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Dual monitors — 5780 or GTX285+GT120?

alphaod

alphaod

macrumors Core
Original poster
Feb 9, 2008
22,194
1,260
NYC
I'm running 2 monitors right now. Set up is a 30" monitor on my GTX285 and a 20" connected to the GT120; I wanted the additional VRAM for the second monitor and figured it would come in handy.

Anyways I originally was dead-set on the 5870, but recently I've noticed I can't even buy it at the Apple Store. In a sense I've given up.

However I'm still thinking if the 5870 would be a better option for me? The problem I have with it is the lack of VRAM. I'll be running a third monitor in the future and having a 5780 frees up a PCIe slot as well.
 
Why don't you keep the GT 120? Another option is dual 5770s. In raw power, they are about as fast as single 5870 but you get twice as much VRAM plus they are only 50$ more IIRC. BTW, what do you do with your Mac Pro? Is the extra VRAM even needed?
 
Dual 5770s means giving up another PCIe slot (since it would cover the third slot); that I cannot do.

Again the only reason I would switch up to the to 5870 now is so I can run monitors and free up the second slot.
 
alphaod said:
Dual 5770s means giving up another PCIe slot (since it would cover the third slot); that I cannot do.

Again the only reason I would switch up to the to 5870 now is so I can run monitors and free up the second slot.
Click to expand...

The Radeon HD 5870 is a full height card, thus taking up two PCI-Express connectors (because of the cooler height).
 
Pressure said:
The Radeon HD 5870 is a full height card, thus taking up two PCI-Express connectors (because of the cooler height).
Click to expand...

I know that; that's why I asking if it worth it to replace both my GTX285 and the GT120 which would free up the slot taken up by the GT120. The GTX285 takes up two spaces as well, but there is no connector on the second slot (on the Mac Pro).
 
Sell the 285 and the 120 and get yourself a 5870 for the money you get from that deal.
That's exactly what I'm going to do with my 4870 and 120, as soon as the 5770 becomes available in the local stores.
 
alphaod said:
Well I just read that I have to get a miniDP dual-link DVI adapter just to run my third display on the 5870… :(

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3477
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what Apple says. :rolleyes:

Unless you're going to run additional 30" screens from the miniDP ports you definitely don't need their expensive dualLink DVI - miniDP adapters.
All you need are two active singleLink DVI - miniDP adapters which go for $30 bucks on amazon.

Please read this article: Click.
 
Transporteur said:
Yeah, that's what Apple says. :rolleyes:

Unless you're going to run additional 30" screens from the miniDP ports you definitely don't need their expensive dualLink DVI - miniDP adapters.
All you need are two active singleLink DVI - miniDP adapters which go for $30 bucks on amazon.

Please read this article: Click.
Click to expand...

Okay. Doesn't look so bad then.

Mmmm… just preordered two of those. Now I just need the GPUs to be available for us non-2010 Mac Pro owners.
 
How much vRAM would a 30" HP and 24" 1920x1200 use?

Building a hackintosh and ordered the GTX 285, hoping that is decent for what I want (mercury engine playback).
 
mattbatt said:
How much vRAM would a 30" HP and 24" 1920x1200 use?

Building a hackintosh and ordered the GTX 285, hoping that is decent for what I want (mercury engine playback).
Click to expand...

The 24" 1920 x 1200 @ 32-bit resolution uses 9,216,000 bytes and the 30" 2560 x 1600 @ 32-bit uses 16,384,000 bytes.

Which in plain english means that the 24" (1920 x 1200) uses 9MB of VRAM and the 30" (2560 x 1600) uses 16MB VRAM to display the full resolution of the displays.
 
Thanks Pressure, so I'm doing fine with 1 GB vRAM.

Another question since learning is fun :)

You mentioned 32 bit, but then when we talk about the actual color shown, everyone says LCD's display only 8 bit of color (like if you are working in 16 bit mode on Photoshop, you can't see the difference and eventually have to get back into 8 bit).

Then some wide gamut monitors say 10 bit color.

So is 32 bits of color being given the monitors but they can only display 8 - 10 bit or are we talking different bits?

I've always wondered, just curious, not meaning to steal the thread.
 
ok, just saw another thread, goMac said this:

32 bit refers to the bit depth of an entire color (with RGBA channels). 10 bit refers to the bit depth of one channel.

So, 8 bits per color x 4 = 32 bit color.
10 bits per color x 4 = 40 bit color.
Click to expand...

Sweet, got the answer.
 
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