I need advice on a 2 or 3 screen setup with a GTX 670

fuzzytom

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Mar 18, 2013
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I have a fairly powerful gaming PC that can run BF4 and Crysis 3 at ultra with about 50 frames per second. This build includes a GTX 670, and an overclocked i5 CPU. I currently use an AOC i2353Fh as my monitor, and I am thinking about getting a dual or triple monitor setup. I use my PC for FPS gaming and programming in unity. The two monitors I am considering are both called Dell U2414H, and have the same resolution of 1080p and refresh rate of 60 Hz as my current monitor.
My current monitor has a 5ms response time, and the Dell ones have an 8ms response time. The dell ones are priced at around £190 each.

My GPU looks like this, and I recently discovered it only has 1 HDMI port...
gtx-670-io-bracket.jpg

Here there is a HDMI, a DisplayPort, and the two types of DVI (DVI-I and DVI-D)

My current monitor has 2 HDMI ports and 1 VGA, but the dell monitors I am about to buy have a larger choice. They offer 2 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort and 1 Mini DisplayPort, as well as a 'DisplayPort out (MST)' which i read somewhere allowed for the monitors to be 'daisy chained together'. At home I have one HDMI cable, and so it is obvious I will need to buy more cables. Which cables should I buy to enable the use of all three screens at the same time, and which configuration would result in minimal lag?

Also, please tell me if there is anything wrong with my choice of hardware.

My current thinking is to keep using a HDMI cable to connect my AOC monitor to my PC, and then use 2 '1.5M HDMI to DVI-D' cables to connect the 2 new monitors. The converter is below.
(http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00K6AGB34/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s=electronics)
 
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Well I'm sorry but myself and many others would agree on having a 2ms or 1ms monitor is better than a 8ms monitor. Unsure that this monitor you speak of is an IPS or TN panel but TN panel monitors are more meant for...

Thyrax

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Nov 18, 2013
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Hello fuzzytom,

May I ask why you are considering 5MS and 8MS Dell monitors and not gaming monitors that go very well with programming (Web/Graphic Design, Video Editing etc) and of course gaming? I have my favorites I recommend a lot of people and they always give me positive feedback on my selections from their price range via PM. Are you satisfied with 60 Hz gaming? Because you will be even more satisfied when you experience 120Hz or 144Hz gaming, it makes a huge difference visually. When I say visually, I mean from 60hz to 120hz, not 120hz to 144hz you dont see a difference, even though people say they do.. its crap in my opinion.

HDMIs max Hertz rate is 60, so you will never experience 120hz gaming with an HDMI monitor. You need to purchase monitors that have DVI and a Display port because they support 120hz . BenQ has them as they are my favorite choice, Asus is another good one as well. You can easily find one that supports 120Hz and that are within your price range. Cables arent expensive and they come with the monitor so that isnt a worry (but you will need to purchase a displayport cable, thats a cheap purchase).

The actual 3 monitor setup can be found within the forums as many people ask the same questions and can easily be answered if you search the forums I am sure.


Please let us know what you are going to do as in monitor purchases so we can help you with this process.
 

fuzzytom

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Mar 18, 2013
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I understand that higher Hz looks smoother, but are you saying that 8ms is too large for smooth gaming?
My budget is about £400 for 2 monitors and the necessary cables, and I obviously want the best monitor for the money. Are you saying that for the same price, I could get a better monitor than the dell one? I can't find any better alternatives, and the 'CUSTOM PC' magazine says the dell one is the best value one for it's size.
And wouldn't i need a better GPU to take advantage of high refresh rates at 5760 x 1080?
 

Thyrax

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Well I'm sorry but myself and many others would agree on having a 2ms or 1ms monitor is better than a 8ms monitor. Unsure that this monitor you speak of is an IPS or TN panel but TN panel monitors are more meant for gaming but I web design as well and I am satisfied with my choice of a monitor for a multipurpose use. I used to have a GTX 650Ti 1GB GPU (ran at 120hz) at first with 3 monitors and ran well at low settings, some non graphic heavy games ran at default settings like Bulletstorm. I am unsure of the price of the monitor suggestions I would give you because of shipping but already hearing that it's 8ms, it's not meant for FPS.

What is the model of this dell pc you speak of? We can break it down for you from my choice(s) and your choice? If someone beats the response before me that's ok.
 
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fuzzytom

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Mar 18, 2013
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As stated in my first post, it is a 'Dell U2414H', and it is an IPS screen which for everything other than gaming would be excellent.
Games like Crysis 3 will run at about 60fps low across 3 screens, but will of course still look amazing. Despite this it does mean that monitors with higher refresh rates will have no benefit to my system, and are too expensive for me in the first place. 8ms at 60Hz is less than half a frame, that can't be too high for gaming! Nobody could possibly notice half a frame of response time...