Getting back into building

[SeraphX2]

Sooo, it's been several, several years since I've bothered to build my own PC and this time, while I'm not going super expensive, I am at a point in my life where I can afford more than I usually could in the past.

 

So, my goal is to have a dual monitor setup.  I was looking at some of the EVGA cards and the ports on them.  I noticed the majority of them only seem to sport a single HDMI port.

 

Is having two HDMI's on a single card not a thing?  I find it a little janky to use a DisplayPort & HDMI or DVI & HDMI.

 

 

Does anyone mind giving some recommendations on the best way to accomplish a two-monitor setup?

I've never done one before, so I don't want to do it a stupid way.

[Mohenjo]

Sooo, it's been several, several years since I've bothered to build my own PC and this time, while I'm not going super expensive, I am at a point in my life where I can afford more than I usually could in the past.

 

So, my goal is to have a dual monitor setup.  I was looking at some of the EVGA cards and the ports on them.  I noticed the majority of them only seem to sport a single HDMI port.

 

Is having two HDMI's on a single card not a thing?  I find it a little janky to use a DisplayPort & HDMI or DVI & HDMI.

 

 

Does anyone mind giving some recommendations on the best way to accomplish a two-monitor setup?

I've never done one before, so I don't want to do it a stupid way.

alright how much do you wanna spend overall? Including the monitors and OS? 

[AlexanderTheAwesome]

Can you find one with dual DVI? That would be the best way to do it since DVI and HDMI use the same signal type. Also it leaves the HDMI port if you want to connect a TV at a later date.

[DXMember]

since you will be getting new monitors they will very likely both come with DisplayPort so you can use that

why do you want to use HDMI in the first place?

[Streetguru]

Sooo, it's been several, several years since I've bothered to build my own PC and this time, while I'm not going super expensive, I am at a point in my life where I can afford more than I usually

What's your budget and country?

What are you using your PC for?

How much desk space do you have?

Do you already have displays or a monitor arm set up?

You can covert Display to anything basically, or use a DVI->HDMI adapter

 

but most computer monitors don't have HDMI anyways because there's no reason for it as they don't have speakers, so you're probably going to end up needing DVI, and HDMI to DVI depending on the displays you get. Also there's the whole HDMI licensing thing I think, that would a add a bit of cost to the display.

A lot of the higher end displays have display port anyways as it's pretty much the best standard we have right now.

[DocSwag]

You can always use an adapter.

Also consider an ultrawide monitor (2560x1080 or 3440x1440). For a lot of people they replaced their dual or even triple monitor setups, and for Jayztwocents it even replaced his 4 monitor setup. I have an LG 29um67 and I love it.

[SeraphX2]

Yeah, like I said, I've been out of the game awhile.  Didn't realize Display Port was the thing right now.

 

Soo, budget is not too limited, per se; I am buying parts each month until I get the PC built.

I don't want to necessarily spend 5k on a PC, but it will be for gaming.

 

I currently have this monitor: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RN08I86

I like it, and was thinking about getting a second one, but the ultrawide monitors have seemed a bit enticing.

Honestly, the monitor on my wife's PC sucks.  It has horrible screen burn issues.  It must have been a major dud.  Doesn't take but a couple minutes for an image to be burned in.

 

I may just pass my current monitor on to her (I love it; it's really good) and get one of the ultrawides.

 

As far as Ultrawides, I'm assuming Acer or Asus are both good choices?  I'm a bit partial to those companies.
I wish I could afford a curved one...haha.

[Streetguru]

Yeah, like I said, I've been out of the game awhile.  Didn't realize Display Port was the thing right now.

Ultra wides aren't really worth it, you get more pixels for less money with 4k

 

in any case you could start here, it includes a 4k IPS free-sync display, though 27" is a bit small for productivity, you should look to something 32" or higher if you're doing more than gaming like the one below, that one's a korean display, panel may have some issues, but it's half the cost of a new 32" 4k display

 

far as the build goes, maybe add an SSD, get a 2nd Nano, though you'll want a 1000W PSU just so it's nice and stable with plenty of headroom.

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fV7T8d

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fV7T8d/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($384.99 @ Newegg)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.44 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: Asus X99-A/USB 3.1 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($251.99 @ NCIX US)

Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($69.99 @ Adorama)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.88 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 Nano 4GB Video Card  ($484.98 @ Newegg)

Case: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case  ($96.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Power Supply: Thermaltake 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($86.44 @ Amazon)

Monitor: LG 27MC67-B 60Hz 27.0" Monitor  ($469.67 @ PCM)

Total: $1908.37

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-27 00:30 EST-0500

[SeraphX2]

Ultra wides aren't really worth it, you get more pixels for less money with 4k

 

in any case you could start here, it includes a 4k IPS free-sync display, though 27" is a bit small for productivity, you should look to something 32" or higher if you're doing more than gaming like the one below, that one's a korean display, panel may have some issues, but it's half the cost of a new 32" 4k display

 

far as the build goes, maybe add an SSD, get a 2nd Nano, though you'll want a 1000W PSU just so it's nice and stable with plenty of headroom.

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fV7T8d

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fV7T8d/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($384.99 @ Newegg)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.44 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: Asus X99-A/USB 3.1 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($251.99 @ NCIX US)

Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($69.99 @ Adorama)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.88 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 Nano 4GB Video Card  ($484.98 @ Newegg)

Case: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case  ($96.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Power Supply: Thermaltake 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($86.44 @ Amazon)

Monitor: LG 27MC67-B 60Hz 27.0" Monitor  ($469.67 @ PCM)

Total: $1908.37

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-27 00:30 EST-0500

 

Interesting.  I'll keep this in mind as a guide.  I already have a case and I may already have a usable powr supply (though it's a few years old, I'm not sure if there have been new pin connectors that have been introduced that aren't on this power supply.  Also, I want to go nVidia, not AMD.

Question about the 4k monitors, how do they do if the games you play don't actually support 4k?  Do things still scale nicely?  I'm not sure what does and doesn't, just in case I come across something.

[Streetguru]

Interesting.  I'll keep this in mind as a guide.  I already have a case and I may already have a usable powr supply (though it's a few years old, I'm not sure if there have been new pin connectors that have

1080p scales exactly with 4k, since 4k is just 1080p*4

Otherwise, do you need CUDA or something? Because AMD's cards scale better with higher resolutions like 4k, and give you more performance at pretty much every price point right now aside from an OC'd 980ti, which I wouldn't say is worth it as you have to pay extra as well for an adaptive sync display as well if you go that route.