Matrox tripleHead2Go, or an ATi card capable of Eyefinity? - Hardware & Software

I'm turning 17 in about 2 weeks, and my dad has offered to get me either a newer ATi card, such as a 5850 or a 5870, or one of those TripleHead2Go things. I already have a 4870x2, and 3 monitors, though they aren't all the same size, i'm not sure if this matters. here you can see my monitor setup, the middle monitor is a 16:10 1680x1050 21.5" monitor, i believe, and the other two are 4:3 1600x1200 20" monitors [img_thumb]http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p92/suicidalvoters/0115002104.jpg[/img_thumb] click it. I'm mostly interested into this whole triple screen gaming thing and I currently can't do it. I'm not aware as to whether all the monitors need to be the same size for the TH2G or Eyefinity. I would just get the TH2G, but i'm not sure if it supports as much games as Eyefinity might or vice versa, if they do pretty much the same thing i'd just go for the TH2G seeing as my current graphics card is good enough for anything i'd have to do and well you know please halp. specs (if they matter) ASUS P6T6 WS revolution motherboard Intel core i7 920 @2.66Ghz ATi Radeon HD 4870x2 2gb 12gb ram 750w psu.

Unrelated but how much did your rig cost, not counting the monitors just the PC itself.

I'd get a TH2G. I'm pretty sure eyefinity is only on the 5970 with the display ports anyway.

[QUOTE=DJWulf;19773620]Unrelated but how much did your rig cost, not counting the monitors just the PC itself.[/QUOTE] My dad's place of work paid for them, i never really estimated what it's worth. he managed all the computers at an oil plant and they'd just buy package deals but never used all of it. so he'd periodically bring things home. They're closing the plant and he's getting laid off though :\ i doubt anyone would really need 12gb of ram, but it was laying around so why not put it in? [editline]11:57PM[/editline] [QUOTE=Zombii;19773632]I'd get a TH2G. I'm pretty sure eyefinity is only on the 5970 with the display ports anyway.[/QUOTE] are you sure? [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121345]This[/url] says that the 5870 comes packaged with eyefinity. and what is displayport? is it just another type of connection like analog or DVI? [B]Edit:[/B] I have to go to bed, i'll check this thread in the morning and i'll answer any more questions that need answering, thanks though!

[quote]Can I use differently sized monitors? Compatibility is determined by resolution, not screen size. While it is possible to use differently sized monitors, all displays connected to TripleHead2Go must run at the same resolution and refresh rate. For the best multi-monitor experience, we recommend using monitors that have the same maximum resolution.[/quote] Off of Matrox's FAQ page. If you want the triple monitor gaming you are going to have to get a 5 series card and an [i]active[/i] displayport adapter if your monitors do not natively support it.

[QUOTE=Veers;19773946]Off of Matrox's FAQ page. If you want the triple monitor gaming you are going to have to get a 5 series card and an [i]active[/i] displayport adapter if your monitors do not natively support it.[/QUOTE] That's probably the most definitive answer i'll find, thank you! now i'm off to bed for real.

[QUOTE=Zombii;19773632]I'd get a TH2G. I'm pretty sure eyefinity is only on the 5970 with the display ports anyway.[/QUOTE] even the 5750 has eyefinity

I'm fairly sure that only displayport can do it though. Although I don't know. I own an NVIDIA card.

[QUOTE=Zombii;19774681]I'm fairly sure that only displayport can do it though. Although I don't know. I own an NVIDIA card.[/QUOTE] There are 2 dvis that can do it.

Get the 5870.

Triplehead2go maxes out at 3x1680x1050, and all monitors must be the same resolution. Eyefinity has no limit besides ports on the card, all of them are dual link so they can handle 2560x1600. I say go with eyefinity or wait till march and see if nVidia's card has an equivalent by then.

The eyefinity isn't support based it splits the video to the different screens anything works.

If you had a 1920 x 1200 then the res would link up just fine, but I dont know if the different ratios will mess up

I'm afraid you're fucked. Neither TripleHead2Go nor Eyefinity supports differing resolutions. Your only option is SoftwareTH, which is [B]really[/B] slow. You might as well try rendering ray tracing in realtime. (You would also have to find a way to hook up a third monitor with that setup.)

Don't use the middle monitor while using multiple monitors is all I'd have to say for this. Or if you got enough money, just go out and snag another 1600x1200. Then you won't have any problems besides being amazed by 3 monitors playing games.

Besides, you have 2DVI ports a displayport on the 5xxx series that support Eyefinity. But you need a displayport to DVI adapter for that and those roughly cost a hundred bucks.

[QUOTE=abcpea;19773997]even the 5750 has eyefinity[/QUOTE] Only 2 monitor support though.

[QUOTE=MachiniOs;19781266]Only 2 monitor support though.[/QUOTE] No 3 monitors.

[QUOTE=ShitBalls;19781244]Besides, you have 2DVI ports a displayport on the 5xxx series that support Eyefinity. But you need a displayport to DVI adapter for that and those roughly cost a[B] hundred bucks[/B].[/QUOTE] wut

[QUOTE=1/4 Life;19780401]I'm afraid you're fucked. Neither TripleHead2Go nor Eyefinity supports differing resolutions. Your only option is SoftwareTH, which is [B]really[/B] slow. You might as well try rendering ray tracing in realtime. (You would also have to find a way to hook up a third monitor with that setup.)[/QUOTE] seriously? that blows. well my mom has the same monitor as my 4:3s so maybe i can trade my middle one for hers.

[QUOTE=Sgt Pringles;19782434]wut[/QUOTE] [url]http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Cables/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=330-5521[/url]

4870x2 is on par with the 5870. I say get a th2g.

[QUOTE=MTMod;19784562][URL]http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Cables/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=330-5521[/URL][/QUOTE] why the fuck are they so expensive?

[QUOTE=Sgt Pringles;19786729]why the fuck are they so expensive?[/QUOTE] Because displayport is from the fucking future. Copied from wikipedia: [QUOTE=Wiki]Advantages over DVI Slimmer cables and a much smaller connector that doesn't require thumbscrews; connector pins don't run the risk of bending if improperly handled. Based on micro-packet protocol. Allows easy expansion of the standard Multiple video streams over single physical connection (introduced in version 1.2) Long-distance transmission over fiber optic media Designed to support internal chip-to-chip communication Can drive display panels directly, eliminating scaling and control circuits and allowing for cheaper and slimmer displays Aimed to replace internal LVDS links in notebook panels with a unified link interface Compatible with low-voltage signalling used with 45 nm CMOS fabrication Supports both RGB and YCbCr encoding formats Auxiliary channel can be used for transmitting bi-directional USB, touch-panel data, etc. Fewer lanes with embedded self-clock, reduced RFI.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=sbradford26;19781658]No 3 monitors.[/QUOTE] I remember reading a review in CustomPC where it said it was 2 screen only.

[QUOTE=MachiniOs;19788938]I remember reading a review in CustomPC where it said it was 2 screen only.[/QUOTE] It's 2 screen for DVI. You can add 1 more with the displayport.

[QUOTE=1/4 Life;19780401]I'm afraid you're fucked. Neither TripleHead2Go nor Eyefinity supports differing resolutions. Your only option is SoftwareTH, which is [B]really[/B] slow. You might as well try rendering ray tracing in realtime. (You would also have to find a way to hook up a third monitor with that setup.)[/QUOTE] are you sure? on [url=http://www.amd.com/US/PRODUCTS/TECHNOLOGIES/EYEFINITY/WHATISEYEFINITY/Pages/what-is-eyefinity.aspx]this page[/url] they show pictures like this: [img]http://www.amd.com/PublishingImages/Public/Graphic_BrandElements/767widejpg/whatiseye_3mon_entimg_767x282.jpg[/img] so wouldn't that be like 1080x1920 _ 1920x1080 _ 1920x1080? Is there an FAQ for Eyefinity anywhere on the AMD website? i can't find anything but videos of people playing with eyefinity ._.

[QUOTE=Hell Strike;19793274]are you sure? on [URL="http://www.amd.com/US/PRODUCTS/TECHNOLOGIES/EYEFINITY/WHATISEYEFINITY/Pages/what-is-eyefinity.aspx"]this page[/URL] they show pictures like this: [img_thumb]http://www.amd.com/PublishingImages/Public/Graphic_BrandElements/767widejpg/whatiseye_3mon_entimg_767x282.jpg[/img_thumb] so wouldn't that be like 1080x1920 _ 1920x1080 _ 1920x1080? Is there an FAQ for Eyefinity anywhere on the AMD website? i can't find anything but videos of people playing with eyefinity ._.[/QUOTE] Not like I know anything about eyefinity but what's special about being able to have a web browser open, along with a movie/TV show while playing a game? I do it all the time.

Pretty much out of the box eyefinity supports two monitors through the 2 dvi's. To get your 3rd monitor to work, at all, you need a display port to dvi adapter like the guy posted before, the dell site. You need this one as it needs an active display port connector, needs power or something. At the moment no ati card is fit for 3 screen eyefinity as you need the extra adapter. Triple head to go is old eyefinity will definitely have way more support in the future. I'd try and look for a 5870/5850 with 3 dvi ports, I don't know if anyone has added another dvi to the board, but there definitely is a market for it. Tl;dr: /thread. I don't own any of this shit. Just reiterating a solution me and a few people came to for this problem. Also other places sell display port adapters. They ain't cheap and won't get much cheaper. I'd personally pocket the money and wait for an eyefinity card with 3 dvi's or at least a vga or something. With TH2Go you get hardware, works can be a temporary solution. Nvidia has new eyefinity like setup for fermi ati is bound to put out some cards with proper ports. I'd say wait and see triple head will be soon done for, and the $100 cable makes it worth it to wait, or you just waste 100$ to use your 3rd monitor. [QUOTE=Ajacks;19793546]Not like I know anything about eyefinity but what's special about being able to have a web browser open, along with a movie/TV show while playing a game? I do it all the time.[/QUOTE] Eyefinity has support for different resolutions durr. Also any idiot can plug in two monitors and put a game in windowed.

In Windows XP DirectX based games don't like being on the secondary monitor. TF2 when in windowed mode on my primary screen at 1440x900 gets 300 fps on an empty achievement map with no mouse lag. If you move even a part of the game onto the second screen the fps drops to 50-60 with noticeable jumpiness. Eyefinity treats all the screens as a single screen for directx and the matrox does a similar thing in hardware. OpenGL games don't have this problem, so I play UT2k4 in OpenGL mode so I can use the large resolutions. Soft Triple Head 2 Go lets you use multiple resolutions, it doesn't support crossfire or sli though. You just use a second card, usually PCI as a 3rd port for a monitor and the software directs the correct part of the screen to it, all image processing is still done on the main card so its slower.