Widescreen Gaming Forum

I have a situation I am pondering and would like some input to clarify what I am considering and if it would actually work the way I want.

ATM im sitting on a tri monitor Nvidia Surround rig. I am considering adding a 3d monitor to this mix. If so, obviously the 3d monitor would be the center screen.

However my question has to do with how games might possibly span across four potential displays. I know how to set such up in the PC hardware and what all it would take to run 4 active monitors so that is not really my concern. Here is what I would like to do, so can anyone tell me if this could possibly function the way I am hoping it would.

Layout wise I would ideally arrange the monitors in a 3 x 1 landscape + extender arrangement as seen in the arrangement guide.

However, I would like to get games to run that physical arrangement but spanned more the way it would naturally span in a 3x2 landscape arrangement but essentially foregoing the upper two peripheral displays. In such an arrangement the lower 3 would act much as it would in 3x1 landscape, but the upper 4th monitor would hypothetically display peripheral upward view just above head/eye level. In effect becoming 3 directions of peripherial vision instead of just two.

So on the software side, will anything actually utilize or even recognize such an arrangement? Or is it simply a limitation that would make me chose between going either 3x1 Landscaple + extended for an info/non game centric window, or have to go even bigger than I intended to get to 3x2 so it will span peripherail up/down views?

I would appreciate insight into this query as the practicallity and possibilities or not of this will help me decide exactly where I want to get this build to down the road. I appreciate any consideration and thank you in advance for taking the time to read this hypothetical and should you respond.

At present the only solution to incorporating that 4th display for games would be to use "SoftTH" which is a free tool that can setup all sorts of configurations, however it is limited to DX9 only.

viranimus wrote: However, I would like to get games to run that physical arrangement but spanned more the way it would naturally span in a 3x2 landscape arrangement but essentially foregoing the upper two peripheral displays. In such an arrangement the lower 3 would act much as it would in 3x1 landscape, but the upper 4th monitor would hypothetically display peripheral upward view just above head/eye level. In effect becoming 3 directions of peripherial vision instead of just two.

You're essentially saying two different things here.

a 3x2 setup focuses your view on the central horizontal bezel. That is completely different than a 3x1 landscape, and just the peripheral upward view tacked on to it.
And in the 3x1+1 setup, the +1 screen is not usable for gaming. So you essentially game in a 3x1 setup and one non-game monitor. You can mess somewhat with SoftTH, but imo it doesn't give the desired results and I don't ever bother with it anymore.

Svardskampe wrote:

viranimus wrote: However, I would like to get games to run that physical arrangement but spanned more the way it would naturally span in a 3x2 landscape arrangement but essentially foregoing the upper two peripheral displays. In such an arrangement the lower 3 would act much as it would in 3x1 landscape, but the upper 4th monitor would hypothetically display peripheral upward view just above head/eye level. In effect becoming 3 directions of peripherial vision instead of just two.

You're essentially saying two different things here.

a 3x2 setup focuses your view on the central horizontal bezel. That is completely different than a 3x1 landscape, and just the peripheral upward view tacked on to it.
And in the 3x1+1 setup, the +1 screen is not usable for gaming. So you essentially game in a 3x1 setup and one non-game monitor. You can mess somewhat with SoftTH, but imo it doesn't give the desired results and I don't ever bother with it anymore.

Thank you both for responding. Sorry for delay on my end. Real life called.

I basically figured that what I wanted would either be implausible or simply not worth the effort/result so I thank you both for confirmation of that. SoftTH I have tried and I simply do not find it to be much of a solution to anything.

I do appreciate the input and this has helped redirect what I want to do. For all intents I will go with the 3x1+1 layout but instead utilize the +1 monitor as more of a HTPC centric monitor on a swivel to rotate to face toward my bed. Doing this will also allow one monitor to be focused for HDMI plugs for console connections. All in all the input you guys have presented will yield a much more functional usage anyway. Thank you.

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As for layout and simply trying to understand for what may be in the future as I may in time go the route of 3x2 once I have that many to work with. Svardskampe, with what you mention a 3x2 setup are you saying that it basically spans the horiz the same way 3x1 landscape would, but also spans vertical. Hypothetically it would leave a centered reticule between the two center monitors bezel, correct?

I think that might have been my confusion because if that is it, I can visualize what I was thinking having an effect of showing only bottom half of peripheral view, which would yes render what I was thinking useless.

viranimus wrote:
As for layout and simply trying to understand for what may be in the future as I may in time go the route of 3x2 once I have that many to work with. Svardskampe, with what you mention a 3x2 setup are you saying that it basically spans the horiz the same way 3x1 landscape would, but also spans vertical. Hypothetically it would leave a centered reticule between the two center monitors bezel, correct?

I think that might have been my confusion because if that is it, I can visualize what I was thinking having an effect of showing only bottom half of peripheral view, which would yes render what I was thinking useless.

Exactly, a 3x2 setup with only the bottom half will yield only the bottom half of the peripheral view.
What is possible however if you want to extend your setup further with the maximal utlisation of eyefinity/NVsurround is imo the 5x1 in portrait setup. Unlike the 3x2 setup, your central focus is not on a bezel.

What I also do (I just have a simple 3x1 setup), is to attach a raspberry pi to either sides. If I need to browse ingame, I can just keep my fingers on one keyboard and continue gaming, and just change channel of 1 screen to the raspberry pi to browse some guides/a map,...of the game I'm playing. Having one extended screen will still need you to alttab and lose focus if you need anything on that screen.

Apply my raspberry pi solution to your extended screen and I think you will have a more usable setup

You can buy a raspberry pi from element 14 or RS component. It's 30 bucks.