Triple Monitor Setup

[ksn380]

Hey Guys/Gals,

I'm shopping for a triple monitor setup and was wondering if I could get your opinions. I recently bought a pretty nice PC that has two ATI Radeon X1650XT 512MB video cards setup via Crossfire. Each card had two DVI outputs. I'll use three for the triple monitor setup and the last one will be hooked up to my projector (home theater).

My question is which would you choose from the following options:

Hyundai X93W 19” 1000:1 5MS $335
Asus VH196T 19” 5000:1 5MS $339
Acer X193WB 19” 2000:1 5MS $360
Acer P191WD 19” 2000:1 5MS $350
Samsung 943SWX 18.5” 15000:1 5MS $297 (after $20 rebate each monitor)
LG W1953T-PF 18.5” 50000:1 2MS $390
Asus VH202T-P 20” 20000:1 5MS $390

I don't do gaming at all. I do like crisp clean monitors. The setup will mostly be used for working from home. Many sites being viewed simultaneously.

Another question off topic, if you don't mind:

I currently have two 1 GB sticks of Corsair XMS3 DHX 2048MB Dual Channel PC10600 DDR3 1333MHz RAM. I want to get more. Do I have to get the same exact RAM or could my new RAM be made by a different company but have the same specs.

Thanks for your help in advance ...

 

[4745454b]

If you don't do gaming at all, why did you CF those x1650s? Its a bit like telling people you just put nitrous on your 3cyl car, even though you get car sick if you go faster then 30MPH. Undo the CF, and use the two cards as single cards. Hook up the monitors and you should be good to go.

Speaking of which, where are you buying monitors? You should be able to find 22" LCDs for under $200 unless there is something you forgot to tell us. If I HAD to chose from that list, I'd get the Asus. Not the cheapest, though its the cheapest of those with the same specs. $339 is an awful lot for a 19" monitor.

As for your ram question, just make sure they have the same specs. Technically speaking they don't even have to be the same, but it helps.

 

[lucuis]

Agreed, the prices on those monitors are horrible, even if they were in Canadian pricing. I bought my Dell 24" for $249 pre-tax+shipping. It was on sale though, but to be fair its regular price was 379CN and you listed a 20" monitor for $390.

If at all possible, let us know what country you live in so we could provide some recommendations on where to shop.

 

[Guest]

I believe those are the costs for 3 monitors... not one.

 

[ksn380]

So sorry. I should've clarified. Those prices are for three monitors. Also, I didn't crossfire the cards myself, it came like that. I live in the US. The prices you see are mainly from eBay and NewEgg.

 

[4745454b]

Ahhh, for three monitors, that is better. I stay with my Asus suggestion. I would also uncrossfire them. That way you don't need to buy another card. If you don't game, you won't miss the added "power" of the CF'd cards.

 

[AdioKIP]

Go with the samsungs or LG's. Right now I run 3x22 inch LG's using 2 radeon 4850's and LOVE my setup. Previously I had 2 samsungs and 1 LG. Both companies make good monitors, the response time on the LG being lower then the others might help in certain situations (watching a blu-ray or dvd with alot of action) but other then that normally 5ms is more then fast enough. You cant go wrong going samsung or LG.

Like the previous posters said, to run 3 video cards you will have to un-crossfire the cards thru CCC, but if you ever wanted the extra power for gaming its easy to re-enable temporarily (which will shut down any monitors connected to the secondary card).