Questions related to Building A "Triple Monitor Setup"?

[Yankie007]

Hi,
I already have a desktop computer (specs are below) with Windows 7 installed in it and I was interested in upgrading it to a "Triple Monitor Gaming Setup" with a powerful "Graphic Video Card" (E.g: AMD Radeon R9 Series or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti) so that I'm able to play any recent Games on it! The sizes of PC Monitors I want to get are 27 inches!

Now, I have a few questions, here they're:
#1) With the Desktop Computer that I have at the moment, what "parts" do I need to upgrade in order to have a "Triple Monitor Gaming Setup"?
#2) What Monitor brand do you suggest?
#3)Concerning the Monitor, can you please explained to me what the "ms" mean and is it really important? (For example, some led TV are 5Ms and other are 2Ms!!)
#4) I have been told that with a "Triple Monitor Setup", it's not worth buying three monitors that have a higher resolution than 1080p (E.g: 2560x1440) due to the simple fact that most PC Games don't support such a high resolution! Is it actually true?
Thanks in advance and I would appreciate any suggestion,
Yannik; )

Here Are Some Upgrade Parts I Think I Will Need:
- Graphic Video Card:
AMD RADEON: (E.g: R9 SERIES: [R9 295X2], [R9 290X], [R9 280X] and [R9 270X])
----VS.----
NVIDIA GEFORCE: (E.g: GTX 780 Ti) OR (GTX TITAN, GTX TITAN Black and GTX TITAN Z)
- Triple Monitors Mount Stand - Up to 27" or 28"
- Three Monitors 27" or 28": Any Brand (Acer, LG, Samsung, Asus, HP, Etc) Suggestion?
- Power Supply: How many "wattage" will I need?
- 6 Gigabyte Internal Memory RAM: How many more "Gbs" I need?
- Processor Intel Core i7 CPU: Is it powerful enough to run a Triple Monitor Setup with a big Graphic Video Card?
- Fans: Building a Triple Monitor Setup will probably create more heat but is it enough to need to purchase more Fans?

My Desktop Computer Specs:

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 930 @ 2.80GHz 2.79GHz
Installed Memory (RAM): 6.00 GB
System Type: 64-bit Operating System
Windows Edition: Windows 7 Home Premium
Version: 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Build 7601
Graphic Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series
- Memory: 1024 MB (1 Gb) - Mode: 1440 X 900 (32 bit) (75Hz)
Mother board: Gigabyte X58A-UD3R Ultra Durable 3™
Active Sound Card #1: Creative X-FI Audio Processor (WDM)
- Speakers: (Creative SB X-FI) - Sound Card #2: ATI High Definition Audio Device

 

[badger906]

1) Just your GPU unless you have something like a 500w PSU
2) Asus gets my vote every day of the week
3) Ms refers to the response time in terms of milliseconds. The lower the number the better.
4) Going higher than 1080p may cause you to run into the limitations of the GPU as it has to render 3 images at 1920x1080 for all intensive purposes thats the best part of 6k! But a 780ti 4gb will handle this fine, a 3gb version may struggle on the more demanding titles that are very Vram intensive.

 

[AddRAM]

I would go with no less then a 750 watt PSU, EVGA or Corsair.

If you can afford it, get a 1000 watt

EVGA - Products - Power Supplies

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/power-supply-units

http://www.evga.com/Products/ProductList.aspx?type=0

And possibly upgrade the cpu to a 3rd generation i7 if the board supports it.

Is your RAM running in dual channel ?

 

[badger906]

you really dont need to upgrade your cpu!! I run 3 monitors with a sandy bridge core i5 2500k!

the difference between sandy bridge, ivy bridge and haswell is next to nothing in terms of gaming performance. and the fact that sandy bridge processors overclock much better means they perform better regardless. also the addition of multiple screens does not really impact the cpus performance nearly as much as it does the gpu, after all it has to render the image 3 times.

my weakest link in my gtx770, but it still allows me to play the games I do across 3 screens with no issues (mainly racing games).

 

[margrave]

I have a computer that's substantially the same as the OP's. But I don't yet see the answer here.

badger906: You responded to question #1
"... what "parts" do I need to upgrade ..."
with the reply
"Just your GPU unless you have something like a 500w PSU".

The OP is considering AMD R9 series and Nvidia GTX series. So I take it that his original ATI HT5700 series won't handle three monitors? If so, which of the OP's choices would suit?

Also, you seem to say that the 500 watt power supply is not suitable? How do I determine what would be needed?

 

[Yankie007]

1) Just your GPU unless you have something like a 500w PSU
2) Asus gets my vote every day of the week
3) Ms refers to the response time in terms of milliseconds. The lower the number the better.
4) Going higher than 1080p may cause you to run into the limitations of the GPU as it has to render 3 images at 1920x1080 for all intensive purposes thats the best part of 6k! But a 780ti 4gb will handle this fine, a 3gb version may struggle on the more demanding titles that are very Vram intensive.

Thank you so much Badger906! I really appreciated your help &/or suggestions!

With the Desktop Computer that I have at the moment (Processor Intel Core i7 CPU) and the Motherboard (detail 1st post) I have?: Is it powerful enough to run a "Triple Monitor Setup" with a big Graphic Video Card?

About the PC Fans, I know that building a "Triple Monitor Setup" will probably create more Heat but is it enough to need to purchase more Fans?

Another concern I have is the "Power Supply" because upgrading my Computer to a "Triple Monitor Setup" with MORE Internal Memory RAM and a BIG Graphic Video Card will definitely produce More "WATTAGE" so do you I need more WATTAGE well a New Power Supply?

 

[Yankie007]

I would go with no less then a 750 watt PSU, EVGA or Corsair.

If you can afford it, get a 1000 watt

EVGA - Products - Power Supplies

Corsair Power Supply Units ? the state of the art PC Power Supplies for reliable delivery of clean power under imperfect conditions

EVGA - Products - Graphics

And possibly upgrade the cpu to a 3rd generation i7 if the board supports it.

Is your RAM running in dual channel ?

Thank You for your suggestions AddRam!
About your question, I really can't answer you as I don't know if my RAM Memory run's in "dual" OR "single" channel! Do you know how to verify that information on the Computer?
About upgrading the "cpu" to a 3rd Generation i7, I'm not sure if mine's a 1st or 2nd Generation i7? By doing such an upgrade, will it do a big difference in performance you think?
Again, Thanks in advance,
Yankie007

 

[badger906]

The OP is considering AMD R9 series and Nvidia GTX series. So I take it that his original ATI HT5700 series won't handle three monitors? If so, which of the OP's choices would suit?

Also, you seem to say that the 500 watt power supply is not suitable? How do I determine what would be needed?

The OP's original GPU will handle 3 monitors just not for gaming at any playable frame rates, movies and 3 desktops would be fine, anything more and it will laggg!
The difference between the r9 290 and the gtx780ti is tangible, both have their own strengths and weaknesses as well as performing better or worse in different games.

the r9 is a very very hot card, and ATI have always had the odd driver issue or 2. the 780ti is more expensive, but runs cooler, has less troublesome drivers. cost to performance level id go with the R9 everytime.

A gtx 780ti would require a minimum of a 550w PSU, nut a GOOD quality one, not an unbranded ebay jobby. the R9 is a little more power hungry and a 650w would me recommended minimum. for a little saftey and head room id go with a 750w for both cards. anything more will be over kill, and youll run into the relms of under efficiency (PSU's work best at near peak load when they are most power efficient, saving £££ in the long run).

As for cooling such a setup, the extra heat generated between one and three monitors by the gpu is small, its going to get hot regardless. the maximum running temps of a r9 290 at 100% load is about 95c!!

Its always best to optimise your pcs cooling to be as best as it can from the start of any build.

 

[Yankie007]

The OP is considering AMD R9 series and Nvidia GTX series. So I take it that his original ATI HT5700 series won't handle three monitors? If so, which of the OP's choices would suit?

Also, you seem to say that the 500 watt power supply is not suitable? How do I determine what would be needed?

The OP's original GPU will handle 3 monitors just not for gaming at any playable frame rates, movies and 3 desktops would be fine, anything more and it will laggg!
The difference between the r9 290 and the gtx780ti is tangible, both have their own strengths and weaknesses as well as performing better or worse in different games. [...]

Thanks again Badger906!

I just wanted to confirm something with you related to the "Desktop Computer" that I have at the moment which have a Processor: (Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 930 @ 2.80GHz 2.79GHz) And a Motherboard: (Gigabyte X58A-UD3R Ultra Durable 3)
Is my "Desktop Computer (Specs Are Above)" Powerful enough to run a "Triple Monitor Setup" with a Big Graphic Video Card: (AMD Radeon R9 Series Or NVIDIA GeForce 780 Ti) And Adding RAM Memory??

Tks in advance,
Yankie007

 

[badger906]

yeah its fine! you may want more ram in the long run 8gb would be good, 16 better but overkill in most instances.

 

[AddRAM]

CPU-z will tell if the ram is running in dual channel.

CPU-Z CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting