Widescreen Gaming Forum

Hello, I'm about ready to pull the trigger on multi-monitor gaming. I have a few questions; some don't have a single best answer.

1. Should I go with Eyefinity or Surround?
2. I've read that RadeonPro can completely eliminate micro-stutter with Eyefinity. I've also read that Surround has the best hardware solution to decrease microstutter. Is microstutter that big a deal? Should I choose Eyefinity because of RadeonPro?
3. Once you setup multi-monitors for gaming, does it work well for everyday computing, or do you switch back to single monitor mode for computing?
4. Is it easier to switch back and forth from single monitor use with Eyefinity or Surround?
5. Does Eyefinity have bezel peaking?
6. When you implement bezel correction with either Eyefinity or Surround, does it automatically increase the horizontal FOV in the game as it should, or does the FOV remain constant and the image just become stretched a little with the extra pixel width?
7. Does using a mini display port output on AMD cards satisfy the requirement of a display port connection for more than two monitors? Or do you still need to use an active DVI to full size display port adapter?

Thanks for helping me decide on which way to go!

1. Should I go with Eyefinity or Surround?
You can go with either, but I perfer AMD for 2 reasons, I have always liked the company for gaming and TV connetions, and as for cost is the main thing. You will only need 1 card of any HD to get 3+ monitors at half the cost, or with Nvidia you need either there latest cards that cost 2-3x as much or cheaper cards and need to buy 2 of them
2. I've read that RadeonPro can completely eliminate micro-stutter with Eyefinity. I've also read that Surround has the best hardware solution to decrease microstutter. Is microstutter that big a deal? Should I choose Eyefinity because of RadeonPro?
Never realy seen this problem
3. Once you setup multi-monitors for gaming, does it work well for everyday computing, or do you switch back to single monitor mode for computing?
Once setup works just like 1 monitor, only down side is the windows full screen or dragging it to one side, wont just do 1 monitor but 1.5 monitors. So you have to resize somw windows all the time if they dont remember placment/size.
4. Is it easier to switch back and forth from single monitor use with Eyefinity or Surround?
Almost never need to, but some games you might, and you just change Resolutions in game to 1 moitor, just make sure to set 1 monitor as main. PS some drivers/cards for AMD might show same thing on all screens when in game running 1 monitor, I got this in PS2 when was not in Crossfore mode.
5. Does Eyefinity have bezel peaking?
Does not look like it, But I have never run across a game where I needed such a function unless I made it that way.
6. When you implement bezel correction with either Eyefinity or Surround, does it automatically increase the horizontal FOV in the game as it should, or does the FOV remain constant and the image just become stretched a little with the extra pixel width?
FOV is constant, the game bing streached or not usaly depens on the game it self, if it was done correcly for WSG or not, some games will be less visable streching then others, weather was done right or was able to be hacked right, or best can do.
7. Does using a mini display port output on AMD cards satisfy the requirement of a display port connection for more than two monitors? Or do you still need to use an active DVI to full size display port adapter?
Be it mini or not you must use an "Active DP adapter" just anything other then "Active DP-DVI" is harder to find, but out there. But as for I run older cards, not sure if newer ones still need lest 1 non DP connection or not.

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Windows 7 x64 SP1
SABERTOOTH 990FX R1- AMD FX-8350 4.5 - Kingston Hyper X 16gb DDR3 1600
ATI R290 Eyefinity

Thanks Daimond. Regarding question 7, I don't think I phrased it very well. My understanding of Eyefinity is that if you run more than two monitors, at least one of the monitors has to be connected to your video card by a display port connection or by using an active DVI to display port connection. Is using a "mini display port connection" on the video card equivalent to using a "display port connection"? All three of my monitors have display ports. Can I just connect all three of them with mini display port to full size display port cables?

Yes you can connect the Mini-DP to a DP and no need for Active port, from what I read from others before and from AMD. Just not sure if you still need lest 1 non-DP connected in some way though on the newer cards. But found some FAQ's on amd site that talks about basicaly sounds like you need an HD DirectCU card to do that. some new ones coming out will use a DP 1.2 witch alows for running 2-6 monitors out of one DP with a connector hub, or some new monitors coming will have a jumper hub built into the monitor, so you can run one cord out of card to 1 monitor then jumper the others off each other, Sounds all really cool though. Heres the link to some FAQ's I found on this.
http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/amd-eyefinity-technology/how-to/Pages/faqs.aspx#hdmi-vga-dvi

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Windows 7 x64 SP1
SABERTOOTH 990FX R1- AMD FX-8350 4.5 - Kingston Hyper X 16gb DDR3 1600
ATI R290 Eyefinity

3/4.
CCC is a pain to setup and always has been (though the process is or should be relatively easy), if you manage to get presets to work with or without hotkey and if they don't stop working at some point and you have to recreate them again then it's easy to change. Just press the hotkey or rightclick on the CCC icon where the presets will be available.
I prefer extended to eyefinity when not playing but usually im to lazy to change, unless I get to irritated

1. no idea your choice! maybe Aussietimmehs Red Vs Green Vs Blue article can help you choose.

2. MicroStuttering is only happening with two or more cards, And mostly only visible when you have less than 30 FPS!

3. i prefer extended monitors. flash Videos always maximize over 3 screens in eyefinity.

4. Eyefinity presets are a pain in the ass. press Windows+P and you switch from Eyefinity to extended in an instant!

5. no

6. dependable on games, if it doesn't we have widescreen fixer and flawless widesCreen!

if you have a AMD FLEX edition card you can use 2xDVI and 1xHDMI ports!
else you have to use one DisplayPort! MiniDp to DisplayPort cables don't need anything else. use two of them myself. Active Minidisplayport to DVI adapters also work fine.
tough you 'might' get tearing if you use different connection types. ( not happening to me!)
If your card has 3 MiniDp ports, its best to use them! you'd also get the correct idle state with amd gpus...

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We gonna send it to outa space!

Thanks everyone. I just thought of one more question. With Eyefinity or Surround do all of the monitor cables have to be connected to a single graphics card? Or with tri crossfire or SLI could you have one cable connected to each card?

AMD: All cable contected to one Card!

Nvidia: Conected to multiple cards.... or one card. iirc

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We gonna send it to outa space!