3D films on a PC

graycbr · 5 Dec 2011 at 19:38

Hi guys
In the planning stage of building a new system .
What do I need for running 3D games & films . What do you think guys views & links would be a great help

Rik1254 · 5 Dec 2011 at 20:19

Youll need a 3D compatible GPU and a 3D monitor.
If you like disks as opposed to legal downloading, then a Blu-ray player.

Im not entirely sure, but the Nvidia 3D vision kit might be needed also.

graycbr · 5 Dec 2011 at 20:23

like disks so any blu-ray player ?

95thrifles · 5 Dec 2011 at 20:27

120 Hz 3d monitor
Good gfx card if you want to game in 3d too, eg 580
Yeah you need the proper glasses too
And yes a blu ray drive, get a combo one which writes DVDs too
What sort of budget you looking at? And what do you need including in it?

The Slayer_UK · 5 Dec 2011 at 20:44

95thrifles said:
120 Hz 3d monitor
Good gfx card if you want to game in 3d too, eg 580
Yeah you need the proper glasses too
And yes a blu ray drive, get a combo one which writes DVDs too
What sort of budget you looking at? And what do you need including in it?

I have seen an Asus 24" 3D 120Hrz monitor for round £280 that also comes with a free pair of Nvidia glasses im not sure on the rules here so i will not post where ive seen it but thats the monitor i plan to get and its got good reviews

nelviss · 5 Dec 2011 at 21:56

i would not get that if its mk1 3D glasses, get http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-003-NV&groupid=17&catid=1851&subcat=.

The Slayer_UK · 5 Dec 2011 at 22:13

nelviss said:
i would not get that if its mk1 3D glasses, get http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-003-NV&groupid=17&catid=1851&subcat=.

it doesnt say but its a free pair of glasses but im not getting it for 3d atm i want it for the 120Hrz picture and then later on i will prob have a look at 3D gaming

Jokester · 5 Dec 2011 at 22:15

You could also use the Samsung(?) 120Hz monitors that don't rely on a Nvidia 3d setup but I can't vouch on how good they are.

Cleeecooo · 5 Dec 2011 at 22:51

Jokester said:
You could also use the Samsung(?) 120Hz monitors that don't rely on a Nvidia 3d setup but I can't vouch on how good they are.

They are EXCELLENT

Software is a bit crap, but still very good compared to others that i've used.

Compatibility is phenomenal.

S2XX50D's are the ones that do this

graycbr · 6 Dec 2011 at 22:04

so which graphics card to play 3D games & films around £50 -100 ?
Got a crossfire board so can buy a second card after xmas

95thrifles · 6 Dec 2011 at 22:20

graycbr said:
so which graphics card to play 3D games & films around £50 -100 ?
Got a crossfire board so can buy a second card after xmas

At a decent standard? I'm sorry but you need to up your budget, a lot

graycbr · 6 Dec 2011 at 22:37

ok what price are we talking about make spec ?

R088ieS86 · 6 Dec 2011 at 22:51

AMD wise: link

nVidia wise: link

There maybe a few newer products out that possibley aren't listed.

cmndr_andi · 6 Dec 2011 at 23:04

graycbr said:
ok what price are we talking about make spec ?

To run films in 3D then a card like the HD 6450 (£35) is sufficient.

However, for playing modern games on a 1080p@120Hz monitor in 3D mode and make them look good you really need to spend £200+ (with current cards at least) - since rendering 3D games is very resource intensive. Something like a HD GTX 570 or HD 6950/6970 2GB would be my suggestions at the bare minimum.

That said, new 28nm process cards are expected next month and these are supposedly a good deal faster than existing ones - so if you can wait this time then you may well be able to get a lot more graphics-pushing power for your money.

graycbr · 7 Dec 2011 at 20:08

many thanks for the replys so far it's a great help
Would u go AMD or Intel cpu ?
Looking to run a few games at mid range & 3D films ,but more CS5 editing is the real reason for upgrading ,but the monitor must be good !
What spec would you build ?

graycbr · 8 Dec 2011 at 20:35

anyone ?

cmndr_andi · 8 Dec 2011 at 22:19

Personally, I would go for an Intel CPU at this stage and with those uses. Just so long as you can afford at least a sandy-bridge based quad core (£150-175) - as these are extremely powerful, efficient and good value CPUs.

Ideally go for a 2500K, 2600K or 2700K (depending on what your budget can bear) and a decent P67 or Z68 board like this (review here).

looking at this review the i5 2500K and 2600K do similarly well in CS5, so you may want to just go for the 2500K and save the cash for other things (like a bigger/faster SSD).

graycbr · 9 Dec 2011 at 21:21

thanks for the reply

Yep thats sounds great for the start of the setup

Just a quick question regaurding M/B will it be ok to use my sata II HD with this M/Board ?

mxoagentjohnson · 9 Dec 2011 at 21:28

You will need a powerful card for the 3D gaming as fps can literally be halved with 3D on, if you have the budget get the 590, i heard 3D runs great on a 580 but depends if you what kinda games.

Then again im not using 3D as of now.

cmndr_andi · 9 Dec 2011 at 21:52

graycbr said:
thanks for the reply
Yep thats sounds great for the start of the setup
Just a quick question regaurding M/B will it be ok to use my sata II HD with this M/Board ?

Happy to help

Yes, that motherboard will work fine with SATA II (and SATA 1) hard drives as well as SATA 3 ones. In fact the board only has two dedicated SATA 3 ports (the white ones), the other four (blue ones) are standard SATA II ports - so I would suggest plugging your SATA 2 drives into these and save the SATA 3 ports for any SSDs.

mxoagentjohnson said:
You will need a powerful card for the 3D gaming as fps can literally be halved with 3D on, if you have the budget get the 590, i heard 3D runs great on a 580 but depends if you what kinda games.

Then again im not using 3D as of now.

You are quite correct, 3D gaming dramatically reduce framerate output since the GPU has to render each frame twice (once per eye). In most instances the framerate drop is 50% or greater. Therefore going for a powerful graphics card setup is a must if you want to play games in 3D and have them look smooth and pretty. My suggestion was for at least a GTX 570/HD 6970, going for a GTX 580 is another good shout since it is an even more powerful card, capable of delivering an even smoother experience in 3D.

However, I would strongly recommend against going for a GTX 590 card. These dual-GPU cards are known to have big issues with overheating and cooking themselves. Instead, going for a GTX 580, running two powerful cards in SLI or waiting for the 28nm cards to arrive would be better options imho.