Triple Screen Set Ups - PC, Xbox 360 and PS3

I recently upgraded to triple screens for my gaming PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.  I thought it would be helpful to those of you that are on the fence to start a thread that sets forth my experiences with this project, and includes other thoughts and comments from triple screen folks in our clan.  It has been quite a roller coaster ride, but I now have a triple screen set up that I use for rFactor, rFactor 2, iRacing, Project CARS and Richard Burns Rally on PC, Forza 4 on Xbox 360 and Gran Turismo 5 on PS3.  Here are pictures of my set up:

[IMG]http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/3568/0042ha.jpg[/IMG]
By [URL=http://profile.imageshack.us/user/zero7159]zero7159[/URL] at 2012-03-04

[IMG]http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/21/0052n.jpg[/IMG]
By [URL=http://profile.imageshack.us/user/zero7159]zero7159[/URL] at 2012-03-04

I have a Sony 32 inch 1080p HDTV as the center, an Insignia 24 inch 1080p HDTV as the left, and a Dell 24 inch WFP 1920 X 1200 monitor as the right.  I know, I know, eclectic, but my budget for this project was tight and I had to make due with what I had.  The only new display purchase was the Insignia, which I got for $180 at Best Buy, minus a $100 gift card for out of pocket cost of $80.  Total out of pocket for Operation Triple Screen sits at about $500, including the third display, extra Xbox 360s and PS3s and extra copies of Forza 4 and GT5.  I traded in my portable gaming collection and hardware at Game Stop which netted me about $800 in trade in credit, which I used to pay for the hardware.  Make sure you use 1080p displays, otherwise, on PC at least, your resolution will downscale to the lowest common denominator.  So, if you use two 1080p and one 720p, your overall resolution will downscale to 720p on each display.  Yes, there is a real, visible difference between 1080p and 720p, I saw it front and center during my PC triple screen set up process.

1) PC Triple Screens

There are several ways to do triple screens on your PC, including Nvidia Surround (using two or more Nvidia GPUs, AMD Eyefinity (using one or more AMD GPUs) and Soft TH, which is a software based triple screen solution.  I only have Nvidia Surround, on my gaming PC, and Eyefinity, on my desktop PC, and so I only can speak to those two.  For my gaming PC, I use a Core i5 2500K CPU and dual Nvidia 560ti GPUs in SLI.  For my desktop PC, I use an AMD Phenom II 955 CPU and an Asus Radeon 6870 GPU.

If you are going to do Nvidia Surround, you can use different brand and/or size displays, but get ready for a hassle.  The displays must have a common resolution and sync polarity.  I know, I know, what the hell is sync polarity?  I don't know, you can google it.  When I set up my screens, I had trouble with sync polarity.  There is a way to manipulate it in the Nvidia surround software, but its tricky.  I got it to work by setting a "custom resolution", which allows you to change the sync polarity, and am now enjoying 5760 X 1080 on my PC, but it was a hassle and I luckily figured out a common sync polarity that worked at 1920 X 1080 for each display.  I am scared to update my driver, because I could lose the custom resolution.  Save yourself the hassle and time and get three identical displays.  You generally need two Nvidia GPUs, although there are some exceptions, where only one will do (Nvidia 560 GPU, for example).  I use dual 560tis and they work great.  I can run iRacing and Project CARS at 5760 X 1080, with decent amounts of eye candy.  They look incredible.

I also played with AMD Eyefinity on my desktop PC.  It requires one AMD GPU (modern one, don't bother with an old card).  One of the displays must connect via DisplayPort, or if you lack a monitor with a DisplayPort, you can use an active DisplayPort adapter.  My experience with Eyefinity is that it was easy to set up, but the performance was just not there because I was using a single Asus Radeon 6870 GPU, which is not powerful enough to run iRacing at 5760 X 1080.

Although the PC triple screen set up carries with it the highest cost, it gives you the most flexibility to play multiple games, racing and non-racing.  Also, you only need one PC and only one copy of each game.  So, there is little question that PC triple screen gaming is the best way to go, if you have a choice.

There is a lot of info on the web about PC triple screen gaming, but the best site I found is the following:

http://widescreengamingforum.com/

2) Xbox 360 Triple Screens

The biggest cost here, if you already have the displays, is that you need three Xbox 360s (one "server" and two "clients"), and three copies of Forza 4.  I bought new 4 GB Xbox 360s, since I the Xbox 360 has had tons of problems with defects (I am on my fourth Xbox 360).  The biggest hassle, however, is dealing with DLC, which must be installed on each machine, sort of.  You need not buy the DLC for the client Xbox 360s, but you need to install it to your hard drive or memory card.  I had a problem because the two client Xbox 360s had internal 4 GB memory, which is not enough to install Forza 4 Disk 2 and the DLC.  So, I had to add a 4 GB USB Stick in order to have enough space to install Disk 2 and the DLC.  Save yourself the hassle and just buy client 360s with hard drives, or get 16 GB memory sticks.  All three Xbox 360s must be connected to the same network via ethernet cables.  You can mix and match your displays, I sure did.  The DLC can be bought only for the main, server Xbox 360.  To use those cars on the clients, just download the free cars to the client Xbox 360s, which include the entire car packs.

Xbox 360 triple screen is great, but get ready for the hassle with the DLC.  Once its up and running, it looks amazing, and I have found renewed interest in Forza .

I found no good resource for setting up triple screens with my Xbox 360.  I was surprised that there was not something good on forzamotorsport.net.  Maybe I just missed it?

3) Playstation 3 Triple Screens

This was the easiest triple screen set up by far.  You need three Playstation 3 systems and three copies of GT5.  All three systems just be hooked up to the same network.  As with the Xbox, use ethernet, rather than wireless, to avoid lag.  Its expensive, since Playstation 3s are more expensive than Xbox 360s, and at least in my area, used systems sell for a premium.  I ended up buying used systems, but I am returning them today and getting new systems instead.  One of the used systems developed a loud clicking noise last night.  My advice here is to get new systems, and avoid the risk that comes with a used system.

Once you hook everything up and turn it on, its pretty easy.  GT5 is a huge install, but you need not worry about the DLC hassle, at least if you buy the GT5 XL versions, which sell for $40 each.

There is a great GT5 triple screen set up resource here:

http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=189301

So, those are my thoughts.  Triple screens are definitely the way to go, if you have the funds to get the extra equipment.  The immersion factor is simply amazing!!!

I plan to update this thread in the future, and so I hope you guys will comment and ask questions, and that those of you who already have set ups, will add your two cents.  I learned a lot from this process, and I hope my experience helps you guys as well.

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