Basic Noob Question but Please Help Anyway!

[Kingfish]

Hey all,

I am just getting to the Eyefinity party and have some basic questions. First, my system (don't know how much of this matters);

Asus P8P67 Deluxe (Rev 3.0)
Intel i5 2500k 3.3GHz (stock for now)
Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 1600 Ram

MSI R6850 Cyclone PE Radeon HD 6850 1GB x2

Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb HDD

Corsair CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.2 PSU

ASUS VH236H Monitor (soon to be x3)

Ok, I hope that covers all the major parts that would be needed.

I plan on connecting the main VH236H to video card via StarTech DP2DVIS DisplayPort to DVI Active Adapter and then DVI the other two from the main video card (so a total of three monitors from that same 'main' HD6850) and then I will CrossfireX the second HD6850 with the main card.when I get them.

So at last my question, will this setup allow me to experience Eyefinity with the three monitors (5760 x 1080) basically enough to make it worth the purchase of the other monitors?

I only play Star Wars The Old Republic really with this rig and with just one HD6850 on max video setting I can get 30-60 fps throughout on 1920x1080.

Will I be able to go moderate setting at least at 5760 x 1080? Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing from those that know. If there is anything else I can add to help break this down, please ask!

K

[Haldi]

if it is an active Dp to DVI adapter that should work!

the problem is more the 1gb VRAM. Thats not much! You will not in all games be able to run AntiAliasing! Dont know exactly when 1GB VRam will be Full, but in 5760x1080 it will be more than in 1920x1080! Increasing further with AA.

[Kingfish]

Thanks for the quick response!

Again, pointing to the "noob" reference...will the second 1GB HD6850 what I will have in Crossfire with the first card...will that help at all or is the second card there only to 'boost' the main card?

Would it make any difference if I dropped the crossfire and used the second card to power the outside monitors?

[Bifurk8]

Hi Kingfish,

I don't have any personal experience with the Old Republic, so I can't say too much about the game and the settings you'll be able to run at.

But, in order for Eyefinity to work for any game, you have to connect all three screens from the same card. If you're thinking about doing Crossfire and Eyefinity together, be aware that the extra card in Crossfire does not raise the overall available graphics memory. So, two 1 GB cards in Crossfire still limits you to 1 GB of total video memory available, not 2 GB. I believe that's because both cards have to keep a copy of the same data in memory.

Haldi's absolutely right that 1 GB of video memory is pushing it at 5760x1080, but I'm satisfied with my performance using a similar, slower setup than you describe. I use 2 X 1 GB 5870s at 5760x1080 and most games run well but require me to drop down to 2X antialiasing or disable antialiasing altogether. On newer games like Battlefield 3 or Skyrim, I have to lower most graphical settings to Medium or High rather than Very High to get a playable framerate.

Another thing to watch out for when running Eyefinity and Crossfire at the same time is microstutter. Haldi's far more knowledgeable about it than me, but the simple explanation is that your framerate will be consistently higher with two cards in Crossfire, but you may see microstutter that makes the framerate seem "choppy" even though your overall FPS are high. There's been lots of speculation about what causes microstutter and some people seem to be bothered by it more than others. My recommendation is to use 1 card for Eyefinity whenever possible, to prevent microstutter. If you don't already have two cards, you may want to try running with just the one card and see if you get acceptable performance at your desired settings. If not, you can always add the second card later.

[Kingfish]

Awesome, thanks for the input!

I had that first 6850 in my old Q6600 system for a while and its worked so well playing The Old Republic on High graphics I decided to match it with an exact 6850 that was on clearance, i mean first one cost me $190 over a year ago and this one was $100 with a $20 MiR so I said 'what the heck'!

I was going to give this a chance and then save up for a 7970 later this year when the good ones drop down to sub $500.

EDIT: actually I may wade into the water a little at a time now that I have thought on it. I may start with a 2GB 6970 and see how it handles what I am doing.

Anyway, I had heard about the micro-stuttering issues and I hope it won't turn out to be a big problem for me...cause I am itching to buy the two matching 23.6" monitors for this system. Thats a LOT of widescreen real-estate and I am kinda psyched about it!

Thanks again and if there are any other thoughts, I will be checking back regularly!

[Bifurk8]

You can have both cards installed but enable/disable Crossfire from the Catalyst Control Center. If you've already got the two cards, try it out single card and in Crossfire mode and see which way you prefer. For games that properly support Crossfire, I usually prefer it enabled, even with microstutter. If you find a game that doesn't work well with Crossfire enabled, you can now use Application Profiles in the Catalyst Control Center to disable Crossfire when the game launches, instead of having to remember to do it manually. I think you have to be running the 12.1 drivers or later to get support for Application Profiles.

I'm looking for an upgrade in the next year too, but I think it's too soon to tell if the 7900 series will be a winner or not. It looks good to me, but I'm still waiting on prices to drop and drivers to mature before taking the plunge.

You'll love Eyefinity once you get it running well for your games. For The Old Republic, be sure to check out the detailed report. It sounds like it works pretty well by default, but you may need to use the Widescreen Fixer to get a centered HUD. Good luck!

[Haldi]

Don't waste your money on a HD6970 buy a HD7950 instead if you want it cheaper! I know there is still a big difference in price, but it's worth the cash! And if you need more performance you could overclock this card and get 10-20% more performance.

[Kingfish]

You guys are great! Thanks for the help.

I am really a dabbler in FPS, flight sims and driving games but I spend 90% of my time on the computer between SWTOR and DDO both seemingly basic MMOs and neither of them will knock your socks off visually.

As I said earlier, I get 30ish FPS with the single HD6850 in SWTOR so unless the micro-stuttering is too much I should be happy with adding another one, at least on my single 23.6 monitor.

I will probably wait to add two more monitors until later this year when I can get a 7950-70 card to replace these.

Again let me thank you for your advice and help!
K

[Kingfish]

Ok...well that ain't gonna work! The micro-stuttering just can't fly...so, I am returning it along with a couple other items and should get about $300 in credit in a month or so :/

Oh well...so, as someone mentioned on here earlier, is the 7950 the best bang for the buck now? I am thinking if I dump another $150 to $200ish into this I can get a single really nice card. Any other suggestions...oh and this has been a nightmare :(

[AussieTimmeh]

I would be buying a single 7950 with as much VRAM as possible, if I was in your situation. 3Gb if possible but 2Gb at a minimum.

[Kingfish]

Thanks Aussie, that's just what I was thinking!

This is the one I am thinking I will be getting...XFX FX 795A

It should handle three monitors at 5760 x 1080, shouldn't it...sure it will :D

[Paradigm Shifter]

I'd only get XFX if their US warranty/support is a lot better than their UK one.

[Kingfish]

Yeah, PS, you may have a point...I always get caught up in believing their "Lifetime" warranty crap.

I may give ASUS a shot then...I like their Mobos and monitors. Maybe this one; Asus HD7950

Well, this board has been a ton of help, thanks to all! Only wish I'd found it a month ago :( Would have saved me a complicated RMA back to Newegg.

[Paradigm Shifter]

Haha, um, while I'd normally recommend Asus wholeheartedly, that particular card appears to have a few issues - the back of the card behind the GPU core breaks 110*C, which it shouldn't do. Word is that Asus knows about it and will sort it for later batches, but it's an oversight that shouldn't have been an issue considering the release delay and extra cost of the card!

Let me see if I can dig up the link/discussion...

http://www.behardware.com/news/12153/asus-hd-7950-directcu-ii-fault-report.html

Here we go...

It's a pity, too, as I was eying up the 7970 DCII.

[Kingfish]

Thanks for the link! Good read and good to know!!!

I am doing a lot of research...it seems the 7970s are having more than the usual issues with drivers so I am leery of getting one of them right now.

I think I will do as suggested an grab a 3gb 7950...its just which one...hopefully the one with the least problems overall.

Still looking...

[Paradigm Shifter]

7970s having issues with drivers? :~ Then surely the 7950s will do as well?

I'm not sure I'd worry too much about it without personal experience - I regularly see nVidia users going "AMD drivrz r teh suxxors!" and other such nonsense... with AMD users returning fire just as well. Check the release notes; if there are serious known issues with a game you want to play, avoid... other than that, I'd give it a go.

[Kingfish]

Again, wisdom...I will probably go ahead and get a 7950, there doesn't seem to be that much difference between 7950s and 7970s and they are both so vastly superior to what I currently have.

I am just hoping someone would have a suggestion as to a brand they trust...I know its taken a WHILE to get to this but, I am a fairly recent convert from the nVidia camp.

So, all your help is greatly appreciated.

[Paradigm Shifter]

If you can find a reference design one, Sapphire, MSI and Powercolor have served me well in the past.

That said, so have XFX... for two cards anyway. The third was an epic headache and their service/support was abysmal.

Gigabyte, like XFX and Gainward/Palit have a nasty habit of altering the reference design in ways undocumented, so that waterblocks etc don't fit. The only difference is that usually XFX, Gainward and Palit modify the reference design in semi-negative ways (fewer power phases, less robust voltage circuitry; stuff like that)... which Gigabyte have a habit of beefing them up. At least, they did the last time I bought a Gigabyte card.

edit: To be honest, unless it's a brand I've had a negative experience of - and would thus avoid - I'll usually just buy the cheapest option. Most hardware fails within the first 90 days if it's going to do it within warranty period, and EU warranties are rarely as generous as US ones... often the manufacturer doesn't seem to realise/care that the minimum warranty is two years due to EU law... and try anything to wriggle out of it.

[Kingfish]

Thats great! I have been extremely happy with the quality of this MSI 6850 I have, really nice fan no issues at all with the card or anything in the year I've had it. That's not what nVidia 'faithful' would lead you to believe and that's the main reason its taken me SO long to actually try one of their graphics cards. Been using nVidia stuff since...before the GT6600, how long has that been? Didn't Monster cards basically turn into nVidia...I had a Viper 330 so yeah, its a real accomplishment to get me fired up about a Radeon card.

I think the main thing I want are the three monitors in Eyefinity...I know two nVidia cards will do it but I am not interested in 3D gaming as much as JUST plain WIDE ANGLE vision.

Anyhoo...thanks again for all the help!

[Paradigm Shifter]

I game in 2D on nVidia Surround. No interest in 3D, either. ;)

I want to try AMD, but that's mostly because AMD actually seem to be taking EyeFinity seriously, while nVidia have so far shown no such attitude toward Surround... I'm left with the impression that for nVidia, at the minute, Surround is just a 'tick box' thing so that AMD can't say, "We can do triplewide! Those others can't..."

That said, aside from highly finnicky drivers, I've been very pleased with my nVidia Surround experiences overall.