Hello,

 

I have used 3 monitor setups in the past and like the surround feel, but i found the height of the monitors, in my case 3-22inch monitors (1920x1080) to be to small. At 1080 the vertical resolution didn't allow for enough real estate to view out the front window and see the instrument cluster without constantly panning up and down. So my question is what is better value, a 3 monitor horizontal setup or one large 30" monitor at 2560x1600 resolution?

 

thanks

 

Jim

Just an idea. If the drivers for the video card allow it. get the 30, and use the 2 x 20 in portrait mode beside it for extra side view. I do not think Nvidia's drivers allow for 3 way surround using different monitors. I was thinking 3 x 24" portrait mode. I have a post showing that. I am going to try it next week when the new computer is built.

I too have been considering the 3 mon setup. been very hesitant about the loss of screen size, Currently one 28" monitor and one 24" mon. ( Works excellent). 3 -22" Mon, umm too small, height wise. My conclusion is 3- 28" monotors @ 1920x1080 using a GTX 680 and surround, but, then afraid of losing performance driving all them monitors @ 5720 x ? resolution. Let alone a 1000.00+ investment!

 

Still watching whats unfolding.

Just an idea. If the drivers for the video card allow it. get the 30, and use the 2 x 20 in portrait mode beside it for extra side view. I do not think Nvidia's drivers allow for 3 way surround using different monitors. I was thinking 3 x 24" portrait mode. I have a post showing that. I am going to try it next week when the new computer is built.

 

Nvidia drivers don't support different size monitors, the monitors have to be identical all the way down the specs. I've tried 3 22" monitors in portrait, works great for vertical real estate but is to chopped up horizontally. Another downfall of surround vision is it doesn't allow for a 4th monitor, so no map view or outside view. The more I think of it the more I'm leaning toward the a 30" monitor with a couple of smaller monitors for additional instrument views and maps, maybe a touch screen monitor.

 

JIm

Jim, I am scratching my head over 3 x 27" units running 2560 x 1440 or a single 30" unit. I think you will enjoy a single big 30 1600p with smaller monitors. Read 75 reviews of those who switched to a 30" 1600p. Over 90% recommended getting it. 30" of FSX glory at 2560 x 1600 is very hard to beat. I am undecided as the Catleap monitors got my brain leaping as to what to get. A single 30" appears very good. Got to sleep over this one.

Guys, this is such an old subject. If you go monster-resolutions, no matter what hardware you have, you will suffer extreme performance drops. No SLI, 680, 685 or whatever is going to help. You will halve your FPS and go to stuttering. 30fps will be a no-go. I myself with my 580 am already battling to keep the 30fps on my Catleap. And that's 2560pixels... performance already dropped some 20% going from 1920. Imagine what happens when you double/triple the pixel count. Besides, I think it's much nicer a big 27/30incher with 2560 then having 3 screens with bezels in the way.

 

Btw. you might want to follow this topic:

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/376854-benchmarking-three-monitor-fsx-with-nv680-or-maybe-690/

In reply to Morpheous's original post - I have done just that. I always felt that three 16:9 ratio monitors was too much like a letter box, so I persisted with my three 4:3 screens. 12:9 has relatively more height than 48:9. That's why so many experimented with 3 x portrait - 27:16 gives that needed height.

 

Personally, now I have the Dell 30" (16:10) I am more satisfied than I've ever been. I have TrackIR with the on/off control on a yoke button. With no visual intrusion of bezels, no matter how thin, I experience more immersion than ever before.

 

As I've said in an earlier post - I've tried most things - projection to 48" x 36"; TH2G (analog then digital); 2 x nvidia Graphics cards SLI linked. The 30" with ancilliary sceens works best for me. My latest addition is an Iiyama touchscreen to which I slide the CDU in full screen mode, and all works like a dream.

 

Regards

Frank

In reply to Morpheous's original post - I have done just that. I always felt that three 16:9 ratio monitors was too much like a letter box, so I persisted with my three 4:3 screens. 12:9 has relatively more height than 48:9. That's why so many experimented with 3 x portrait - 27:16 gives that needed height.

 

Personally, now I have the Dell 30" (16:10) I am more satisfied than I've ever been. I have TrackIR with the on/off control on a yoke button. With no visual intrusion of bezels, no matter how thin, I experience more immersion than ever before.

 

As I've said in an earlier post - I've tried most things - projection to 48" x 36"; TH2G (analog then digital); 2 x nvidia Graphics cards SLI linked. The 30" with ancilliary sceens works best for me. My latest addition is an Iiyama touchscreen to which I slide the CDU in full screen mode, and all works like a dream.

 

Regards

Frank

 

Thanks Frank, those were my thougths as well, makes the most sense to me.

 

Jim

I want a 3 monitor setup too, but as their are three times as many pixels to render, doesn't this cut FPS in half? If so, I'd rather go for 1 single big screen and zoom out a bit more.

I am wondering the same. The single 30" Dell is awesome visually, but for Helicopter flying I really need the side views as per landing, due to the inherent unstable nature of landing the helicopter. I must acquiesce to the call of the 27" 2560 x 1400 Catleap monitors that is well endowed with a high pixel count, glorious to look at and is affordable. Three of those will visually put me in the game, and, my helicopter landings will improve!!!! :P No more spilling coffee when I land. I wish i could afford 3 x 30" Dells running 2560 x 1600!!!!!

I am still in the FS2004 world but now re-examining a migration to FSX. I have used three LCD's for many years with TH2G with FS2004 and have to say the immersion factor has been fantastic. I have a center 24" DELL Ultrasharp flanked by two 20.1" DELL LCDs. I run the show with an eVGA 7900 GTX card and the performance visually is quite fantastic. It's always worked perfectly even though I have had to dumb down the res to 3840x1024. The field of vision is huge and everybody who has seen it says it is quite a trip. The bezels are irrelevant; nobody notices them once they are in the virtual cockpit. I find the prospect of going back to a single monitor quite dismal. I would actually like to have 3x24" LCDs with FSX on a new PC and card like a GTX 680 but am not sure if there will be enough power to drive the much increased resolution of 5760x1200 (or 1080). I have considered a single DELL 30" but the main issue is the lack of peripheral vision after years with triples screens. No way you can approach Kai Tak or KDCA properly without triple screens because there is no peripheral vision with one LCD panel.

I must acquiesce to the call of the 27" 2560 x 1400

 

Sure, but running 7680x1400 resolution would certainly be an interesting draw on the CPU :o

 

Personally, now I have the Dell 30" (16:10) I am more satisfied than I've ever been. I have TrackIR with the on/off control on a yoke button. With no visual intrusion of bezels, no matter how thin, I experience more immersion than ever before.

 

+1 Simply awesome, espcially if your viewing distance is about 24"

+1 Simply awesome, espcially if your viewing distance is about 24

I'II second that Howard!

I am still in the FS2004 world but now re-examining a migration to FSX. I have used three LCD's for many years with TH2G with FS2004 and have to say the immersion factor has been fantastic. I have a center 24" DELL Ultrasharp flanked by two 20.1" DELL LCDs. I run the show with an eVGA 7900 GTX card and the performance visually is quite fantastic. It's always worked perfectly even though I have had to dumb down the res to 3840x1024. The field of vision is huge and everybody who has seen it says it is quite a trip. The bezels are irrelevant; nobody notices them once they are in the virtual cockpit. I find the prospect of going back to a single monitor quite dismal. I would actually like to have 3x24" LCDs with FSX on a new PC and card like a GTX 680 but am not sure if there will be enough power to drive the much increased resolution of 5760x1200 (or 1080). I have considered a single DELL 30" but the main issue is the lack of peripheral vision after years with triples screens. No way you can approach Kai Tak or KDCA properly without triple screens because there is no peripheral vision with one LCD panel.

 

I am with you totally. I love the 3 X 24" Dell driven by the GTX 670 and IB OC to 4.5Ghz. With one Dell 24", I had it locked at 30FPS under 98% of the condiition with reasonable AI traffic and complext airports and addons. But when I went to 3 monitors, it it dropped to sub 15-20. Its still flyable... but I am now torn between the 30FPS smoothe vs peripheral vision and awesomeoness of the three monitoer views.

 

I am thinking of reducing the AIs and reducing some addons instead...to get the wideview and 30FPS smoothie.

 

Sigh!

 

Manny

 

:)

 

For me, a single monitor may be an option if I get the same resolution as a 30" monitor on bigger like a 60" physical monitor + Fresnel Lens.