Advice on GPU for 5760x1080/Surround

Hybridtheory · 17 Sep 2012 at 19:02

Hi all,

I'm looking at Upgrading my 460Gtx 1gig to a card capable of running 5760x1080 resolution, this is going to be completely new ground for me so any info, do's and dont's, and advice is greatly, greatly appreciated.

I've just upgraded the core of my rig with a new overclocked bundle

: Gigabyte Z77-D3H
: 2x4GB DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel
: Intel Core i5 3570K 3.40GHz @ 4.40GHz Ivy-bridge CPU
: Intel 520 180gig Ssd drive

I'm leaning more towards having a Ati card (always had Nvidia so this will be new ground also) so if needed i can go crossfire at a later date to be able to get some nice eye candy also at that resolution.

Bit unsure on how to go about it to be honest, so many last year setups with older cards but cant seem to find any recent stuff.

The 3 screens will be 1920x1080 screens (Still too purchase if anyone can offer advice on this too)

I'm lost if i should go a single card Nvidia.. 660ti or 670 ? 680 slightly possible and a 690 is defiantly out of my league.

Or a 7950/7970 then i have the option of getting another card to add in in a few months for more eye candy at that res.

So what do you think ?

F1aw1ess · 17 Sep 2012 at 19:34

Need a know a few things first to be able to give sound advice;

what games you playing?

how low will you allow your fps to drop to?

are you a stickler for 'ultra' settings?

(I can only give you an NVidia perpective)

Gregster · 17 Sep 2012 at 19:34

I would go with the 7950 and add another ASAP. I run surround 5760 *1080 on 2 680's and can honestly say for high settings, 2 GPU's will be needed.

Hybridtheory · 17 Sep 2012 at 21:53

BF3,CS:GO,TF2 and Dayz mostly at the moment, but i looking to also play some Guildwars 2 in the near future.

I wouldn't say im a stickler for everything on ultra, as long as it half decent and smooth fps

Would it be wiser for me to get a 7970 over a 7950 ?

Gregster · 17 Sep 2012 at 22:07

Hybridtheory said:
BF3,CS:GO,TF2 and Dayz mostly at the moment, but i looking to also play some Guildwars 2 in the near future.

I wouldn't say im a stickler for everything on ultra, as long as it half decent and smooth fps

Would it be wiser for me to get a 7970 over a 7950 ?

The 7950 is a capable card and cheap enough to add another. You can overclock a 7950 past a stock 7970 (but don't forget you can clock a 7970 also). If you are happy to turn settings down a little in games (BF3 especially), then go with the 7950. Even with my 2 overclocked 680's, I have to turn settings down in BF3.

Hybridtheory · 17 Sep 2012 at 22:19

gregster said:
The 7950 is a capable card and cheap enough to add another. You can overclock a 7950 past a stock 7970 (but don't forget you can clock a 7970 also). If you are happy to turn settings down a little in games (BF3 especially), then go with the 7950. Even with my 2 overclocked 680's, I have to turn settings down in BF3.

What games you playing other than BF3 at the moment mate ? and what sort of min fps you getting.

Is triple monitor something that i'll be using regularly you think or just on certain games ? how often are you using all 3 screens ?

trying to gauge if id be getting my money's worth you see

cjph · 17 Sep 2012 at 23:51

I play BF3 and Arma2 (some DayZ) on a 6970 (flashed 6950) across three 1680x1050 screens for a slightly lower 5040x1050 total, and BF3 drops to under 30 in some situations (I have the settings relatively low though it still looks good), so a 79x0 should provide better performance (the Bit Tech site is only one I've seen which tests GPUs in triplehead configs, both for BF3 and Arma2). Thats the other comment I would make - DayZ is Arma2 based, and as in general the game is more CPU than GPU dependant I would not expect the same performance increase as in BF3. Just my two pennyworth - I am looking at the 7 series, just can't decide if the extra dosh is worth the relatively small gain.

cj

Hybridtheory · 18 Sep 2012 at 00:11

cjph said:
I play BF3 and Arma2 (some DayZ) on a 6970 (flashed 6950) across three 1680x1050 screens for a slightly lower 5040x1050 total, and BF3 drops to under 30 in some situations (I have the settings relatively low though it still looks good), so a 79x0 should provide better performance (the Bit Tech site is only one I've seen which tests GPUs in triplehead configs, both for BF3 and Arma2). Thats the other comment I would make - DayZ is Arma2 based, and as in general the game is more CPU than GPU dependant I would not expect the same performance increase as in BF3. Just my two pennyworth - I am looking at the 7 series, just can't decide if the extra dosh is worth the relatively small gain.

cj

I very much appreciate the input mate

When looking at cards i presume i need 1 hdmi output and 2xdvi on a single card ?

F1aw1ess · 18 Sep 2012 at 08:41

i can play bf3 5760x1080 on a single 670 @ 1300mhz with everything on low except meshes which are at ultra and 2x aa. its stable enough at around 60fps but will drop to low 40's in some situations which is not acceptable for me. I actually find it harder to play in surround so I no longer use it.

I do however use 3 screen for all racing games, pCars currently will run at approx medium settings 2x aa (constant 60fps)

other games that are playable are max payne 3, diablo 3, dirt showdown, just cause 3, max effect 3, cs:go is a source engined game so heavily cpu bound, not actually tried 5760x1080 though. sleeping dogs at any decent settings brings it to its knees.

If I were you and you can afford it now, 2 x 7950's are p[robably the best bang for buck. If you can only afford 1 card now I would go 670 if stock, 7970 if your okay with overclocking.

Not sure about connectors for team red, NVidia cards can use 2x DVI's and an HDMI yes. Dont quote me on it but I think you need a to use the display port on the AMD cards so an adaptor would need to be purchased if your 3rd monitor doesnt have the relevant input.

1 word of warning, try to get all the same monitors and all the same cables if at all possible, we had another chap here a week or two ago pulling his hair out trying to get it working and in the end it ended up a cable problem.

gl and hf

foxrocks · 18 Sep 2012 at 14:01

Chiming in to agree that 2 x 7950s are gonna be the best value bet for you if you can afford it.

If not then one is just going to be too weak; if you can't find the best part of £500 for Crossfire 7950s, then perhaps one GTX 670 would be best for around £300, with a view to getting another one ASAP.

cjph · 18 Sep 2012 at 17:07

I run three Samsung 2232BW monitors, which are DVI and SVGA - I run two off the internal DVIs and one of the miniDP via an XFX active miniDP to DVI adapter, which works well enough. Its a doddle to set up the three screens from CCC once connected.

If you are going 79x0 series I think you will get one DVI, one HDMI and two DPs or miniDPs, so the adapters will depend on the screens and connectors you have. As above, keeping the same seems to help. I was/am looking at the Sapphire FLEX 7950 models as they have twin DVIs and a pair of miniDPs, which would suit my current setup, though as per the above post a single 7950, whilst an upgrade, will not be a huge leap (for me moving from the 6970 level anyway). I like the idea of less adapters though - less kit is less to go wrong.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

cj

Gregster · 18 Sep 2012 at 19:24

Hybridtheory said:
What games you playing other than BF3 at the moment mate ? and what sort of min fps you getting.

Is triple monitor something that i'll be using regularly you think or just on certain games ? how often are you using all 3 screens ?

trying to gauge if id be getting my money's worth you see

Sorry for the delay in replying. I had problems with sound and couldn't get it to work and reinstall and blah blah sound card later, all working

In surround I am playing everything from Crysis 2 (in 3D awsomes)(need 2 cards for decent settings) Bulletstorm (in 3D awsomes)(need 2 cards for decent settings) Black ops (only need 1 card on full detials for this) BF3 (need 2 cards for this for decent settings) Trine 2 (in 3D awsomes).

I am quite new to 3D surround or even just surround but I have to say it is great. It is harder in MP games (BF3/Black ops) but I don't care as it looks fantastic.

With BF3, I play on high settings and am getting ~80fps (small overclock)
With Crysis 2 I am getting ~60 fps (max settings)

It is a case of finding a happy medium where it looks good and returns decent fps.

whyscotty · 18 Sep 2012 at 21:11

@Gregster

So u like Crysis2 in 3D,

good my money is safe

Hybridtheory · 18 Sep 2012 at 22:19

gregster said:
Sorry for the delay in replying. I had problems with sound and couldn't get it to work and reinstall and blah blah sound card later, all working

In surround I am playing everything from Crysis 2 (in 3D awsomes)(need 2 cards for decent settings) Bulletstorm (in 3D awsomes)(need 2 cards for decent settings) Black ops (only need 1 card on full detials for this) BF3 (need 2 cards for this for decent settings) Trine 2 (in 3D awsomes).

I am quite new to 3D surround or even just surround but I have to say it is great. It is harder in MP games (BF3/Black ops) but I don't care as it looks fantastic.

With BF3, I play on high settings and am getting ~80fps (small overclock)
With Crysis 2 I am getting ~60 fps (max settings)

It is a case of finding a happy medium where it looks good and returns decent fps.

So your playing Triple monitor but in 3D also ? nice !

Gregster · 18 Sep 2012 at 22:33

Hybridtheory said:
So your playing Triple monitor but in 3D also ? nice !

Yep, all 3 monitors in 3D

Overkill but I love it.

Gregster · 18 Sep 2012 at 22:34

whyscotty said:
@gregster

So u like Crysis2 in 3D,

good my money is safe

errrrr I hate it

Nah bud, It surprised me how much better than the first it was. I havn't played too much because I had sound problems but will be back on it tomorrow

Hybridtheory · 19 Sep 2012 at 19:02

Bah not much on this weeks offers

Hybridtheory · 25 Sep 2012 at 19:36

F1aw1ess said:
i can play bf3 5760x1080 on a single 670 @ 1300mhz with everything on low except meshes which are at ultra and 2x aa. its stable enough at around 60fps but will drop to low 40's in some situations which is not acceptable for me. I actually find it harder to play in surround so I no longer use it.

Just been re reading this and would be interested in why you find it harder now than on a single screen ? ( i have 0 experience of any games in triple screen)

is it too much going on or to take in ? gives you brain fry ?

Also i'm at a complete loss at the moment deciding what to do in terms of setup !!

1 670/680 or a 7950/7970 which give me the option to add another card... 3 screens or 1 larger 3d setup, the more i think about it the more im undecided lol

F1aw1ess · 25 Sep 2012 at 20:01

im not sure really, it just doesnt feel normal, it might be because i had already done like 150 hours before getting the 670 and so was too used to single screen maybe?

I just found I couldnt monitor all the real estate on screen without turning my head, when I noticed something in my periferial (spelling) it seemed to take my attention away for a second and by the time i looked back i had died lol

On the flip side I am playing Borderlands 2 in 5760x1080 and am lovin' it! all maxed out bar physics on low and af @ 2x. constant 60fps

cjph · 25 Sep 2012 at 20:25

I had the opposite problem - without the side screens I was always being taken out by people outside of the monitor width, so found myself almost swaying constantly to keep as wide a field of view as possible. Three screens later, problem solved - it turns out I'm just crap at fps.

Most of my recent experience is with Arma2 however, while BF3 and other faster action games can have so much going on that you have to constantly look around to evaluate threats. Many of the players I encounter use head tracking setups (TrackIR or software with webcams) to control the viewing direction.

For me, nothing can beat taking an A10 or Harrier out on a bombing run and looking back at the devastation caused by a 500 pounder as you fly away. But then I love the smell of napalm in the morning.

cj