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Thread: How to best run multiple screens

  1. #1
    jim
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    How to best run multiple screens

    For the past few weeks, I've had my monitor from home and my TV from uni arranged together to form an extended desktop. It's been great to be honest, and I'm beginning to wonder how I ever managed without. However, I'm not sure about the best way to do it.

    At first, I had my 5870 powering the main screen, then my 4350 powering the second screen. However, I repeatedly found the PC temporarily deciding it was no longer capable of Aero, and the second screen also seemed to be sluggish.

    Removing the 4350 and powering both screens from the 5870 has fixed that, but I'm concerned that it's harming my performance in gaming on the main screen (I'm not running EyeFinity and don't intend to for at least the next 3 years).

    The obvious solution is to use a single-screen profile for gaming, and a dual-screen profile for desktop, but it's a bit of a PITA switching between them and I quite like having the second screen available. The next obvious solution is running dual cards, but as I said, that didn't work out too well last time!

    I'm thinking of building a new machine post-Bulldozer so if there's something I can do with nVidia-only or Radeons from the 6000 range then that would also be helpful!

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    Thermoelectroceramicist redddraggon's Avatar
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    Re: How to best run multiple screens

    I used to run both my monitors off a single 5870, and never had any problems in games, pretty much full settings with a decent framerate in everything I played (fallout/BFBC2/etc).

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  3. #3
    jim
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    Re: How to best run multiple screens

    See, I am going off information from absolutely years ago, so you may well be right... I suspected the extra power of the modern cards might've meant it was no longer an issue, but I've no idea whether that's true or not!

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    Anthropomorphic Personification shaithis's Avatar
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    Re: How to best run multiple screens

    Some games it's noticeable, others not so. You can also partially mitigate the difference by disabling aero when gaming. I find all DX10/11 games prompt me to disable it anyway within seconds of the game launching...and will put it back on when the game exits.

    A second card for the second monitor alleviates it completely but most of the time 10fps max (and a lot of the time, much less) isn't going to be a killer to many people.
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    jim
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    Re: How to best run multiple screens

    So does the second card need to be very close in spec to the main card?

    As I said, one 5870 seems to perform far better than 5870+4350

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    Thermoelectroceramicist redddraggon's Avatar
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    Re: How to best run multiple screens

    Do you tend to keep other apps running in the second monitor? I know there's a temptation to run loads of stuff, msn/irc/browser/twitter/etc which could be slowing the down the system a bit. I find if I run nothing in the background, and just have a blank desktop on the second monitor I don't seem to get a noticeable FPS hit.

    Perhaps pick up another HD5870 if your mobo and case will support it and run them in crossfire?

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  7. #7
    jim
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    Re: How to best run multiple screens

    I'll probably be getting a Bulldozer/i5 + 6970 fairly soon so I'm not going to upgrade this machine as it stands - it's just a question of whether I get a second card to run the other monitor.

    It seems like the obvious answer, then, is just to get a faster card if I really need to.

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    Re: How to best run multiple screens

    I run a Samsung Syncmaster with a Samsung 40" LCD next to it and it seems to run absolutely fine on my GTX560.

    I don't notice any slowdowns in games, but as someone mentioned earlier, are you running several applications on the 2nd monitor "just because you can"? That could be what's causing the slowdown.

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