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Nvidia Surround vs. Eyefinity

BaDBoY_uK

BaDBoY_uK

BaDBoY_uK

Soldato
Joined
5 Oct 2009
Posts
5,066
Hi folks

I have to admit that I am starting to get bored of all the ATI problems associated with Eyefinity. My main game is BC2 and it CTDs - not sure whether this is silly DICE or ATI drivers but it seems MOH has flickering screens also

So, can someone tell me what I need to go nvidia surround? I am thinking of selling the 6990 and 6970 and going two 580s

For Eyefinity:
3 screens
ATI eyefinity enables graphics cards
Active Display port-DVI adaptor
Appropriate drivers

What is the nvidia equivalent? Do you need some sort of 'special' adaptor? Can you list the required items for me please?

Thanks in advance
 
If you are set on the 580's then you'll need to opt for the 3gb versions. There is very little breathing room with 1.5gb.

All you need is to make sure that all 3 screens are connecting via dvi. Bob's your uncle.
 
Nope, first two screens into the top gpu. Third into the second.

I don't plan on giving false hope (YMMV) but a while back I moved from a pair of 5870's to 480's for my surround setup. Damn worth it is all I will say.
 
I haven't used ATI eyefinity, but the main gripe I have with Nvidia surround is the inability to have the preset "surround" and "desktop" preferences you can switch to with one click, as I understand you can with ATI.
 
BaDBoY_uK said:
Really? No special dongle thingy-magig
Awesome
Click to expand...

Yeah the downside if you can call it that with nVidia surround is that it needs 2 GPUs to function - each GPU can only handle 2 outputs max, this does mean you can use say 2x DVI on the first GPU and 1x DVI on the second without any dongle, etc.

I think you will find the experience somewhat more polished than eyefinity, nVidia's multi-screen 3D (not stereo 3D) acceleration was around long before eyefinity.
 
lay-z-boy said:
If you are set on the 580's then you'll need to opt for the 3gb versions. There is very little breathing room with 1.5gb.

All you need is to make sure that all 3 screens are connecting via dvi. Bob's your uncle.
Click to expand...

I too would go for the 3gb versions if starting from scracth, however my 1.5gb only struggle with certain games / benches if the AA is pumped up.

Taking a step back (last time I tried it) BC2 won't (or wouldn't) run at all on my surround setup (fine on single monitor) so would say this is defo a game rather than an ATI / NV issue
 
~TB~ said:
I too would go for the 3gb versions if starting from scracth, however my 1.5gb only struggle with certain games / benches if the AA is pumped up.

Taking a step back (last time I tried it) BC2 won't (or wouldn't) run at all on my surround setup (fine on single monitor) so would say this is defo a game rather than an ATI / NV issue
Click to expand...

When did you try? there was a couple of driver versions around March (270.xx under .61) where it didn't work with surround but anything newer or older than that should work fine afaik (its not a game I play so I'm depending on 3rd party info).
 
Last edited:
It was just a few weeks ago mate, on the latest (at the time) drivers - can't remember which they were, but it just wouldn't launch :(

Got really ****** off and started playing Black Ops instead :P

I'll give BC2 another try this evening ......
 
Thanks for the replies guys

If I went NV, I would get two 580s anyway and it seems the 3GB ones. The max of 2 screens per GPU is funny but hey. But man, are they expensive. £400?????

BC2 is buggy as hell. MSI AB/Punkbuster issue, poor use of GPUs. I have recently turned to MOH (didn't have a PC when it first came out) and love it. But same flickering issue.

Question: I don't have to go 3D to go Surround, do I? My eyes are dodgy and 3D doesn't work great for me. I also crash my car a lot... lol!

Freakbro said:
I haven't used ATI eyefinity, but the main gripe I have with Nvidia surround is the inability to have the preset "surround" and "desktop" preferences you can switch to with one click, as I understand you can with ATI.
Click to expand...

Have you tried the "Windows+P" method? Press the Windows key and the letter P and you see this

Untitled-12.png


Choose "Duplicate" for Surround and "Extend" for non-Surround

Let me know if it works for you
 
BaDBoY_uK said:
Have you tried the "Windows+P" method? Press the Windows key and the letter P and you see this

Untitled-12.png


Choose "Duplicate" for Surround and "Extend" for non-Surround

Let me know if it works for you
Click to expand...

With Nvidia afaik when you change from surround to normal extended desktop, it has to reload the whole driver (and vice versa) and thus takes a while - and you lose all your desktop config etc...it's a real pita
 
Freakbro said:
With Nvidia afaik when you change from surround to normal extended desktop, it has to reload the whole driver (and vice versa) and thus takes a while - and you lose all your desktop config etc...it's a real pita
Click to expand...
That's becuase it has to switch off the second gpu. With ati it's all done one one card so it doesn't have to do that. (but 1 card doesn't have enough power to drive most games at high settings unless it's a 6990/5970)

You can switch between middle screen and surround by switching between computer only and duplicate on nvidia, that is an instant switch over. Or if you want 3 desktop divisions install matrox powerdesk from their website. Allows you to split your desktop in various ways much like amd's hydravision.

I've had 0 problems with bc2 with nv surround. Had huge fps dipping problems/ occasional CTD's with amd, even using the 5870 2gb versions. Don't get any of that with my 480's even though they have half a gig less memory.

I had frostbite eyefinity problems (moh/bc2) on my cfx 6970m's in my m18x with the shipped driver, updating to a clean 11.6 solved the problem however.
 
The truth is neither Nvidia or AMD have perfected multi monitor support yet. Iv'e been an early adopter of both and they still have a way to go.
 
ive been thinking about this too but ive decided to wait for kepler as 1g on gcards when better ones are a few months away for the same price or cheaper is silly, mind you i wonder if nvid are going to make 3gb ones if not may have to wait a while longer for aftermarket stuff, i hope they make 2gb ones at least.

also nvid may have three monitor support on one card with kepler, so i could get a couple of cards in stages which would be good for me as one 6950 at the mo is coping much better than i expected at 5760x1200, rig in sig is out of date btw need to change it
 
lay-z-boy said:
You can switch between middle screen and surround by switching between computer only and duplicate on nvidia, that is an instant switch over. Or if you want 3 desktop divisions install matrox powerdesk from their website. Allows you to split your desktop in various ways much like amd's hydravision.
Click to expand...

Can you use their drivers with nVidia or ATI ? or do you need their triple head go and / or GPUs?

Cheers
 
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