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Triple 4k - could my system handle it?

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May 8, 2020
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Hi all
I'm currently considering upgrading my monitors.
Currently I'm running 1x ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q 27" 1440p as main monitor and 2x Dell 1080p.

I'm eyeballing 3x 4k 27" monitors - LG 27GP950-B 27” Ultragear UHD

I'd mainly use them for productivity / work to get more monitor real estate. I also play some games once in a while, but for that purpose, I'd only use one 4k and on the others I might have some browser windows open.

So my questions are, for what scenarios could I get away with using 3x 4k's?
  • Scenario 1: Just Browsing, Productivity, Work?
  • Scenario 2: Gaming with only the middle 4k to run the game and using the other two to have some tabs, chats open
Of course there's the good old scenario 3 where I'd want to try gaming on the triple 4k monitor setup using all 3 monitors lol. For that purpose, would it be sufficient to add a 3090 or would my rams and CPU be a bottleneck as well?

Intel Core i7-10700K (LGA 1200, 3.80GHz, 8-Core)
Noctua NH-D15 Chromax
ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero (wi-fi) (LGA 1200, Intel Z490, ATX)
G.Skill DIMM 32 GB DDR4-3600 Quad-Kit, F4-3600C14Q-32GTRSB, Trident Z Royal
MSI GeForce RTX 2070S GAMING X TRIO (8GB)
Samsung 970 EVO Plus (1000GB, M.2 2280)
Lian-Li O11Dynamic XL (Midi Tower)
Corsair HX850i (850W)

Appreciate any feedback.

Best regards,
ecopsorn
 
This is a great question. I can never look at reviews or other peoples experiences. I too run 3x 27" 4k displays. Gaming aside it is a lot of pixels to drive.

I have a titan RTX I can play anything so far without issue but I have certainly noticed the avg FPS drop since adopting the displays. You can technically do it with a 2070, but thats on paper. I honestly think you should be looking at something with a little more oomph if you want a good experience. I am, and I will be picking up whatever the 4090 ends up being given that the release is so close.

As for triple 4k as 1 desktop (whatever that tech is called in the nvCP) no way would I attempt it on my card. It would likely be unplayable.
 
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Im sure it could do it but wither or not it'll be a good experience is up for debate
 
Yes your gpu has 3x display port outputs according to spec sheet so yes to 3x 4k displays at the same time and even the hdmi supports 4k 60hz so for browsing etc it's way too much desktop imo but to each his own.


Not sure a single 3090 would game on all 3, might need the ti or sli or something to push 11,520x2160p (24megapixel) at respectable framerate.
 
The thing is, even your 2070S can handle triple 4k for productivity. The question is - how high up the priority list is your gaming? I have an old Samsung 4k monitor(60Hz) and when it was used mostly for work, I was running it off a puny GTX950 2G. Even recently, when I was between GPUs, I bought a tiny Quadro P400 as a temporary replacement - it was enough for 99.9% of my work related stuff and even to play some platformers, long forgotten in the depths of my steam library. All sacrifices in the name of scoring a 3070Ti for a price below the cost of my left kidney.
For you - I'd suggest the same thing. Just get those monitors if the price is tasty enough, and try running it on your current hardware. Wait 'till late september and start hunting for overstock 3080Ti or something better. Even here in Ukraine there are already a bunch of them at near-MSRP (I mean new, not used). Once ETH goes POS in late Sept, used market will be flooded with cards, and scalpers will have no choice but to dump these at loss.
 
Thanks all.
If I’m able to run 3 of those bad boys for desktop use I’m already happy. If I’m able to play a game on a single one even better. I don’t play FPS games anymore so framerate doesn’t matter to me much as long as I can play a game smoothly.

To be honest, I built this rig 2 years ago and expected to game new blockbusters on it. Instead, I focussed on other parts of life and when I did play on the PC, it was Starcraft or D3 . Now I got a PS5 and the need to play high end games on my PC is even lower. The monitors are on sale, but of course it makes a difference when I have to upgrade the card as well.

I know the market will be flooded soon by cards if there isn’t another ETH delay but I’m not sure I want a used mining card.
 
The thing is, I used to have a 2060 Super before that, and I was quite happy with it and thought that I can skip a couple of generations. The only reason I sold it was a mining boom - scored enough cash to do a decent upgrade to my home server rack, and later turned some profit to get a 3060, and later - 3070Ti.
My steam library always lags behind a few years anyways, so a mediocre current-gen card can usually handle 99% of my games in 4k at decent settings.

I know the market will be flooded soon by cards if there isn’t another ETH delay but I’m not sure I want a used mining card.
I meant brand new ones. My friend just bought 2 at MSRP from a big local e-tailer, sealed and with warranty. Not sure why he decided to do it now, but with current situation people make even weirder investment decisions. With war and everything USD and EUR are in huge deficit, and with UAH being unpredictable, people keep spending national currency on whatever as soon as they get their salary on hands. Not sure if it's good or bad in the long run, but at least for now it keeps shops open, people employed, and tax money flowing.
 
Fine for productivity. For gaming in some games just change the render resolution to 1080p and boom four to one pixel binning.

Other thing is who cares if some things stutter. You can always upgrade gpu down the line.
 
Fine for productivity. For gaming in some games just change the render resolution to 1080p and boom four to one pixel binning.

Other thing is who cares if some things stutter. You can always upgrade gpu down the line.
thx that’s true about the GPU, but I’m fine with CPU/Rams so far right? GPU is the only bottleneck?
Also thought about my PSU with 850w, probably need a higher one once I have to upgrade to a power hungry 3090 or 4000 series.
 
4k gaming is not a thing with this card (besides some indies or old games)
My 3090 struggles to stay above 60 even in new WoW zones or even call of duty when a lot of stuff happens.
 
4k gaming is not a thing with this card (besides some indies or old games)
My 3090 struggles to stay above 60 even in new WoW zones or even call of duty when a lot of stuff happens.

and don't forget about the vram difference
 
My 3090 struggles to stay above 60 even in new WoW zones or even call of duty when a lot of stuff happens.
Have you considered that it may be a netcode issue and not a GPU bottleneck? Stuttering due to VRAM throttling is also a thing on 3080 and above (can get re-e-e-e-ealy bad with halved FPS and uber-macro stutters).
Cause my 3070Ti can handle most of my offline games just fine. I don't play much nowadays, but some of the recent titles were SoTR (@4k with few settings dropped), Cyberpunk(@2k and some settings disabled due to glitches), RAGE 2(maxed out), Pray(maxed out), Control(maxed out w/ DLSS), Metro: Exodus(@2k), and an abomination called Wolfenstein: Youngblood. E.g. not the freshest, but definitely not "indie or old games". Some of those were second/third playthroughs, and the first one was likely done on my 2060S and on this same good-ole 4k monitor.
 
Destiny2.jpg

I play on tripple setup with 3x1440p and a RX6900 setup but would doubt that a 3090 could do 3x4K thats more than 8K gameing - with my setup I am actually playing 8K wide. Perhaps the new 4090 can do it, but yes I am going to upgrade my RX6900 as soon as I can.
 
yeah I guess I’m just gonna give it a try, gonna get a single 4k first, see if I like the screen and trying to play some games. If all is good, I add two more for my office needs and wait for 4000 series reviews
 
Triple 4k - could my system handle it?

Probably.
Gaming? Will not be a good experience... Gaming 1x 4K with your GPU will work, if you can accept lower fps depending on the game and settings.

I have the same GPU, I'm gaming on 1440p, 165Hz which is great for me, high fps gaming for a lot of games.
 
Have you considered that it may be a netcode issue and not a GPU bottleneck? Stuttering due to VRAM throttling is also a thing on 3080 and above (can get re-e-e-e-ealy bad with halved FPS and uber-macro stutters).
Cause my 3070Ti can handle most of my offline games just fine. I don't play much nowadays, but some of the recent titles were SoTR (@4k with few settings dropped), Cyberpunk(@2k and some settings disabled due to glitches), RAGE 2(maxed out), Pray(maxed out), Control(maxed out w/ DLSS), Metro: Exodus(@2k), and an abomination called Wolfenstein: Youngblood. E.g. not the freshest, but definitely not "indie or old games". Some of those were second/third playthroughs, and the first one was likely done on my 2060S and on this same good-ole 4k monitor.
Having the card pulling almost 400w and power while flying around in zereth mortis has areas where i sit at 50 fps and i have to lower settings to reach 60 is something else than playing sottr which runs at ~120 fps.
 
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