Dual monitors tax fps?

J

jjz-

Limp Gawd
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Nov 18, 2008
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I have two monitors, one running at 1920x1080 and the other at 1280x1024. When I game I just game on the big monitor and let the other one stay on. Does having it stay on (it is actually using aero and everything while on) negatively affect my fps? It is putting pixels on my screen and refreshing every 60th of second, so I'd assume so. If so, is there a way I can have it automatically shut off when a game launches (perhaps through nvidia CP?).

My video card is a GTX280.

-Ian
 
Aero should shut down during any full screen application. You shouldn't notice any difference. I have been running duel monitors for as long as I can remember and I never had any issues with fps.
 
You really should shut down secondary monitors when gaming. Lots of games simply don't function correctly with multiple monitors.
 
Do you know of any software that does this automatically, or must I program my own? I'm not disabling the monitor manually each time I play again. That would be extremely annoying.
 
jjz- said:
Do you know of any software that does this automatically, or must I program my own? I'm not disabling the monitor manually each time I play again. That would be extremely annoying.
Click to expand...

it is extremely annoying which is why i avoid multi-monitor rigs and gaming.
 
Well, I'll program my own utility then and release it here on hardforum :p.
 
Are you running the game in a window? As long as the game you are running is running in fullscreen there shouldn't be much slowdown.

I've run a 2nd monitor that I keep ventrilo up on or watch TV shows on during games and it's never been an issue.
 
It was full screen. Maybe it is just an issue with that particular game & dual monitors... I'll try testing on another game. I'll tell you guys what I find.
 
You know.. the Nvidia taskbar utility has an easy access way of setting the display mode. Its all in the menu.
 
You shouldn't see that big of a difference. Your videocard is driving 3d applications. Having it display a 2d application on the 2nd monitor shouldn't have much if any affect at all.
 
Both Nvidia and ATI allow you to set up profiles with hotkeys. Create a 2 monitor profile and a 1 monitor profile, just hit the hotkeys before game launch.
 
lloose said:
Aero should shut down during any full screen application. You shouldn't notice any difference. I have been running duel monitors for as long as I can remember and I never had any issues with fps.
Click to expand...

Depends on the app, aero is rarely disabled for me. And few will shut the 2nd screen down (furmark) while some (supreme commander) uses both screen which I suppose would really tax the cards more. I got a 4870X2 serving a 1920 and a 1280.
 
Here is an example using WoW and Duel monitors.
Right now I am running the setup in my sig minus the 4870. I am using a 7600gt while we are using my 4870 for testing in another rig. I am running a 22" Samsung Syncmaster at 1680x1050. The 2nd monitor is a 19" wide Samsung Syncmaster at 1440x900.

I wanted to take the test further and see if apps made a big difference both running on the spare monitor and then on a single monitor in the background. I used Wow's /timetest benchmark flying from the argent tournament grounds to ebon hold for each of the benchmarks.

1. Normal 2 monitor setup. No additon apps running on the 2nd monitor.
normalsru.jpg


2. "Normal usage" for me. I usually have vent and or windows media center playing live cable tv with a firefox window open also.
normalapps.jpg


3. Single monitor with no additional apps running in the background.
1monitornormal.jpg


4. And finally having the same apps (WMC, Firefox, Vent) running in the background.
1monitorapps.jpg


Not enough of a difference for it to merit even bothering to turn off the 2nd screen. To add to that, Wow is very cpu dependant. My gpu isn't even acknowledging the extra windows open due to them not having anything 3d to render at all. The entire load of the additional programs is taken by my cpu and memory (which had no issues running everything well).
 
jjz- said:
Well I just tried shutting off my second monitor and I got a 15+ fps boost on X3:TC.

http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?p=3004559#3004559

The first benchmark is w/ 2nd monitor. The 2nd is w/o it.
Click to expand...

Don't some benchies run faster the second time thru? I seem to remember the Doom3 timedemo would suck the first run, so for benching you'd run it and then run it again and take the 2nd score? Could this be why your 2nd score is higher? Did you run one bench, turn the monitor off and run the same bench? Or did you go thru display settings and disable the 2nd monitor? If you just turned it off, I don't think that should make a difference.

I've never bothered to bench my system both ways, so I'm just talking out my ass as always, but doesn't make sense to me that the 2nd monitor would effect gaming perforance unless you're running a 3d app in the 2nd monitor. :confused:
 
Nvidia taskbar utility? Do you mean "NVTray" ?

Never heard of it but I just checked at Nvidia's site and don't see it there anywhere. Guess they aren't supporting that anymore?

And I guess Windows 7 64bit compabability is nill?

I'd like a way to quickly disable one of my monitors as well.
 
I think hes talking about nvidia control panel. Right click your desktop and the option to choose it will come up.
 
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