How to acheive multi-monitor like steves last set up

[osage]

My current hardware consists of.. Three 7970s in Crossfire (all at x16) with a i7 3770k at 4.4GHz on water, 32GB of DDR3 at 2133MHz, two OCZ Vertex 4 256GB SSDs in RAID0, HT OMEGA CLARO II 7.1ch sound card, Corsair 1200W modular gold certified PSU, ll in a Cooler Master Storm Trooper Full ATX with custom fitted 360rad up top that cools all three GPUS and the CPU (water cooling products are mostly EK)
This was built over the summer and when I build computers I usually build them to last 3-4 years with only minor upgrades etc.
This was a benchmark build for the most part, but of course it can more than play any game you want at 5760X1080 with no less than 45FPS constant.
I use three AOC i2367Fh monitors(best cheap IPS panel monitor out right now) This is how I play most games.

The forth display is a Samsung UN55D8000 55" LED-LCD 240hz active 3D TV. This is slim mounted to the wall above the monitors and is our home theater TV for now, I can also use this to play 3D games on the couch (I use an Xbox 360 controller for some of my PC games).
Steve has his ideal dream setup, which I can't say I'm not jealous of the thin bezels on the TVs he could afford to use, but in my price range, what I've listed above was my dream setup and it's the first I've actually achieved. The only regret I have is not getting a larger TV.
If you want to go for a setup like this.. Well, you have to cut back on the car audio fun for awhile sadly.

[RooTxBeeR]

My current hardware consists of.. Three 7970s in Crossfire (all at x16) with a i7 3770k at 4.4GHz on water, 32GB of DDR3 at 2133MHz, two OCZ Vertex 4 256GB SSDs in RAID0, HT OMEGA CLARO II 7.1ch sound card, Corsair 1200W modular gold certified PSU, ll in a Cooler Master Storm Trooper Full ATX with custom fitted 360rad up top that cools all three GPUS and the CPU (water cooling products are mostly EK)

This was built over the summer and when I build computers I usually build them to last 3-4 years with only minor upgrades etc.

This was a benchmark build for the most part, but of course it can more than play any game you want at 5760X1080 with no less than 45FPS constant.

I use three AOC i2367Fh monitors(best cheap IPS panel monitor out right now) This is how I play most games.

The forth display is a Samsung UN55D8000 55" LED-LCD 240hz active 3D TV. This is slim mounted to the wall above the monitors and is our home theater TV for now, I can also use this to play 3D games on the couch (I use an Xbox 360 controller for some of my PC games).

Steve has his ideal dream setup, which I can't say I'm not jealous of the thin bezels on the TVs he could afford to use, but in my price range, what I've listed above was my dream setup and it's the first I've actually achieved. The only regret I have is not getting a larger TV.

If you want to go for a setup like this.. Well, you have to cut back on the car audio fun for awhile sadly.

Ya I know, I bet that computer has at a minimum of 3.5k in into, I mean, 3 7970's is just shy 1500 just in the graphics. Then 2 256GB SSDs, shiiiiiit. Lol I was just curious more of a external way to do it for consoles but can't do that. My dream PC is what I stated, a lot less off of what you have but surely possible.

[Maxim]

Lol, that is the exact build I would do two. 2 7970's, two SSD's if I can in either Raid 1 or 0. I would like more than 8gb of ram, I have that on this laptop, and while dualmonitoring and multitasking I can get this thing to get quite a bit of stress. Never hit it's limit but I would say 85% at the most. I want to get a i7 and get triple channel RAM to really utilize the i7's techonolgy. I tried to make a couple set ups but couldn't find good matchs with a i7, 2 PCI 3.0 slots, triple channel ram, and more pci slots for wireless card, audio, and the raid controller.

You're going to want to look at socket 1155 and 2011. The chipsets are Z77 and X79, respectively. The i7's with triple-channel RAM that you're talking about are from socket 1366/X58. Those chips are from 2008 and won't run PCI Express 3.0. Although some of those chips are still fast enough for today's games it's not really worth investing in old technology for a new computer build.

Socket 1155 will run dual-channel RAM and PCIe 3.0. It's ideal for up to 2 graphics cards, though some motherboards will allow you to run 3 or 4.

Socket 2011 will run quad-channel RAM and PCIe 3.0. It's ideal for 3 or 4 graphics cards in a powerhouse machine.

Here's some links to relevant pages on Newegg:

Socket 1155 PROCESSORS and MOTHERBOARDS

Socket 2011 PROCESSORS and MOTHERBOARDS

[RooTxBeeR]

Lol, that is the exact build I would do two. 2 7970's, two SSD's if I can in either Raid 1 or 0. I would like more than 8gb of ram, I have that on this laptop, and while dualmonitoring and multitasking I can get this thing to get quite a bit of stress. Never hit it's limit but I would say 85% at the most. I want to get a i7 and get triple channel RAM to really utilize the i7's techonolgy. I tried to make a couple set ups but couldn't find good matchs with a i7, 2 PCI 3.0 slots, triple channel ram, and more pci slots for wireless card, audio, and the raid controller.

You're going to want to look at socket 1155 and 2011. The chipsets are Z77 and X79, respectively. The i7's with triple-channel RAM that you're talking about are from socket 1366/X58. Those chips are from 2008 and won't run PCI Express 3.0. Although some of those chips are still fast enough for today's games it's not really worth investing in old technology for a new computer build.

Socket 1155 will run dual-channel RAM and PCIe 3.0. It's ideal for up to 2 graphics cards, though some motherboards will allow you to run 3 or 4.

Socket 2011 will run quad-channel RAM and PCIe 3.0. It's ideal for 3 or 4 graphics cards in a powerhouse machine.

Here's some links to relevant pages on Newegg:

Socket 1155 PROCESSORS and MOTHERBOARDS

Socket 2011 PROCESSORS and MOTHERBOARDS

In that is the case I am going to stick to dual channel, I will never run 3/4 graphics cards. I will run a triple monitor set up in the future, but I am sure I will be able to run full with 2. Which I might not even do 2, there isn't THAT much of a increase from 1 to 2 cards. I appreciate the info about triple channel, didn't know it was outdated already lol.

[beaker]

2011 runs quad channel

I have a 1366 i7 [email protected] ghz with 24 gigs of ram and 2 SSD's in a RAID 0, I rarely see it even close to 12 gigs. The new i5 is faster than mine, even with mine overclocked and it runs cooler, and uses less power.

[RooTxBeeR]

2011 runs quad channel

I have a 1366 i7 [email protected] ghz with 24 gigs of ram and 2 SSD's in a RAID 0, I rarely see it even close to 12 gigs. The new i5 is faster than mine, even with mine overclocked and it runs cooler, and uses less power.

Ya that I actually was aware of, my buddy just picked up the new one only because of that how it is better now than the latest i7. Which now that triple channel is out of the discussion. I will get a i5 or i7, which of the best grabs me than the other when I go to choose my hardware.

[inm]

Fack 1155 and 2011, wait til April and get some 1150 Haswell goodies.

[Sheena]

no point in waiting inm, cause as soon as you wait till april, the next upgrade will be out in another 6 months, then why not just wait for that one?

i could understand if it was like next week or something, but my sandy bridge i7 2600k barely gets its wings off the ground in games (using an astounding 15%)

its all about the video card nowadays. you can game with a ivy bridge i3 and still get away with using around 50% cpu usage (educated speculation)

[Maxim]

Lol, that is the exact build I would do two. 2 7970's, two SSD's if I can in either Raid 1 or 0. I would like more than 8gb of ram, I have that on this laptop, and while dualmonitoring and multitasking I can get this thing to get quite a bit of stress. Never hit it's limit but I would say 85% at the most. I want to get a i7 and get triple channel RAM to really utilize the i7's techonolgy. I tried to make a couple set ups but couldn't find good matchs with a i7, 2 PCI 3.0 slots, triple channel ram, and more pci slots for wireless card, audio, and the raid controller.

You're going to want to look at socket 1155 and 2011. The chipsets are Z77 and X79, respectively. The i7's with triple-channel RAM that you're talking about are from socket 1366/X58. Those chips are from 2008 and won't run PCI Express 3.0. Although some of those chips are still fast enough for today's games it's not really worth investing in old technology for a new computer build.

Socket 1155 will run dual-channel RAM and PCIe 3.0. It's ideal for up to 2 graphics cards, though some motherboards will allow you to run 3 or 4.

Socket 2011 will run quad-channel RAM and PCIe 3.0. It's ideal for 3 or 4 graphics cards in a powerhouse machine.

Here's some links to relevant pages on Newegg:

Socket 1155 PROCESSORS and MOTHERBOARDS

Socket 2011 PROCESSORS and MOTHERBOARDS

In that is the case I am going to stick to dual channel, I will never run 3/4 graphics cards. I will run a triple monitor set up in the future, but I am sure I will be able to run full with 2. Which I might not even do 2, there isn't THAT much of a increase from 1 to 2 cards. I appreciate the info about triple channel, didn't know it was outdated already lol.

1 card to 2 cards is generally a good jump in performance. Beyond that you see diminishing returns (though some games will see better gains than others). So say you have 3 screens. 1 card gets you 30fps. 2 cards might get you around 50fps (not quite double, but close). Adding a third card might only get you to 60-65fps and a 4th card might only get you to 70fps. These are just as an example but it's generally how multi-card scaling works. Very rarely will games double in performance by adding a second card, and adding a 3rd will see even less of a jump. A 4th is never worth it unless you've got money to burn and the case/motherboard/power supply to support it.

The advantage to 3 or 4 cards is if you're running 3 high-res monitors (2560x1440+). Once you have that high of a resolution every bit of graphics horsepower helps. But you're also dropping $1500-3000 just on monitors so you better have some deep pockets to cover the $1500+ in graphics cards to drive them.

[RooTxBeeR]

Lol, that is the exact build I would do two. 2 7970's, two SSD's if I can in either Raid 1 or 0. I would like more than 8gb of ram, I have that on this laptop, and while dualmonitoring and multitasking I can get this thing to get quite a bit of stress. Never hit it's limit but I would say 85% at the most. I want to get a i7 and get triple channel RAM to really utilize the i7's techonolgy. I tried to make a couple set ups but couldn't find good matchs with a i7, 2 PCI 3.0 slots, triple channel ram, and more pci slots for wireless card, audio, and the raid controller.

You're going to want to look at socket 1155 and 2011. The chipsets are Z77 and X79, respectively. The i7's with triple-channel RAM that you're talking about are from socket 1366/X58. Those chips are from 2008 and won't run PCI Express 3.0. Although some of those chips are still fast enough for today's games it's not really worth investing in old technology for a new computer build.

Socket 1155 will run dual-channel RAM and PCIe 3.0. It's ideal for up to 2 graphics cards, though some motherboards will allow you to run 3 or 4.

Socket 2011 will run quad-channel RAM and PCIe 3.0. It's ideal for 3 or 4 graphics cards in a powerhouse machine.

Here's some links to relevant pages on Newegg:

Socket 1155 PROCESSORS and MOTHERBOARDS

Socket 2011 PROCESSORS and MOTHERBOARDS

In that is the case I am going to stick to dual channel, I will never run 3/4 graphics cards. I will run a triple monitor set up in the future, but I am sure I will be able to run full with 2. Which I might not even do 2, there isn't THAT much of a increase from 1 to 2 cards. I appreciate the info about triple channel, didn't know it was outdated already lol.

1 card to 2 cards is generally a good jump in performance. Beyond that you see diminishing returns (though some games will see better gains than others). So say you have 3 screens. 1 card gets you 30fps. 2 cards might get you around 50fps (not quite double, but close). Adding a third card might only get you to 60-65fps and a 4th card might only get you to 70fps. These are just as an example but it's generally how multi-card scaling works. Very rarely will games double in performance by adding a second card, and adding a 3rd will see even less of a jump. A 4th is never worth it unless you've got money to burn and the case/motherboard/power supply to support it.

The advantage to 3 or 4 cards is if you're running 3 high-res monitors (2560x1440+). Once you have that high of a resolution every bit of graphics horsepower helps. But you're also dropping $1500-3000 just on monitors so you better have some deep pockets to cover the $1500+ in graphics cards to drive them.

Ya, I am not doing something on that big of a scale haha. I have 3 monitors now, my laptop with a 23" monitor to the right of it plugged in through VGA, to the right of that monitor is a old 20" widescreen running 1024x768. the laptop and 23" are 1920x1080. Along with that I have my tv thats on my wall hooked up as HDMI, so when I want to lay down and watch something I can, but my software on the laptop cannot run 3 monitors at once no matter the configuration. I can pick up all 3 just not run them. When I go to my setup, I will more than likely just stick to dual monitors, not three, to much money to invest to make the best use of a 3rd one. I prefer 3 monitors 2 comps, over 3 monitors 1 comp.