How much FPS will triple monitor take?

[tomasvransky15]

Hi. My question is that i already have one monitor (Alienware AW2518HF) and i want to buy 2 more same monitors. I have no problem to run any game at 60 fps on max details on this one screen (dont know how much fps exactly because i use v-sync and lock on 60 in every game). Will i be able to play on 60 fps with 3 monitors at least on high or medium details? (i want to use all 3 monitors for gameplay on games like Witcher 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider etc.) Is there anyone with triple monitor who could do benchmark to see the fps difference between 1 and 3 monitors for gaming? Thank you.

My PC Specs:
GPU: Asus Strix GTX 980
CPU: Intel Core i7 5820K @4.3GHz
RAM: Kingston 16GB DDR4 2400MHz CL12 Predator

 

[feelinfroggy777]

Your GPU will struggle to push 3 1080p monitors at 60 fps. You are just adding more pixels. With a 3 monitor setup at 1080p, you are running at 3k (as apposed to 4k). The 980 is not a 3k card. If you want to look at a comparison, look at 3440x1440p ultra wide screen benchmarks. While 3440x1440p will still push about a million fewer pixels, it will give you a good idea.

I suggest getting a 21:9 monitor. Much better than a triple monitor setup as they have no bezels and prices have come down.

 

[terry4536]

That shouldn't be a problem for a 1080P monitor. The 240 Hz does place more of a demand upon the graphics card. So there may be some decrease in FPS, but it shouldn't be a large decrease in FPS.


If the monitors were all 2K 144 + Hz monitors then you would see more of a decrease in the FPS.

 

[iamacow]

I agree with FeelingFroggy777. 3 Monitors spanning will render the games at 3K~. The 980 isn't a good 4K video card. You will see 30-45FPS. Either get a new video card or don't go with 3 screens / 4K setup.

 

[terry4536]

I agree with FeelingFroggy777. 3 Monitors spanning will render the games at 3K~. The 980 isn't a good 4K video card. You will see 30-45FPS. Either get a new video card or don't go with 3 screens / 4K setup.

Have you ever seen a Nvidia Quadro P600 or similar graphics card. That is a single slot graphics card that operates off of the PCI express x 16 slot only. It will operate four monitors up to 5K and three 4K monitors simultaneously.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133646

The problem here is the refresh rate of this particular monitor.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

I agree with FeelingFroggy777. 3 Monitors spanning will render the games at 3K~. The 980 isn't a good 4K video card. You will see 30-45FPS. Either get a new video card or don't go with 3 screens / 4K setup.

Have you ever seen a Nvidia Quadro P600 or similar graphics card. That is a single slot graphics card that operates off of the PCI express x 16 slot only. It will operate four monitors up to 5K and three 4K monitors simultaneously.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133646

The problem here is the refresh rate of this particular monitor.

No one is saying that it cant run 3 monitors. What we are saying is that it cant game at 60fps because the GPU cant push that many pixels.

 

[terry4536]

I agree with FeelingFroggy777. 3 Monitors spanning will render the games at 3K~. The 980 isn't a good 4K video card. You will see 30-45FPS. Either get a new video card or don't go with 3 screens / 4K setup.

Have you ever seen a Nvidia Quadro P600 or similar graphics card. That is a single slot graphics card that operates off of the PCI express x 16 slot only. It will operate four monitors up to 5K and three 4K monitors simultaneously.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133646

The problem here is the refresh rate of this particular monitor.

No one is saying that it cant run 3 monitors. What we are saying is that it cant game at 60fps because the GPU cant push that many pixels.

It will depend upon the game and the settings ( particularly if he turns off v-sync). And he can turn down the refresh rate. The 240 Hz is overkill.

I don't know what the actual FPS will be for three of these monitors with a particular game (none of us does).

Unless the OP is just stuck on three monitors, get another one of the monitors and go from there.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

Vsync and the 240hz refresh has nothing to do with it. Vsync just matches the refresh rate of the monitor with the fps of the GPU. Turning down the refresh rate? That has nothing to do with the GPU pushing 3 1080p monitors at medium to high details at 60fps.

 

[tomasvransky15]

Your GPU will struggle to push 3 1080p monitors at 60 fps. You are just adding more pixels. With a 3 monitor setup at 1080p, you are running at 3k (as apposed to 4k). The 980 is not a 3k card. If you want to look at a comparison, look at 3440x1440p ultra wide screen benchmarks. While 3440x1440p will still push about a million fewer pixels, it will give you a good idea.

I suggest getting a 21:9 monitor. Much better than a triple monitor setup as they have no bezels and prices have come down.

Well i prefer 3 monitors because i play a lot of fps gaming so i need my one main screen for this and maybe i will start streaming so the other monitors will be used. One 21:9 monitor is not a good solution for me. So i will try this triple setup and if it wont work i would need to either go with my settings lower or play on just one of those 3 screens or just buy a better gpu. Overall thank you for the answer!

 

[terry4536]

Let us know of your results.

Does turning down game settings significantly of three 240 Hz monitors simultaneously have exactly zero effect on FPS?

Does turning v-sync off of three 240 Hz monitors simultaneously have exactly zero effect on FPS?

Does reducing the refresh rates (to 60 Hz for example) of three 240 Hz monitors simultaneously have exactly zero effect on FPS?

 

[iamacow]

I agree with FeelingFroggy777. 3 Monitors spanning will render the games at 3K~. The 980 isn't a good 4K video card. You will see 30-45FPS. Either get a new video card or don't go with 3 screens / 4K setup.

Have you ever seen a Nvidia Quadro P600 or similar graphics card. That is a single slot graphics card that operates off of the PCI express x 16 slot only. It will operate four monitors up to 5K and three 4K monitors simultaneously.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133646

The problem here is the refresh rate of this particular monitor.

I think your confused bro. Quadros aren't gaming cards, Not because of the hardware as the P6000 is just a Titan Xp / 1080 Ti with more memory. But the software is tuned for pro apps and not for games. SO not only are you spending nearly $6,000 more for a (now dated) Titan Xp, but the quadro drivers are going to preform worse for the same game.

the Op asked if 60fps is possible across 3x 1080p monitors, aka 3440x1440p with a GTX 980. The answer is NO. This is because the GTX 980 is not a very good 4k gaming card. It doesn't have enough juice, power, guts, etc to handle that many pixels at a smooth 60fps or above. I would have minimal requirements for 60ish 3-4K gaming is a 1080TI / RTX 2080. If the games the op is playing supports SLI, than 2x 1080 Tis will be better if its cheaper than a RTX 2080 Ti.

 

[terry4536]

I agree with FeelingFroggy777. 3 Monitors spanning will render the games at 3K~. The 980 isn't a good 4K video card. You will see 30-45FPS. Either get a new video card or don't go with 3 screens / 4K setup.

Have you ever seen a Nvidia Quadro P600 or similar graphics card. That is a single slot graphics card that operates off of the PCI express x 16 slot only. It will operate four monitors up to 5K and three 4K monitors simultaneously.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133646

The problem here is the refresh rate of this particular monitor.

I think your confused bro. Quadros aren't gaming cards, Not because of the hardware as the P6000 is just a Titan Xp / 1080 Ti with more memory. But the software is tuned for pro apps and not for games. SO not only are you spending nearly $6,000 more for a (now dated) Titan Xp, but the quadro drivers are going to preform worse for the same game.

the Op asked if 60fps is possible across 3x 1080p monitors, aka 3440x1440p with a GTX 980. The answer is NO. This is because the GTX 980 is not a very good 4k gaming card. It doesn't have enough juice, power, guts, etc to handle that many pixels at a smooth 60fps or above. I would have minimal requirements for 60ish 3-4K gaming is a 1080TI / RTX 2080. If the games the op is playing supports SLI, than 2x 1080 Tis will be better if its cheaper than a RTX 2080 Ti.

I'm not your "bro".

You missed the point. You two are the only ones bringing up 4k displays. The OP specifically brought up 60 Hz 1080P displays period . A single slot card like the quadro can handle three 4k monitors simultaneously without any additional power. The GTX 980 isn't a single slot card and it doesn't operate on the slot power only either.

The GTX 980 specs state that it will support four displays up to 5120x3200 at 60Hz. Whether it will support three of these monitors at 60FPS is the question.

https://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-980/specifications

 

[feelinfroggy777]

You dont know what you are talking about.

The reason we bring up 4k displays is because of pixels. A 1080p monitor has about 2 million pixels. A 4k monitor has about 8 million pixels. If you take 3 1080p monitors and put them in surround in a game, you get 6 million total pixels. This is why we are comparing it to 4k. Because 3 1080p monitors in surround in a game has about 25% fewer pixels than a 4k panel. This is also why it was referred to as 3k. But I digress.

Single slot has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the card. Everything that is needed on a GPU can easily fit on a PCB and does not even require a full slot. What uses the extra slots is cooling. The chip, VRM, and memory on the PCB can get hot. Heat hurts performance. So manufactures put coolers on video cards. The same way that you put a cooler on a a CPU. Except these coolers already come pre-installed. 90% of a GPU is the cooler.

Power has nothing to do with it either. You can have a single slot card run with additional power provided by the PSU that is required beyond the PCIe slot. These cards are not common because more power creates more heat. Therefore you need a good cooler. Coolers are big and they make them more slots.

Lastly, yes, the cards can support 4 displays at 60hz. If you hook up the 4 displays and load into windows you will be able to go into the control panel and they will run at 60hz. But that is not what the OP asked.

He asked:

Will i be able to play on 60 fps with 3 monitors at least on high or medium details? (i want to use all 3 monitors for gameplay on games like Witcher 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider etc.)

The answer to that question is a no. It is one thing to boot into windows on a 2d environment and run 3 dispalys at 60hz. It is a completely different thing to run those displays during a game and expect 60fps. The OP asked about 60 FPS at high or medium details.

You may ask yourself, how do I know that it wont work. I dont have a 980 and 3 1080p panels. But i do know. Because a 980 cant run The Witcher 3 at 4k and get close to 60fps. And since we are talking about pushing 25% fewer pixels than 4k, it is a very close comparison.

Hopefully you will take the time to actually read this. You might even learn a thing or two. But I suppose you wont, Bro...

 

[iamacow]

I'm sorry terry4536, I thought we were bros.

Anyways I think feelinfroggy777 has wrapped this up and put a nice bow on it. Not much more to say.

 

[terry4536]

You dont know what you are talking about.

The reason we bring up 4k displays is because of pixels. A 1080p monitor has about 2 million pixels. A 4k monitor has about 8 million pixels. If you take 3 1080p monitors and put them in surround in a game, you get 6 million total pixels. This is why we are comparing it to 4k. Because 3 1080p monitors in surround in a game has about 25% fewer pixels than a 4k panel. This is also why it was referred to as 3k. But I digress.

Single slot has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the card. Everything that is needed on a GPU can easily fit on a PCB and does not even require a full slot. What uses the extra slots is cooling. The chip, VRM, and memory on the PCB can get hot. Heat hurts performance. So manufactures put coolers on video cards. The same way that you put a cooler on a a CPU. Except these coolers already come pre-installed. 90% of a GPU is the cooler.

Power has nothing to do with it either. You can have a single slot card run with additional power provided by the PSU that is required beyond the PCIe slot. These cards are not common because more power creates more heat. Therefore you need a good cooler. Coolers are big and they make them more slots.

Lastly, yes, the cards can support 4 displays at 60hz. If you hook up the 4 displays and load into windows you will be able to go into the control panel and they will run at 60hz. But that is not what the OP asked.

He asked:

Will i be able to play on 60 fps with 3 monitors at least on high or medium details? (i want to use all 3 monitors for gameplay on games like Witcher 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider etc.)

The answer to that question is a no. It is one thing to boot into windows on a 2d environment and run 3 dispalys at 60hz. It is a completely different thing to run those displays during a game and expect 60fps. The OP asked about 60 FPS at high or medium details.

You may ask yourself, how do I know that it wont work. I dont have a 980 and 3 1080p panels. But i do know. Because a 980 cant run The Witcher 3 at 4k and get close to 60fps. And since we are talking about pushing 25% fewer pixels than 4k, it is a very close comparison.

Hopefully you will take the time to actually read this. You might even learn a thing or two. But I suppose you wont, Bro...

I dont have a 980 and 3 1080p panels. But i do know.

That really says it all. Apparently you are psychic too.

And don't bother with a response. I have better things to do.