Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Sandy Bridge system - three monitors?

  1. #1
    Registered+
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    17
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    0 times in 0 posts

    Sandy Bridge system - three monitors?

    I'm in the process of deciding on components for a new build and would appreciate clarification on the possibility of having three monitors.

    I'm thinking I'm going with a Sandy Bridge setup, and I've read that these are better suited to double graphics card setups than triple as the third slot would be crippled at 4x. If both cards have dual outputs, can I output to three monitors? I'd like to use three 1920 x 1200 screens in a horizontal arrangement for work and play.

    Is either ATI or nVidia better suited to this? I'm looking to get the latest generation of GPU (probably just a single card to start with), whichever manufacturer I go with.

    This also needs to work in both Linux and Windows.

    Many thanks for any help.

  2. #2
    Not a good person scaryjim's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Gateshead
    Posts
    15,196
    Thanks
    1,231
    Thanked
    2,291 times in 1,874 posts
    • scaryjim's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Dell Inspiron
      • CPU:
      • Core i5 8250U
      • Memory:
      • 2x 4GB DDR4 2666
      • Storage:
      • 128GB M.2 SSD + 1TB HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Radeon R5 230
      • PSU:
      • Battery/Dell brick
      • Case:
      • Dell Inspiron 5570
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10
      • Monitor(s):
      • 15" 1080p laptop panel

    Re: Sandy Bridge system - three monitors?

    Most ATI 5 and 6 series graphics cards can output to 3 monitors from a single card, as long as one monitor uses native displayport or you have an active adapter. I assume that the functionality works under both Linux and Windows.

    In general for linux, most people recommend nvidia as their driver support is a little better. But to output to three monitors with nvidia cards you will *have* to buy two cards. You'll also need to be careful with your motherboard choices, as not all sandy bridge motherboards are licensed for SLI. With ATI you can run three montors of one card, and AFAIK all Sandy Bridge motherboards *are* licensed for crossfire if you choose to add a second card later.

  3. #3
    Registered+
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    36
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    3 times in 3 posts

    Re: Sandy Bridge system - three monitors?

    AMD/ATI have something called Eyefinity (from the 5xxx cards onwards) whereby you can drive 3 monitors with a single card. You'll need to use the DisplayPort on the card for one of the monitors though.

    Nvidia have Nvidia Surround, but to drive 3 monitors you'll need to run SLI.

    Clearly having a single card is going to be cheaper, but then you have to think about performance and what resolution you're going to be running at. If you want decent performance at high resolution, you'll probably want CrossFire or SLI anyway.

    No idea about Linux, I'm afraid.

    Edit: I type too slow.

    To add what scaryjim posted, the ASUS P8P67 Pro, Elite and Deluxe versions have SLI and CrossFire as seen in this table: http://www.legitreviews.com/images/r...p8p67_spec.jpg
    Last edited by bearbear; 19-01-2011 at 11:20 PM.

  4. #4
    Registered+
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    17
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    0 times in 0 posts

    Re: Sandy Bridge system - three monitors?

    Great - thanks for making that a lot clearer to me.

    Quote Originally Posted by bearbear View Post
    To add what scaryjim posted, the ASUS P8P67 Pro, Elite and Deluxe versions have SLI and CrossFire as seen in this table: http://www.legitreviews.com/images/r...p8p67_spec.jpg
    That's an extremely helpful table as I'd just more or less decided on an Asus P8P67 and was searching for the differences between the models.

    I reckon I'll go for an ATI card, but will look around some Linux forums to get a feel for how the 6xxx generation is working first.

  5. #5
    Registered+
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    36
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    3 times in 3 posts

    Re: Sandy Bridge system - three monitors?

    Quote Originally Posted by Impeller View Post
    That's an extremely helpful table as I'd just more or less decided on an Asus P8P67 and was searching for the differences between the models.
    Yeah that table came in handy for me too when I was speccing myself up for a potential Sandy Bridge build last week, I looked at the P8P67 as well and wanted to know what the differences were between it and the Pro model (which seems to be the most popular choice).

  6. #6
    Registered+
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Oxford
    Posts
    31
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    1 time in 1 post
    • Cryptik's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Maximus IV Extreme P67
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core i5 2500K
      • Memory:
      • Corsair Dominator 1600MHz 2 x 4GB
      • Storage:
      • 240GB OCZ Revo Drive X2
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVGA GTX 570
      • PSU:
      • 900W Enermax Modu 87+
      • Case:
      • Corsair 600T
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 7 Ultimate x64
      • Monitor(s):
      • 27" Dell U2711 - 24" Samsung 2493HM
      • Internet:
      • Virgin 50Mb Fibre Optic

    Re: Sandy Bridge system - three monitors?

    I would defiantly say ati at this point, the HD 6950 is a perfect card for it.
    Most of them come standard with 2x dvi 2x display port and a hdmi
    Also that 2GB frame buffer really shines through in multi display.
    Not to mention u can flash most of them to 6970s

  7. #7
    Registered+
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    17
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    0 times in 0 posts

    Re: Sandy Bridge system - three monitors?

    I went ahead and ordered my components last night, and opted for a nVidia GTX570 in the end (the rather good-looking Gainward Phantom model). If it were just Windows I wanted to use I'd have gone for an ATI, but after reading horror stories and general disatisfaction at ATI drivers in Linux I decided to go with nVidia.



    Still, it was very useful to have the basics explained to me. By the time I can afford more monitors I should be able to afford another card, too.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Sandy Bridge availability?
    By dangel in forum SCAN.care@HEXUS
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 08-01-2011, 09:55 PM
  2. Sandy Bridge Launch
    By tumbledragon in forum SCAN.care@HEXUS
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 08-12-2010, 11:17 AM
  3. Replies: 3
    Last Post: 15-09-2010, 06:14 PM
  4. Buy now or wait for Sandy Bridge?
    By PC4Free in forum PC Hardware and Components
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 09-09-2010, 09:25 AM
  5. My system kills monitors!
    By hayek in forum Help! Quick Relief From Tech Headaches
    Replies: 26
    Last Post: 07-04-2008, 12:27 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •