Eyefinity worth it?

A

Ayoralyn

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 30, 2011
Messages
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Okay, a couple of questions here actually. So, noob mode on.

I understand that Eyefinity is a technology that requires 3 or more monitors. Which can be connected to only 1 card (Special Eyefinity cards if I'm not mistaking). I was just wondering if it's actually worth going for? I'm am a quality whore so.

I have been wondering about buying a 27" 120hz monitor when it's released. But it sounds like it will be rather expensive, and IF I buy a 27" monitor, I won't have no hwere near enough cash to buy 3. So it's either that, or 3 smaller, maybe 24" monitors, for Eyefinity.

I know it's AMD/ATI technology, does it require a AMD processor as well then, or is the special Radeon cards enough?

Also, does Nvidia have something similar for this?

Sorry for being a noob, but thanks in advance!
 
You only need the special "eyefinity" edition card, if you want to do 5 or 6 monitors. All normal 5xxx series radeons will do 3 monitors, and the 6xxx series will do 4 (for now, will be able to do more with displayport hubs later in the year).

I'd go for 3x24 over 1x27 @ 120hz personally.. but then what sort of gamer are you? Did they have to pry you away from your CRT as you notice a 1 or 2 frame lag in frantic FPS action etc?

Nvidia's version is called "Nvidia Surround".. and with 3d it's called "Nvidia 3D surround". I think Nvidia require 3 monitors that are exactly the same. Oh, and 2 graphics cards as each card only supports 2 monitors still..

What's your budget? What sort of games do you play? If I was building a 3 screen eyefinity setup from scratch, I'd try and get IPS/*VA based monitors so I could have the flexibility of running them in landscape for things like racing games, and portrait for FPS etc.
 
Hey wagoo, thanks for your input!

Is there any difference performance wise between the Nvidia surround, and the Eyefinity?

I have been considering buying new graphics cards as well, but I guess with Nvidias solution, I have to, where with eyefinity, I can do with 1 card.

As to games I play, I rarely play FPS games. It's normally MMO's, strategy, fantasy, platform. Well, you know the type. Not Calld of Duty and games like that. I like them, but I suck, so I stay clear of them :p

My budget is flexible. I have about 1200USD stored away at the moment. And I know that's not enough. But I add anywhere between 200-400 bucks each month.

Personally, I'm thinking that 2x24" monitors is what I want more at the moment. Seeing as the 27" monitor is not even on the market as a 120hz yet, although it's close, and will probably be very expensive, comparing to what you actually get.
 
remember, not all games support eyefinity / nv surround.

it's more suitable for FPS and simulations, since you can get a wider view.

when you use eyefinity in 3x1 portrait mode, you don't get any additional view, you just get one big ass screen. only in landscape mode does the perspective widen.
 
Aye, I know games/programs has to support it. Which is part of the reason that I'm asking if it's worth it. But a big ass Eyefinity setup still would be a lot better then a 27". At least if you just compare size/view. (3 24" monitors vs. 1 27" minitor).
 
I'm kind of on the fence too.. I have 2xu2410 because I like to have two monitors for extra work space, but I don't know how much I will enjoy eyefinity gaming. I already enjoy gaming on this one screen as it was a large step up from a 19" 1680x1050 and a 13" laptop screen.

I don't do too much FPS and haven't really tried any of the simulator games but who knows, I might enjoy them.

I'm building a computer within the next few months and there is a huge budget difference if you want that extra monitor and have to get another video card to power that high resolution. I wish I could try the eyefinity set up in person to see what it is really like. I've watched youtube videos and dislike the bezels but I know that it should be a different experience in person..
 
I personally enjoy gaming on my 42" westy 10000x better than I do on my 3x F2380s in portrait for the following reasons:

-they are about the same size as each other, but the 42" is a seemless screen, eyefinity has very annoying bezels.
-eyefinity has a lot of game support problems whenever I tried using it.
-eyefinity has a lot of desktop support problems, such as aero snap not working properly and other various annoying things.
-only downside to the 42" is 1/3 the pixels, but that doesn't really bother me.
 
in my opinion. 3x1 portrait gaming in eyefinity is not worth it at all. i would rather game on a single monitor 27-30".

eyefinity in landscape mode is better because it can give you more visible area. but depending on the game and how it was implemented, i prefer the HUD and menus to be on the center screen instead of having to look left and right as the farthest edges.

the only reason i even have eyefinity was because i wanted 3 monitors off one graphics card for working. it's not worth it to build an eyefinity setup from scratch mainly to the fact that the performance really sucks unless you get a beefy card.

nvidia was kinda smart where they force you to have SLI before you can have nv surround, this requires you to get a second card boosting up your performance to handle the additional displays better.
 
I have a 3x23 landscape eyefinity setup and I am considering going to a high res 27-30".

Certain games work ok like racing games or in TF2 its nice to have an advantage in extra side views. However for other games there can be a lot of tweaking involved and most cut scenes are all messed up. It can ruin the experience. Someday more games will be designed with eyefinity in mind and it could be real nice, but we aren't there yet.
 
i had it - it has its highs and lows - for me the biggest issue is games arent developed with eyefinity in mind - so huds and menus and cut scenes are all a toss

they might work / more than likely they wont

once you get it all setup and its working and you find a game that more works than doesnt... it still didnt seem worth it [i was never as amazed as others]

i went a fairly cheap route [i think all told we're talking less than $500] and i resold everything for about the same price

if there were true gaming monitors without a bezel [or one in the 1-3mm size] id probably have a 3x1 portrait eyefinity setup just for grins and giggles / but not as my main gaming option
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af22 said:
remember, not all games support eyefinity / nv surround.

it's more suitable for FPS and simulations, since you can get a wider view.
Click to expand...

QFT. I bought into eyefinity thinking I'd love it. However, I found that I haven't been using it much. I love playing RTS games and LoL. I used to play a lot of FPS games, but not so much anymore. Eyefinity only truly shines in FPS and simulators / racing games.

If I had the opportunity, I'd rather have a single 30" display than Eyefinity.
Now I'm stuck and I need to sell my 3x22" panels and get a 30".
 
I think I'm going to go for the bigger single monitor. It just sounds like this technology is still too new to be utilized. Maybe in a couple of years it will be worth going for. Thanks for all the replies! Now, give me a 27" 120hz monitor for a reasonable price! :D
 
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