SWtOR w/ Video Possible?

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Finneal

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Nov 15, 2005
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All,

I'm fixing to do a computer overhaul in the next month or two and I'm currently running with the specs listed in the linked post:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1482932

I run dual 1920x1200 monitors and I'm wondering if it's even possible to get a machine capable of running a 1080p movie on one screen while a current MMO like SWtOR or WoW plays on the other screen at 1920x1200.

With my current set-up, my framerate drops to unacceptable levels when I try and do this.

Thanks in advance,

Finneal
 
you have to setup custom profiles. the problem with AMD is that if you play a video and have a game in windowed mode it will automatically change the clocks to the 2D accelerated clocks even though the games running.
 
I've never had an issue running wow or SWTOR on my spare monitor.

My 2nd monitor is only a 19" 1440x900 res screen and my main is a 24" 1920x1200 screen.

I don't do anything special with profiles ect.

Start my movie move it to the 2nd screen and start the game and go.
 
AjFreimuth said:
I've never had an issue running wow or SWTOR on my spare monitor.

My 2nd monitor is only a 19" 1440x900 res screen and my main is a 24" 1920x1200 screen.

I don't do anything special with profiles ect.

Start my movie move it to the 2nd screen and start the game and go.
Click to expand...

This is what I used to do with WoW and watching episodes of NCIS I was behind on. No problem. Just ran the video, then opened up the game.
 
All you need to do is disable hardware acceleration in your player so it doesn't change the clocks on your video card.

Just about any decent card can do it. I do it on three screens with a 5870. I usually have a video on one screen and the web browser on the other.

For 1080p video you may need a better CPU with more cores. Or consider getting another GPU to power the 2nd monitor.If your current rig isn't cutting it.
 
I run WOW on my main monitor and either have a movie playing or TV going on my other monitor all the time with my current setup below. I would imagine that with an i5 or i7 w/5800s you'd have no problems. I'd consider switching the graphics to a 6950 or 6970 though.
 
qbanb8582 said:
All you need to do is disable hardware acceleration in your player so it doesn't change the clocks on your video card.

Just about any decent card can do it. I do it on three screens with a 5870. I usually have a video on one screen and the web browser on the other.

For 1080p video you may need a better CPU with more cores. Or consider getting another GPU to power the 2nd monitor.If your current rig isn't cutting it.
Click to expand...

I've done both scenarios with my 5870 & 5830, works fine.
 
What are your current specs? I have a c2d E6400, and a GTX 460, and I can do this just fine. Well, my frames arent great in the first place, but it doesnt drop them much.
 
All,

Thanks for the replies. I am planning to put 1000-1500 dollars into a computer upgrade after the tax refund arrives in a month or two. I will be upgrading the video card, cpu, memory, mobo, SSD, and PSU at a minimum. So any advice on which way to go hardware-wise would be appreciated. I will probably make a post on the General Hardware forum at some point in the near future as well.

I have had less of an issue with running video simultaneously with WoW (although 1080p video on my second monitor will cause WoW to stutter a bit). With SWtOR, I can’t run any video at all without making the game choke. I will try turning off acceleration for my video player as suggested. Is this an option in the player itself or in Catalyst?

Thanks again folks. All of your advice is very much appreciated.

Finneal
 
for what it is worth...

i ran a 3 monitor setup powered by 2 video cards (nVidia GTS 450 and GT 240), 2 sound cards (onboard and external M-Audio USB), along with a 2500k/P67/8gbDDR3/Win7x64 combo for months without issue. i often used the GTS 450 to display a game on my main 23" 1080p screen as well as a movie on my 42" 1080p tv with the GT 240 allowing me to surf the web on a 20" 1680x1050 screen. i've run WoW and later SWtOR without hiccups while playing ~10gb+ MKV/MP4 movie files on a different monitor, with 2 separate sound streams too!

my parts recommendations:
good multi-core CPU (like a 2500k)
8gb RAM (i had some issues with crashing when running 4gb)
one fast video card (Radeon 6870 is a sweet spot now @ $140 after rebates)
one good HTPC-type card for the other, non-gamer/3D source(s)
 
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