Questions about 3 monitor setup

black.hat

Weaksauce
Joined
Oct 10, 2012
Messages
66
Please join this topic only if you have/had 3 monitors setup as i am interested to read about the experience of users who had such setup.

Few months ago i built the following setup:

ASUS Rampage IV Extreme
i7-3930K Hexa-Core
16GB Corsair Dominator
512GB Crucial SSDs
2x EVGA GTX 690
3x BenQ XL2420TX 3D Displays

However i end up dealing with tons of bugs and problems almost every time i try to use the pc, here is what they are:

1. Some games, like BTF3, Grid 2, GTA 4 simply do not work on 3 displays, for e.g. in BTF3 the elements in game disappear, even that i switch back to single display. in Grid 2 when i try to use it with 3 displays, the computer just freeze.

2. The EVGA GTX 690 driver software (Nvidia) seems to have tons of bugs, whatever i try to change the resolution, the computer completely crash and i have to reboot it, same sometimes happen whatever i try to use the surround feature etc.

These seems to be due to i am using 3 displays, i tried to fix them by reinstalling windows, reinstalling the drivers etc, but whatever i did, i failed to get rid of them and they seems to be bugs, and i can do nothing about them.

I am here to ask for some advice, what the heck should i do? should i just sell two of displays for cheap and use a single one to get rid of these issues? Is it only me or these are common problems with 3 display setup? i am so frustrated as i bought all of these and i simply cant enjoy my pc. :mad:
 
What version of Windows? I've been running NVSurround for ~2 years now with zero issues with bugs (see sig for hardware). My only recent quarrel is with nVidia's immature drivers and Windows 8 using Surround (ie, window snap feature, centered taskbar, etc.). Sounds like you have some hardware/stability issues, or it may be like you've said...bad GTX690 driver support.
 
Windows 7 SP2 64 Bit. So you use 580 with zero problems? sound like GTX690 problem.... i am really confused, should i sell the 2x GTX690 and buy for e.g. 3x lower model processors?
 
Great resource for what your looking for.

www.wsgf.org


I have 3x screens, but I almost always game on a single display. Just too much a hassle for me to deal with,
 
I have 3x XL2420T/X and I have run 2x690 - it's a bad idea. Quad-SLI with 690s and 4-way SLI with 680s were super problematic for me at 5760x1080/120hz. This, however, was from a performance perspective. It was not buggy for me.

Previous setups: 1x580, 2x580, 2x680, 3x680, 4x680 (various configurations).

I'm now living the dream with the same setup but 3xTitans.

I suggest you sell your 690s and move on.
 
What GPUs do you recommend for best performance and minimum issues with 3 monitors?
 
Hi black.hat,

I've also run NV Surround for nearly 2 years:

GTX480 (2)
GTX680 (single card and SLI)
GTX780 SLI

I just upgraded to the ASUS 3D monitors and I'm super happy with my dual 780s. BF3 runs great and with your Hexcore, it would probably run even better for you.

I would suggest you consider selling your 690s and buying 2-3 780s (or possibly Titans)

I've never run more than 2 GPUs but from my reading, 2 GPUs seems to be the most trouble free and the best scaling and 3 GPUs seems to work reasonably well with some diminishing returns.

The 780s will usually OC to run at least at Titan speed or a little faster, but I don't think you could go wrong with either.
 
Hi black.hat,

I've also run NV Surround for nearly 2 years:

GTX480 (2)
GTX680 (single card and SLI)
GTX780 SLI

I just upgraded to the ASUS 3D monitors and I'm super happy with my dual 780s. BF3 runs great and with your Hexcore, it would probably run even better for you.

I would suggest you consider selling your 690s and buying 2-3 780s (or possibly Titans)

I've never run more than 2 GPUs but from my reading, 2 GPUs seems to be the most trouble free and the best scaling and 3 GPUs seems to work reasonably well with some diminishing returns.

The 780s will usually OC to run at least at Titan speed or a little faster, but I don't think you could go wrong with either.

So you think 2x GeForce GTX Titans would run smoothly without those problems? i just dont want to end up selling them too...
 
I'd start with two 780s and go from there. See how those fare. Or, if you really think you need the VRAM - start with two Titans.

You can then always buy one more if you feel you do not have enough horsepower.
 
Hi black.hat,

I've also run NV Surround for nearly 2 years:

GTX480 (2)
GTX680 (single card and SLI)
GTX780 SLI

I just upgraded to the ASUS 3D monitors and I'm super happy with my dual 780s. BF3 runs great and with your Hexcore, it would probably run even better for you.

I would suggest you consider selling your 690s and buying 2-3 780s (or possibly Titans)

I've never run more than 2 GPUs but from my reading, 2 GPUs seems to be the most trouble free and the best scaling and 3 GPUs seems to work reasonably well with some diminishing returns.

The 780s will usually OC to run at least at Titan speed or a little faster, but I don't think you could go wrong with either.

Word. 780 SLI would likely be a much more enjoyable, headache free experience. And the extra 1GB of vram would help.
If you can swing the $$, Titans obviously would be ideal.
 
I have almost your exact setup, lol. I did my first surround on a single 680. I was pretty shocked that it worked, and I was instantly hooked. When the 780s came out I immediately bought two. I just added a third and the difference is exciting. I just installed it last night but I was having issues ( I think the third GPS didn't like my oc) when I updated the bios today and my clock dropped to normal everything worked fine. Haven't tested a lot with it yet, but I was just running Tomb Raider on 3 27" 3d monitors with the 3d off and the third GPU seemed to add 20-30 fps in spots at 5860 x 1080 (or whatever the res is, this is new for me) so far, very very pleased. I'm hoping this setup lasts me a good while (at least until Intel gets off their ass and releases an 8 core ivy bridge - e :D
 
I've run several configs pushing 3 screens, as follows:

590 pushing 3x BenQ XL2410T's
2x 580 3GB pushing 3x BenQ XL2410T's
3x 580 3GB pushing 3x BenQ XL2410T's
3x 580 3GB + 1x GTX465 1GB (PhysX) pushing 3x BenQ XL2410T's
3x GTX670 2GB pushing 3x BenQ XL2410T's
3x GTX670 2gb + 1x GTX465 1GB (PhsyX) pushing 3x BenQ XL2410T's
2x GTX780 3GB pushing 3x ASUS PB278q's
3x GTX780 3GB pushing 3x ASUS PB278q's
4x (1 for PhsyX currently) GTX780 3GB pushing 3x ASUS PB278q's

I can tell you although some games don't natively support it and can be a royal PITA to get working, I've never experienced what you're saying you have going on in BF3 where things just disappear. I can tell you that I know several people pushing 3 screens on dual 590s and 690s and they hate life most days. I'd jump ship and go for single GPU cards. The cards with dual GPUs on them were designed to provide SLI-like performance with only one slot. Just because you can doesn't mean that you should.
 
One thing you might try for zero cost is to just run one 690 for a few days and see how it goes.

As sabregen said, these cards are meant to give someone about 92% of the performance of dual 680s but in a single slot.

Try just one and see if the experience is better and the glitches go away.

And yes, I'm running dual 780s right now and I have not had any issues - I run an mATX case so I'm limited to two cards - if I had a little more time and patience, I would have tried to get two Titans, but that's just because it's so over the top.

780s are about $650 right now (assuming you can get them from someplace where you don't pay sales tax). I think your 690s should get around $800 +/- so that's an easy two and a half 780s or nearly two Titans. You might even find people who are open to trade.

Manufacturer customized 780s will be out in a few weeks so you might get a couple of the hopped up versions with better cooling and over clocking.
 
I've run several configs pushing 3 screens, as follows:

590 pushing 3x BenQ XL2410T's
2x 580 3GB pushing 3x BenQ XL2410T's
3x 580 3GB pushing 3x BenQ XL2410T's
3x 580 3GB + 1x GTX465 1GB (PhysX) pushing 3x BenQ XL2410T's
3x GTX670 2GB pushing 3x BenQ XL2410T's
3x GTX670 2gb + 1x GTX465 1GB (PhsyX) pushing 3x BenQ XL2410T's
2x GTX780 3GB pushing 3x ASUS PB278q's
3x GTX780 3GB pushing 3x ASUS PB278q's
4x (1 for PhsyX currently) GTX780 3GB pushing 3x ASUS PB278q's

I can tell you although some games don't natively support it and can be a royal PITA to get working, I've never experienced what you're saying you have going on in BF3 where things just disappear. I can tell you that I know several people pushing 3 screens on dual 590s and 690s and they hate life most days. I'd jump ship and go for single GPU cards. The cards with dual GPUs on them were designed to provide SLI-like performance with only one slot. Just because you can doesn't mean that you should.

Dude i even hated myself, since i built my pc with those two 690s I didn't enjoyed the pc even a single day, but now i am giving up.
 
Thanks everybody for the explanations, I think i will go for two 780s, but do you guys think it will be better to go with two titans? does the price and the performance difference worth it? or maybe even in long term? I dont even know what VRAM can do, never used it. What do you guys recommend?
 
I been using NVsurround with just about every game you mentioned with no problems at all.
In fact my system is very close to the specs you have:

I7 3930k
16Gigs of RAM
Asus Rampage IV Forumula
3x BenQ XL2420TX 3D Displays
GTX 670 in Tri Sli

I would think its probably a Graphics card issue. Why dont you try removing 1 of the Graphics cards and try seeing if running on 1 Card solves your problem?

I think the 780s would be a great choice i have been thinking of the same upgrade however i would atleast test if it really is a graphics card issue first. 1 GTX 690 is easily capable of running 3 screens. Diagnose if it really is the GPUs first, then upgrade if you like.
 
Thanks everybody for the explanations, I think i will go for two 780s, but do you guys think it will be better to go with two titans? does the price and the performance difference worth it? or maybe even in long term? I dont even know what VRAM can do, never used it. What do you guys recommend?

For gaming performance in 98% of situations, they will be so close you won't be able to tell (especially with a modest OC on the 780 which is cake)
Apparently, in Skyrim, if you use tons of graphics enhancements then it might be possible to use more than 3GB - I'm not sure but I know it was very possible to exceed the 2GB of a 680 with lots of hi-res textures or mods.

The few situations where the 6GB might make a difference is if you do surround on very high resolution monitors - if you run 5760x1080, it will never be an issue. If you run 1440P screens then - maybe, I'm not sure. If you run 3 screens at a higher resolution, than that then it might be reasonable.

The other area where a Titan might be better is Compute / CUDA stuff. If you do - I'm not even sure, but some kind of engineering work or programming or whatever, then the Titans can do certain "supercomputer" like compute work better than any card. If you have no idea what this is, then it doesn't apply to you.

Finally, the Titans can currently do 4 way SLI where the 780s can only so 3 way SLI. This is a pretty arbitrary limitation and there will almost certainly be a hack to do 4way SLI with 780s.

Also, you can pretty much buy 3 780s for the cost of 2 Titans and if your system and power supply can handle it, this is probably the better way to go.

If I were in your situation, I would sell the 690s for $800-900ish and buy 2 780s and then buy a nice SSD or some new games or something.
 
I use 3 screens but I don't game across them, just game on the middle one, and use the side ones for viewing various apps and folders.
When I edit videos with Premiere Pro, I'll use all 3 for my tools and what not.
 
The most ram usage happens with the highest settings and I never use the highest settings on the most demanding games because I would rather have more fps.

So you saying titans would be a better choice for me? i max out all games that i play and mostly i play them on 3x monitors.
 
So you saying titans would be a better choice for me? i max out all games that i play and mostly i play them on 3x monitors.

Yes, based on that and your total lack of perceptible sticker shock, I would say go Titan.
 
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