Need A PC With 3 Monitors

[hamd01]

I've decided it's time for a new PC. My circumstances have changed a bit since I built my last PC.... in that I now have 2 kids, my own business and thus an inifinite reduction in free time!

So.... Im looking for an off-the-shelf/ready built system.

The PC is used for work, no gaming... but I do a lot of graphics work as well as some video editing (nothing overly complex).

Ive been doing some googling and ebaying tonight, but for the life in me cannot find an off-the-shelf PC that comes with a tripple head graphics card. Due to the nature of my work I need three screens.

Does anyone have any suggestions of a suitable system?

[jimbouk]

We've got some HP systems at work with a Radeon 6570 running 2x1080p displays via display port and a 1280x1024 display via DVI. Can't say I recommend display port (maybe just the rather average bundled cables) due to some flickering of the displays, but you should be able to spec a similar graphics card (or newer now) as an upgrade to a standard system.

[hamd01]

We've got some HP systems at work with a Radeon 6570 running 2x1080p displays via display port and a 1280x1024 display via DVI. Can't say I recommend display port (maybe just the rather average bundled cables) due to some flickering of the displays, but you should be able to spec a similar graphics card (or newer now) as an upgrade to a standard system.

After a little more searching, I think what I'd like is a system with "eyefinity". I've found this one here;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gaming-Eye...item20cb2af43e

But now Im thinking is 3 screens enough...maybe 6!

[k4p84]

Hey,

As a chap with a set up like you are after this is what I would recommend:

If you want to game at all use an Nvidia solution, Eyefinity by AMD has been out for longer but from what I have read it is more tricky to set up as you need 3rd party software. You can run three screens from a single card solution rather than needing Xfire or SLI. A fair few Nvidia and AMD options do offer this but you will likely need to use a range of outputs, 2 DVI-D and an HDMI or DP so make sure potential monitors support that input.

Get three good quality panels. As you are looking at having a large panel space the viewing angles of a TN panel may get annoying so get IPS panels. They will cost more but I will never regret getting mine ! Dell IPS Ultrasharps are lovely !

Get a few monitor arms, display stands take up a lot of desk space especially if you look at the stands that can support 3 monitors like the one from XFX.

If you have any questions fire them over

Ed

[1stRaven]

I'm running 3 dell 22" monitors of an AMD 6870 xfire setup. Works lovely and while I tended not to game on all three (6870's dont tend to have the guts to run a decent fps over that many pixels), the ability to have multiple windows open such as email, vlc, zune, opera and IE means I ended up upgrading my work setup as well.

Just need to find a decent arm setup at some point.

[scaryjim]

... Eyefinity by AMD has been out for longer but from what I have read it is more tricky to set up as you need 3rd party software.

Not true: it's all done in the AMD driver. For stereoscopic 3D you need third party software, but not for eyefinity - just connect your displays, group them (I assume in catalyst control centre) and the OS sees one big screen. AFAIK nvidia do *not* have an equivalent technology yet: you just get multiple indepedent displays. However, that's just if you want your computer to see all your screens as one big work surface (i.e. as far as Windows is concerned you have a single screen, at e.g. 5760x1080 pixels).

If all you want is to connect three separate monitors and extend your desktop onto them, then an nvidia 6-series card (GT640 or higher) might be the way to go - they support 3 or 4 monitors out of the box with no active adapters required.

Ahha, or if you can cope with the lower graphical capability, how about a Sapphire Flex 6450? 3x DVI eyefinity in a low-power, low-profile card

[hamd01]

How do you think this would stack up;


XFX Radeon HD 5870 2048 MB DDR5 Eyefinity6 Edition, which supports up-to 6 displays
http://www.videocardshop.co.uk/viewp...t=HD-587A-CNF9

6 x DELL UltraSharp A05 Widescreen 24" IPS LCD Monitors 1920x1200
http://www.pcbuyit.co.uk/dell-ultras...ck-p-1639.html

a 6 arm stand;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-x-LCD-TF...item2573987e60

[scaryjim]

How do you think this would stack up

Expensive but oh-so-sweet Have you found a pre-built machine that had the card in it, are you thinking you'll buy a pre-built then add the card, or have you given up and decided to build it yourself?

[IronWarrior]

After a little more searching, I think what I'd like is a system with "eyefinity". I've found this one here;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gaming-Eye...item20cb2af43e

But now Im thinking is 3 screens enough...maybe 6!

Jesus christ, don't waste £1000 on that PC. The parts alone in that PC don't even close to £1000 price tag, you are paying like 30-40% for the parts alone and everything else is their pure profit.

[hamd01]

Expensive but oh-so-sweet Have you found a pre-built machine that had the card in it, are you thinking you'll buy a pre-built then add the card, or have you given up and decided to build it yourself?

I certainly cant find any pre-built with that card in it.... so I was thinking to buy a pre-built and put that card in.

Any ideas on a good quality stable pre-built?

[jim]

If you go to someone like Scan, their 3XS team will build a PC of pretty much any spec you want, as long as you're not suggesting something problematic. The first PC in my sig was built by them.

[jimbouk]

Dell with a AMD Radeon™ HD 7870 2GB DDR5 Graphics Card? You'd obviously need to give them a call to confirm what exact outputs they have but it should drive 3 monitors happily.