One vga output, yes. But it's truely wide view. Your rig has to calculate more pixels, hence your performance could drop according to detail level, and zoom level.The TH2G has no processor. It makes the system "believe" that your screen IS very wide, and provides additional view compared to normal sized monitor.B

Well, I sort of jumped the gun with my assumptions. The 6970 appears to be fine.When I put this system together a few months back I recall the performance being a lot better than what it has been lately. So I decided to start changing FSX settings that have a greater impact on performance and found a problem with my water. If I have it set to anything above 1x high my frames take a nose dive in clouds. If I leave water at 1x high my frames stay at the locked 30 I have them set at. I have pretty much all sliders set to full right with all the usual eye candy addons (ASE, GEX, UTX's, FEX, UT2.....).I have my graphic settings back to 4xAA, edge detect, and Super Sampling. I was playing with FSWater Configurator when I put this system together but uninstalled it because I could never get a setting I liked. To be honest I have never liked the water in FSX. I have Bojotes shader 3 mod installed now (after uninstall of water configurator) and it changes water, so I'm wondering if there is / was a conflict there. I'm pretty sure I changed the water back to defaults before I uninstalled the configurator and installed the shader 3 mod, will have to investigate further. Glen

One vga output, yes. But it's truely wide view. Your rig has to calculate more pixels, hence your performance could drop according to detail level, and zoom level.The TH2G has no processor. It makes the system "believe" that your screen IS very wide, and provides additional view compared to normal sized monitor.B

Bjorn- TH must do some computation, as the means of splitting one GPU image into three parts and then rerouting each to its respective monitor. So that "processor" will be very simple indeed. However, if the reformatting into 3 parts cannot keep up to the PC's CPU/GPU output, then the frame rate would have to drop to match the capability of TH.AR

Your computer's video output normally allows only one monitor to be connected to it. If instead of plugging a monitor into your system's video output you plug in a TripleHead2Go, your computer interprets this device as one triple-wide monitor, so it outputs a single extra-wide image. As you have three monitors connected to your TripleHead2Go, the TripleHead2Go takes the left third of this extra-wide image it receives from your computer and sends it to your left monitor, and sends the middle third to your central monitor and the right third to your right monitor. In this manner, TripleHead2Go effectively lets you drive three separate monitors from a single video output. A TripleHead2Go used in DualHead mode behaves similarly: the extra-wide image is divided in two instead of three and each half is sent to your left and right monitors.Is TripleHead2Go a graphics card? No. TripleHead2Go does not contain a GPU itself but connects to your computer's video output and uses your own system's graphics capabilities to render the extra-wide image that is then divided and sent to each monitor. For this reason, you can enjoy the same performance across all monitors, whether you're working with office applications in 2D, high-end applications that use 3D or OpenGL technology, or engaging in HD video playback. The more powerful your existing graphics, the more powerful your TripleHead2Go multi-monitor environment.The above is from Matrox's FAQ page. You can't choke a TH2G, IT will choke your system if you want too much and too many details spread out on wide screen.B

---------- You can't choke a TH2G, IT will choke your system if you want too much and too many details spread out on wide screen.B

I think that nicely rephrases my previous comment. That is: A fast PC system cannot exceed the speed potential of its associated TH2Go. The corollary is that the performance (or FS frame rate) with a fast PC may possibly reduce, so as to match TH capability.AR

He guys,

You can't choke a TH2G, IT will choke your system if you want too much and too many details spread out on wide screen.

The Th2go isn't choking your system, the information your trying to pump through it is the problem.

That is: A fast PC system cannot exceed the speed potential of its associated TH2Go.

Th2go has no speed potential, it displays on the monitors what it's being fed in the manner you as the user choose from within FSX.What your saying is a 5 year old system with a 5 year old video card will perform the same as my i7 2600k with a ATI 6970 because the output to the monitors is being limited by the associated Th2go. If that were the case I don't think Matrox would be selling many units. If a 5 year old system can only produce 15fps in Fsx at given settings then that is what it can put out. If my system can produce 30 fps, that's what will be displayed. If a future system can produce 100 fps with everything maxed out, the Th2go will be able to do that as well, what does it care. It's only displaying what it's being given, in the manner you choose to give it.If I set my system up to be 3 separate displays, and then within FSX put a seperate display on each monitor my performace will suffer terribly. That has nothing to do with the Th2go. That's why you run a widescreen display across 3 monitors and use Trackir. It's basically no different than one monitor, only more periphery is displayed on the left and right monitor, and in my case it's not stretched or distorted at all. If I look out the corner of my left or right eye I can easily see what's behind me over my shoulder, just as you can in the real world. Is that not the reason for running multiple displays "widescreen".It's higher resolutions that are choking the performance, not what's being served to the monitors.The only thing limiting my Eyefinity system from being able to produce 100 fps is the video card itself and the way I have FSX setup. Th2go is only doing what my card can do natively, split the display to 3 screens. Just my thoughts.Glen

Glen- Presumably TH2Go receives a SINGLE image output from the GPU. Upon receipt, TH must then compute the split into three segments and then route each segment to its correct monitor. If it is Digital TH, then it must also do the necessary reformat/computation for Bezel Adjustment. There must be some kind of processor or secondary GPU in TH to accomplish this. The split into three certainly is not being done in the main PC/GPU.If this secondary/reformat computation is slower than the PC-CPU/GPU, then that process will have to slow down to match the capability of TH2Go. If I recall, TH is now a fair bit older than the current crop of high performance CPUs/GPUs so it seems logical to me that it might have trouble keeping up!AR

Fair enough,It's my lack of knowledge / actual experience from not having owned Th2go showing through.Am I to assume then that I probably would not be better off with a current Nvidia card and Th2go. I will also assume that Eyefinity being newer technology is perhaps better able to handle widescreen multi-monitor situations?We know that a GTX580 is "faster" (seems to be in most benchmarks) than a 6970, but that performance gain may be diminished or non existent because Eyefinity handles multi monitors better (more efficient) than Th2go? In a single monitor environment I think I know what the answer would be, just wondering if the field evens in multi monitor?I guess then, you have to figure in the cost of purchasing a high end Nividia card + Th2go or purchase 2 Nivdia cards so you can do Surround, versus one Ati card. Wish I wasn't so careful with my money, I would buy an Nvidia card and Th2go just to test. Then again, now that I have figured out my graphic problem and am back to running with basically all sliders right, all the usual addon eye candy, AA back to 4x with edge detect and Super Sampling, and remaining locked at 30 fps, I don't need to spend a $1000 to find out.p.s At least until the next time I'm in heavy clouds and my system decides it only wants to run at 8 fps.Glen

Jan. I suggest you contact Matrox yourself for sn in-depth explaination of the inner workings. I leave you with a quote from the http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/TH2Go_FAQ"How Does it Work?TripleHead2Go appears to your system as an super-widescreen monitor. Using standard EDID reporting mechanisms, the TripleHead2Go will cause the graphics device already present in your system to generate the super-widescreen image, which is sent to the TripleHead2Go. The TH2Go then splits this super-widescreen image into a left section, a center section and a right section and sends the normal size images to your physical monitors.In essence, the TripleHead2Go spoofs the EDID to allow the computer to render a super-wide image, splits the incoming super-wide image into sections the size of each of your monitors, and then displays those sections on the screens. The TH2Go isn't a video card as it doesn't generate the image, and so Matrox calls it a "Graphics eXpansion Module (GXM)."""Performance Impact of TripleHead2GoDue to the increased resolution and aspect ratio, your framerates will have a noticeable drop in most games. This article covers the topic, with a full set of benchmarks and comparisons. The conclusion was that the increased Field Of View in surround gaming will impact your fps negatively. But, once you cross that FOV threshold, increasing the resolution often has little impact with a capable video card."I don't think you'll find a post where TH2G is responsible for being a bottleneck, it's the right opposite, it's a floodgate for graphics, and your system has to cope. I can only recommend it, it's done wonders for my sim. Is Eyefinity any better? I don't know. Read somewhere tthat a fourth (touch) monitor won't work in Eyef. If that's true I'll stick witht TH2G for some time to come.B

Hi B,I can sort of see where AR is coming from. Something in the chain is "splitting / spreading " a single image into three. With Eyefinity it's done within the Catalyst Control Center when you create a group, basically taking your three monitors and turning them into one. With Nvidia this isn't done at the card level, it's done with the Th2go. Simple enough to figure out.I guess the question is, how efficiently is it being done in Th2go. I totally agree that it's the increase in screen resolution, which when widescreen gaming becomes an increase in FOV, which conversely you can't have without an increase in resolution, that is affecting the visual performance. I suppose you could have an increased FOV without increasing the resolution sufficiently enough, but then you would have a somewhat stretched and strange looking environment. I don't know how the Th2go looks, but the Eyefinity setup does not stretch anything, and if it does you can't notice it. If you want to wrap screens around yourself, you need to add more pixels, add more pixels, more demand on the system. That principle is no different between Eyefinity and Th2go. I think things are being looked at here through different sets of eyes.True widescreen gaming in not taking three separate screens (2d views, which I have no interest in) and sending them to three separate monitors. It's taking one image from the source and sending it to three monitors, spreading it across the three monitors at a resolution that maintains the aspect ratio and gives you a greater FOV. Eyefinity does this very well, no distortion or stretch, Th2go I don't know.So back to my original question and the reason I started this post. Is a high end Nvidia card with TH2go more effecient, does it provide better performance, does it allow higher graphic settings, than an Ati 6970 Eyefinity setup with three monitors at 3840 x 1024. Now, I was mainly concerned with how it performs in situations with moderate to heavy cloud cover. Again you need to factor in cost as a measurement of value to performance. In Canada were talking $832 versus $350. If the performance difference isn't substantial, I can't see it worth my money to switch. I find it hard to believe that someone hasn't switched from an Eyefinity system to Th2go with similar performance video cards, or vice versa. Card for card we know the answer, it's the Th2go that I'm concerned with. Why can't Nvidia do something like Eyefinity, I know quit whining.Glen

The only reason I'd switch from Eyefinity (apart from having nothing else to waste money on) would be for the res. 5040x1050. And as my touch screen has become an essential part of my rig, I'd switch to Th2G if that weren't possible in Eyef. The latter I'm not sure about. Peripheral vision on TH2G can get stretched if you zoom out too much, but so will peripheral view in a single monitor if zoomed out too much. And since it's peripheral, the minor degree of distortion isn't noticeable when you're focussed mainly on center screen.If you ever need to " whine" on this subject again I'm here for you, my friend ;-)Bjorn

Hi Bjorn,Waste money, we don't waste money, it all goes to a good cause, just don't tell anybody that may not understand.Don't we all chase perfection when it comes to our flight simming, I know I do. The 6970 Eyefinity setup runs alright. Could it be better, sure, a lot better when in clouds and higher AA settings. I suppose if you didn't use any addons, turned the settings down in game and your graphics card, it would be different, but who wants to do that. I like the views with Eyefinity, it looks very natural. That's what scares me about changing to Nvidia with Th2go, other than the cost.I feel like I'm so close, just can't seem to get there and be satisfied. Maybe I need to ditch the three monitor setup and get a fair sized single monitor,......nah, what was I thinking, am I nuts.Glen

Hi Bjorn,Waste money, we don't waste money, it all goes to a good cause, just don't tell anybody that may not understand.Don't we all chase perfection when it comes to our flight simming, I know I do. The 6970 Eyefinity setup runs alright. Could it be better, sure, a lot better when in clouds and higher AA settings. I suppose if you didn't use any addons, turned the settings down in game and your graphics card, it would be different, but who wants to do that. I like the views with Eyefinity, it looks very natural. That's what scares me about changing to Nvidia with Th2go, other than the cost.I feel like I'm so close, just can't seem to get there and be satisfied. Maybe I need to ditch the three monitor setup and get a fair sized single monitor,......nah, what was I thinking, am I nuts.Glen

Glen: Yes,Yes- by all means, ditch the three monitor setup- but instead go for a FIVE monitor array and a 75" wide, 247º view of the world!The pic shows five views actually working on my ancient AMD 1.8 GHz, 3 monitor system. All I needed were a couple of extra video cards and another pair of $50 used 17" LCD monitors!(Screenshots show all monitors in a flat plane- hence wing tips seem to be ahead! Monitors are actually placed in an arc to keep each square to the pilot's eyes. There is some distortion here since the four outer views are each squeezed down to half width.)AR

Hi Bjorn,Waste money, we don't waste money, it all goes to a good cause, just don't tell anybody that may not understand....Glen

I try telling my wife B