Widescreen Gaming Forum

Hello all, I've poked around here for ages - first time was getting Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 to run at higher resolutions :) Anyway, I'm here to get some advice from those in the know.

I'm considering a new gaming system build since my current setup is really long in the tooth (old AMD dual-core & single nvidia 8800GT.) I have a single old 22" LCD @ 1680x1050 that I would likely replace no matter what. I'm very intrigued by the 3-monitor world of gaming, but I know I'll have a limited budget to work with. What I'm wondering is if it would be better, due to budget constraints, to go for a single higher quality monitor or to go for a 3 monitor setup of budget monitors, e.g. spending $180/monitor for 24" screens. Should it be 3x 22" or 3x 24", either group at 1920x1080 per monitor? No way I can swing a 5 monitor portrait setup yet, as awesome as that would be :)

Research points me to the AMD 6950 card as best price/performance right now, potentially flashable to 6970 performance. Would this single card have enough horsepower, when coupled with a solid CPU, to drive a 3x setup at 5760x1080? Should I start with one good monitor now and add more later along with a 2nd GPU for some crossfire action? I've looked at a few benchmarks, including ones officially posted here, but I guess I'm looking for some real-world opinions :)

I know a lot of this is dependent on what games I'll be playing. I like a mix of things: FPS, MMOs, single-player RPGs, etc. My next game will likely be Dragon Age 2, for example.

Hope that makes sense and thanks for your thoughts!

p.s. - would there be any significant difference in what you'd recommend now vs. a few months from now? Anything major on the horizon that could serious affect my decision?

p.s. - would there be any significant difference in what you'd recommend now vs. a few months from now? Anything major on the horizon that could serious affect my decision?

There is a new "monster" nvidia card coming out, and AMD should have a dual GPU card coming out, other than that, just price cuts.

Just be aware the 2GB (not the 1GB) 6950 is flashable, and IMO it should be enough to run at that res with good details, but like you said, if you want to run Metro2033 with everything turned on, it won't do so well.

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There is a new "monster" nvidia card coming out, and AMD should have a dual GPU card coming out, other than that, just price cuts.

Just be aware the 2GB (not the 1GB) 6950 is flashable, and IMO it should be enough to run at that res with good details, but like you said, if you want to run Metro2033 with everything turned on, it won't do so well.

Yeah I've heard about the 590 with 3GB. I'm guessing it'll have a hefty price tag, but even so I like the way eyefinity works for a 3-monitor setup better than the nvidia surround approach so hopefully the main impact from the 590 will be to drive down the prices on existing cards. :)

About the 6950/6970 cards... I read elsewhere that they really scale well when adding a 2nd card for crossfire, better than previous series. Is that the case or did I read bad info?

Considering I fired up the original KOTOR last night for fun & nostalgia I shouldn't worry *too* much about massive horsepower. :doh