Is Nvidia 3D Vision worth it?

Dec 3, 2014
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I am building a gaming PC, but I have a questions about monitors. I found a great monitor by ASUS, which also features Nvidia 3D Vision 2. But is it worth it?
I know that some old games, like battlefield 3, were awesome, but does it work now with next-gen titles like Battlefield 4 or WatchDogs?
 
Solution
It's really only worth it if you're already on a higher-end GPU (GTX 770 minimum I'd say) as it essentially halves your framerates, for some of the better-looking games out there, you'll absolutely need at least two GPUs to run with acceptable performance. Also, despite the fact that (like SLI) not every game supports it, if you're willing to do some work, you can vastly improve or even fix 3D compatibility in many games with the files available at Helix Mod.

In short, is it worth moving up to a 3D setup by buying all new GPU(s), displays AND the 3D Vision 2 kit? I'd have to say honestly no, and this is coming from someone who likes 3D enough to be running triple screen 3D Surround. Is it worth trying out if you already have...

doubletake

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Sep 30, 2012
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It's really only worth it if you're already on a higher-end GPU (GTX 770 minimum I'd say) as it essentially halves your framerates, for some of the better-looking games out there, you'll absolutely need at least two GPUs to run with acceptable performance. Also, despite the fact that (like SLI) not every game supports it, if you're willing to do some work, you can vastly improve or even fix 3D compatibility in many games with the files available at Helix Mod.

In short, is it worth moving up to a 3D setup by buying all new GPU(s), displays AND the 3D Vision 2 kit? I'd have to say honestly no, and this is coming from someone who likes 3D enough to be running triple screen 3D Surround. Is it worth trying out if you already have the necessary hardware and just need the monitor? Yes, it definitely adds a lot to the immersion (Metro, Tomb Raider and Crysis are particularly amazing). And if you end up not caring for 3D, you'll at least have a nice new 120/144hz monitor that will end up improving your experience in fast-paced games by providing greatly improved response times, which is always a plus.
 
Solution
Dec 3, 2014
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4,510


Thanks for the answer. Considering that I have to buy a totally new PC in any case, it is worth it if I can use it. I am going to buy a single GTX 970: is it enough to play at a decent framerate in 3D?
 

doubletake

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Sep 30, 2012
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Again, 3D is almost always a ~50% performance drop, so you'll have to decide whether a single 970 is enough for you on a per-game basis. This is important because remember that the active shutter glasses provide one frame for each eye, so to get smooth 60fps motion in 3D, you actually need to be able to run that game at 120fps normally in 2D mode. You really don't want your fps to dip under ~40s at minimum when in 3D, so I'd recommend getting as much GPU power as possible. I ran 3 780s for a while and they provided excellent performance for most games in 3D, some were even very playable in 3D surround with very high settings, but for now, I only run 2 cards and stick to single screen 3D and performance is generally great. I really wouldn't recommend any less than 2 cards if you want to experience some of the latest games in 3D without compromising image quality with lower settings (note that most games in 3D can be played without anti-aliasing as this effect is less noticeable in 3D).