what gpu will run 2 x 26" monitors?

vti_786

vti_786

vti_786

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as title really guys, not too clued up on having 2 26" monitors running, both are full hd and have hdmi slots.

what is the cheapest card that is capable of running 2 of these monitors and 1080p.

this will be used for gaming sometimes but not all he times
 
Pretty much any discrete graphics card can run two 1080p monitors in windows, apps and HD video - so for just these uses you can get away with paying £34 for something like this.

However, it is basically just the gaming performance that is limited by the graphics card - and for a decent gaming card (to play modern PC games well) you need to pay £80+. The best bang-for-buck card at the moment is this one. If you don't want to spend that kind of money then this is still a decent card. Spending less than that will not save you much, but you lose a lot of performance.

Also, may I ask what the spec of the rest of your system it? Specifically the CPU and PSU.
 
ms2010 said:
Only problem with that card you linked for running 2x 26" monitors would be the single DVI connector, so would also need a displayport adaptor like this in order to run both monitors
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It has both dual link DVI and HDMI - so if the OP is running dual HDMI monitors then he will just need an adapter like this (assuming he already has a pair of HDMI cables).
 
Or a HDMI to DVI adapter works. But you could just use a HDMI cable if there's a HDMI port on your monitor.

As for gaming, do you plan to play across both monitors or just one?
 
cpu: q6600 (3.2ghz)
ram: 4gb
psu: cooler master 550watt (high powered single rail)

both screens have hdmi slot (also vga, but rather have digital than analogue

i would want to play games over both the screens, will that affect the card i would need?
 
The 5850 should be ideal with that spec - especially if you want to play games smootly across the two screens, which that card will allow (dual screen eyefinity).

iv seen some 5770 go for decent money on MM

will this be ok for gaming aswell?
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It's a good card, but if you look at this comparison you'll see that the 5850 is much more powerful. At the high resolution of a two screen setup (3840x1080) then this extra power will make a big difference.

Also, if you buy retail then you get a valid warranty (2 years). Just to point out - these 5850 cards cost £50 more one week ago - it is a pretty great deal.
 
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Ahh i missed in the OP that both monitors have hdmi.

If im not mistaken only ATI Eyefinity lets you play games over multi screens , I don't think Nvidia have released thier version of Eyefinity yet
 
it's actually for a friend, not sure on the games he will be playing, the poor guy is clueless on pc's so helping him out (don't think im that good myself now, lol)

what is eye finity, would i have to purchase something or do something special to get this feature?

or is it just a function on the cards?
 
thanks for the help guys, although the 5850 might be a bit too much for him (money wise)

with the 5770, do you think he would be able to play crysis on medium (dual screen)?
 
It's a special function on the cards, 5000 and 6000 series to be precise, which allows all the monitors to merge into a single resolution.

For example with those two monitors, each monitor will have a seperate resolution of 1920x1080. This only allows games to be played on the main monitor. With eyefinity it will combine them to become 3840x1080.

EDIT: He might be pushing it with a 5770 for Crysis... Might be ok if all the settings are on low.
 
Eyefinity is a feature that comes with modern AMD/ATI cards (including the 5850) which allows you to turn two to six monitors into one massive virtual monitor - so you can play games across multiple screens very effectively.

With just two monitors you don't need any special equipment other than the graphics card and the cables to connect to the two monitors. Once the card is installed you set up eyefinity in the AMD software.
 
Orcvader said:
It's a special function on the cards, 5000 and 6000 series to be precise, which allows all the monitors to merge into a single resolution.

For example with those two monitors, each monitor will have a seperate resolution of 1920x1080. This only allows games to be played on the main monitor. With eyefinity it will combine them to become 3840x1080.

EDIT: He might be pushing it with a 5770 for Crysis... Might be ok if all the settings are on low.
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top man, thanks

will the psu be up for this do you think, CM 550 watt single rail at 44a?

EDIT: was just using crysis as an example game, he's not a real gamer, but don't want him to spend money on a pc and then end up being restricted to something.

if games can be played on medium (not crysis, lol) that should be fine i suppose
 
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Looking at this benchmark he should be able to get away with crysis at medium (and maybe some low) settings at 3840x1080 res (2560x1600 has a very similar number of pixels).

That PSU should be able to happily push either a 5770 or 5850.

Out of interest, how much is the 5770 you are looking at?
 
cmndr_andi said:
Looking at this benchmark he should be able to get away with crysis at medium (and maybe some low) settings at 3840x1080 res (2560x1600 has a very similar number of pixels).

That PSU should be able to happily push either a 5770 or 5850.

Out of interest, how much is the 5770 you are looking at?
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lol, not had a look at any recently, just seen some go for around £75 i think, so was thinking of spending in the region of that, like i say, it will be a waste to spend that much if he doesn't game
 
Unfortunately the 4890 doesn't support eyefinity, that feature was introduced with the 5000 series.

For the uses you have mentioned (eyefinity, gaming) I think the £75 5770 is the best bet, even though the 4890 has a bit more raw gaming power.
 
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