Does multiple monitors ( screens ) affect performance
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Looney4Clooney |
Just wondering how using say both heads as apposed to just 1 or adding a second card and running 4 monitors and how it might impact performance. Running osx mac pro.
I've found that even rotating screens seems to change performance. maybe it is in my head. I can't really find a definitive answer. |
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Fledz |
FPS yes if your card can't handle it, but I don't think you should have any issues with the sound.
When you rotate your screen, does it effect the sound or FPS? |
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Looney4Clooney |
just overall performance. Some apps won't work as they assume your width is your max resolution like you had a horizontal monitor.
So is it safe to say there is no computer overhead ? In that if your card can handle it, which to be honest i'm not sure what that means. If it supports a resolution, and has dual heads, does that mean the cards take care of all the processing ? Surely the cpu must take a bit of a hit. I mean if I were to add another card and have 4 monitors, this would not impact the cpu at all ? |
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DJ RANN |
With Mac Pros - it doesn't dent performance at all.
The cards do all the processing and the only strain for the computer is on the PCI bus, which the motherboards have more than enough bandwidth to handle on Mac Pro.
At the studio one PTHD Host has two different cards, running 3 monitors and one giant display screen. We even had to fudge the outputs as each monitor uses a different digital output format.
Simply put, don't sweat it.
However It's a completely different scenario with integrated graphics (GPU's) as found on macbooks etc. |
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Lolo |
worth noting that it eats a significant amount of extra RAM on some computers, specifically when using exposé, spaces, but knowing you, you must have like 16 gigs minimum so that shouldn't be an issue. |
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Looney4Clooney |
the issue i'm having is that i don't really want to invest in a hardware video reference solution so i'm using a 3rd monitor for one of my mac pros as a display reference but having a full picture even if the resolution is reduced seems to make the system go slower. Would i really need to get a quadro for that type of stuff ? Right now, i'm just running 2 stock video cards. |
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Lolo |
weird, and you got 8gb or more RAM right?
Think you'll need a simply better card for 4 screens. Maybe not a quadro, but one with more VRAM. Is that the culprit? Might be... |
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Looney4Clooney |
each card has 512 ram. It is only the full video running which starts to make things clunky. |
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DJ RANN |
quote: | Originally posted by Looney4Clooney
each card has 512 ram. It is only the full video running which starts to make things clunky. |
, I had this on one of the rigs at work ages ago and it drove us crazy.
Give me a bit more info - what format are you outputting the video with? DVI/minidisplay/etc
Exactly which cards do you have?
What resolution are you trying to run? |
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Fledz |
Videos can be extremely heavy on both the GPU and CPU. I assumed you were just running production programs, not ones with video included.
In that case, you may need to opt for a better GPU. |
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Looney4Clooney |
quote: | Originally posted by Fledz
FPS yes if your card can't handle it, but I don't think you should have any issues with the sound.
When you rotate your screen, does it effect the sound or FPS? |
Been doing some moving around, THe first pic is when i had both computers in the same room but now , I have one room for production and the other room with the vertical screens for composition.
2 ipads on the leyboard one, on a stand to the right. Using touch osc.


The big lcd for video sync is waiting for a stand so that it can go up and down so that it is out of sight when I don't need it. Actually having a bit of trouble finding something that is spring loaded so that i can push down and when I want it up, it just pops up.


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Stef |
quote: | Originally posted by Looney4Clooney
Been doing some moving around, THe first pic is when i had both computers in the same room but now , I have one room for production and the other room with the vertical screens for composition.
2 ipads on the leyboard one, on a stand to the right. Using touch osc.


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I'd be interested to hear what kind of music comes out of that absurdly unnecessary studio. |
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