Rimhawk
Caldari Vengeance 8 Interceptors
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Posted - 2008.04.11 08:35:00 -
[1]
Are you looking to run a single client spanned across multiple screens, or do you want to run multiple clients?
In case of the first option, go with the triplehead. However if you want to run multiple clients there is another cheaper alternative.
In my case I run a 8800GTS with two LCD screens hooked up, running a premium graphics client on each screen. Those are my true 'mains'. I can't tell you what the exact fps is from the top of my head but it is more than enough, I have no (graphics) lag whatsoever.
In addition I have a low-end 8400GS card installed hooked up with a third monitor. I use the that one for a simple hauling/trading alt and while I can work on it with premium graphics, I prefer to run it with classic because on the lighter I typically have one or two applications and a few browser windows open on that screen. The system is loaded when I run all that, but it's not maxed out yet.
I considered installing a second 8800GTS but then I would also have to upgrade the power supply and I'm holding out for the 98xx series atm. Of course this setup is *NOT* SLI, but it serves my purpose very well. And the 8400GS card is so low-powered it can easily be done with a standard PSU.
In case you ever decide to go for two graphics cards though, there are some things to keep in mind:
1. In all OS's but Vista, there are programs and built-in drivers that allow you to configure how your screens work. They can span or act as 'separate' screens. However Vista still lacks proper support for it. There is payware to get it to work properly but it costs money and you have to turn off Aero and such for it to work.
2. A special note for Vista: It REALLY doesn't like it if you have multiple graphics cards that use different drivers. So mixing ATI and NVIDIA is a bad idea on vista. If you want to install two cards, make sure they use the same driver. So a 8800GTS and a 8400GS (or even a 7xxx) is no problem since they use the same set of drivers. But use older models or other brands like ATI and it can start behaving rather badly. Plenty of information on that available, google for it.
3. In my experience running an NVidia and ATI card next to each other in the same machine can cause problems (though not always). We've seen a fair amount of glitches, hangups etc. due to driver conflicts between the different drivers.
But again, if you want to span a client across triple monitors, get the triplehead. If you want to run multiple clients, a second graphics card might be a better and cheaper solution. And you can spread out the workload, so you don't have to put all the clients on one graphics card. :) .
F1, F2, F3 -> G1 ! |