Going from Eyefinity to a single 27'

[N.Broekhuijsen]

I've had eyefinity for a while now, and whilst I love it, it frustrates me incredibly when it doesn't work. Some of my favourite games just don't work on eyefinity, and there seems to be no fixes for them. (cough Mass Effect cough)

So now I know that just selling my two side screens is suicide, as when I turn them off I feel like I'm playing with shutters on, so I'm thinking to sell all three of them and pick up a single 27' dell screen. The U2711.

Any thoughts on how this transition would go? and I mean mentally how will I deal with it? how will it compare to just keeping a single 21.5 inch screen?

This is quite hard, since eyefinity is one of those things which once you use it, you will never go back... but at the same time it frustrates me endlessly...

 

[jdenova007]

I had eyefinity on 3x17" dell's.... LOVED IT... gaming was so much more enveloping.... I have a 27" Cinema Display now.... and sometimes I wish I had my eyefinity back(though this time I would use 3x19").... bottom line... 27" is great, but changes how you use the desktop and how games "feel"... but it is HUGE... so..

I don't regret it... but I have moments of weakness(when playing BF3) that I would like to have eyefinity back.. (but my video card runs games better because the resolution is nowhere near what I had with eyefinity)

 

[monsta]

Gaming with a 27 inch is a great experience, I can never go back to a smaller screen it would drive me nuts!
Eyefinity would of been awesome if it worked perfectly but unfortunately it doesn't for some. Going to the 27 inch tho makes sense, gaming on it and watching movies is awesome and very enjoyable , so go for it , you know you want to

 

[jdenova007]

Also, I do enjoy Movies and TV shows much more now....

But I could always go downstairs to my 47" 7.2 surround sound for a real movie experience... sooo...

 

[monsta]

Just nice to have the option to be able to watch something on your PC too , my 50 inch always get hogged, so I like to be able to watch something on my own when I choose to without having to fight for the remote!
I'm currently using a Samsung 27 inch , and the visual quality is awesome , the detail, colours and the sharpness is top quality. Shop around for a good deal but also something thats good quality

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

Alright, I like the moral support. So overall you would say that you prefer the 27" beast over a nice eyefinity setup?

Oh and about size, I have no doubt that I would prefer this, since I am a student, this would be the only monitor in my room. Currently watching movies on an eyefinity system is somewhat..... odd...

So do you prefer 27" or rather suggest I stay with eyefinity?

considering a 27" that I would consider doesn't come cheap.....

http://www.komplett.nl/Komplett/product/ZKB_04RAND/16_MONITOR/01_MONITOR/productdetails/15586491/Dell_27_U2711_LCD_6ms_VGA_DVI_HDMI/210_31173/default.aspx?channel_code=40&utm_source=tweakers.net&product_code=14309569

I estimate I could sell my current eyefinity setup for about half of that..

 

[monsta]

Wow that isnt cheap, but if you are having problems with eyefinity and you arent happy going to a 27 inch makes sense and it also doubles up as a display to play movies.
Is the eyefinity a driver problem right now?

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

Well, the thing with eyefinity is not so much a driver problem, it's just the constant frustration of games that don't work with it. BF3 didn't work well at first (after a patch a month later it did tho) Skyrim didn't but with 3rd party support it works very nicely,

However, it's few games that work perfectly, and a LOT of games just don't work, not with a fix either. IE Mass Effect, one of my number 1 games.

Don't take me wrong, I am happy with eyefinity, it's just so incredibly frustrating at times. At this point, I've lost interest in BF3 due to the lacky support even though it works now, and I don't pick up games like Mass Effect anymore regardless of having the best gaming memories with that game (no jokes please we all know what I mean).

Financially I can afford the screen, the only thing I think I will have a problem is that in games I will feel like I am wearing shutters:

Do you get over this?

 

[Ninja Pants]

Having both setups 3x24" eyefinity and a 27" rig I can honestly say that eyefinity is the far better setup in my opinion. The extra screen realestate makes work much more productive and the gaming experience just dominates what you can achieve on one screen.

I do however understand your frustration with games that do not work! Most you can get around by editing the .ini files appropriately (or using a widescreen fix) though. This is a trade-off you have to make I guess, some games simply aren't made with eyefinity capabilities but those that are give a much better experience IMHO.

Just my perspective.

and that screen is bloody expensive!

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

Its a screen with a 2560*1440 resolution, and the cheapest I can get in this country with that res.

I could not possibly go from 3X fullHD to just a fullHD screen anymore

 

[Ninja Pants]

In that case consider the Samsung S27A850D also, its PLS instead of IPS but has a few advantages over the U2711, most significantly the low-haze screen and the PLS 'glow' is significantly less that the IPS 'glow' (although still present). Same price point and you should be able to find in NED easy enough.

 

[monsta]

Thats a great resolution , the picture Quality would be amazing , but Ninja pants has a point you should have a look at the Samsung S27A850D also , it is worth considering.

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

Fair enough, I looked, and it is about 40 euro more expensive, which is practically meaningless when at such a pricepoint.

What I'm doubting about tho is that at first look people seem to evaluate the dell screen better, although I might just look a bit further into reviews.

Weekend work YAY!!!

Anyways I just sold my screens, 330 euro incl shipping for all three, not bad I suppose.

 

[monsta]

Wow you did well! Not bad at all.
Good idea to look at the reviews and see what stands out , pro's and con's etc.
Bet you can't wait now to get your 27 inch

 

[bystander]

I kind of feel the same with about 3D vision. Once I got to using 3D vision, unless it's a great game, I just won't play it if 3D doesn't work. I'd say most game support it, but a lot do not.

If it's a good enough game, I will play it, even without 3D vision, but it has to be good. Everything just looks so flat and plain without it, once you get used to it.

I guess I shouldn't suggest you get a 120hz 27" 3D monitor. You might find that you won't play games that don't support 3D either.

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

ohohoh I'm not starting 3D vision. I already tried that before and disliked it. Sold it as well.

xD

you can see where this is going

 

[MagicPants]

Not true at all. PLS backlight bleed is much worse.

Here's a comparison video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY8KyDVXlIE

IMHO PLS = DOA

In that case consider the Samsung S27A850D also, its PLS instead of IPS but has a few advantages over the U2711, most significantly the low-haze screen and the PLS 'glow' is significantly less that the IPS 'glow' (although still present). Same price point and you should be able to find in NED easy enough.

 

[bystander]

ohohoh I'm not starting 3D vision. I already tried that before and disliked it. Sold it as well.

xD

you can see where this is going

You might not like 3D, or at least, don't want to run into the same issues you did with eyefinity, but there is still some sound reasoning to go for 120hz over another high resolution setup. With 120hz you can benefit from higher than 60 FPS. Games are much smoother, which will aid you in fast action games by improving your aiming. And the best part is that if a game is super demanding, you can still play it like most people at 1080p rather than turning down all the settings.

Of course those were why I bought my monitor, but I also decided to get the 3D kit to watch movies and try out gaming....and you know were that goes.

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

Not true at all. PLS backlight bleed is much worse.

Here's a comparison video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY8KyDVXlIE

IMHO PLS = DOA

The reason I'm leaning towards the dell.

I also have a galaxy note with an SuperAmoled screen, so I know how awesome dark blacks can be!


@bystander

I was playing a game on a single screen just a moment ago, and realized it was INCREDIBLY smooth, on my older samsung screen, so I don't think I have an eye for high refresh rates. And no interest in 3D

 

[monsta]

Get the Dell , looks like you already know what you want

 

[bystander]

I don't doubt you notice that it's very smooth on a normal 60hz monitor, as you are used to eyefinity, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't notice higher FPS to be even smoother. That said, go with your gut, you might not be as happy as I am.

Of course when I first tried out 120hz, it didn't seem as smooth as I expected, until a few months later when I tried 60hz again and it felt kind of choppy.

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

I don't doubt you notice that it's very smooth on a normal 60hz monitor, as you are used to eyefinity, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't notice higher FPS to be even smoother. That said, go with your gut, you might not be as happy as I am.

Of course when I first tried out 120hz, it didn't seem as smooth as I expected, until a few months later when I tried 60hz again and it felt kind of choppy.

True, however, looking forward, 120Hz isn't precisely mainstream. Neither was eyefinity neither is 3Dvision. The problem with those things is that once you start it's hard to get away from.

Now Simply a big screen like the Dell is mainstream enough that you can always get something like it.

I just don't want to end up in a situation where due to technicalities I have to step away from something I have become addicted to, as is happening now with eyefinity.

It's like a drug, love it when it does it's work, but not always the best thing.

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

Going for the DELL probably once I receive payment from the buyer. Probably will order it on sunday. In the meantime, time to read reviews and stuff. Time to see which really is better for me. I still have the weekend to change my mind!

 

[bystander]

Well, 120hz is supported by all games and actually is a lot more mainstream than you might realize as CRT's often supported up to 120hz and almost all CRTs were at least 75hz.

But what you are doing should be noticeably awesome.

 

[Energy96]

I have that Dell 27" IPS you are getting. Its a really awesome monitor, you wont be disappointed. It is expensive for a reason, the image quality of it makes the average monitor look like crap.