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Eyefinity Configuration Suggestions

My current display setup consisting of 1x 30” Dell 3007WFP & 2x 20” monitors is now six years old and getting long in the tooth.

I thought about a 6x panel config of something in a 3x3 grid but the bezel thing is a showstopper for me so I am planning on refreshing my setup with 3x 30” screens (either Dell U3011 or HP ZR30w – haven’t decided yet). You can see my old setup here. I am just waiting for the Radeon 6990 to be released sometime this quarter that shows 4x mini display port connectors + DVI in the pics floating around the net.

My question is what exactly do I need in terms of active / passive / whatever adapters or connectors (preferably a list of stuff to get from Newegg) in order to get the 3x 30” screens running correcting in Eyefinity mode at the best / lowest cost?

Also if I go crossfire with 2x of the 6990s are there any “special rules” in terms of hooking them up? As a bonus I also want to run a HDMI cable from my adjacent theater that sports a 123” screen & 1080p projector with the idea of somehow “switching over” to the theater screen to play games. How would I mix in HDMI into this recipe & switch out of eyefinity over to the theater “monitor” exclusively?

Thanks,

DOM
 
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I'm waiting until early march to see what the newer gpus are like and how they affect prices, but I've been thinking about adding two more 28" 1920x1200 hannsg screens to the similar 28" hannspree I already own for an eyefinity setup - something like this pic I found on an [H] thread (but minus the cabinetry).

http://3dalchemist.com/images/lcds/HannsG-28-eyefinity_IMG_0309.jpg

Originally I was considering getting a single HP 30" ips with 'bookend' lcds, but now I'm getting into the idea of the three 28" eyefinity setup. The 28" hannsg are only $250 each, which would leave me enough money to get a beefy single ati card + adapters to drive them for now and still be around the same cost (or less) as a single 30" 2560x1600 monitor. I really can't justify the cost of three 30" 2560x1600s - especially since I need a major gpu upgrade - and the TN panels has faster response times anyway. To 'test' the viewing angles, I've spun my chair around each way, even beyond the degrees I figure the side monitors will be tilted, and the screens didn't go dim or anything noticeable like that so I think it should work out well. TNs generally suffer more immediately from changes in your vertical viewpoint, not slight horizontal ones.

I haven't seen any 28" eyefinity setups in my searches other than a few desktop stills. (still shots don't really give a good enough impression of eyefinty's effect in games anyway.. videos are what really got me interested). Most setups seem to be 23" or 24" , with a few expensive 3 x 30" ones. I'll make sure to post pics of my setup eventually if I go with the 3 x 28" idea.

Its too bad that softth doesn't work with newer versions of directx, and hits some punkbuster snags.. If that worked better overall I would reconsider the 30" + 'bookends', and maybe nvidia sli since I read that sli works in windowed mode while crossfire doesn't.
 
glad i find this thread.

so, i currently wanna buy an active displayport adapter to single link DVI from sapphire for my eyefinity setup, just like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814999030

the problem is, i only have monitor with vga or hdmi connection. is it possible to use a DVI to VGA converter with that displayport adapter? so it will be like this DP>Sapphire DP to SL DVI>DVI to VGA converter> my monitor.
will it work? have anyone try it?

i cant find the displayport adapter to vga (any brand) near my location, well purchasing it online wont solve my problem either because its overseas and gonna cost me extra.

thanks
 
thanks for the reply.
im gonna be more specific,
currently i have 1 lcd with hdmi/vga connection and 2 lcd monitor with only vga connection. so the only option i have here is using vga connection to hook up my third lcd
 
So what you need is a DP-->VGA adapter, not a DP-->DVI adapter. Check out monoprice for those. I don't know if that needs to be active though, might want to check that too.

What is your card? I read one guy report that the 69xx cards don't work with DVI-->VGA adapters.
 
thanks

im using xfx 5770, yeah silly for gaming just using single 5770 but i intend to use it for another purpose.

i already search for DP-VGA in local store, its kinda weird but none of them has it or even know about the adapter. like i mentioned before, online store wont ship to my location, gonna cost me extra, longer waiting, etc..
local distributor of sapphire in here only have DP-DVI

hope if someone will report that dvi-vga works with dp-dvi adapter.. i'll buy it now
if it doesnt work that way, maybe (sadly) i should buy a new lcd that has dvi on it..
 
Resultsx.jpg


Just got it set up, so wiring tidiness isn't exactly my priority.

Deliberately mismatched 22"+27"+22", very pleased to see that my hunch about a larger center monitor for Eyefinity was on the mark - feels much nicer in FPS. Less noticeable fisheye and more natural to focus on the center monitor.
 
does anyone have a pict of or has seen a 27"(preferably dell u2711) in plp? i'd love to find a monitor that works best and looks correct.
 
I use different desks between work, gf's computer, and my own setup so I get an idea of different monitor sizes.
..I use a 17" laptop and a 22" dell 2209w (both 1080p) at work.
..GF's/Fronthall PC setup is a 23" samsung 2333HD (1080p) paired with a 20.1" viewsonic vx2025wm (1680x1050).
..My desk is a 28" (27.5" viewable) hannspree 1920x1200, paired with a 24" (~23" viewable) FW900 widescreen 'graphics professional' crt (running at 1920x1200 @ 85hz).
...
.... Since I set up the pc station in my front hall with the 23" samsung + 20.1" viewsonic, I am starting to think that even at my own (larger) desk's far edge distance 23" lcd's might be better for eyefinity. That would also allow me to have 120hz lcd's. Though it is not a major consideration for me right now, I could even dabble into 3D if I ever had the horsepower, (though it might require switching camps to nvidia). Regardless, in a triple monitor gaming setup I think I might be able to see more with 23" lcd's than I might even with 28" lcds perspective-wise vs desk distance limit, if you get my meaning.
.. If I went with 3x 28" lcd's, let alone 30" lcds like some people are doing - I would have to get a freestanding stand like matrices' or work something else out so that I could drop the monitors back further than the edge of my desk. That is essentially the same perspective-wise as having smaller monitors closer other than the feeling you might get sitting closer to the "wall' of monitors vs openness.
.......
.. There are other considerations regarding these different sized LCD options:
---The resolution: The 23" lcd's are 1080p (16:9). The hannsg/hanspree 28" lcds (of which I already own a single one) are 1920x1200 (16:10). The 27"ips lcd's are 2560x1440 (16:9), and the 30" ips LCDs are 2560x1600 (16:10).
---The refresh rate. The 23" LCD's I'm looking at are 120hz. (and have 3d capablity if I ever wanted to dabble in that down the road, and if I ever had enough horsepower.) All the other lcds are 60hz.
---The panel surfaces. Most mfg's current models of 27" and 30" high resolution ips screens have what people describe as an over aggressive anti-glare (AG) coating. Some people report this is so bad that small text is distorted, and white backgrounds look sparkly or greasy. Some people have returned theirs. The apple 27" cinema display is glossy/gorilla glass, which I prefer but has its own trade-offs that others might not like. As far as I know, most of the TN monitors have a more moderate AG coating or are matte.
....
---The cost...
________________________________________
.
23" 120hz LCD's are around $350 each -> $1050+
28" hannspree/hanssg are $250 each, but I already own one --> $500
27" and 30" ips are $1k /$1150 each for current models, like a 27" ACD / 30" hp zr30w (I can't stomach buying three 27"/30" ips , definitely not all at once right now since I need a major gpu upgrade as well).
...................
..................
~ $400 - $500+ gpu
===================
--- 23" 120hz setup with gpu..............=.$1450 - $1550+
--- 28" setup (adding two) with gpu.....=.$ 900 - $1000+
.............................(3 would have been $1150 - $1250+)
--- 27" ips ACD (one LCD) with gpu....=.$1400 - $1500+
..........($1600 - $1700 with bookends,...$1800 - $1900 with LED bookends)
----30" ips (one monitor) with gpu.......= $1550 - $1650+
........................................................($1750 - $1850 with refurb bookends)
______________________
---27" ips x 3 with gpu = $3400 - $3500+
---30" ips x 3 with gpu = $3850 - $3950+
.......................
.......................

....I'm still undecided. Major gpu upgrade for sure but for monitors? 3x23" TN 1080p 120hz.. +2 28" TN 1920x1200, or---> a single 27" ips 2560x1440 apple cinema display - eventually with a 19" 1440x900 in portrait mode on each side, thought that eliminates eyefinity and leaves me with windowed mode gaming, softth gaming, and single monitor gaming.
...I didn't add the occasional refurb and older model 30" ips prices to this, so there are some other options for people (I'm not interested in those personally), and I didnt put any consideration for rare/uncommon hot deals/coupon codes. I just thought I'd break down some costs as I see them in order to help me decide from where I'm sitting - no pun intended. Maybe it will give you and others some perspective too.
 
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soilentblue said:
does anyone have a pict of or has seen a 27"(preferably dell u2711) in plp? i'd love to find a monitor that works best and looks correct.
Click to expand...

I can tell you this is completely unlikely. You'd need like a 15" 1440x900 monitor to line up with the sides. I've only ever seen a 17" with that res and it was a tn.
 
Any thoughts out there on 3x24" (1920x1200) vs 2x23" (1920x1080)? The 24" display is about 1.25" taller, i.e. 1.25" wider or 1.25" more space in between bezels when in portrait mode... I'm trying to decide between two HP ZR24W's (in conjunction with my current 24" display) or three new NEC EA231WMi's. The two HPs would actually be a little cheaper (and they're a lil' better all around, I think), but the rub is I'd probably lose bezel compensation (damn you AMD)... Kinda torn.
 
I thought the 27" ips screens like the dell u2711 and 27" apple cinema display were 19" tall. If that was true, there are plenty of 19" 1440x900 lcd's that could be used in portrait mode with them. In fact, there are a few LED backlit ones that I was thinking could pair up well with the 27" ACD since it has an LED backlight.

I just looked up a few spec sheets and it looks like the dell one is 16.9" tall, and since the ACD uses the same LG panel they should be the same other than the bottom bezel thing. The 19" LCDs seem to be about 17.2" to 17.5" wide, which turned into portrait mode would be the height. I'm curious what the actual screen heights would be minus the bezels, but it looks like it would be close enough at a glance, perhaps within 3/10 of an inch. Its hard to say since bezels are counted in the spec sheets. Most of the current 19" 1440x900 screens are TN panels , but at 900 pixels / 14.3" wide(the 19inch's height converted in portrait) - I don't think you'd get much shift if you angled them properly vs the main display. LED backlit TN's can look very nice too.. my samsung 46" tv is led edge-lit and looks great. There is at least one nec 19" ips , but it was made back in 2006 and has an 18ms response time.
 
suiken_2mieu said:
I can tell you this is completely unlikely. You'd need like a 15" 1440x900 monitor to line up with the sides. I've only ever seen a 17" with that res and it was a tn.
Click to expand...

nah there's more than just 17" that come in that resolution. so far the best monitor I believe I have found that will work with the u2711 is the lenova 19" widescreen. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lenovo-44...0000003142050&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=10992423 No I won't be able to use it in PLP but it will be pretty close to flush with the u2711. I still need to go to walmart and measure the actual size.

in portrait mode, according to the specs, this Samsung would be the perfect size http://h30094.www3.hp.com/product.a...T&jumpid=ex_r2910_cnet/optiondatafeed_options I am debating on pulling the trigger on one. Also the idea of having a sound bar on each wing of my setup seems kind of nice. It does come in black instead of the silver.

elvn said:
I thought the 27" ips screens like the dell u2711 and 27" apple cinema display were 19" tall. If that was true, there are plenty of 19" 1440x900 lcd's that could be used in portrait mode with them. In fact, there are a few LED backlit ones that I was thinking could pair up well with the 27" ACD since it has an LED backlight.

I just looked up a few spec sheets and it looks like the dell one is 16.9" tall, and since the ACD uses the same LG panel they should be the same other than the bottom bezel thing. The 19" LCDs seem to be about 17.2" to 17.5" wide, which turned into portrait mode would be the height. I'm curious what the actual screen heights would be minus the bezels, but it looks like it would be close enough at a glance, perhaps within 3/10 of an inch. Its hard to say since bezels are counted in the spec sheets. Most of the current 19" 1440x900 screens are TN panels , but at 900 pixels / 14.3" wide(the 19inch's height converted in portrait) - I don't think you'd get much shift if you angled them properly vs the main display. LED backlit TN's can look very nice too.. my samsung 46" tv is led edge-lit and looks great. There is at least one nec 19" ips , but it was made back in 2006 and has an 18ms response time.
Click to expand...

forget the dell specs. the actual size height of the monitor itself is 15.2" tall. Not sure why the specs are off but it's not the first monitor to have incorrect specs.
 
Cool thanks. And for answering/redirecting in the other thread I started. I guess I was being impatient, and this is after all an eyefinity thread so this could be considered off topic a bit.

I'm just glancing at the links you posted now, but why did you say the wallmart one wouldn't work for PLP? too tall in portrait mode? - and the HP page's samsung says the max rez is 1280 x 1024 ??

I wish they would post the actual panel 'picture' sizes. I was hoping to be able to throw some of the 19" 1440x900 LED backlit LCD's into the running for PLP 'bookend' LCDs, but that might be tough to match up without seeing them in person.
 
elvn said:
Cool thanks. And for answering/redirecting in the other thread I started. I guess I was being impatient, and this is after all an eyefinity thread so this could be considered off topic a bit.

I'm just glancing at the links you posted now, but why did you say the wallmart one wouldn't work for PLP? too tall in portrait mode? - and the HP page's samsung says the max rez is 1280 x 1024 ??

I wish they would post the actual panel 'picture' sizes. I was hoping to be able to throw some of the 19" 1440x900 LED backlit LCD's into the running for PLP 'bookend' LCDs, but that might be tough to match up without seeing them in person.
Click to expand...

yeah it would be too tall in portrait mode. in landscape it's almost the exact same height as the dell u2711.

I know 1280x1024 is VERY weak. just throwing out the ones I saw so far. also the bezel on the u2711 is an inch in width.
 
I just went to one of those tv size calculators I found off of google. According to that:

27" 2560x1440 16:9
Image Dimensions: 17.58" x 13.22"
Image area: 232.41 sq. in.
Screen Utilization: 74.68%
Equivalent 4:3 TV: 22"
Pixel Density: 11845 pixels / sq. in.
.
19" 1440x900 16:10
Image Dimensions: 13.39" x 10.07"
Image area: 134.84 sq. in.
Screen Utilization: 83.12%
Equivalent 4:3 TV: 16.8"
Equivalent 16:9 TV: 18.5"
Pixel Density: 7988 pixels / sq. in.

So..... if those viewable panel aka "picture" dimensions are correct, the panels aligned next to each other properly would be 13.22" height on the 27" in landscape vs 13.39" height on the 19" in portrait mode. Thats .17 inch difference, or split - about .085 inch difference on top and bottom. .17 inch is around 3/16ths of an inch (under a quarter inch.), so might be looking at closer to 1/16th of an inch higher and lower than the 27" screen's 13.22" height if you centered the 19" screen properly vs the 27".

I think that is right, but its early and I'm still working on coffee. :p

1440x900 resolution paste off wiki
"WXGA+ and WSXGA are non-standard terms referring to computer display resolutions. Usually they refer to a resolution of 1440x900[citation needed], but occasionally manufacturers use other terms to refer to this resolution (for example, [1]). The Standard Panels Working Group refers to the 1440x900 resolution as WXGA(II).[18]

WSXGA and WXGA+ can be thought of as enhanced versions of WXGA with more pixels, or as widescreen variants of SXGA. The aspect ratios of each are 16:10 (widescreen).

WXGA+ (1440x900) resolution is common in 19" widescreen desktop monitors (a very small number of such monitors uses WSXGA+), and is also optional, although less common, in laptop LCDs, in sizes ranging from 12.1" to 17"."
 
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I am wanting to go to Eyefinity i have at the moment 2 x 22 lcds i want to go to 3 x 24 inch and was hoping on some suggestions on which monitor i should be looking at for this venture my specs for my setup are in my sig so if any one has any suggestions i would appreciate it very much thanks guys







ok i was thinking 3 of these they are in exspensive sure they only got 5ms but can you really notice the differnece

http://www.samsung.com/ca/consumer/o...ype=prd_detail

http://www.canadacomputers.com/produ...item_id=030980

The price is right

this is a possibility also

http://www.canadacomputers.com/produ...item_id=025299

or this one i like the idea of the lcd being square if you can understand what i mean

http://www.canadacomputers.com/produ...item_id=033624
 
cd_rom said:
Do you think this cable will work with on my my Dell 2311H monitor? http://www.amazon.co.uk/215857-Star...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B003D0SQ1Y

I got new graphic card 6950 and hoping to go eyefinity with 3x 2311H. I just need to buy a cable for mini displayport (DP) as the graphic card has 2 mini DPs and the monitor has displayport only.

How about this one too? mini DP to DVI http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294
Click to expand...

Are you sure a mini dp to regular dp isn't included with your card? The card I got came with one and then I just bought a cheap displayport to displayport cord.
 
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PHRESHKHID said:
Planning on running 3 ASUS VE Series VE208T Black 20" with a XFX HD-695A-CNFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB is there anything I should be aware of what else do I need and is there a 3 monitor stand that can attach to a table that you would recommend?


thanks
Click to expand...

Too small, to be honest. I would not do Eyefinity with anything less than 22", 24" preferably. Reason is simple: it's about peripheral vision, and at that width (span), the monitors are not in your peripheral view.
 
Matrices said:
Too small, to be honest. I would not do Eyefinity with anything less than 22", 24" preferably. Reason is simple: it's about peripheral vision, and at that width (span), the monitors are not in your peripheral view.
Click to expand...

So it would be smarter to just get two more of my current monitor then huh? I own a Asus vh23h
 
Jared701 said:
Are you sure a mini dp to regular dp isn't included with your card? The card I got came with one and then I just bought a cheap displayport to displayport cord.
Click to expand...
Yeah I unpacked the box and it has nothing except the disk and few documents lol...But I sorted it out now. Yesterday, I bought a mini DP to DP and a DP cable, all for £15 and it works flawless!

My god, I got them dell minitors running in potrait mode and it is just indescribable, soooo nice. I feel its worth every penny!

Cheers
 
PHRESHKHID said:
Planning on running 3 ASUS VE Series VE208T Black 20" with a XFX HD-695A-CNFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB is there anything I should be aware of what else do I need and is there a 3 monitor stand that can attach to a table that you would recommend?


thanks
Click to expand...

I agree with Matrices, that resolution is just to small I wouldn't go with anything under 1080

for stands look at these .

http://www.mountedconcepts.com/++++++++-lcd-mounts/

also look at the Chief product line

http://www.mountedconcepts.com/chief-mounts/
 
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Hey guys, here I am totally lost on what to get.


I just picked up another dell 2407 since my old one died, this one has a defective DVI port, but I'm going to try to get it fixed. I also got a 6950 and want to get another one for crossfire. So as things stand I have a perfectly working dvi dell 2407 1920x1200, a working dvi phillips 1920x1200 and a slightly working (VGA only) dell 2407 1920x1200. I want to run 5760x1200 with bezel comp but I have no clue what I need, a active or non active displayport. The 6950 came with Mini DP to DP Cable since the card only has mini dp ports. So How do I set this up and what do I need for it? I remember hearing active display port converters where going for like $100 a while back.
 
looking at the reviews it looks like the adapters suffer from the same thing the others suffered. random failures. I still think the weakest link in eyefinity was the blasted display port adapters.
 
Have a friend who just recieved that adapter and it is working perfectly and that is after trying a DP to VGA passive that didn't work worth a flip.

Oh and the ones with a USB cable attatched are dual link DVI (2560x1600 capable), while this one is a single link DVI (1920x1200 max)
 
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I'm going to get this brand, at the suggestion of someone in the 27" cinema display thread.

Mini displayport to DVI
http://www.amazon.com/Accell-B087B-006B-DisplayPort-Single-Link-Certified/dp/B004071ZXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294684656&sr=8-1

the non-powered ones are 8bit color max (16.7 million colors) and 1920x1200 max.. the usb powered ones that are $86 each do 32 bit color and up to 2560x1600.

From what I've been reading, most panels are 8bit, and others are 8bit but use FRC which is like dithering to simulate more colors. So if you don't need more than 1920x1200 on a particular monitor, the non-powered adapters should work fine.

Interesting 8bit color info here
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2593114
 
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PHRESHKID - If you are asking the math for the standard eyefinity setup of three monitors, you just add the widths (the first number of the resolution), and keep the heights. For example, three 1920x1080 lcd's would be three times 1920 = 5760 x1080.

But for the mini displayport to dvi adapters, its just the native resolution PER monitor that we are talking about.
Per monitor off an eyefinity card's mini display ports, if your monitor is DVI would be like this:

AMD Eyefinity mDP out->mDP to DVI (Accell Adapter; $26)->DVI extension cable->DVI monitor (1920x1200 max, 8bit ~ 16.7million color)
 
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