Few questions about 3 monitor set up and hooking them up.

[NoviceNob]

Hello there. First, thank you very much in advance for your advice, comments and your time.

I will be building a new $2,000 computer for gaming most likely in December. That amount is just what is in the case, not the peripherals. I will be wanting to play MW3 and BF3, and maybe a few others but I doubt it. I am looking for a resolution of about 1200x1920, not the best, not the lowest. Also, I will be watching movies on this computer and I watch about 25-30 movies a month. I do not own a regular TV but use Netflix (yes, still a fan, and hulu) Yes, I am one of the lucky few; in my 50's and no wife, no ex, no kids, no pets, no mortgage, no car payment, etc. AND still really happy. So I do have a few bucks to spend.

I am holding off building this computer until the new AMD Radeon 7000 cards come out; late December I read. I was going to wait for Ivy Bridge but I just read they won't 'really' be coming out until the end of Q1 2012. So Sandy Bridge will be just fine.

I am thinking of a three monitor set up. I am thinking of 24" screens for that set up.
I am thinking of a three monitor set up plus a separate TV.

For the 3 monitor set up, I could spend +-$US1,200 for all three monitors. And for the TV, another $1,000.

My questions:

1. For gaming, should the monitors be TN or e-IPN?

2. For gaming, are three 24" monitors to large, or should I be thinking 22"?

3. Can I have a 3 monitor set up for gaming AND have a 4th monitor of say an actual TV (42") also hooked up at the same time? Could I easily go back and forth between set-ups or even have both going at the same time?

4. What are your suggestions for monitors; the 3 monitor set up? I'll worry about a TV later. I have read Dell has come out with some nice monitors and read Asus and LG are good too.

5. Can you suggest any "other" websites for monitor reviews?

Thank you very much again for your time and thoughts. If you have any questions for me please ask. And I offer advice on how to stay single and happy.

David

 

[CaedenV]

TN screens are generally the norm for gaming as they have a very high refresh rate. IPS screens have better color, but we are talking a difference between a high end TN to an IPS that can only be appreciated by professionals, not the average lay-person (unless you see them side-by-side in which case the difference could get annoying quickly).

If I had money (and feel free to send some my way lol), I would go with one very large center main display, and then 2 smaller peripheral displays in porterate on either side. This will give you dedicated screens for web pages, or other applications/uses for the side screens, and then a nice large central work space in the middle for what you are focusing on. Also, in surround gaming it will give you a maximum uninterrupted central viewing area, and less wasted space on the sides where the perspective goes all to hell.

The new cards may be just fine with adding a 4th 1080p display as AMD is really pushing surround and 3D gaming, but it may mess with your game settings (trying to always incorporate it when you are not intending to use it). It may be less hassle to have a separate cheap media PC dedicated to your TV (but as I have not tried it I may be wrong on this point).

For reviews go check newegg.com they may not always have the best prices anymore, but the reviews are (for the most part) honest, and will really let you know what the limitations are for the screens you are looking at getting.

Personally I have a 27" screen at 1920X1200 and love it. My setup is on a couch with the monitor on a coffee table about 3-4ft away, so it works well. thought it was too large at first, but I would love to have some screens flanking it now that I have grown accustomed to it. Also I find it very hard to go to work and use a 22" screen. With monitors you get what you pay for. I needed something big (replaced 2 large CRT screens) and was not too picky on the color accuracy, and it was priced accordingly. But there are much better screens out there that would bring a whole new level of color depth and realism to my movies and games if I were willing to spend the money.

Oh, as a last note, if you do buy different sized screens as I suggested, the pay attention to the dot pitch. If you have the same rez on the small screens as you do on the big one then you will have odd problems with things remaining a consistent size across all 3 monitors. It is doable, you just have to be careful.

 

[discboy321]

I have a 32 inch 1080p HD tv that I use as my primary computer screen and also my television.

 

[NoviceNob]

Thank you both for the information above. CaedenV, I am giving you the 'best answer' award... Sorry discboy321.

I went to a few stores this afternoon and asked a lot of questions. What I found out was that I could buy a new TV that already has hulu and Netflix programmed into it and plug that directly into my modem with an Ethernet cable bypassing the computer all together. And if I wanted Blueray, I could just buy a Blueray player and plug that into the modem one way and the TV the other way. One of these systems will be what I will do, UNLESS, the information was incorrect and if so, let me know.

Thank you very much again for your time and information.

David

 

[NoviceNob]

Best answer selected by NoviceNob.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey