Who really cares about eyefinity?

Envy

Obliviot
I mean really. It seems more of a nuisance do have 2 parts of the screen cut off by the edges of the monitor. Im not dissing ATI/AMD. I love them but really that shouldnt be a deciding factor. i dont want three screens in front of my face so To see part of the screen I have to move my head. Not trying to sound lazy but really in FPSs it would kind of screw you over plus having the big black bars of monitor blocking making the transition from screen to screen akward. Also who cares about physx or 3D? Those two shouldnt be deciding factors.
 

crowTrobot

E.M.I.
The guys over at HardOCP seem really happy with their Eyefinity and are really recommending it. As for PhysX and 3D Vision, those are deciding factors for me as I have a 3D vision setup now. :) I don't really care for higher frames as I won't need those extra frames for console ports but I want those high frame rates when I have PhysX and 3D Vision enabled.

As they say, don't knock it till you try it!
 

Optix

Basket Chassis
Staff member
Yeah, this...

ATI-Eyefinity-3x2-Codemasters-GRID.jpg


...would really suck. ;)

I do agree with you about the sides of the screens. While they aren't exactly cut off the image is displaced an inch or two from where it should be because of the wide bezel around most screens. There are manufacturers like Samsung who are coming out with slim screens though.

Samsung_Eyefinity6_853.jpg


My decision to get a 5770 doesn't come from the fact it can support multiple monitors because I know that's not a realistic setup for me since I like to do other things like pay rent, eat, save for a house, my child's education and my retirement. I don't care much for PhysX because Nvidia are tools about the whole thing (I'm sure AMD had a hand in some tool-ery too) but DX11 and a higher frame rate sure will be nice.

How's the 3D setup anyway, Crow?
 

crowTrobot

E.M.I.
Will be posting my review on my 100th forum post celebration. lol
Who knew testing multiple video games can be tiresome? :)

Here's a sneak preview: "I LOVE IT!"
 

Envy

Obliviot
Why not just get a really big monitor?
Also, Is this a Canadian site? Because I've noticed both of you are from Canada. Me too. :)
 

Optix

Basket Chassis
Staff member
The canucks are in full effect here it seems. We love our beer, hockey and technology!

I'm with you though, Envy. Owning multiple displays just isn't realistic and to me I just don't get that hardcore into it. Plus I can't put my wallet through the butt hurt that comes with the price tag. I'd rather put out the money for a bad ass system that can give stable, playable frame rates on a single large monitor because I can't have (nor do I need) the best of both worlds.

I have run multiple displays before but not in a game. One was my standard 22" for the game and an an older 19" just for messing around on while I wait for folks to show up in the MMO I was playing. Maybe I would have a different opinion if I used it for gaming.

Besides, when you add more units to the mix that's 5 additional monitors that can die and that's 5 times the possible headache to RMA them.

When I get my 5770 you can be sure that I'm jacking my wife's 22" just to test it. Mwahahaha!
 
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Altrus

Coastermaker
I CARE about PhysX!

Hope that answers you question.


P.S.- Deciding factor in what, exactly?
 
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killem2

Coastermaker
Why not just get a really big monitor?
Also, Is this a Canadian site? Because I've noticed both of you are from Canada. Me too. :)

You cannot get a single monitor to do the resolutions that 3-6 can in combination.

Me?

Projectors please.
 

Rob Williams

Editor-in-Chief
Staff member
Moderator
Optix said:
I do agree with you about the sides of the screens. While they aren't exactly cut off the image is displaced an inch or two from where it should be because of the wide bezel around most screens. There are manufacturers like Samsung who are coming out with slim screens though.

The 10.2 driver should help that a lot. I am guessing that the stock photo you have above was taken a while ago, when the bezel support wasn't so good. As a side note, you've gotta love how excited the girl is when all the guy is doing is driving in a straight line during a replay. Ahh, marketing.

I admit that the bezels even with the correction in place aren't ideal. Nothing is going to beat no bezel at all. We have a 6-monitor (3x2) setup in our lab and from my limited testing so far, I can honestly say that 3x1 is where it's at. 3x2 is nice in some regards, but when in that configuration, you're essentially moving from having 2 bezels splitting up your gameplay to 7... that's quite the jump. At that point, it almost makes more sense to get a larger computer screen (30") or TV that supports 1080p. You'll have a lower resolution, but you'll be sitting back anyway, so it's not going to be that noticeable one would imagine.

3x1 is fantastic though, I love it. People always say that after a while, you don't even notice the bezels, and it's absolutely true. This is especially true in racing games where you are so intently focusing on just driving. The two side monitors do well to immerse you in the gameplay. As you can see in that stock screenshot again though, just look at the gameplay... your car is on the bottom monitor, and your road is on the top. That is NOT fun, and doesn't do well to immerse you near as much as it should.

I've only done very light testing on our 3x2 setup so far though, but will shift focus to it within the next week and develop some better thoughts about it all.

Envy said:
Also, Is this a Canadian site? Because I've noticed both of you are from Canada. Me too.

The site is technically based in the US, but it's incorporated in Canada. Staff-wise, both Bill (b1lk1) and I live in Canada, while the rest are in the US and UK. Our servers are in Chicago :)
 

Psi*

Tech Monkey
Respectively, the "guy" looks to be 10 or 11 years old.:rolleyes: About the same for the girl.

Anyway, I am anxious to get to a state of having 2 or 3 monitors to try this out. I some how feel that there will be a need for an up graded sound system also. So this will equal a time when I have money to burn again (here's hopin')
 

b1lk1

Tech Monkey
I care about Eyefinity. I'd LOVE to get a good setup going as us driving game nuts get an insane experience running a setup like this. There is a guy on Google running 3 47"plasma TVs with Eyefinity and it is simple AWESOME!
 

DaddyRabbit

Obliviot
What do you mean by "The GPU doesn't work?" o_O Those vids are just of the screens arent they?

I said the GPU does the work, the GPUs are powerful enough now to effectively drive three monitors from one card at high resolutions and good frame rates and the cpus can now feed them.

I remember back in 2002 reading reviews of "Surround Gaming" which used a triple head Parahelia and supported Quake. The idea is pretty old but the tech is just now truly catching upin capability and price to the home user crowd that can't afford an SGI or two :)
 

Envy

Obliviot
I said the GPU does the work, the GPUs are powerful enough now to effectively drive three monitors from one card at high resolutions and good frame rates and the cpus can now feed them.

I remember back in 2002 reading reviews of "Surround Gaming" which used a triple head Parahelia and supported Quake. The idea is pretty old but the tech is just now truly catching upin capability and price to the home user crowd that can't afford an SGI or two :)

Oops sorry I read that wrong. Ya, I understand a bit now. I can't believe how far GPUs and graphics have come along in such a short span of time.
 

DaddyRabbit

Obliviot
Multiple ones.

I think it would be easier to adjust projectors and screens so that you have a nearly seamless view as projectors don't have bezels. You could even custom build a curved screen then it's just a matter of ajusting the projectors and turn off bezel compensation and you're golden. They do this in flight simulator trainers all the time. three projectors would be way more costly than three 24" LCD panels though methinks :(
 

b1lk1

Tech Monkey
Finding 3 1080p projectors for under $5000 would be a feat in itself. I still prefer using 3 largescreen LCD/plasma TV's as have a 47"+ center screen would negate the problem with bezels completely to the average person's eye. I've played on 3 22" screens and it only takes the mind about 5-10 minutes to block out the bezels.
 

killem2

Coastermaker
Finding 3 1080p projectors for under $5000 would be a feat in itself. I still prefer using 3 largescreen LCD/plasma TV's as have a 47"+ center screen would negate the problem with bezels completely to the average person's eye. I've played on 3 22" screens and it only takes the mind about 5-10 minutes to block out the bezels.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824219062
x3

Would be under 3k :) I don't have that money but boy it would be fun. Imagine 6! :D
 
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