SRTie4k
02-16-2010, 01:36 PM
I'm starting this thread to show people the excellence of multi-monitor gaming. It may sound crazy, but having 3 panels in a surround setup is extremely immersive and really cranks up the atmosphere in PC games.
First of all, what is ATI Eyefinity, you ask? Check this out
http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/eyefinity/Pages/eyefinity.aspx
Essentially, it's a setup made up of a single video card that outputs to 3 different monitors.These monitors are setup in a surround or wrap-around style in either landscape, portrait or a combination thereof. The video card software then takes one huge resolution (of all 3 monitors combined) and spans it across all of the monitors. Essentially what you get is 3 monitors displaying one gigantic picture and resolution, far higher than any HDTV or single monitor can display.
My setup is as follows:
1 Sapphire ATI Radeon HD5870
1 Dell 2408FPW using DisplayPort (center)
2 Dell 2407FPW's using DVI (sides)
This is what it looks like with all panels in landscape and resolution of 5760x1200:
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/Jodokall/SDC10542.jpg
This is a portrait setup with a resolution of 3600x1920:
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/Jodokall/SDC10545.jpg
So far, I have played several games in Eyefinity and it's truly breathtaking. The one thing that is hard to get used to is the fact that the side monitors are not there for direct viewing - they are there to provide peripheral vision much like the real world, so the idea is always to keep your focus on the center monitor and use the mouse to look rather than your head. It's tough to get used to, but it makes the most sense when you start playing with an Eyefinity setup.
I'll post up some pics of some of the games as well as some thoughts as I play them.
First of all, what is ATI Eyefinity, you ask? Check this out
http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/eyefinity/Pages/eyefinity.aspx
Essentially, it's a setup made up of a single video card that outputs to 3 different monitors.These monitors are setup in a surround or wrap-around style in either landscape, portrait or a combination thereof. The video card software then takes one huge resolution (of all 3 monitors combined) and spans it across all of the monitors. Essentially what you get is 3 monitors displaying one gigantic picture and resolution, far higher than any HDTV or single monitor can display.
My setup is as follows:
1 Sapphire ATI Radeon HD5870
1 Dell 2408FPW using DisplayPort (center)
2 Dell 2407FPW's using DVI (sides)
This is what it looks like with all panels in landscape and resolution of 5760x1200:
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/Jodokall/SDC10542.jpg
This is a portrait setup with a resolution of 3600x1920:
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i229/Jodokall/SDC10545.jpg
So far, I have played several games in Eyefinity and it's truly breathtaking. The one thing that is hard to get used to is the fact that the side monitors are not there for direct viewing - they are there to provide peripheral vision much like the real world, so the idea is always to keep your focus on the center monitor and use the mouse to look rather than your head. It's tough to get used to, but it makes the most sense when you start playing with an Eyefinity setup.
I'll post up some pics of some of the games as well as some thoughts as I play them.