best card for 3 monitor setup?....

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miker2010

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Nov 12, 2010
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i am putting a new machine together and am wondering what is the best card to run three monitors?;

money is not an option, looking for easiest setup;

can i run one single card or do i need to run 2 cards?;

i have not decided b/t amd or nvidia;

any opinions would be appreciated; i was looking at a evga gtx 580, can i run three monitors on that with just one card, one with hdmi and two with dvi?;

i dont want to run 3 monitors for games, i only run a single for games, a 23" 1920x1080;

i want the three monitor setup for a desktop so i can run multiple windows and browsers on 3 separate monitors;

thanks in advance;
 
Nvidia requires 2 cards while ATI requires one, but does require either a Display Port Monitor or a Display Port to VGA or DVI adapter.

If you don't game or use Adobe Premiere CS5 then just use a low end ATI card or 2 low end Nvidia cards.
 
you cannot run 3 mointors on a GTX 580

as of now only AMD/ATI has the ability to do it off of one card, as Zepher said.
 
If you want just one monitor to game and triple for every day stuff, buy whatever high end card you want then buy a cheap PCI-E or even PCI card that can support dual DVI ports.

This will allow for triple monitors while giving you the best for gaming. That is currently the setup I have for my 24" LCDs.
 
thanks for all the quick replies guys;

yes, i am going to be gaming on this machine but i do not need the multi monitor setup for games;

i just want the multi monitor for windows only;

i like the idea of one good card and one low end one; what is the benefit of a pci versus pci-e for the low end card?;

for info purposes, was thinking of this setup: asus p6x58d-e board, i7 950 quadcore 3.06ghz; noctua nhu-12p, corsair xms3, corsair graphite 600t, gtx 580 evga;

what do you guys think?;

thanks for the quick replies;
 
money is not an option
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Thats a shame. If it was an option, you could spend some for a video card that supports 3 monitors. If it wasn't an object, it would be even easier than that.
 
Well OP said money really didnt matter, if you dont feel like buying 2 nVidia cards get an ATI 5970 will handle anything you throw at it, will do 1 monitor, 2 monitors and even 3 monitor eyefinity at high res. Or if you prefer nVidia go with 2 GTX 480's. Then pick up 3 monitors and your set. If your gonna do a 3 monitor setup for windows should at least use it for games too, immersive gaming is just awesome and fun.

good luck
 
5850 w/ the sapphire active display port

good for 1920x1200 or below.

I am running a single monitor games/eyefinity w/ 3x2007 fp for 4800x1200...but I love my 3007 wfp-hc

so I run it in windows 90% of the time w/ 2x2007 fp's in portrait w/ the 3007 in landscape in the middle
 
+1 for buying whatever gaming card you like and running a cheap pci-e card for the side monitors. See my sig, the 9600GSO has been replaced with a lowly 8600GT and that drives my side panels with absolutely no issues.
 
I think ATI cards are a better option for 3 monitors. Why install 2 cards when you only need one?

HD6870 + $30 Active DVI-to-DP adapter would be my pick.
 
ClearM4 said:
I think ATI cards are a better option for 3 monitors. Why install 2 cards when you only need one?

HD6870 + $30 Active DVI-to-DP adapter would be my pick.
Click to expand...

I see your point, although personally I would prefer to have the $30 spend on a cheap pci-e card for redundancy in case of RMA or deciding to switch GPU manufacturer.

So OP pick your poison, elegance or redundancy.
 
I have done both the AMD single and the NVidia double setup. I prefer the NVidia.

Get your 580 for the gaming monitor, and this $49.99 card for the other non gaming monitors.

Now, if you got money to spare, you can always get 2 GTX 580s, that way you can use the second 580 to SLI for those really crazy games.
 
first off, thx everyone for your opinions; really appreciate all the replies;

i dont know if my choice is now easier or harder!!!!lol

seriously, i am just feeling my way thru this build, trying to make everything on this computer exactly how i want it;

ill let you know what i decide;
 
OP, I guess I missed that you were doing a new build. If you are building with a mATX board you will want to get the single radeon to drive 3 monitors as you will likely be limited in pci-e slots. If however you build using ATX (generally the preferred enthusiast form factor), you should have expansion options to spare.
 
R-Type said:
OP, I guess I missed that you were doing a new build. If you are building with a mATX board you will want to get the single radeon to drive 3 monitors as you will likely be limited in pci-e slots. If however you build using ATX (generally the preferred enthusiast form factor), you should have expansion options to spare.
Click to expand...

i am going to buy the corsair graphite 600t mid tower atx case;

i am leaning towards two cards, just trying to settle on which ones;

thanks for the advice, any input on my build is appreciated;
 
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