Eyefinity - The low down

Grimspoon

The Hoff
A number of questions have been asked regarding this tech and there seems to be quite a lot of confusion surrounding it. I for one have delved deep into eyefinity in my quest to setup a 3 monitor gaming rig.

I have successfully installed and configured a 3 display setup where by games can be run at a resolution of 5760 X 1080 thus spanning the game across your 3 screens giving you a breathtaking experience. At first I must say it is all very overwhelming and I even at some point felt nauseous looking at 3 screens during a game of Bad Company 2. But the good news is you get used to it.

So here is how and what you need to get Eyefinity up and running.

Firstly you will need an ATI HD 5xxx series card. I have heard Nvidia are also doing an eyefinity type thing, but I am not aware of what models support this.

Secondly you will need 3 monitors. (duh)

This is where the confusion steps in. 1 of the monitors you use HAS to either have a native display port OR you will have to buy an ACTIVE Display port adapter. The problem here is that DP monitors are not all that common from what I have seen, and they are dam expensive. Up until recently active DP adapters were also heavily priced and were in the region of R1000 - R2000. Bit nuts If you ask me. But luckily the prices on the adapters are dropping and Prophecy shop has a active DP - VGA adapter from Saphire for only R350!

Just a note, the adapter HAS to be an active adapter. An ordinary adapter won't work. This is where a lot of people make a mistake. Make sure it is active.

Once you have all your gear the rest is easy. In your ATI CCC you will need to create a group where by you setup your desktop as one big desktop with a resolution of 5760 X 1080.

Once this is down to get games running on all 3 displays, all you need to do is set the resolution within the game to 5760X 1080.

And that’s it, you are sorted.

I am however experiencing one issue with my setup which from what I have read is fairly common, the monitor running the DP adapter does not wake up once the pc goes to sleep. Its a bit frustrating but I am looking for a fix for this issue.

Hope this helped clear things up.

Cheers
Grim.


Pic of WoW running on 3 displays: http://mygaming.co.za/forum/album.php?albumid=166&attachmentid=1628
 
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cool

i remember when i stepped up from a 17" to a 23" wide, i also suffered from vertigo for the first few days. after that it cleared up nicely
 
I hear you Tank,I went from a 23" to a 27" a few weeks ago and it took me about a week to get properly used to it.

Cheers
 
Yeah I felt seriously woozy my first few games of BC2, but im over it now :p


I will never forget when I was a lighty, my mate and I were playing Wolf 3D on a 13' monitor, he got so sick and dizzy he passed out and hit his head on the toilet. :D
 
I dont know what it was about the experience I had...

I was playin GTR online one wednesday night, it was a league race and 45min in I felt seriously ill, my head just began to spin. I actually got a hell of a fright, i'd never experienced that before then and haven't since...
 
I want:D

You have the same keyboard as me.:p

So all the action takes place in the centre screen? The rest is just a broader view?
 
Didn't you get enough replies on MyBB? ;)

Silence you! Next lan I am going to own you! :p

I want:D

You have the same keyboard as me.:p

So all the action takes place in the centre screen? The rest is just a broader view?

G15 FTW, love this keyboard.

Well kind of yeah, its just like having 1 really huge monitor.

I am going to take a vid of some Bad Company 2 action and pop it on youtube.
 
This is a veeeery nice setup - but gosh...what PC do you need to run games at that resolution?!??
 
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