3 monitor setup

Paulw

Hi,

Currently considering getting an nVidia GTX-680, for a 3 monitor setup.

I am looking for monitors that have DVI and HDMI connections, plus USB hubs. Best size would be 22" monitors.

Mostly I do photo processing, but also play games (such as Call of Duty).

Anyone got any advice on monitors to get and where?

tuxy

Budget?

Paulw

To be honest, I am looking for quality and an investment. Monitors last. I know I can spend anything from €100 to €300 per monitor, so it will then come down to features of the monitor.

ED E

300/unit would cover Korean IPS now. Worth looking into...

Paulw

ED E wrote: »

300/unit would cover Korean IPS now. Worth looking into...

I'd prefer not to have to spend that. Where would I find the Korean IPS monitor?

Eboggles

You'd be much better off grabbing a HD7970 for triple-monitor gaming, according to a few people here Nvidia's multi-monitor software isn't very good at all.

The 7970 performs better in games at that res as well, so it's kinda a no brainer.

Skill Magill

Eboggles wrote: »

The 7970 performs better in games at that res as well, so it's kinda a no brainer.

Could you link that for me? (dabs /hardwareversand/pixmania or the like)There seems to be a plethora of 7970's out there

Serephucus

I'd look at either U2412Ms. They satisfy all your requirements, and are excellent (I'm running one at the moment).

Eboggles

eoing1 wrote: »

Could you link that for me? (dabs /hardwareversand/pixmania or the like)There seems to be a plethora of 7970's out there

Any of them would do, but you should try and pick one up with a good cooler e.g Gigabyte Windforce, Sapphire Dual-X etc.

ShadowHearth

1x680 wont make triple monitor gaming fun. you will be cranking up down a lot. plus 680 is overpriced junk compared to competition in the market.

i already said how crap 680 is for multimonitor setups. Just for same price go and buy 2x7950, which will destroy 680 in performance for same price.

One thing i always say in these threads: TRY IT OUT FIRST!!! It sounds fun, but in reality its a thing that might be fun and useful or complete waste.

Serephucus

A 680 is not the same price as two 7950s, and I certainly wouldn't class it as "overpriced junk". A GTX 670 will give 95% of the performance of a 680, and is about €350.

I do agree that he should try it out first if possible, and that he's going to have to turn down a few settings, but I wouldn't let your personal experiences colour advice quite so much.

ShadowHearth

Serephucus wrote: »

A 680 is not the same price as two 7950s, and I certainly wouldn't class it as "overpriced junk". A GTX 670 will give 95% of the performance of a 680, and is about €350.

I do agree that he should try it out first if possible, and that he's going to have to turn down a few settings, but I wouldn't let your personal experiences colour advice quite so much.

670 is 95% of performance and is 150eu cheaper? well that makes 680 junk in my books. Specially when competition gives even better price/performance ratio. I am not a fanboy, but in reality nvidia need to get finger out and make proper pricing, instead of releasing stuff like "shield".

we had few 7950 listed for 250eu. so 500eu for two 7950 is a lot more value then one 680 which is around 500eu. Unless nvidia made a price cut recently that i did not heard about.

deceit

The gtx680 would be a really good choice for a single monitor set up but with the lack of support and it running out of juice and higher res set ups I couldnt justify them when I was looking to switch to two of them but just got a second hd7970 instead of two gtx680's.
With the hd7970's the default coolers are like hoovers at full tilt (like most ref coolers) so I would get one with a decent cooler. Only reason i'm using ref is to watercool them.

Paulw

I've read reviews of HD7970 and the GTX680.

Was more looking for advice on monitors.

Dcully

Paulw wrote: »

I've read reviews of HD7970 and the GTX680.

Was more looking for advice on monitors.

Dell U2412M , best monitor ive used and trust me ive used many.

tuxy

Is bezel size something that should be taken into consideration?

Serephucus

Yeah, IPS is your best bet at the moment. I've been wanting to try out a VA panel for a while, but I get the impression they're not quite there yet to be used as a gaming monitor. In that case, your best bet is the U2412. IPS, 1000:1 contrast, accurate colours, great viewing angles, nice stock stand, and a USB 2.0 hub.

Side point: I can't get the hub working on my Z77 Ex4, or my H61 motherboard. Any thoughts guys?

tuxy

I might change my monitor soon too. I like 16:10 and would go for an ips. But am fairly sensitive to pwm.
What's the best monitor with much the same specs as the u2412 but with out PWM?

Serephucus

I haven't noticed any PWM with my 2412 at all. I sometimes get a bit of flicker if I've been staring at the monitor for a while (lots of hours+) and then look away, but that's about it.

Skill Magill

Serephucus wrote: »

Side point: I can't get the hub working on my Z77 Ex4, or my H61 motherboard. Any thoughts guys?

You've connected it via usb b cable?

tuxy

It's not something you notice consciously but it still have an effect on people that are sensitive to it.
A camera shows it up fairly good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru474L8N15w

Paulw

24" monitors would be too large for my desk. More looking towards a 22".

tuxy

U2212HM maybe?

Serephucus

eoing1 wrote: »

You've connected it via usb b cable?

Aye. Windows tells me it can't install drivers.

Skill Magill

Serephucus wrote: »

Serephucus wrote: »

Aye. Windows tells me it can't install drivers.

Common prob?

ShadowHearth

tuxy wrote: »

U2212HM maybe?

damn, i did not knew they made them smaller. though by the amazon prices, you might as well go for 2312hm fo the sake of 10£.


i will give my vote to 2312hm and 2412hm. It all depends on budget. If you got money to spare then 2412hm's all the way.

tuxy

ShadowHearth wrote: »

i will give my vote to 2312hm and 2412hm. It all depends on budget. If you got money to spare then 2412hm's all the way.

It's not budget he said it was down to desk size.

Paulw

ShadowHearth wrote: »

i will give my vote to 2312hm and 2412hm. It all depends on budget. If you got money to spare then 2412hm's all the way.

I might be able to squeeze the 2312hm on to my desk but just wouldn't be able to fit the 2412hm.

Prices seem decent on Amazon. Now, time to order the monitors and a graphics card.

Serephucus

Have you thought of just getting one 27/30" monitor? With potentially €900 to spend, a U3014 wouldn't be completely out of your budget.

frozenfrozen

Get a bigger desk or a 3 way mount for them.

Paulw

I do a lot of photo editing. While the space on a 30" is nice, using multiple monitors makes it easy for me to segment my work. One monitor for my library, one for editing and one for fullscreen of the pict.

Also, having the multiple screens makes it easier to fix on my desk, since my desk is somewhat a U shape already. A flat 30" would not work in my physical space I have.

Paulw

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Get a bigger desk or a 3 way mount for them.

A cool mount, but how much??

A bigger desk wouldn't be easy, due to room size and layout.

tuxy

Paulw wrote: »

I might be able to squeeze the 2312hm on to my desk but just wouldn't be able to fit the 2412hm.

Prices seem decent on Amazon. Now, time to order the monitors and a graphics card.

A 23" 16:9 will be almost the same width as a 24" 16:10 so if you really can squeeze in a 2312hm then a 2412 will fit

http://www.displaywars.com/23-inch-16x9-vs-24-inch-16x10

Which aspect ratio are you going for?

Paulw

While just based on screen size there is very little difference, but when Dell build the monitors, there is a fair bit of difference in size.

16:9 works for me.

tuxy

Paulw wrote: »

While just based on screen size there is very little difference, but when Dell build the monitors, there is a fair bit of difference in size.

16:9 works for me.

Do they use a much larger bezel on the 24"?
That would be bad for multi monitor.

Paulw

tuxy wrote: »

Do they use a much larger bezel on the 24"?
That would be bad for multi monitor.

Looks like it, from the specs on the Dell site.

Width -

23" - 513mm
24" - 556mm

tuxy

Paulw wrote: »

Looks like it, from the specs on the Dell site.

Width -

23" - 513mm
24" - 556mm

I'm sure it's a good monitor but you would wonder why so many are recommending it in a multi monitor setup then.

ShadowHearth

Paulw, how small of a table we talking about? if the room size is an issue, dont you want to try some angled table? My table is not really big. I got 2x2312hm and one more LG crapy monitor which fit quite nicely due to table layout.

Serephucus

Not when you take into account display area as well. Take the total width of the monitor, and subtract the with of the panel itself.

U2312M
546.4 - 509.2 = 37.2 /2 = 18.6mm per bezel

U2412M:
556 - 518.4 = 37.5 /2 = 18.8mm per bezel

indough

are you talking about the u2312hm when you say 23" monitor? that is bigger than what you posted according to dells irish site

Dimensions with stand (H x W x D)
365.0 mm(compressed) ~ 493.0 mm(extended) x 546.4 mm x 185.4 mm
14.37" (compressed) ~19.44" (extended) x 21.51" x 7.30"

http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=ie&l=en&cs=iedhs1&sku=613463&baynote_bnrank=0&baynote_irrank=1&~ck=dellSearch

unless im reading it wrong but it would make more sense, the difference between 23 and 24 cant be that big

Paulw

Woops, must have mistaken the 22 for the 23.

Yeah, might be tight to fit three 23". Three 22" will fit though.

Paulw

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Paulw, how small of a table we talking about? if the room size is an issue, dont you want to try some angled table? My table is not really big. I got 2x2312hm and one more LG crapy monitor which fit quite nicely due to table layout.

My desk looks similar to yours, but smaller. With room placement, my desk fits nicely. To get a bigger desk, or larger monitors would be a bit awkward.

ShadowHearth

Paulw wrote: »

My desk looks similar to yours, but smaller. With room placement, my desk fits nicely. To get a bigger desk, or larger monitors would be a bit awkward.

hmmm if your desk is smaller, then i think 2312hm's still should fit. look at my desk. the side monitors are still far away from edge. So they might still fit on your table?

Paulw

Yeah, I think I can just get three of the u2312hm to fit.

And I still think the GTX680 is the card for me. It seems to be a bit better for power consumption and noise than the HD7970. Not as good for gaming performance, but not that far away.

For price the GTX680 comes in around €480 (on Dabs).

Eboggles

Paulw wrote: »

Yeah, I think I can just get three of the u2312hm to fit.

And I still think the GTX680 is the card for me. It seems to be a bit better for power consumption and noise than the HD7970. Not as good for gaming performance, but not that far away.

For price the GTX680 comes in around €480 (on Dabs).

This 7970 is €100 cheaper, cooler, quieter, and will end up beating the 680 by a nice margin when overclocked.

It really is a no-brainer.

ShadowHearth

Eboggles wrote: »

This 7970 is €100 cheaper, cooler, quieter, and will end up beating the 680 by a nice margin when overclocked.

It really is a no-brainer.

with saved money OP could buy a good stand for monitors or better table!

Serephucus

CUDA acceleration for Photoshop should also be taken into account.

Paulw

Eboggles wrote: »

This 7970 is €100 cheaper, cooler, quieter, and will end up beating the 680 by a nice margin when overclocked.

Looking at a number of online comparisons, they seem to differ with your view, in that they say that the GTX680 is quieter and cooler. I'm not all that bothered with over-clocking.

Of course, if I had stupid money, I could look at the GTX690. I must check my lotto ticket.

But, seriously, I tend to do more photo editing than game playing, so the nvidia card would be higher on my list.

Now, where do I get one of those multiple monitor stands? :eek:

Serephucus

If you're looking at a 680, I'd also consider a 670. Most of the time you'll get ~95% of the way to a 680, for over €100 less.

RE sand: http://www.amazon.co.uk/MDM06-Triple-Monitor-Stand-swivel/dp/B001H2XEP8/ref=sr_1_31?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1358114373&sr=1-31 or http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ergotron-Triple-Display-Lift-Stand/dp/B000E9VF1U/ref=sr_1_23?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1358114352&sr=1-23

marco_polo

Serephucus wrote: »

CUDA acceleration for Photoshop should also be taken into account.

Don't use it myself but I was under the impression that Photoshop was all opencl nowadays?

indough

Paulw wrote: »

Looking at a number of online comparisons, they seem to differ with your view, in that they say that the GTX680 is quieter and cooler. I'm not all that bothered with over-clocking.

Of course, if I had stupid money, I could look at the GTX690. I must check my lotto ticket.

But, seriously, I tend to do more photo editing than game playing, so the nvidia card would be higher on my list.

Now, where do I get one of those multiple monitor stands? :eek:

i dont think the 690 offers any advantage with the adobe suite, going by the benchmarks ive read they wont make use of the second gpu (it was premiere pro i was looking at but id imagine it extends to photoshop too)