-miss combination. The games that work, work great. The games that don't... end up monumental headaches. Of course, the same can be said of SLI, and EyeFinity is a more elegant solution, being hardware based.

If you're going to go for the U2311H's I would try a single 6970 first, with the option to get a second if one doesn't give you enough performance. With getting DisplayPort capable monitors, the disadvantage of EyeFinity (requiring one monitor to be on the DisplayPort out) is inconsequential - it's only if you were running tri-2407 that the nVidia solution would be easier... the DisplayPort->DVI adaptors have a bit of a past for being finnicky, as can be attested to in various threads in the EyeFinity subforum. ;) But no adaptor means no headache. ;)

[DFischer]

Yeah, that seems a good deal. If money was no object, I'd say go triple 2410. I like that monitor a lot. But $1500 seems a lot... :(

The reason I'd go 570SLI over 6970CF is basically because CrossFire and EyeFinity can be a bit of a hit-or-miss combination. The games that work, work great. The games that don't... end up monumental headaches. Of course, the same can be said of SLI, and EyeFinity is a more elegant solution, being hardware based.

If you're going to go for the U2311H's I would try a single 6970 first, with the option to get a second if one doesn't give you enough performance. With getting DisplayPort capable monitors, the disadvantage of EyeFinity (requiring one monitor to be on the DisplayPort out) is inconsequential - it's only if you were running tri-2407 that the nVidia solution would be easier... the DisplayPort->DVI adaptors have a bit of a past for being finnicky, as can be attested to in various threads in the EyeFinity subforum. ;) But no adaptor means no headache. ;)

Great feedback yet again.

Something I realized that the 2311 has over the 2410 is the IPS technology. That's a big factor isn't it? I've never used a 1080p in my life before. I have been using my 1200p for a long time. Does it really suck that bad? I'm not entirely in a bad place with money, however I'm quite stingy and yeah... $1500 seems a lot of bones to spend on a monitor setup.

Would there be a better monitor on Newegg.com that is <$300 like the u2311 but better quality?

[DFischer]

Yeah, that seems a good deal. If money was no object, I'd say go triple 2410. I like that monitor a lot. But $1500 seems a lot... :(

The reason I'd go 570SLI over 6970CF is basically because CrossFire and EyeFinity can be a bit of a hit-or-miss combination. The games that work, work great. The games that don't... end up monumental headaches. Of course, the same can be said of SLI, and EyeFinity is a more elegant solution, being hardware based.

If you're going to go for the U2311H's I would try a single 6970 first, with the option to get a second if one doesn't give you enough performance. With getting DisplayPort capable monitors, the disadvantage of EyeFinity (requiring one monitor to be on the DisplayPort out) is inconsequential - it's only if you were running tri-2407 that the nVidia solution would be easier... the DisplayPort->DVI adaptors have a bit of a past for being finnicky, as can be attested to in various threads in the EyeFinity subforum. ;) But no adaptor means no headache. ;)

Another reason why I like the nVidia cards is because they run cooler or at least "less loud" than the HD 69x0's...
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I wish I didn't have the option to choose between 3 screens and 1 30" - I keep hearing so many different sides.

Dell U3011's on refurb for $900. Seems like a good deal.
Also Dell u2311's on refurb for $280 each. $900ish total

Or pick up two more 2407WFP's for $200 each and try that out - if it sucks / quality isn't high enough resell it and then try to get a 30"?

Think I'm going to do that, small initial investment with possibility to pivot in another direction easier.

Why are my decisions so damn fickle? I feel insane.
---

Since I am trying the 2407's first I'm probably going to lean towards picking up the nVidia cards but there's a part of me that feels/thinks the performance of the 6970 may increase with better drivers + better overall multi-monitor support since it has more ram. However I could say "fuck money" and just get a GTX 580 SLI and then I'd have the same amount of ram as 6970's...

[Paradigm Shifter]

AFAIK, the U2410 is also IPS, just like the U2311H. :) I don't know of any monitor that is DisplayPort and IPS that is cheaper than the U2311H - Dell are usually the forerunner in lower-priced high-quality monitors: they practically pioneered the PC widescreen route with the 2005FPW and 2405FPW, for a long time you basically had the choice between Apple Cinema Display or Dell monitors if you wanted a widescreen outside of a laptop.

I've had an extremely positive experience of my nVidia GTX460s (amazing cards for the money) and an (almost) as good experience of GTX470s, but don't know about the GTX500 series. They're reported to have better coolers and therefore run cooler and quieter.

...

I'll ask one question that might help you decide on a single 30"er or triplewide: do you do any Photoshop or other graphic work, because I find Photoshop work fairly hard on triplewide, so would suggest that perhaps a single 30"er would be better for that. If what you primarily do is game, then triplewide is a better option.

I hope you enjoy your experiences, with whatever route you finally choose. We'll still be here to help whether you're running a single monitor or triplewide. ;)

[DFischer]

AFAIK, the U2410 is also IPS, just like the U2311H. :) I don't know of any monitor that is DisplayPort and IPS that is cheaper than the U2311H - Dell are usually the forerunner in lower-priced high-quality monitors: they practically pioneered the PC widescreen route with the 2005FPW and 2405FPW, for a long time you basically had the choice between Apple Cinema Display or Dell monitors if you wanted a widescreen outside of a laptop.

I've had an extremely positive experience of my nVidia GTX460s (amazing cards for the money) and an (almost) as good experience of GTX470s, but don't know about the GTX500 series. They're reported to have better coolers and therefore run cooler and quieter.

...

I'll ask one question that might help you decide on a single 30"er or triplewide: do you do any Photoshop or other graphic work, because I find Photoshop work fairly hard on triplewide, so would suggest that perhaps a single 30"er would be better for that. If what you primarily do is game, then triplewide is a better option.

I hope you enjoy your experiences, with whatever route you finally choose. We'll still be here to help whether you're running a single monitor or triplewide. ;)

I asked about the u2311H's on another forum and they said they had those and had a pretty bad experience with them for gaming. Instead they are thinking about getting these 3x => http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236047 (Asus 25.5)

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I'm going to be using this computer *only* for gaming. So I guess I should pick up 2x 2407's. I'm worried about a couple small things when buying 2407's off of craigslist. This monitor is going to be 4 years old come 2011 right? Do these monitors fail after a while? If the revision number is off will my color be off between each one? I can calibrate it somehow, yes, or?

Since I'm getting either 2 more 2407's or 30" it seems that I'll have to go the 570/580 route unless I want to deal with an adapter.

[Paradigm Shifter]

I always take recommendations of "gaming" monitors (like those 2ms Asus ones) with a sceptical eye/ear. Reason being... they're TN type panels and I'd rather have a slightly slower response time than I would have 6-bit colour with dithering, as it looks nothing like a good quality IPS 8-bit panel. And given how important graphics have become in games, it seems a bit daft to have a system that can play Crysis/Metro 2033/insert-system-killer-here and automatically cripple your viewing quality by having a 6-bit TN screen.

Simple question: do you game without issues on your 2407? If so, a 2311H isn't going to be an issue.

Yeah, the 2407 will become four years old next year. But I look at it this way: my 2405s are just 7 or 8 weeks away from their 5 year warranty expiring (which I hadn't actually thought about for ages) and they're still going strong. They've been all over the country, too, so they've had their fair share of being packed up and manhandled. I'm always dubious about buying second hand stuff; I picked up my U2410 as a refurb in the hope it'd be OK, and it was absolutely perfect... so maybe have a look for refurb 2410s if you're nervous about buying from Craigslist?

You can calibrate your monitors to get them as close as possible; I can't guarantee it'll be perfect though. I did my 2405/2410/2405 setup 'by eye' and they're pretty close; in gaming the colour tint difference on the 2410 isn't noticeable. Aside from that, you'll focus on the centre monitor, with the two side monitors being peripheral vision so you won't look to the sides too much. Or I don't.

[DFischer]

Thanks for that feedback.

So, I made the following decision:

Buy two more 2407's AND buy a 3007WFP-HC.

I'm nuts. But hey, I couldn't make a decision.

Reason why I chose both though, is because I think I can find them both cheap. Well, found a 3007WFP-HC for $750. Is that a good deal?

2407's $200 a pop.

[Paradigm Shifter]

A 30" monitor for $750 is a very good deal! (IMO)

Bear in mind the 3007 has only one DVI port, nothing else in terms of connectivity, and no internal scaling hardware, so if you run anything at non-native res, you'll need to use the GPUs for scaling. Which isn't a problem. ;) However, the 3007 has some of the lowest lag of any TFT monitor as the signal doesn't have to go through lots of electronics before it gets displayed! :D

[DFischer]

I just found a local who would sell a u2711 for $600. That seems like a pretty good deal. No?

I was talking to a firne dabout the 3007WFP-HC and he said it's "ok at $750" but monitor is notorious for backlighting problems.