Is My video card not good enough for my uses? HD7850

[knoober]

Card is in the Sig, and right now I cant see if I listed that it is a PowerColor version or not, but it is

Right now I am running 2 monitors @ 1600 x 900 on DVI and have a projector @ 1024 x 768 as a 3rd "monitor" for movies and such (using an HDMI/DVI adapter), so that is 2x DVI and 1x HDMI/with a DVI twist. Its an okay setup, but if Id known then what I know now I could have done better for my set up. Not the biggest deal though. The problem IS that this set up gets kinda complicated at times. For instance, I cannot leave the projector enabled in the screen resolution menu. I must turn it off when not in use (which is okay because the projector is not on anyway), but when I would like to use it I have to "trade" one of my other monitors for it. Meaning I can run 1x projector and 1 x monitor and that is it. When I try to enable/extend all the monitors at once Windows will not Apply the result.

So the question is: will bumping up the clocks on my card help with this issue? Is my card simply too weak to support (1600 x 900) + (1600 x 900) + (1024 x 768) ?

Also real quickly I will share the solution to the thing everyone absolutely must be wondering: The answer is to take a 3200 x 900 wallpaper and an 1024 x 768 wallpaper and glue them together in photoshop to get a wallpaper than spans all three screen while still playing to the correct resolutions. A big thanks to the Internet for helping with that one, just thought I would share

 

[hotrod717]

I believe its time for an upgrade. Over the years you have to upgrade something. In this case your video card. A newer, more modern card will help a great deal. Used reference 290x or 780 can be had for under $200. Huge difference in performance compared to that 7850.

 

[knoober]

Well, thanks for the advice but the card is new to me and was the best I could get at the time. Upgrades are a ways away for this little rig I have good info that this card (bought used) may well OC up to stock 7950/7970 speeds, if that would help. I just dont want to drain the life of my card if it isnt going to achieve the result Im looking for

 

[Mandrake4565]

knoober the biggest issue you may be having with the card is lack of Vram. The 2 Gb on the card may not be enough for the 3 screens.

 

[knoober]

Well I was hoping that I was just setting it up wrong, but my gut is leaning towards the card not being sufficient for the task. It doesnt seem like it would be too much, but then again I always overestimate my hardware

 

[JLK03F150]

I don't know if this is the case with your card, but I have seen some cards that share one of the DVI with the HDMI. So even with 3 connections, that type card only has two actual outputs.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

IIRC the 7850 only supports two monitors at once.

 

[knoober]

I have found about 2 relevant facts whilst searching:

1) I am not exceeding the max resolution of any 1 of my connections. DVI is listed at 2560 x 1600 and HDMI is higher. That just to say that Im not pushing the limits on the connection type. I may still be taxing the VRAM or something else of course

2) Ive seen more than once in different sales literature that "maximum number of configured displays may vary" or something close. They never quite say what causes the variance though.

I guess Ill just have to spend some time seeing what kind of clocks this card can reach and see if that makes a difference. Its not like I dont have a working config already, Id just like it to work better/more smoothly/easier and know of no reason why it shouldnt.

Edit: here is the specs in case anyone might see something on this subject that I missed. Thanks again guys

http://www.powercolor.com/Global/products_features.asp?id=395#Specification

 

[ATMINSIDE]

An overclock makes zero difference as to the number of monitors you can run on a GPU.

Also, what's the exact model number of the GPU?

 

[knoober]

An overclock makes zero difference as to the number of monitors you can run on a GPU.

I thought that was the case, but wasnt sure. Thanks for clearing that up, as it is what I was beating around the bush about in the OP (I know it was kind of unclear, but it was one of the things I was looking to know)

Also, what's the exact model number of the GPU?

PowerColor HD7850? if Im not sure where I would find more info, unless maybe its listed in GPU-Z?

 

[ATMINSIDE]

I thought that was the case, but wasnt sure. Thanks for clearing that up, as it is what I was beating around the bush about in the OP (I know it was kind of unclear, but it was one of the things I was looking to know)

PowerColor HD7850? if Im not sure where I would find more info, unless maybe its listed in GPU-Z?

Look at the sticker on the back of the GPU.

 

[knoober]

I feel like such a jerk saying this but... Im not opening the case today. I finally closed that thing a few weeks ago and would have welded it shut if I could. Thanks for being willing to look into it though. I dont know if you caught the link in my edit up there but I am fairly certain that it is for the exact card, but I understand that there may be different revisions and such.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

From your link:

To enable more than two displays, additional panels with native DisplayPort™ connectors, and/or DisplayPort™ compliant active adapters toconvert your monitor’s native input to your cards DisplayPort™ or Mini-DisplayPort™ connector(s), are required.

 

[knoober]

From your link:

I did see that as well, but thought that it only applied to Eyefinity.

Just when you think your hardware is everything it needs to be huh?

 

[hotrod717]

I did see that as well, but thought that it only applied to Eyefinity.

Just when you think your hardware is everything it needs to be huh?

Again, without diving in the weeds, you need an upgrade to run your rig with that monitor config, let alone playing any games at a decent level. No way I'm running 3 monitors without $200 card at the least.

 

[knoober]

So Ive accepted the fact that I have to use DP to accomplish this (and I also have noted that I should upgrade, but I always fight upgrades tooth and nail ).

With that in mind will a passive adapter like this be sufficient or will I need an active adapter. Ive read good things about Crossfire with this card, so Im tempted to go that direction as well because of cost concerns. First Id like to see if this cant be solved in a more frugal way though. Thanks in advance as always

 

[ATMINSIDE]

The spec I quoted specifies active adapter.

 

[knoober]

Before getting a different card I figured I would atleast try to the miniDP/DVI-I adapter. Seems to be working just fine so far, but I still have some tweeking to do. This rig doesnt play games yet , so I cant say how well it will hold up at that time. I never intended 3 screen gaming though. Im hoping to be able to have 2 screens running something fun to play (and hopefully not looking too bad either) and have a movie running on #3. We shall see I guess, but for now, rest easy knowing that this would have indeed worked out of the box if I had just read the directions

 

[wagex]

i doubt the vram has much to do with it. i run an hd5450 at work and run 3 monitors.

 

[knoober]

The vram will probably come into play when I start trying to play games and watch movies at the same time. I imagine that it might be hard on this older gpu to do such a thing and that VRAM might make a difference for that kind of "heavy use".

i run an hd5450 at work and run 3 monitors.

I ran the same card in this same setup before upgrade... which is why I though this card could do it (and it can... just need the adapter). I should add though that I was using a splitter to duplicate the second display... so it was a 2 monitor setup really. Still if that card would almost work, it stood to reason that this one could handle the load