Confirmed: mismatched Eyefinity looks better for FPS

M

Matrices

Supreme [H]ardness
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Feb 5, 2003
Messages
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A couple months back, I got rid of a 25.5" x 3 Surround setup. Was not a fan of the fisheye effect and didn't see why the side monitors should be the same size as the center - and effectively larger, given the way you angle them - when the center is supposed to be the focus. Also didn't like being stuck with one monitor in all the games that don't work with the technology, especially since the Asus VW266H lacked the brightness and clarity of an IPS.

So I switched to a single 30" for gaming with two 22" in portrait for web. A couple weeks ago, I toyed with the idea of trying triple monitor gaming again, but this time with mismatched monitors and a LED TN Asus VE278Q, which is a much better monitor than any TN I've seen:


Resultsx.jpg


Happy to report that it works really well in FPS, which is what I primarily play in Eyefinity. Because the side monitors are smaller, the fisheye effect appears less obvious. And because the center monitor is larger, it is more natural to focus on it. I don't feel any loss of immersion from the side monitors being smaller. Instead, the sides now offer immersion instead of distraction.

Absence of bezel correction does not bother me in the least - and I was very bothered by its absence when I was using identically sized monitors with that feature turned off. Again, probably due to where my vision is focused.

Meanwhile, the 30" at the bottom is still great for non-compatible games.
 
I don't know if I'd agree that it looks better, but glad to see that it's working for you! I went from a 32" LCD as my primary display to 3x 24" LCD Eyefinity. I do kind of miss the extra size of my old display, but I wanted uniformity. I've been thinking lately that I should try putting the 32" in the middle of a couple 24" just to check it out. Since the side displays are not your focus, I can't see it being a negative impact to any great degree.

Did you make the mount?
 
It's impossible to tell that it looks better by pictures, because you can't even capture how Eyefinity looks from the user perspective by pictures. :) Actually in pictures, it would look worse because you'd see the mismatched images. But I figured I would post the image anyway; anyone who uses Eyefinity knows that looking at pictures based on a "behind the user" view is not indicative of the real deal.

Obviously this is my own opinion, but I speak from experience of having used both types of setups.

The mount is Chieftec KTA 325.
 
karlowma said:
I've been thinking lately that I should try putting the 32" in the middle of a couple 24" just to check it out. Since the side displays are not your focus, I can't see it being a negative impact to any great degree.
Click to expand...

You could also try your 32" with a 24" on either side in portrait orientation and show us what that looks like if you could be bothered. :)
Posted via Mobile Device
 
Nice insight here Matrices. You also responded to a couple of my questions in the Displays forum. Appreciated. =)

Do you know how MMO, specifically WoW, looks with mismatched? Right now my plan seems to be heading in getting 2x24's to go along with my center 27.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
SeegsElite said:
Did you ever try portrait for your FPS games?
Posted via Mobile Device
Click to expand...

No. I personally don't think portrait would look nice unless you were using 3 x 30" panels, because anything smaller than that puts the bezels very much within your head-on FOV. Also seems to defeat the purpose of the technology, which is widen the aspect ratio. At least in the games I play, width is much more important than height.
 
soul555top said:
Nice insight here Matrices. You also responded to a couple of my questions in the Displays forum. Appreciated. =)

Do you know how MMO, specifically WoW, looks with mismatched? Right now my plan seems to be heading in getting 2x24's to go along with my center 27.
Posted via Mobile Device
Click to expand...

I don't play MMOs other than Eve Online, so I don't know. However, Zorachus posted pics a year or more ago showing WoW in precisely that configuration. If you do a search on here by his user name you might find it.
 
Matrices said:
I don't play MMOs other than Eve Online, so I don't know. However, Zorachus posted pics a year or more ago showing WoW in precisely that configuration. If you do a search on here by his user name you might find it.
Click to expand...

Found it. Thanks again. =)

I think I am going to pull the trigger and find 2x24s to go along with my 27. Who knows maybe 3x30's is in the future for me (just apped to a killer job).
 
i thought you couldnt do eyefinity with mixed resolution monitors... how does it work? id really like to get another 20" 1200x1600 and put it on the other side of my 30" 2560x1600 and try out eyefinity. do i need any special hardware other than a dp adapter? also, is there a list of games somewhere that support mixed-resolution eyefinity?
 
I didn't used mixed resolution, only mixed size. Important distinction. There is no mixed resolution support with Eyefinity or Surround, period.

For that you need to rely on the paltry few games that let you expand them in windowed mode (like Eve Online) or the SoftTH utility, which, while recently revamped, still can't do multi-GPU, DX10, DX11, or multiplayer in Punkbuster-dependent games. Still, the fact that the one guy behind SoftTH can pull that much off shows that either company could do it if it made business sense.
 
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Hi thanks for pointing this thread out.

A few things off the bat ...

I haven't seen eyefinity in person, but I have to agree that still shots, while cool and very much appreciated, do not do eyefinity/nvidia surround much justice. I was intrigued by eyefinity in stills when I first started really considering it, but when I started watching videos of it in action I really became wowed. Sort of like viewing pictures of a roller coaster vs watching one of those first person videos of a roller coaster ... then think eyefinity 'imax' :b

On the subject of pictures. This picture you posted here looks cool , but the perspective makes the screens all look smaller for some reason. I was surprised when I read that the middle monitors are so large. I know that happens sometimes when you take shots from further away, trying to encompass all the subjects of a photo, but could you post some more pictures please? and from a lower angle if possible maybe. If not , what you posted is still very much appreciated already. Thanks.

I have some questions, if I may...
-- Can you use bezel management effectively with the way you have that set up with difference sized monitors if you wanted to?
--Does the content on the side displays look noticeably smaller? (much?)
--When not gaming, moving your mouse and dragging windows between screens, does the travel path give a strange impression / odd flow? (app windows, and MMO content)
-- Does it bother your eyes (eyestrain/brain-strain) to switch gaze between them reading and/or dragging things? (Refocusing repeatedly?) (esp. app windows and MMO items, overlay info text, etc)
-- The side lcd's on your current setup are 22" vs the central 27". Do you think people would still benefit from mixed sizes if the side monitors were closer in size? Like Soul555top's 24" ends and 27" center plan.
-Do you think adding two more 28" hannsg to my 28" hannspree would be worse than adding two 22" to 24" sized lcds on the ends (for gaming + desktop use).
- I'd also like to know what you think about the 30" HP ZR30W 's anti-glare coating. When I was considering getting that monitor I read about the AG coating being over aggressive, distorting small text and making bright white backgrounds look sparkly or greasy - which I wouldn't be able to stand. I'm still seriously considering the 27" apple cinema display which uses the same panel as the dell and LG 27", but with a glossy gorilla glass screen.

I have a 28" (27.5" viewable) hannspree 1920x1200. I might try it borrowing a 22" dell from work, and a 23" samsung from gf's desk just for testing purposes when I get a beefy eyefinity 6 ati gpu next month, but I might need to get some DP adapters.

Sorry for so many questions all at once. I know you don't play MMOs either but I'd still like your impressions or educated guesses on the questions related to that. Thanks in advance.
 
Thank you for posting this thread! I've been asking around the forums about eyefinity, and after this thread, I ended up jumping at the chance for a 27" from sellout.woot. I'm going to do a 27" HP 2710m center, with a 23" Samsung 2343bwx and a 24" dell ST2410 flanking on either side, all powered by one unlocked 6950. I just hope that the 6950 is up for the job of powering them all! I've already ordered my DP adapters and all :D I'll be using normal monitor stands instead of the fancy 3 monitor stand you and many others share, but it should do the job for the mean time.

I expected to game at the lowest-common denominator resolution for all 3 displays (1920x1080) for all 3 screens, even though the Samsung supports 2048x1152.

Thanks for your inspiration and providing confidence in my ghetto student-budget mismatched Eyefinity setup. I just hope that one 6950 has enough power for BFBC2 for the mean time....
 
elvn said:
Hi thanks for pointing this thread out.

A few things off the bat ...

I haven't seen eyefinity in person, but I have to agree that still shots, while cool and very much appreciated, do not do eyefinity/nvidia surround much justice. I was intrigued by eyefinity in stills when I first started really considering it, but when I started watching videos of it in action I really became wowed. Sort of like viewing pictures of a roller coaster vs watching one of those first person videos of a roller coaster ... then think eyefinity 'imax' :b

On the subject of pictures. This picture you posted here looks cool , but the perspective makes the screens all look smaller for some reason. I was surprised when I read that the middle monitors are so large. I know that happens sometimes when you take shots from further away, trying to encompass all the subjects of a photo, but could you post some more pictures please? and from a lower angle if possible maybe. If not , what you posted is still very much appreciated already. Thanks.

I have some questions, if I may...
-- Can you use bezel management effectively with the way you have that set up with difference sized monitors if you wanted to?
--Does the content on the side displays look noticeably smaller? (much?)
--When not gaming, moving your mouse and dragging windows between screens, does the travel path give a strange impression / odd flow? (app windows, and MMO content)
-- Does it bother your eyes (eyestrain/brain-strain) to switch gaze between them reading and/or dragging things? (Refocusing repeatedly?) (esp. app windows and MMO items, overlay info text, etc)
-- The side lcd's on your current setup are 22" vs the central 27". Do you think people would still benefit from mixed sizes if the side monitors were closer in size? Like Soul555top's 24" ends and 27" center plan.
-Do you think adding two more 28" hannsg to my 28" hannspree would be worse than adding two 22" to 24" sized lcds on the ends (for gaming + desktop use).
- I'd also like to know what you think about the 30" HP ZR30W 's anti-glare coating. When I was considering getting that monitor I read about the AG coating being over aggressive, distorting small text and making bright white backgrounds look sparkly or greasy - which I wouldn't be able to stand. I'm still seriously considering the 27" apple cinema display which uses the same panel as the dell and LG 27", but with a glossy gorilla glass screen.

I have a 28" (27.5" viewable) hannspree 1920x1200. I might try it borrowing a 22" dell from work, and a 23" samsung from gf's desk just for testing purposes when I get a beefy eyefinity 6 ati gpu next month, but I might need to get some DP adapters.

Sorry for so many questions all at once. I know you don't play MMOs either but I'd still like your impressions or educated guesses on the questions related to that. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Heh lots of questions, I'll tackle what I can.

- Yes, taking pictures only does so much. I can't give you an accurate impression of what it looks like without a camera mounted to my head while I'm playing, haha.I will try to take a couple pics tomorrow or Monday (gone for the weekend) now that I have the top monitor flush with the 30".

I can tell you that it feels very natural. The only thing "off" has nothing to do with the size mismatch, but the fact that the LED TN is a little brighter than the two flanking IPS displays. Can easily avoid that by getting the same model of monitor in different sizes (for instance, Asus also makes 24", 23", and 22" LED TN.

- As for 2D use, interesting question. With mismatched monitors, the mouse should be "jumping" from one screen to the other. But that makes sense because something that's on the bottom-third of one monitor isn't going to be on the bottom-third of the other monitor unless the content "jumps". Obviously, you don't want to use this to do Excel spreadsheets spanned across all three monitors or something, but I have no problem dragging windows around. I organize my content by monitor, so my windows are maximized on each monitor.

- With respect to bezel correction, no, you can't correct bezels when the bezels aren't even the same size. I expected to be bothered a little, since it bothered me when I had matching monitors, but it actually doesn't bother me at all. Mind you, it might be an annoyance if I played flight or racing sims where the static cockpit spans parts of all three monitors, but even then the focus on the center monitor should override that. It doesn't bother me at all in BC2 Vietnam, Dead Space, or Half Life. I also don't know if it would be more annoying if the monitors were closer in size, thus making the misalignment more obvious (since the things would be closer together and the monitors more similar in size). Zorachus, who used 24"+27++24" in Eyefinity for WoW, said he was really happy with it.

- I would not recommend 28"x3, or even 27"x3, using 1080p monitors. The pixel density is just too low to rely on those monitors for extensive reading, since the fonts lack some detail. I'd recommend having smaller monitors (of the same res) to flank and do the majority of your reading.

- Yes, the HP ZR30w has anti-glare coating. However, because its usable brightness is so high, it is less noticeable than it is on either of my 22" IPS monitors. That said, it's not invisible. I noticed it, but it didn't actually bother me, and I only find it to be visible, if I'm looking for it, on solid white backgrounds. I certainly never noticed it for even a second while gaming.
 
Thanks for the replies. This gives me a lot to weigh in vs my other options. Like I said , I'll be able to have a mockup test run with some borrowed lcds next month after I decide on what gpu I'm going to get and buy it so that should give me a better idea of the mixed size option.

I'm still playing with the idea of the 27" apple cinema display. It looks so nice. Your 30" hp 16:10 is a little more screen real-esate though. I found some viewsonic or LG 19" 1440x900 LED side panels I could use as bookends in portrait mode for around $100 each if I get the 27" 2560x1440.

Of course I'd like everything lol, somewhat like what you have, but that's just too much cost all at once for me with the gpu cost added in. You have an awesome setup.
 
Dr.GumbyM.D. said:
Thank you for posting this thread! I've been asking around the forums about eyefinity, and after this thread, I ended up jumping at the chance for a 27" from sellout.woot. I'm going to do a 27" HP 2710m center, with a 23" Samsung 2343bwx and a 24" dell ST2410 flanking on either side, all powered by one unlocked 6950. I just hope that the 6950 is up for the job of powering them all! I've already ordered my DP adapters and all :D I'll be using normal monitor stands instead of the fancy 3 monitor stand you and many others share, but it should do the job for the mean time.

I expected to game at the lowest-common denominator resolution for all 3 displays (1920x1080) for all 3 screens, even though the Samsung supports 2048x1152.

Thanks for your inspiration and providing confidence in my ghetto student-budget mismatched Eyefinity setup. I just hope that one 6950 has enough power for BFBC2 for the mean time....
Click to expand...

The only issue you may run into is that since your Samsung is native 2048x1152, it won't look as crisp once it's downscaled to 1920x1080. You could set 1:1 aspect ratio in your video card control panel, but then you'd end up with a little black space.

Also, bad news for BC2: the developers screwed up something in the last patch a month ago or so, and you will get constant CTDs if you try playing in Eyefinity or Surround. The only "fix" is to set all your options to low. I posted about this in the PC section of the BC2 forums on EA three times, and each time, some forum Nazi asshole has deleted the thread without explanation and within minutes. The Vietnam DLC works though.
 
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Matrices said:
The only issue you may run into is that since your Samsung is native 2048x1152, it won't look as crisp once it's downscaled to 1920x1080. You could set 1:1 aspect ratio in your video card control panel, but then you'd end up with a little black space.

Also, bad news for BC2: the developers screwed up something in the last patch a month ago or so, and you will get constant CTDs if you try playing in Eyefinity or Surround. The only "fix" is to set all your options to low. I posted about this in the PC section of the BC2 forums on EA three times, and each time, some forum Nazi asshole has deleted the thread without explanation and within minutes. The Vietnam DLC works though.
Click to expand...


Great point about the downscaling issue. Since this will be mostly utilized for gaming, I'm not too worried about it. I can handle being productive in 2 windows and have winamp or whatever else in the side window.

As for the CTD, I've seen that posted a few times..... I hope by the time I get my monitors and have them set up, there will be a fix. Definitely thank you for the heads up though. I was wondering why you were playing vietnam.... It's fun, but I can only stomach it for short periods of time... Too much "getting killed from random directions" compared to any other FPS I've ever played (houses that bullets go through, very little cover in very large maps, etc, and I only play on hardcore mode).

Thanks again for the advice, and see you in Vietnam :p
 
Heh, I can't stand hardcore. Feels like peek-a-boo to me. I love the minimap and spotting too much to play in that mode. The number of bullets it takes to kill someone is indeed a little ridiculous in normal mode, but I think it requires skill to keep a bead on an enemy.

But yeah, BC2 is more fun, especially with the 4 maps they added, 3 of which are great. I used to play medic almost exclusively, but I've discovered the joys of recon (shotgun + motion sensor + C4 with range and mag perks).
 
Matrices said:
For that you need to rely on the paltry few games that let you expand them in windowed mode (like Eve Online) or the SoftTH utility, which, while recently revamped, still can't do multi-GPU, DX10, DX11, or multiplayer in Punkbuster-dependent games. Still, the fact that the one guy behind SoftTH can pull that much off shows that either company could do it if it made business sense.
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Or could equally NOT pull it off since they've both implemented their own version of multiscreen which you need to adhere to, like I said to you in another thread.
 
THOMO said:
Or could equally NOT pull it off since they've both implemented their own version of multiscreen which you need to adhere to, like I said to you in another thread.
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Eh? Don't even understand what you're saying.

My point is simple: one guy in his spare time created some level of PLP support; surely either of these multi-million dollar companies could do the same if they had the business motivation. Hell, in a few games you can just drag the window across whatever the hell size screens you want, and it will work.

It can't be that hard on a technical level.
 
YOU MUST ADHERE!!!! lol. I agree that they could do P-L-P if they wanted to , and if you search enough threads you'll see them saying as much. If I remember correctly they said they could support portrait mode sides of the same pixel height if they thought it would be worthwhile, but that they pretty much never would support different resolution heights vs the central lcd.
..
I don't think you should eagerly support a company's lack of support. Remember the soundblaster x-fi driver debacle? hehe. And don't get me started on apple devices retarding functionality. I also hate when game devs don't support windowed + maximized mode as an option so that I can easily cross mouse over to desktops on multiple monitor setups without hacks. Or programs that skip simple code additions like font change and background color change , etc - pretty standard stuff.. when it would only be a few lines of code , if that. You don't have to go on a witchhunt about it though - not having P-L-P isn't the end of the world, but it would be awesome and since it can be 'hacked' in software it seems like they could add it without reinventing the wheel if they wanted to. I'm not saying there is a chance it would happen.. but if no one complains and asks for it repeatedly, I think it would be less likely to. So I'll whine all I want about it thank you.
...
And perhaps 1600x1200 lcd's aren't made anymore? But 19" 1440x900 ones are , and I believe that would work in portrait mode with the 27" 16:9 2560x1440 lcd's. I've been exploring that option for "bookend" lcd's if I get a 27" apple cinema display. They even make 19" 1440x900 models with LED backlight which might match the ACD's LED backlight better.

As it is, without PLP support in eyefinity - I will prob have to eventually do my setup similarly to Matrices' .. A 27" 2560x1440 alone or P-L-P'd, and maybe a whole other set of large TN lcd's (already one a single one) just for eyefinity in the long run.
 
Matrices said:
Eh? Don't even understand what you're saying.

My point is simple: one guy in his spare time created some level of PLP support; surely either of these multi-million dollar companies could do the same if they had the business motivation. Hell, in a few games you can just drag the window across whatever the hell size screens you want, and it will work.

It can't be that hard on a technical level.
Click to expand...

This is my point. softTH runs any screen (upto 7), can run any combination of resolutions, doesn't need display port monitors/adapters and he made it and gives it away for free.

All this and you only think NV/ATI could do it if they wanted?

NV and ATI would be insane to allow this to work since they've both cashed in on the "triple-head to go" scene with their own surround/eyefinity technologies.
 
Updated picture here:

Results1.jpg


Brightness levels look way off in this picture for whatever reason.
 
This is pretty neat. Do you still need a converter to run 3 monitors for eyefinity?

I just ordered a second 6950 and may get 2 20 inch monitors to put on the side of my 22 inch lol.
 
You need a DP-->VGA, DVI, or HDMI active adapter if one of your monitors doesn't already have a DP port, yes. It's $30 on Newegg for 1900x1200 monitors and under.
 
yea neither of the monitors have DP ports :( so I would need 2 adapters
?
 
No, 1 adapter. You connect two of them with DVI or HDMI and one with a DP adapter.
 
Aaron11 said:
in my opinion, I'd prefer the 3 monitor setup no matter what.
Click to expand...

Prefer it to what, the 30"? Some games don't work in Eyefinity - or look good in Eyefinity even if they do work. The detail and crispness of the 30" (combination of panel quality and resolution) is also impossible to beat. I'm sure that I'll be playing a lot of single-player games twice just to experience both modes.
 
I'd take a 30 over three of anything less than 24". Three 24s I might be persuaded, if the technology was a little bit more reliable. Three 30s I'd take regardless for obvious reasons, if I could afford it.
 
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