how do you know what graphic card to choose for your app.

really new to all this computer techno-info, so not sure where to go. OC looks like a lot of knowledge is here so this is what I am curious about.
I have recently thought of doing an eyefinity system and wondering about what card i will need to run three 24 asus v242h monitors with. I would like to get away with not spending too much on this set up so I am curious 2 6870 or 3 6850, running about the same cost. will I be able to run in directx11 or not.

CPU =amd 955BE
Motherboard =Asus Crosshair4
PCI-E / AGP =pci e
RAM =4g ddr3 1600 dominator
PSU =ocz 750 modxstream
Current Video Card =msi 460gtx cyclone (up for sale make me an offer)
hope this helps

NewbieBond said:

really new to all this computer techno-info, so not sure where to go. OC looks like a lot of knowledge is here so this is what I am curious about.
I have recently thought of doing an eyefinity system and wondering about what card i will need to run three 24 asus v242h monitors with. I would like to get away with not spending too much on this set up so I am curious 2 6870 or 3 6850, running about the same cost. will I be able to run in directx11 or not.

CPU =amd 955BE
Motherboard =Asus Crosshair4
PCI-E / AGP =pci e
RAM =4g ddr3 1600 dominator
PSU =ocz 750 modxstream
Current Video Card =msi 460gtx cyclone (up for sale make me an offer)
hope this helps

Click to expand...

This is the first card that outputs to three monitors without any Displayport adapter, meaning you can connect up to 1980x1200 resolutions on three 24 inch monitors with just one card, the 5770, w/ 2DVI cables and 1 HDMI-to-DVI adapter, and it just came out:
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/review/1735517/sapphire-radeon-hd-5770-flex-edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102906
(2nd link comes with HDMI-to-DVI adapter
I'm not sure if the new 6850s or 6750s do that, but they have better performance and maybe a Flex will be released like this one too.

Edit: This card is limited to 60Hz, so your monitors might be 75Hz and it won't run that fast.

As far as I know, you still CAN'T use 2x DVI and the HDMI at the same time on the 68xx series (the 5770flex linked is no where near enough power). You will still have to use a monitor with a DP or an adapter.

I recommend 2x 6780's or wait for the release of the 69xx's in a month. The fewer the cards the better (more consistent) because you aren't relying on the drivers (software) to utilize all the cards efficiently.

Burdman27911 said:

As far as I know, you still CAN'T use 2x DVI and the HDMI at the same time on the 68xx series (the 5770flex linked is no where near enough power). You will still have to use a monitor with a DP or an adapter.

I recommend 2x 6780's or wait for the release of the 69xx's in a month. The fewer the cards the better (more consistent) because you aren't relying on the drivers (software) to utilize all the cards efficiently.

Click to expand...

The Flex would only need an HDMI to DVI adapter which is included for the third monitor. The first two just need DVI. It would certainly be the least expensive solution, and the most consistent, but depending on your budget if two 6870s are affordable then yes, it would be much more powerful than one 5770 at a third of the cost.
"So far so good, but when the HD 5770 Flex was set-up in Eyefinity display with three 22-inch monitors giving a resolution of 5040x1050, the lack of oomph from the HD 5770 became apparent, which isn't really much of a surprise given the price point the HD 5570 is aimed at. Using the same maps and in game detail settings as before, we got an average of 32.41fps in FarCry 2 and 25.20fps average in Just Cause 2. While these frame rates are fairly low, it's worth remembering that these games were testing with all the in-game details set to their highest, so taking these back to their minimums or turning them off will achieve smoother and more playable frame rates." (From above Inq link). Oops, that's 3x1680x1050=5040x1050, not 5760x1200, though I imagine some would be playable w/o AA. just not leading edge, so again, for more performance I'd wait for a possible flex edition of the 6870 or 69xxs, which might be $100 cheaper than two 6870s. Two 6850s might do it too.

The 5770 is definitely way underpowered for 3x24". That's 30% more pixels than the 5040x1050 you were quoting. In my opinion, certainly go for at least a single 5870 or 69xx, or two 6870's.

You don't want to be playing games at <30fps and the cost of the adapter is in the wash when you take into account the cost of your three screens and your cards... it's so worth spending a little bit more to have something you enjoy if you are going to go with eyefinity.

thanks for the info I will be going with 2x6870 asus once they are available only place I found them for a 242.99 was newegg.ca and they do not have stock on them yet. also anyone know where to get the active adapter mini port to dvi.