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Hey TL.net-ers! I posted a blog on NVidia's tech yesterday, and it was awesome having a conversation about tech here, so I thought I'd post another one I wrote, this time on AMD's Eyefinity technology I'm hoping for more constructive criticism.
Eyefinity is AMD's brand name for their new multi-monitor technology. At the low-end, they're looking to power at least 3 monitors from a single graphics card, and at least six for the high-end.
It seems like a gamer's paradise at first, but when you think about it, businessmen and women and others with general work on the computer might get more out of this technology.
Now, AMD also created Catalyst Control Center, which gives you an extremely flexible layout of your monitors.
You can have three monitors landscape style and have another three going vertical, have three monitors next to each other horizontally and have one more on top of the middle monitor, the configurations are pretty much endless.
And as dual-monitor configurations become more common, I think that AMD's Eyefinity may have a big impact on consumers.
However, here's my problem with it.
The low-end, which they're looking to power at least three monitors, sounds good to me; three monitors, many windows open at the same time wherever I want, multitasking sounds great.
But the high-end? You can have six monitors, and open applications at the same time.
I don't know about you, but that seems like too much multitasking to me. And too much power for one person to use efficiently.
What do you think?
Poll: Would you buy the new graphics card one they're out to play SCII on? (Vote): Yes (Vote): No (Vote): Depends on the price (Vote): Playing BW on multimonitors is hard enough... SCII will be even harder
And, as always, please write why in a post below!
Thanks for your constructive criticism!
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I have a geforce 260 right now. If the next generation of cards would give me a significant boost in performance I may upgrade. I would probably wait for about 6 months though since sc2 probably won't get much if any benefit going from a 260 to the newest ati/nvidia cards.
I do plan on buying a monitor in the next year and would use my 20.5" widescreen as a second monitor so the new multi monitor support would be nice.
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On September 15 2009 05:24 Icarus wrote:
It seems like a gamer's paradise at first, but when you think about it, businessmen and women and others with general work on the computer might get more out of this technology.
wait what?
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On September 15 2009 05:59 s.a.y wrote:Show nested quote +On September 15 2009 05:24 Icarus wrote:
It seems like a gamer's paradise at first, but when you think about it, businessmen and women and others with general work on the computer might get more out of this technology.
wait what? edit: well I can't read.
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I have two monitors, and they are great for being productive. But for gaming they are no use at all. The only game I know which supports dual screens is Supreme Commander. Displays a large version of the minimap on the secondary monitor. Nice, but I certainly wouldn't pay money for that.
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s.a.y: sorry, my sentence structure was confusing.
It seems like a gamer's paradise at first, but when you think about it, businessmen/women and others with general work on the computer might get more out of this technology.
Hope that clarifies things.
Scorch: Ah true, I don't know many games that support dual monitors either.
But with the release of their new technology, I'm almost certain that AMD will be pushing game companies to create multiple game titles that will support multiple monitor game play.
The technology may be useless in the short term, but it may be extremely useful in the future.
Bosu: yea, you can probably play SC2 on pretty darn high settings on smaller monitors.
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I don't think many game genres can really profit from multiple monitors. RTSs can have the minimap in large. RPGs can have the inventory or a map on the secondary screen. Manager games can have additional stats. Split-screen multiplayer on the same machine no longer needs to... split screen. That would all be cool features, but nothing that really really makes a game better. The only thing that comes to mind that would really enhance a game experience would be an action game with many monitors for the real 360° deal.
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I think that FPS games might get some profit out of it.
And the vehicle games i.e. flight simulators and racing games.
As I said, the general working population might get more out of this technology than gamers.
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Playing in 7680x3200 on 24x22" screens :p
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T.O.P.
Hong Kong4685 Posts
Having multiple monitors is awesome for web browsing and doing homework. I'll have microsoft word on one screen, web browsers on my other two screens, and my chat client on my last screen. You'll work so much faster if you didn't need to memorize what you read on your web browser before writing it in word.
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I don't plan on buying a new graphics card for a couple years considering my 2xgtx295, but if these 5 series ATI cards are as amazing as they're supposed to be i would love to upgrade from buggy quad sli drivers
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ghermination: Oh wow 2x GTX295's. I'm kind of jealous... kind of. Way better than my 8500GT. Hahahaha
Yea the AMD 5850/5870/5870X2 are the first to be released. They should be coming soon though... it's on the same day NVidia releases a demo of the GT300
Too bad the GT300 got delayed...
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Eyefinity setup doesn't really work for RTSes
FPS & third person games sure if you can tune out the bezels
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udgnim: It'd probably make the game a bit more complicated since now you have another screen just for items or something... maybe a mini map? Idk.
But I don't think it'd work either.
I'd think that it'd never work on FPS's like CS 1.6 and Source where we've always been used to just one monitor.
However, I still think there's a chance for multi-monitor FPS's if the game companies just try to integrate it.
Though it's a bit early to say it wouldn't work anywhere, since it hasn't even come out yet.
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On September 15 2009 07:27 Scorch wrote: I don't think many game genres can really profit from multiple monitors. RTSs can have the minimap in large. RPGs can have the inventory or a map on the secondary screen. Manager games can have additional stats. Split-screen multiplayer on the same machine no longer needs to... split screen. That would all be cool features, but nothing that really really makes a game better. The only thing that comes to mind that would really enhance a game experience would be an action game with many monitors for the real 360° deal.
I think most people that game with more than one monitor have one monitor for their media player, MSN, ventrilo etc and the other for the games.
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Ah ok. That sounds pretty useful.
Multitasking with gaming... and AMD's Catalyst Center is supposed to make configuring multiple monitors much, much easier... I don't know how much easier exactly though.
I wonder if there's anyone who plays multiple games all at once on different monitors... that'd be pretty hardcore... O.o
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