Beginner's guide to 3d gaming on a PC?

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ibejustin

ibejustin

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Mar 18, 2013
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So I'm planning on building a new computer soon and I'd really like to get into 3d gaming. I will be using the evga gtx 670 ftw edition (no budging on this, I need the CUDA cores for my production work) and an i5-3570k.

My question is, what do I need to game in 3d? I'd like to maybe do a 2-monitor setup (one monitor for gaming, one for various multitasking - email, Facebook, etc). I've read that I need a 120hz 3d ready monitor and nvidia 3dvision? But I also read that there are monitors with passive polarization that are great for pc gaming too.

I'm totally new to the realm of 3d gaming so I'd really just like to know what setup is going to give me the best experience for the best price.
 
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Cons29

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Feb 10, 2010
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i own a 3d capable monitor, s27a950d, but still i have to tell you that 3d gaming is not really err how do i say it, great as it seems.
it will most likely cause head aches, sure it is cool. it works on some games, fail on some.
when i bought mine, 3d was just a bonus for me, main reason was the 120hz (and bigger size since its 27, and i like the unique design of this monitor).

also note that mine does not use nvdias 3dvision, but it works also (tridef), but not all the time. nice for street fighter iv
 
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DarkSable

DarkSable

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Sep 27, 2012
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The only thing you'll need there is a 3d 2 monitor that either has a built in emitter, or the 3d vision kit.

That being said, 3d is something that a LOT of people are polarized about - for example, I think it's not worth it, and that running on a 120Hz screen at 120Hz is far superior.
 
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bystander

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I personally game in 3D Vision as much as I can. I've had it for almost a year, and still love it. For the best experience, Nvidia 3D Vision 2 is the way to go, and the lightboost is also a nice plus for 120hz gaming. http://www.blurbusters.com/zero-motion-blur/lightboost/

There are a lot of games that do not work well with 3D, however, Nvidia has a great mod community that has fixed a lot of great games to work near flawlessly. http://helixmod.wikispot.org/gamelist

It is important to learn to adjust the convergence and depth settings. Convergence is disabled by default, but is extremely important to fix the 3D effect, and get things at the right distance. Depth is also set to 15% by default, which makes the 3D effect almost non existent. You should have depth to at least 50%.

I've recently learned that if you sit really close to your monitor, the 3D effect is even more immersive, making it feel more like you are there, where as it you sit further away, it looks more like you are looking into a doll house.
 
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ibejustin

ibejustin

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So does this mean that any 120hz monitor will work as long as I get the nvidia 3dvision 2? Also, if I wanted to watch 3d blu rays could I do that using nvidia's 3dvision? I'm more of a casual gamer (I'd kill to play some Borderlands 2 in 3d) and I'm really just interested in the experience rather than what is best for competitive online games.
 
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bystander

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The 3D Vision (2) monitors that do not have built in emitters will not work with bluray players, or PS3, but should still work using a 3d Video software.

The Asus VG278H has a built in emitter, allowing you to use a PS3 or Bluray player. So does the BenQ XL 2420TX (needs the X at the end).
 
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ibejustin

ibejustin

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What about this one?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009222
 
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bystander

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I don't know if it'll support Bluray players or not. It does not say if it does, which probably means it won't, but some that don't advertise it do, such as the VG278H and the one in my signature (it does say it in the advertisement).

Besides, that one is 3D Vision 1, rather than 2, which means it doesn't have lightboost.
 
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DarkSable

DarkSable

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Thanks bystander, but wouldn't it work with 3d blu rays if they're being played from the computer?

ibejustin, that monitor would technically work (though it doesn't have a built in emitter), but it's color and brightness aren't very good. On top of that, it doesn't support 3d vision 2, which is a huge upgrade from normal 3d vision.
 
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ibejustin

ibejustin

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Fair enough. I was trying to go the cheap route but I guess I gotta shell out a little bit more to get the best. Maybe I'll just stick with one monitor for now and use the money I save to get the Asus VG278H.
 
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bystander

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Yeah, as I said, I believe it will work if played from the PC with 3D bluray software with the proper codex. Though that will cost at least $50 in software. So it depends on what he needs. If he wants to use a PS3 or bluray player with it, then it needs to be an all in one unit that supports it, otherwise it wouldn't matter. Cost is about the same on the monitor either way, as the kit cost brings it inline with the built in costs.
 
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ibejustin

ibejustin

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I plan on purchasing a Blu-Ray drive to play the blurays.
 
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bystander

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In that case, just get a good 3D Vision 2 monitor, with or without the kit will be fine.
 
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ibejustin

ibejustin

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Ok. Any suggestions? Preferably cheap?
 
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ibejustin

ibejustin

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When you say 3d kit you mean the nvidia 3dvision 2 right? And in you're opinion is it better go with or without? What are the pros and cons of each?
 
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bystander

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Both kits work and are interchangeable, but get the 3D Vision 2 kit, they are the same price, and the newer kit is far more comfortable.

The advantage with it built in is you have less cables, and in some cases, they work with HD3D through HDMI for Bluray, PS3 and even AMD cards (though limited due to HDMI).

The advantage to getting the kit separately is that if you ever bought a new one, you can hold onto your old kit and not have to pay extra for it to be built in. And both the 144hz monitors don't have it built in.
 
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