Off-Topic Thread

Seaaan · 24-02-2014 09:47AM

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Lads, what would be your general opinion on 2560x1080p 21:9 ratio monitors?
There are good few of them out there and they look reasonably priced in some cases. I was looking at that 29inch dell, which is only about 350-400£ now. Other monitors are in very similar price point. I won't be going with dell unfortunately as it has horrible response times compared with my 2312hm's.

I really love this aspect ratio and it looks like brilliant monitor for gaming due to so much extra screen space on sides. It's just I am afraid that it might end up like 1920x1200 panels? Abandoned and barely supported?
The other advantage I see with that monitor that it would be less taxing on system due to smaller pixel count.

So what do you think lads? Would you? Or I better just get catleap and stick with 1440p?

It depends on the game you play. My friend has one and he finds them super annoying for casual stuff like browsing and movies because everything gets Bella stretched

ShadowHearth · 24-02-2014 10:50AM

Seaaan wrote: »

It depends on the game you play. My friend has one and he finds them super annoying for casual stuff like browsing and movies because everything gets Bella stretched

Well, I don't really care about movies as I got 2x2312hms and 42 inch TV connected to pc too. I did though that movies should be fantastic on such screen due to 21:9 ratio?
Browsing is sort of an issue, but like I said I got 2 more screens for it.
Does he have problems with games in general? Any games that does not support that resolution?

brianblaze · 24-02-2014 10:53AM

HI lads! Got a new tv at the weekend, and want top hook up the PC without having to use a HDMI cable. What's the best way of wirelessly broadcasting the desktop? I have wireless keyboard and mouse and would love to game on the couch with the big screen, without having to drag in the PC.

Ideas?

raymix · 24-02-2014 10:55AM

Browsing should be fine if you make use of [winkey]+arrow keys... its like having 2 screens in one.

raymix · 24-02-2014 11:06AM

brianblaze wrote: »

HI lads! Got a new tv at the weekend, and want top hook up the PC without having to use a HDMI cable. What's the best way of wirelessly broadcasting the desktop? I have wireless keyboard and mouse and would love to game on the couch with the big screen, without having to drag in the PC.

Ideas?

There would be bandwidth problems as well as pretty tough setup. Forget the 54Mbps wifi, it can barelly take on 480p raw bandwidth... 720p @ 60fps requires 105MB/s......
1080p @ 60fps requires 3Gb/s or 375MB/s... So that rules out wifi AND even gigabit ethernet.
Another route is to compress the data on the fly while streaming, which would pretty much take away all your CPU resources for compression alone, unless you don't mind pixelation and obvious input lag. Forget the 5-10k bitrates, we are talking around blu-ray quality 30k+ bitrates here for remotely enjoyable quality.

brianblaze · 24-02-2014 11:07AM

raymix wrote: »

Get a really long HDMI cable.....

I like it!

MRTULES · 24-02-2014 11:14AM

I have heard a lot of people using HDMI extenders for thier home theatre. You can run it over long distance using cat5/6 which is a lot cheaper than 20m HDMI cable

raymix · 24-02-2014 11:17AM

MRTULES wrote: »

I have heard a lot of people using HDMI extenders for thier home theatre. You can run it over long distance using cat5/6 which is a lot cheaper than 20m HDMI cable

It's fine for movies, since 1080p @ 24fps only uses 95MB/s

Serephucus · 24-02-2014 11:55AM

10m cable - €20
15m cable - €45

How long do you need?

brianblaze · 24-02-2014 12:30PM

Serephucus wrote: »

10m cable - €20
15m cable - €45

How long do you need?

15m will do it for now. It's mainly to fully incorporate the PC for gaming more so than movies/ streaming. I'll get a Chromecast for that

justsomebloke · 24-02-2014 01:49PM

http://www.amazon.co.uk/KabelDirekt-Series-Speed-Ethernet-supports/dp/B004XJCLA6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393246100&sr=8-1&keywords=15m+hdmi might be a cheaper option and quicker

brianblaze · 24-02-2014 02:22PM

justsomebloke wrote: »

http://www.amazon.co.uk/KabelDirekt-Series-Speed-Ethernet-supports/dp/B004XJCLA6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393246100&sr=8-1&keywords=15m+hdmi might be a cheaper option and quicker

Cheers mate!

TerrorFirmer · 24-02-2014 03:02PM

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Well, I don't really care about movies as I got 2x2312hms and 42 inch TV connected to pc too. I did though that movies should be fantastic on such screen due to 21:9 ratio?
Browsing is sort of an issue, but like I said I got 2 more screens for it.
Does he have problems with games in general? Any games that does not support that resolution?

Some games don't support the resolution. COD: Ghosts for example lists 2560x1080, but it just stretches the 1080p image which is pointless and ugly. But you can easily get widescreen fixes.

Most games work fine though. Battlefield 4 is beautiful on my screen, wouldn't go back.

BloodBath · 24-02-2014 03:09PM

Seaaan wrote: »

It depends on the game you play. My friend has one and he finds them super annoying for casual stuff like browsing and movies because everything gets Bella stretched

Movies proper native aspect is 21:9 so it should fit the screen perfectly.

ShadowHearth · 24-02-2014 04:10PM

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

Some games don't support the resolution. COD: Ghosts for example lists 2560x1080, but it just stretches the 1080p image which is pointless and ugly. But you can easily get widescreen fixes.

Most games work fine though. Battlefield 4 is beautiful on my screen, wouldn't go back.

You got one of those? Which one you gone for? I noticed there good few out there. Outside of cod, which other games gave hassle? Do you have rust or dayz by any chance?
I sort of want 2560x1080p of good brand over catleap. Plus I think such aspect ratio is a lot more handier for gaming.

Seaaan · 24-02-2014 04:44PM

BloodBath wrote: »

Movies proper native aspect is 21:9 so it should fit the screen perfectly.

That's what he said so I have no idea. never used one myself..

Edit: He doesn't like how widescreen they are. Misinformationed'

ShadowHearth · 24-02-2014 05:48PM

Checked a few more videos online on 21:9 minitors and I am in love. Looks like I am going to go this path after all. Just need to decide on which one. Its a shame Dell one is crap

BloodBath · 24-02-2014 07:50PM

This looks like great value.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AOC-Q2963PM-inch-Ultrawide-Monitor/dp/B00BLZAYHC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393267757&sr=8-1&keywords=21+9+monitor&tag=fczbkkcom04-21

ShadowHearth · 24-02-2014 07:53PM

BloodBath wrote: »

This looks like great value.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AOC-Q2963PM-inch-Ultrawide-Monitor/dp/B00BLZAYHC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393267757&sr=8-1&keywords=21+9+monitor&tag=fczbkkcom04-21

Thats the one I am looking at or Asus one

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MX299Q-Widescreen-Multimedia-SonicMaster-Technology/dp/B00DRPYQ9G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393267993&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+29

My birthday is on 21 March, so I want to get it before that date.

BloodBath · 24-02-2014 08:02PM

I'm going for a full upgrade in a few weeks. I might grab one of those monitors as well.

Going to go from;

3570k -> 4770k
Asrock Z77 pro4 -> Asrock Z87M Extreme 4
7970 -> R9 290
Corsair 620w psu -> Corsair 850w gold

I'll add a second 290 at some stage.

Would love to cram it all into an matx case but they are hot cards.

Brian · 24-02-2014 08:32PM

Seriously tempted to get myself a KBC Poker II keyboard in UK/ISO layout. Sick of the ANSI layout on my Noppoo Choc Mini, real pain to program on because of the "missing" \ key.

Might try Blue switches this time instead of Reds too. Reds are nice to game on but I haven't ever adapted to them properly for fast typing.

..Brian.. · 24-02-2014 08:38PM

BloodBath wrote: »

I'm going for a full upgrade in a few weeks. I might grab one of those monitors as well.

Going to go from;

3570k -> 4770k
Asrock Z77 pro4 -> Asrock Z87M Extreme 4
7970 -> R9 290
Corsair 620w psu -> Corsair 850w gold

I'll add a second 290 at some stage.

Would love to cram it all into an matx case but they are hot cards.

You may need a 1000w PSU of you plan on overclocking much. I tipped 740w just by bumping two 290s up to 1.3v. This is with the CPU on stock voltage.

Gumbi · 24-02-2014 08:40PM

Overvolting those bad does cause huge increases in power draw. An 850 gold should be OK though. You had 740w power draw when gaming at1.3v?

ShadowHearth · 24-02-2014 08:40PM

BloodBath wrote: »

I'm going for a full upgrade in a few weeks. I might grab one of those monitors as well.

Going to go from;

3570k -> 4770k
Asrock Z77 pro4 -> Asrock Z87M Extreme 4
7970 -> R9 290
Corsair 620w psu -> Corsair 850w gold

I'll add a second 290 at some stage.

Would love to cram it all into an matx case but they are hot cards.

I know its your money, but why on earth would you upgrade to that?!

I understand GPU bit, butonly if that would be 290x. I dont get mobo and CPU m8. Looks like a very very very minor upgrade performance wise for a lot of money.

BloodBath · 24-02-2014 08:43PM

..Brian.. wrote: »

You may need a 1000w PSU of you plan on overclocking much. I tipped 740w just by bumping two 290s up to 1.3v. This is with the CPU on stock voltage.

I doubt there will be much overclocking on the gpus for crossfire. Heat is going to be an issue. I'll be looking to bring them to 290x levels though.

How did you measure the power consumption? The psu always draws more from the wall than the parts actually use. It's down to the efficiency of the psu and how much load it's under.

I would say average gaming loads wouldn't use much more than 600w of power. For proper efficiency I should probably go for 1000w gold or platinum though. Not cheap

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I know its your money, but why on earth would you upgrade to that?! I understand GPU bit, butonly if that would be 290x. I dont get mobo and CPU m8. Looks like a very very very minor upgrade performance wise for a lot of money.

I'm going to be recording games at max settings at 1080p and 1440p. I need the extra threads and power for it. Might look into getting some sort of dedicated video recording card.

Seaaan · 24-02-2014 08:45PM

Which 290 are you getting BloodBath? I'm looking to order mine tonight, and maybe throw a 120gb ssd in there with it. Asus directCU II is all that's in stock at reasonable price on HWVS, 393 euro. Kinda want the Tri-X one, but I might just get asus.. They have a good rep.

ShadowHearth · 24-02-2014 08:47PM

BloodBath wrote: »

I doubt there will be much overclocking on the gpus for crossfire. Heat is going to be an issue. I'll be looking to bring them to 290x levels though.

How did you measure the power consumption? The psu always draws more from the wall than the parts actually use. It's down to the efficiency of the psu and how much load it's under.

I would say average gaming loads wouldn't use much more than 600w of power. For proper efficiency I should probably go for 1000w gold or platinum though. Not cheap

I'm going to be recording games at max settings at 1080p and 1440p. I need the extra threads and power for it. Might look into getting some sort of dedicated video recording card.

At this stage you better off building a separate PC just for recording like LVLcap has.

uberpixie · 24-02-2014 08:52PM

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Checked a few more videos online on 21:9 minitors and I am in love. Looks like I am going to go this path after all. Just need to decide on which one. Its a shame Dell one is crap

Have the dell one...

Tis grand. Main draw for me at the time was a decent height adjustable stand for it over the cheaper options. Have no complaints.

Games wise on 2560x1080p I have not had too many issues, a lot of older games you need to play @ 1920x1080p stretched or centred.

Only games to give hassle for me:

Fallout 3, the last Splinter cell (could play 1920x1080p centred), Witcher 2, Warhammer 40K Dow 2.

raymix · 24-02-2014 08:56PM

I would suggest sticking with Dxtory/Fraps, that way you are in control of quality of your videos. Most of those recording cards have limits and the bitrate is quite low which affects quality quite a lot. The worst case I ever get with Dxtory is 5 fps dip while recording Arma videos, any GPU bound game runs just fine, never dips below 60fps on vsync wheter its Dxtory or even OBS.
The chip I have easily lets me stream 720p@60fps or1080p @30fps on Fast preset with no effect on fps whatsoever. 4770k will handle that even better. Recording is different - it has even less strain on CPU, bottleneck is created by speed of HDD, Dxtory can even combine 3 HDDs for extra speed if you prefer your recordings uncompressed.

BloodBath · 24-02-2014 09:03PM

Seaaan wrote: »

Which 290 are you getting BloodBath? I'm looking to order mine tonight, and maybe throw a 120gb ssd in there with it. Asus directCU II is all that's in stock at reasonable price on HWVS, 393 euro. Kinda want the Tri-X one, but I might just get asus.. They have a good rep.

I'm not sure yet, probably the MSI gaming or Asus DC2.

ShadowHearth wrote: »

At this stage you better off building a separate PC just for recording like LVLcap has.

Seems excessive. If I needed that much power I'd just upgrade to a 4930k.

raymix wrote: »

I would suggest sticking with Dxtory/Fraps, that way you are in control of quality of your videos. Most of those recording cards have limits and the bitrate is quite low which affects quality quite a lot. The worst case I ever get with Dxtory is 5 fps dip while recording Arma videos, any GPU bound game runs just fine, never dips below 60fps on vsync wheter its Dxtory or even OBS.
The chip I have easily lets me stream 720p@60fps or1080p @30fps on Fast preset with no effect on fps whatsoever. 4770k will handle that even better. Recording is different - it has even less strain on CPU, bottleneck is created by speed of HDD, Dxtory can even combine 3 HDDs for extra speed if you prefer your recordings uncompressed.

Well that's what I was thinking. An overclocked 4770k would surely be up to the task. I'll have a separate 4TB drive for recording. Would it struggle to write 1440p@30fps without too much compression? Maybe 2x2TB in raid would be better?

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