ATI Eyefinity | 6 Monitor Gaming On Video

[clo007]

that is freaking awesome, although IMO it makes more sense to go portrait mode for 3+ LCDs,

using 22" 1680x1050 screens:

3x landscape = 5040 x 1050
3x portrait === 3150 x 1680 (wider than a 30" at only slightly higher, 17:9 aspect ratio!, $450 cost...)
5x landscape = 8400 x 1050
5x portrait === 5250 x 1680

As others have mentioned though, hopefully this leads to some way to minimize the LCD's 'windowsill' since it does hamper the envelopment going on.

Still, hello next moneysink! (graphics card AND more LCDs...)

agree. could imagine how crappy it would be playing an FPS with the 6 monitor set-up? the damn monitors edge is hiding too much. just go 3 or 9 or if you need more monitor space, go projector.

[Glow9]

Oh snap, I see what you did there.

Also, I would *really* like to build a three monitor setup for FPS. That would just be insane.

Marketing.. The more you know eh? I mean Gigabyte and MSI don't offer lifetime warranties and make great products. So you pay for a "lifetime" warranty from XFX which people argue justifies you paying $15 more per card. But really is it worth it? No. Spend the extra money on the faster card not the "guarantee" watch the movie Tommy Boy for advice on guarantees.

[initialised]

Allegedly:



Source

[Sadasius]

Marketing.. The more you know eh? I mean Gigabyte and MSI don't offer lifetime warranties and make great products. So you pay for a "lifetime" warranty from XFX which people argue justifies you paying $15 more per card. But really is it worth it? No. Spend the extra money on the faster card not the "guarantee" watch the movie Tommy Boy for advice on guarantees.

I will tell you as an 'X' buyer of XFX products I will let you know something about that double lifetime warranty business. Plain and simple it means nothing because you have to keep paying shipping all the time. When you ask them to check a card before they send it, they don't. I have a little history with XFX that till this day is not resolved. Think about who you jump in bed with. All they do is keep sending you broken cards until you give up trying and tired from paying all the shipping charges. Yeah as you can see I am a fan. Never in the history of me dealing with RMA's did I encounter such a foe. The sound of a lifetime warranty makes some people sleep better at night but I will tell you that it is a damn nightmare. Mind you it has been a couple years since my 'still open and unresolved case'. Maybe they are better now. I won't chance it though. Lesson learned.

[STEvil]

Can it mix and match panels?

I have 2x 1680x1050's and a 2560x1600.. tip the 1680's on end.

[generics_user]

Can it mix and match panels?

I have 2x 1680x1050's and a 2560x1600.. tip the 1680's on end.

on desktop yes but in games it's impossible as games still set 1 single resolution only wider for multi-monitor setups (= 5760x1200 on 24" screens)

your middle screen will have to interpolate = blurry quality with different size compare to the other 2 screen (less ppi)

[hurleybird]

Resolution wise it's possible if some displays have black bars, or if you fool windows into thinking some displays have more pixels than they do (and then simply have the GPU not render those "extra" pixels. That's assuming all the monitors have equal pixel size. If not, things could get awfully messy...

[tajoh111]

The bezel part of the screen makes gains in image quality something not worth a damn as it is too distracting. It they make edge to edge monitors, I can imagine this being worth something, but I could imagine such monitors costing an arm and a leg.

Also the resolution and driver problems that will come with this, I bet will make all but a few titles unplayable. My trifire as has problem with only 1 single screen, I can imagine, 24 screens with four video cards being a complete mess.

Even those it is only slightly more practical, I think a projector would yield much better gaming results. As you would get usable FPS and you can adjust the size. Sure you might lose some resolution but you will get much better fps.

All I can see this being used for are extreme multitaskers at work, I will applaud anyone that can actually use six screens at work and use them to their fullest potential.

[Tuvok-LuR-]

Do you intend to upgrade to Windows 7

* Yes (93.0%, 1,236 Votes)
* No (5.0%, 66 Votes)
* Never (2.0%, 28 Votes)

:O

[Frank M]

well if you can find me 5760x2400 monitor for the price of six 24" monitors, sign me in

megalomaniac
I'd be happy with just a 30" 2560×1600 (for a while, at least).
What do you need such huge screen and resolution for anyway?
Graphics hardware would have a hard time coping with it...
So many monitors are imo only useful for stocks, airports and
similar, that is work, not gaming. How could you game, e.g. play
an FPS where the crosshair is coverd by four monitors' bezels?

[Hornet331]

How could you game, e.g. play
an FPS where the crosshair is coverd by four monitors' bezels?

But, but.... BUT its 6 MONITORSSSSSS !!!111

[Jamesrt2004]

I could see 3 screens working best/actualy usable

[Jowy Atreides]

Do you intend to upgrade to Windows 7

* Yes (93.0%, 1,236 Votes)
* No (5.0%, 66 Votes)
* Never (2.0%, 28 Votes)

:O

I bet the 28 are linux users ....in which case, wtf are they doing on a gaming related website?

[Xoulz]

I could see 3 screens working best/actualy usable

This^^..

[Mechromancer]

The bezel part of the screen makes gains in image quality something not worth a damn as it is too distracting. It they make edge to edge monitors, I can imagine this being worth something, but I could imagine such monitors costing an arm and a leg.

Also the resolution and driver problems that will come with this, I bet will make all but a few titles unplayable. My trifire as has problem with only 1 single screen, I can imagine, 24 screens with four video cards being a complete mess.

Even those it is only slightly more practical, I think a projector would yield much better gaming results. As you would get usable FPS and you can adjust the size. Sure you might lose some resolution but you will get much better fps.

All I can see this being used for are extreme multitaskers at work, I will applaud anyone that can actually use six screens at work and use them to their fullest potential.

AMD is working with some manufacturers, notably Samsung to make monitors with little or no bezel for a more seamless experience. Am I pulling this info out of my ass? NO...I have a source.

Although the demo we saw today was based on conventional Dell 30" monitors, AMD has been working with Samsung on Eyefinity support and has plans involving monitors with very narrow bezels, so that many displays can act together as one with a minimum of visual interruption. The company may also incorporate a feature in its graphics drivers to compensate for the visual offsets caused by bezels. Still, if this takes off, three-display setups will almost certainly be the most popular variation, because four- and six-display configs will have the display edges interruputing the dead-center focal point—where the crosshair goes in first-person shooters, among other things.

AMD seems to be executing this technology well. The best part of all of this is the possibility that these GPUs will be good at driving one LARGE monitor at ultra high resolution and little or no performance drop.

[64NOMIS]

Hexagon Monitor Configuration. Gamer Immersed. I had never thought about it until this moment, but it might be the mostsensibleway to use six displays for gaming.

Time to start re-arranging the furniture...

Next video!

[noXqzs]

With this you can easily setup multiple instrument displays for sims like x-plane. You could have monitors for the typical left right windows, and the rest for instruments. That would make one bad-ass ''pit.

[Tim]

The only thing I can focus on is the bezel.

Why not use a projector?

[Rammsteiner]

I hope they come with 2GB HD5870's slightly faster than it takes normally to get a 2GB version out If I see those specs, and if they're correct... first time in 3 years I wont be using MGPU's? omfg, cant do that, my e-peen is shricking already

[Boissez]

Is there any info about how this works in terms of monitor calibration? Having 25MP displays is good for the e-penis but without proper calibration your results are going to be crummy unless if you buy expensive pre-cailbrated monitors...

[Chris_redfield]

The only thing I can focus on is the bezel.

Why not use a projector?

You can't turn the lights on.

It costs a bit more for a decent projector and screen than it would 6 monitors (there is the upkeep of projectors costs of the bulb etc.)

Single projector wouldn't have as high a pixel count as 6 monitors.

Need a reasonable sized room with decent throw distance for the projector.

I would probably prefer a single projector for gaming but the eyefinity has some great advantages. It seems like a card that would fit in a gaming rig, workstation and HTPC environment. Nice one ATI.

[Tim]

You can't turn the lights on.

It costs a bit more for a decent projector and screen than it would 6 monitors (there is the upkeep of projectors costs of the bulb etc.)

Single projector wouldn't have as high a pixel count as 6 monitors.

Need a reasonable sized room with decent throw distance for the projector.

I would probably prefer a single projector for gaming but the eyefinity has some great advantages. It seems like a card that would fit in a gaming rig, workstation and HTPC environment. Nice one ATI.

I see, some good valid points. I thought projectors were cheaper. Thanks.

[64NOMIS]

without proper calibration your results are going to be crummy unless if you buy expensive pre-cailbrated monitors...

The most noticable issues in tiling are with front/rear-projection, brightness and color balance due primarily to lamp lifecycle and variance issues. LCD screen-to-screen consistency is dramatically better than projection with same make/model. Subjective brightness calibration and gaming looks really good. Net, for LCD's this is not a big issue.

[Boissez]

The most noticable issues in tiling are with front/rear-projection, brightness and color balance due primarily to lamp lifecycle and variance issues. LCD screen-to-screen consistency is dramatically better than projection with same make/model. Subjective brightness calibration and gaming looks really good. Net, for LCD's this is not a big issue.

Is that a fact?
On cheap (TN) panels there's a 20-30% variance in luminosity just on one single panel(!) - what makes you think that things would improve from panel to panel
Also although lcd's are better in terms of color/brightness accuracy over time if they are not calibrated to start with (like most cheap TN panels) they will have color/luminance shifts from day 1.

Having a 3 or 6 monitor setup with one of them having a strong color shift will strongly affect immersability IMO - even more so than the bezels.

[Helloworld_98]

Let's hope those almost bezel-less monitor's have that new dynamic contrast which enhances contrast ratio's by choosing which LED backlight's to dim.