GTX 770 and 4 Monitors

Okay, so I am going to be purchasing 3 HP 20xis and using them in a triple monitor setup. I still have my old 23.6in 1080p monitor. I am looking to get a GTX 770 to run the triple monitor setup.

My question is, will I be able to use my Acer monitor as a companion mounted above the other 3 without causing any trouble or slowdown? Will the 770 run all four monitors without conking out on me? I would hope to be gaming on the lower three and then have performance monitors running on the upper screen.

Please don't offer alternatives to my setup, I am not interested in 3x1080p monitors, and I don't have a budget for anything more powerful than a 770.

You should be fine. I believe all 770s have output ability for 4 monitors. I suggest getting at least 1680x1050 monitors tho. 1600x900 is a very low resolution. If you play bf4 or any fps multiplayer it will be hard to stay competitive. I'd guess on 3x1680x1050 monitors a 770 would perform around what a 780 would perform on 3x1080p. Your using a 1080p monitor currently. If you drop down to a 1600x900 as your main monitor (even tho you'll have 3) its going to drive you nuts. I've done it. returned them next day.

HOODedDutchman said:

You should be fine. I believe all 770s have output ability for 4 monitors. I suggest getting at least 1680x1050 monitors tho. 1600x900 is a very low resolution. If you play bf4 or any fps multiplayer it will be hard to stay competitive. I'd guess on 3x1680x1050 monitors a 770 would perform around what a 780 would perform on 3x1080p. Your using a 1080p monitor currently. If you drop down to a 1600x900 as your main monitor (even tho you'll have 3) its going to drive you nuts. I've done it. returned them next day.

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I have considered 3x1680x1050, but you can't find anything new in that resolution. It seems like the 2 choices are 1600x900 and 1920x1080.

As for actually playing, I don't understand why it would be so much of a disadvantage. I will be seeing the same aspect ratio as someone with 3x1920x1080, though with the loss of about 2 Megapixels worth of visuals. Also, the height difference is only about 1.5 in compared to a 23in 1080p monitor, so you aren't losing *much* compared to the larger screens.

Cost is the real reason here though. I am looking at 3 HP 20xis, which are about $100 a pop, and they are IPS. A steal compared to many monitors on the market.

I dont know what to tell you. I assure you youd be MUCH happier running 3 monitors only and grabbing 2 more to match your current 1080p monitor than running low res on 3 monitors. You will very much notice the difference. MASSIVE difference in real estate while surfing net or doing anything other than gaming and you will have to compensate with AA to come close to the visual superiority of 1080p vs 900p. I'd take 3x1080p and drop some visual settings over 3x900p maxed out any day of the week. I have done it so I know you will be dissapointed. I actually went up to 1080p monitors and now I only game on a single 144hz. Playing games like bf4 or borderlands like I do you almost never notice anything in the side monitors. Its only really immersive in games like Dirt or Grid where you can sit back grab a controller and love it. You can grab 2 cheapo 1080p 23.6 inch monitors for 120-150 and be much better off.
For example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005440

my 670, similar concept

yeah it'll work but that sounds really dumb to be honest. unless you're going all out with three lightboost monitors or something, multi monitor setups specifically for gaming are a gimmick. you should just buy one really nice monitor. 1600x900 is horrendous.

Odellus said:

yeah it'll work but that sounds really dumb to be honest. unless you're going all out with three lightboost monitors or something, multi monitor setups specifically for gaming are a gimmick. you should just buy one really nice monitor. 1600x900 is horrendous.

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I use 2 1600x900 at work, and I have to say, it is not horrendous. Also, I have to say, I am into the gimmick. I use multimonitor for many other uses as well, and I am a big fan of the productivity.

My question is, why all the hate for 1600x900? I am sure that everyone was perfectly happy with it just about 3 years ago, and what was good then certainly isn't bad now.

As for the hardware, thanks everyone for the posts, Good to hear the 770 can do it. I will probably be purchasing everything in about a month, so this is perfect.

Thanks!

Stinger07 said:

My question is, why all the hate for 1600x900? I am sure that everyone was perfectly happy with it just about 3 years ago, and what was good then certainly isn't bad now.
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If 900 vertical pixels is already sufficient for your productivity, then I wouldn't let anyone give you guff for it. It's also going to be easier to push those fewer pixels at native res for that card when gaming.

Also, if you have 3 of those panels, you can always look to get a mount later on that would let you tilt those 1600's 90 degrees (if you need to do some serious code work for instance)

Stinger07 said:

I use 2 1600x900 at work, and I have to say, it is not horrendous. Also, I have to say, I am into the gimmick. I use multimonitor for many other uses as well, and I am a big fan of the productivity.

My question is, why all the hate for 1600x900? I am sure that everyone was perfectly happy with it just about 3 years ago, and what was good then certainly isn't bad now.

As for the hardware, thanks everyone for the posts, Good to hear the 770 can do it. I will probably be purchasing everything in about a month, so this is perfect.

Thanks!

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because it's an extremely small resolution. 1920x1080 is the standard nowadays and even that feels small compared to 2560x1440 (which is only slightly less real estate than 4800x900.) i suppose it's all relative to your own experiences with monitors, but after every resolution upgrade i've gone through i'd never want to use anything smaller. and personally, i haven't used a resolution smaller than 1680x1050 since 2007, and i'm not exactly an outlier in that regard. have you used anything bigger? i feel you'd agree with me if you had.

Odellus said:

because it's an extremely small resolution. 1920x1080 is the standard nowadays and even that feels small compared to 2560x1440 (which is only slightly less real estate than 4800x900.) i suppose it's all relative to your own experiences with monitors, but after every resolution upgrade i've gone through i'd never want to use anything smaller. and personally, i haven't used a resolution smaller than 1680x1050 since 2007, and i'm not exactly an outlier in that regard. have you used anything bigger? i feel you'd agree with me if you had.

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I currently use a 23.6in 1080P monitor, which gives me about 93PPI. The 20in I am going to be buying are about 92ppi, so though I pick up bezels, I am also going from 2.1MP to 4.3MP. I get more screen area, much wider, same pixel density, for the cost of 2 bezels and a 1.6" reduction in vertical height. On top of that, I am going to be keeping my current 23.6in monitor, and putting it above three monitors on my desk.

So in a way, yes, I have used monitors bigger (23.6in current one) but in a way no, I haven't used anything with a higher pixel density. From my point of view, I am getting IPS screens, more screen area, surround gaming (I know it is a gimmick, but I like it ).

I would go for 1680x1050, but you can't find those anywhere for a reasonable cost. I would love to go to that resolution, but if I am looking at new hardware, I am looking at 1600x900 or 1920x1080. Again though, that would only be a gain of 80 pixels left to right and 150 top to bottom. If you can find me a 1680x1050 IPS screen for less than $125 each, I would take you up on that in a second.

Also, I have been repeatedly told by the same group of people here that I can't run 3x1920x1080 on anything less than a 780. A 780 and/or a sli/crossfire config is not in my budget. It would either require a MoBo upgrade for the dual config, or the huge price jump from a 770 to a 780, both of which are not doable for me.

I hope this explains my logic a bit better, but I am guessing I will still just get criticized for my choices none the less.

If it was for me I'd go with a 27" 2560*1440 Korean LCD for nearly the same price as your 3x1600*900 monitor.


They usually go for ±$300 on ebay.

Love my Qnix at 120Hz.

That's to max games out with 3x1080p. A 770 will easily run 3x1080p monitors you'll just have to turn back a few setting in battlefield and stuff. The only games that won't run at least high with 40+fps are games like the metros that run at 40 fps on a 770 with ultra settings on single monitor.

HOODedDutchman said:

That's to max games out with 3x1080p. A 770 will easily run 3x1080p monitors you'll just have to turn back a few setting in battlefield and stuff. The only games that won't run at least high with 40+fps are games like the metros that run at 40 fps on a 770 with ultra settings on single monitor.

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This is something many people fail to mention. Evidence: My first thread: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1800518&highlight=