Custom Built - Multi screen

Xios

Hey guys, just looking for advice on building a pc for use on multiple screen, this is what i want to achieve. I've built my own gaming pc before, so the main area of advice i need is the graphics cards. Is there a card that can run 4 HD screens at one? Or even 3? Or will i need to use a crossfire setup?
It'd be really useful if you could link to some of the cards i need.

kowloon

http://sites.amd.com/us/underground/products/eyefinity/whatiseyefinity/Pages/what-is-eyefinity.aspx

Effluo

What will you be using the screens for?

If you plan on gaming on 3 or 4 screens then rethink it as it will drive the cost of the graphics card/s up a heck of a lot

ScumLord

The last two cards I got had 3 outputs on them, one of them being either a s-video or hdmi.

Effluo

ScumLord wrote: »

The last two cards I got had 3 outputs on them, one of them being either a s-video or hdmi.

Yeah, unfortunately unless it's one of the new ATI infinity cards then even though the card has 3 outputs, it'll only be able to support 2 monitors.

cherryghost

theres a new eyefinity version of the ATI cards coming out soon enough, with 6 outputs at the back. cant remember where i saw it though

Zapho

Isn't there a way you can use two graphics cards? I vaguely remember someone doing this years ago when it was hard to comeby a machine that had 2 outputs on the one card.

Xios

Effluo wrote: »

What will you be using the screens for?

Nah, won't be gaming on it, it'll just be used for the exact same reason as the link above, stock trading. So the likes of an Geforce GTX 295 won't be necessary

cherryghost

you wont need anything too powerful so. a mid range/budget card would do you fine.

http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/17963/1/

5 display ports on a 5770 :eek: would be perfect for you, set you back about 130-150 euro, or a 6 display port on the 5870 (wouldnt bother with it though).

they're only new cards though, they dont seem readily available at the moment.

your other choices are a regular card with different output adaptors required for them :rolleyes:

ScumLord

Effluo wrote: »

Yeah, unfortunately unless it's one of the new ATI infinity cards then even though the card has 3 outputs, it'll only be able to support 2 monitors.

The 3rd port isn't for a monitor but some monitors now come with a hdmi port so you could use the 3. I don't actually know though, the last setup I had was monitor and TV and the current setup is two monitors I don't know what would happen if I plugged the hdmi into a TV.

Solitaire

Xios - What's your current build? If you have a mobo with integrated graphics or at least Crossfire/SLi you're already getting there

Any current AMD mobo with HD3000 integrated graphics + cheapo HD3450/4350 = 2+2 outputs = 4 monitors Although one or two of the outputs would most likely be VGA

uberpixie

Xios wrote: »

Hey guys, just looking for advice on building a pc for use on multiple screen, this is what i want to achieve. I've built my own gaming pc before, so the main area of advice i need is the graphics cards. Is there a card that can run 4 HD screens at one? Or even 3? Or will i need to use a crossfire setup?
It'd be really useful if you could link to some of the cards i need.

You only need 1 or two gfx cards with the correct number of outputs required.

All you need is two cheap gfx cards with x2 outputs by card. Cheapest possible.

Ideally you would want a motherboard that has x2 pci express x16 slots, so you can use some cheap pci express x16 cards.

Otherwise get x1 pci express x16 slot card and a regular pci card.(yes they will mix and match.)

No other magic required.... Thats it....

Only issue you could ever run into would be trying to use two different brands of cards under Vista. Works fine under XP or Windows 7 though....

Also why cock about with x4 screens when you could get x1 30" monitor?

lmimmfn

^^ agree completely apart from the using 1 30" screen( because 30" is normally only 2560x1600, whereas regular 4x24" screens = 7860 x 1080, maybe 3x30" lol ), i have 3 screens running off my 2 cards, could have 4 but i use mine for gaming so 3 works best.

Solitaire

Not to mention that AFAIK four 22" monitors (even 1080p!) are half the price of just one 30" monitor! :eek:

lmimmfn

Solitaire wrote: »

Not to mention that AFAIK four 22" monitors (even 1080p!) are half the price of just one 30" monitor! :eek:

lol, thats true too