Please Help Me Build 12 Monitor System

Quote from kevinqc:

"...Should I buy it & hope it will drive 12 Monitors & if not then what ?
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1. Have your video cards available for when the computer arrives.

2. You have 21(?) days to return to Dell, "no questions asked". So if it won't run your 12-monitors, send it back.

3. The T5500 has 4, x16 slots. 2 of them run only x8 speed. That's OK, won't hurt a thing.

Personally, however, I wouldn't take that Dell offer for $1500. Instead... there is a T5500 on Dell Outlet right now w/E5645 CPU, 12G RAM, a 300MB, 15K spinner drive, and a Quadro 4000 video card.... $1289*.

I would buy this rig and sell the 15K drive and Quadro 4000 for about $700.. then buy my video cards and HDD/SSD separately.

* This is a VERY good deal. If I were you, I wouldn't screw around... get it before somebody else does. Sometimes good deals linger on Outlet, but not usually.
 
The Dell T5500 & T7500's are a LOT quieter than the T7400 & 5400's. A lot of it has to do with the heat generated by the older Intel 5400 series CPUs that are 45nm architecture vs. the newer T5500 & 7500's use 32nm CPUs which in many cases (with hyperthreadding) can almost double the workload with the same amount of power.

The older Dells - P490's & P690's and some of the T3400's were LOUD but the T3500's & 7400/5400's got quieter and the 7500/5500 are even quieter still.

Kevin QC, take a look at the picture I posted. The two slots with the tabs are the two 75W x16 slots (Slot 2 & 4) and the two without the tabs (Slot 1 & 3) are PCIe x8 (speed) but still full x16 form factor (length).

All it means is that the PCIe slots 1 & 3 will provide a maximum of 25W and have a bus bandwidth and electrical capacity limited to x8 specifications vs. x16.

Here is a really good link/tutorial that will help explain a lot of this stuff (like speed vs. electrical vs. size):

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pci-express-scaling-analysis,1572.html


Also, take a look at this picture:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crossfire-meets-pci-express,1761-3.html

Take a look at the labeling on the mobo, see how it says PCIe x16 (referring to the size of the slot or form-factor) but then in parentheses it says what electrical output (and bus speed reference) the slot will perform at.

x8 slots will give you 2gb/sec bandwidth whereas an x16 slot is double that performance at 4gb/sec. (reference link below)

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pci-express-scaling-analysis,1572-2.html

It means that two of your cards will run @ x16 speed which is 4gb/second (or 8gb/sec full duplex) and one card will run at x8 speed which is 2.0gb/sec or 4.0 @ full duplex.

I can't find any tech specs but I doubt that video card can push more than 2gb/second - i could be wrong though. ATI has terrible technical specs so I really don't know.

A quick Google search showed guys running things like flight simulators or massive solidworks or CAD projects maxing out x4 and x8 slots with extremely high-end video cards. I think you are safe but to be honest without a decent tech specs document i have no idea.

Perhaps go on the ATI support forums and ask them?

Think of the x16 vs. x8 vs. x4 like a network card - there is 10/100 and 1000 mbits per second. or SATA version 1 was 1.5gb/sec, SATA2 is 3.0gb/sec and SATA 3 is 6.0gb/sec, its just speeds.

It looks like they list the x16 bus because of the length of the slot more than the speed requirements of the card - but hopefully someone else can confirm.
 
Quote from Scataphagos:

"... * This is a VERY good deal. If I were you, I wouldn't screw around... get it before somebody else does. Sometimes good deals linger on Outlet, but not usually.
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Gone. Hope some ETer got it.
 
Quote from kevinqc:


My budget is around $2000.00.
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Looks like you have 3 groups of items that are costly:

#1) The computer box itself
#2) The video cards
#3) The 12 monitors

When you said the budget is around $2000, is it just for the computer box? Or all inclusive of everything?

My 3 boxes are self-built with i7 processors. Each drives a minimum of 8 monitors via PCIe X16 cards and USB-to-VGA adapters. I am happy with them. The only thing I am not happy with is TradeStation (8.7) not taking advantage of multi-core structure and taxing one core (out of 4 total) to death. From what I understand with their 9.1 version they will support multi-cores. I am going to test it.

Scat has a very good point: if you experience a display lag, it can very well be the CPU not catching up with the calculation than the video cards not keeping up with the display commands.
 
Quote from kevinqc:

I understand. I was thinking that you probably have Asus WS Rebolution that has 4 PCIe x16 slots & you might be using them for multi monitor system or someone on this forum might be using 12 monitors & 4 PCIe x16 slots who can answer & warn of any cons that I should be prepared for.

By Scat you mean Scataphagos ? If yes, then he usually has been on top of it on all my previous posts & my sincere thanks to him.
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When Asus first came out with the "WS" series mobo, it was marketed as being capable of runnig 8 monitors through the 4 PCIe X16 slots. They even had a picture of an 8 monitor setup on the retail package. Now that we can run more than two monitors per PCIe slot, they don't specify how many monitors you can push as we have seen with Boli's creativity.

If I were doing a build today, knowing what I know now, I would do it again with an Asus WS series mobo.
 
Quote from mgookin:

When Asus first came out with the "WS" series mobo, it was marketed as being capable of runnig 8 monitors through the 4 PCIe X16 slots. They even had a picture of an 8 monitor setup on the retail package. Now that we can run more than two monitors per PCIe slot, they don't specify how many monitors you can push as we have seen with Boli's creativity.

If I were doing a build today, knowing what I know now, I would do it again with an Asus WS series mobo.
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I saw a picture of W7 running 64 monitors.
 
Quote from MAESTRO:

http://9xmedia.com/new/products/xtops.php

We used them to build our multi-monitor systems
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Op, you'll get the advice you need from the good replies above. I run 8 mons, and most of the advice came from the guys who have chimed in above. Like the insurance co slogan, you're in good hands.

In addition, have you ever seen Maestro's setup?:eek: Stunning!
 
Quote from Scataphagos:

I saw a picture of W7 running 64 monitors.
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Do you have that Pic & any idea of other hardware used to drive 64 Monitors Like Mobo, Video Cards, CPU ?
 
Quote from LEAPup:

Op, you'll get the advice you need from the good replies above. I run 8 mons, and most of the advice came from the guys who have chimed in above. Like the insurance co slogan, you're in good hands.

No doubt at all. Very knowledgeable & highly respectable people willing to go an extra mile & I am very grateful.l

In addition, have you ever seen Maestro's setup?:eek: Stunning!
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No, do you have a link ? I tried searching but didn't find it.

I have sent him a PM, hopefully he is not on a vacation or something.
 
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