Multiple Displays vs Performance

[geon106]

Not sure if this is the right place or if it should be under graphics cards.

However my friends all have multiple displays on their computers and extended desktops across the displays. I don't wish to because i'm not sure if that would reduce performance or not?

Would cloning rather than extending have any negative performance particularly when gaming or does the GPU just duplicate the output rather than draw the picture twice?

Sorry if this is an obvious question but i'm not sure how either of the above would effect your computer

 

[PistolPete]

It would reduce performance as it's creating going from a 1920x1200 resolution to a 3840x1200 resolution, as to what end and if it scales - ie 2x will be 1/2 the speed - I have no idea.

I'd guess that there would be a performance hit in cloning, only on the basis that it's having to generate a 3840x1200, but the difference is that it's same in both the left and half of each line. Maybe they are clever enough to buffer the first half and spit it out again, but they maybe rendering it a single screen still.

 

[Gregster]

I run with the extended desktop (3x 27" 3D monitors) and it is a big hit @ 5760 * 1080 but if you run in clone mode, the performance difference is very marginal, to the point of not even worring about it

 

[spoffle]

Cloned screens don't equate to 3840x1080, the same signal is simply sent through all the display outputs.

As for extended desktop, it doesn't make a difference that you would ever notice really.

 

[spoffle]

I run with the extended desktop (3x 27" 3D monitors) and it is a big hit @ 5760 * 1080 but if you run in clone mode, the performance difference is very marginal, to the point of not even worring about it

He's talking about extended desktop, whereas you're talking about surround.

Extended desktop would be the game on the centre monitor and the left and right (in your case) would continue to display the windows desktop.

 

[Gregster]

Yep, my bad in terminology sorry.