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

[QUOTE=Hell Strike;19773585]I'm turning 17 in about 2 weeks, and [B]my dad has offered to get me either a newer ATi card[/B], such as a 5850 or a 5870, or one of those TripleHead2Go things.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Hell Strike;19773662]They're closing the plant and [B]he's getting laid off though[/B] :\[/quote] What? :geno:

[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]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] You can set up your monitors like that. I've got a 16:9 (1920x1080) and a 16:10 (1680x1050) monitor hooked up at the same time. The problem is that you will not be possible to play games across your monitors. One will always be stuck rendering something else, such as half of your desktop, hence each screen showing something different in that picture. To render a game across two or more monitors, they all need to be the same resolution.

On an unrelated note, nice Squee avatar HellStrike

[QUOTE=ChristopherB;19797767]What? :geno:[/QUOTE] he's getting a years pay when he gets laid off. i don't know for sure but it's around 90k. [editline]11:09AM[/editline] [QUOTE=1/4 Life;19797802]You can set up your monitors like that. I've got a 16:9 (1920x1080) and a 16:10 (1680x1050) monitor hooked up at the same time. The problem is that you will not be possible to play games across your monitors. One will always be stuck rendering something else, such as half of your desktop, hence each screen showing something different in that picture. To render a game across two or more monitors, they all need to be the same resolution.[/QUOTE] oh alright that makes sense.

If you are interested in multi-monitor gaming, Eyefinity is a clear winner over Triple-Head-2-GO. TH2GO is limited in resolution (max of 1680x1050 per monitor), doesn't support portrait monitor orientation, and most importantly costs $300. It's only advantages it has is that it already supports bezel management, works flawlessly with SLI/Crossfire, and requires no special adapters. Eyefinity is a better solution. All resolutions are supported (even 30" monitors at 2560x1600 each), you can have a variety of potential setups, bezel management is on the way, and developers are already pledging support for it (there is a list somewhere for it). Crossfire support is already implemented (though still has some bugs). You can use a passive DP->VGA adapter for the third monitor (they are really cheap) but will be limited to lower resolutions (up to 1920x1080?); overall not an issue for most. It does save you the cost of the $100 DP->DVI adapter. Nvidia has their own version coming up called "Nvidia Surround". It [I]require[/I]s two cards in SLI. Little more is known about it other than it will support their 3D glasses tech (but that requires specific 120Hz monitors). I've done loads of research on multi-monitor gaming so if you have any questions let me know. :smile:

[QUOTE=Robbazking;19808215]What monitors do you use for your triple monitor setup?[/QUOTE] I have 3 of these on order...should be here within a week. [url]http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Displays/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=320-8325[/url] I haven't ordered the GPU yet. I am thinking about waiting till the launch of Fermi when either prices will fall or the Nvidia card will turn out to be a better buy. If I go ATI, it will likely be a 5970. I will use 2 DVI and the DP connector for my monitors...some of the active adapters don't work consistently (from what I have read many times on other forums). A great source of info is the Widescreen gaming forum. [url]http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/Main_Page[/url] They actually have 2 dedicated reps from ATI interacting with the community answering questions.

TH2G only works up to 1680x1050 for 3 monitors, EyeFinity works for 2560x1600 on up to 6 monitors. [editline]09:11PM[/editline] I'd go with the ATi GPU. [editline]09:14PM[/editline] Not only that, but I'm pretty sure that nVidia's working their own multi-monitor rendering software right now. Why spend money on a block of hardware that will ultimately be obsolete in a few months?