Intense Rig upgrade- need lots of advice

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Malzey

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You guys probably get this a lot, but this is a rather specific question about compatibility vs price on multiple components, all dealing with video. (Forewarning, please do not suggest ATI/AMD cards to me, I really am only going to go with Nvidia hands down)

Here are my current specs:
Mobo: ASUS P8-Z77 Intel
CPU: sandy bridge i7 2700k
RAM: corsair vengeance 8gb (4x 2gb)
GPU: EVGA 560 ti DS SC 2x SLI OC'd to 925 MHz (yeah I have catching up to do)
Blah blah blah storage is not really important
OS: win7 premium (not upgrading)
PSU: Corsair RMi 850 watt gold plus
Monitor: a 2009 Dell 2208WPF 1680x1060 22" monitor (fantastic Monitor, never faulted me)

Now, to begin with my questions. My main idea for the upgrade is to get a new card and utilize my newer 560 ti as a PhysX dedicated card, and either a GTX 960 or 970 ti as my main card, and two square monitors on the sides of my Dell monitor.

These monitors I really prefer have a square pixel density of 1060 (the height density of my monitor) with a screen panel size of 12" x 12". I know that's rather specific but anything nearing that, that can run a game in a 3- panel setup (really one main screen and two half screens on the side). To visualize better, I'm sure a lot of you know of L3P, his L3pdesk has a setup with two smaller side monitors, that's basically what I'm going for (but I need the screens themselves to be around 12 inches squared to fit properly on my walls, I have stuff in the way)

Back to the GPU upgrade. This is the point where I ask which Nvidia card in the 900 series is the best for this, including price (let's exclude the 980 because I cannot afford it).

I was looking at the EVGA 960 SSC on newegg.ca (using Canadian dollars here) and it averaged to around $300 which is a good price range for me. However doing research I've heard that the card cools well but is mediocre in performance, and I really need something that will last against the test of time when newer cards come out (let's say errrrr 6 years?)

The EVGA 970 4Gb (I really prefer 6 but 4 is my minimum) SSC is $460 CAD. This is a bit steep for me but I can afford it, I'll just cringe after I buy it. With 1664 CUDA cores I really can't complain.

To sum up what I am asking for, these questions exist:
-can my motherboard even support all of this?
-what SQUARE 12" monitors around 1060p will work? $150 limit, preferably (can stretch to 180)
-last but not least, the 970 SSC vs 960 SSC (accounting for price and future-proofing(might SLI too), I can see this turning into a well needed discussion.)

Ps: also good to take into account that win7 will be obsolete in 2020, at which point I may build a brand new rig.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to help me with this one.
 
Solution
cst1992
It's smaller than 1440p (2 small monitors + 1 large monitor), so it can run with good frames - but you'll face problems.
The 15" monitor is only 1024 x 768. You'll have a resolution mismatch, and you'll have to use the middle one for gaming and the other two for desktop usage, something I'm pretty sure you don't want to do.

Short of getting three 1680x1050 monitors, the only thing you can do is sell your 1680x1050 monitor and get a 25" ultrawide 21:9 monitor.

Be warned though: non-mainstream monitors such as this one get expensive. A 21:9 2560x1080 monitor will be significantly more expensive than a standard 1920x1080 monitor, simply due to economy of scale.
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cst1992

cst1992

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- I'm not sure such square monitors exist, because most people just get 3 16:9 monitors for surround. Even if they did(people used to have 4:3 monitors with 15 inches), I haven't seen anyone use such monitors in recent times.
- You're confusing pixel density with resolution. Resolution is in pixels(such as 1680x1050) and pixel density is in pixels per inch. A value of 109 is considered the sweet spot(such as a 22" 1080p monitor or a 27" 1440p monitor).

-Currently a 970 is enough for 1 1440p monitor. If you're looking at 3 * 1680x1050 monitors, you'll need a more powerful card, such as a 980. A 980Ti doesn't seem necessary, but will benefit.

(3 1680 * 1050 monitors have 1.4x as many pixels as one 1440p(2560x1440) monitor).
 
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Malzey

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Thank you for the clarification on the resolution, also I did research into the smaller monitors I planned to get, I was thinking those mini business monitors were perfectly square but they are not, luckily through research I found the same-generation of monitors where the horizontal measurement matches the vertical measurement on my large screen exactly (11.9 inches)

Here's the link to the models I plan to buy before a new card: http://m.ebay.com/itm/Dell-15-Monitor-E157FPc-Flat-Panel-LCD-VGA-Computer-Display-Screen-1024x768-/201448392663?nav=SEARCH

Do you think with these smaller monitors that one 970 SSC could run them at once? (Let's say maxing out Witcher 3 minus hair physics at 60 fps)
 
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cst1992

cst1992

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It's smaller than 1440p (2 small monitors + 1 large monitor), so it can run with good frames - but you'll face problems.
The 15" monitor is only 1024 x 768. You'll have a resolution mismatch, and you'll have to use the middle one for gaming and the other two for desktop usage, something I'm pretty sure you don't want to do.

Short of getting three 1680x1050 monitors, the only thing you can do is sell your 1680x1050 monitor and get a 25" ultrawide 21:9 monitor.

Be warned though: non-mainstream monitors such as this one get expensive. A 21:9 2560x1080 monitor will be significantly more expensive than a standard 1920x1080 monitor, simply due to economy of scale.
 
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Malzey

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Sure there will be a resolution mismatch but isn't it possible to set monitors as a continuous desktop that actually LOOKS uniform? I've seen it done before even in gaming, I just don't know how, and if I'm buying a new 970 I definitely can't afford an ultra wide even if I sell my 22"

 
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Malzey

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I should probably also add that I'm turning the small monitors sideways so the 1024 side will be in line with my larger monitors' 1050.... It's not exact but is it close enough to not be too noticeable in games?
 
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cst1992

cst1992

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That'll complicate things.
The assumption here is that you're not rotating the monitors. If you rotate the monitors, the image will be at a 90 degree angle on both of them.
I don't have a surround setup myself, but you'll have to see if you can achieve that using the NVIDIA control panel rotation option. It might work, it might not.


I must tell you that you are better off taking advice from someone who's done this kind of thing before. I have a single monitor, and I have always used a single monitor. (Two in theory - by connecting a laptop to a monitor I got 2x16:9 view) but I have neither done nor seen anything like this done before.
 
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Malzey

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Yeah I was thinking of rotating it with the Nvidia panel, ill see what if I can do. If not I'll just return the monitors and save for an ultra wide. Thanks for your help!
 
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