Upgrading video card and monitor.

Discussion in 'General Hardware' started by xIcarus, Nov 19, 2014.

  1. xIcarus

    xIcarus Guest

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    Hello, since black friday is just around the corner, I've decided I want to upgrade my gpu and add another monitor.

    At the moment I have some generic BenQ Full HD display @ 60Hz.

    I was looking into the GTX 970s and this one caught my eye:
    http://www.gainward.com/main/vgapro.php?id=953

    The monitor I've targeted is this one:
    http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-Series-XL2411Z-24-Inch-Monitor/dp/B00ITORITU

    Now.. The point is that I want to hook up 2 monitors to this video card. My old 60Hz BenQ, and the new 144Hz BenQ.

    I can see that the video card offers 1x DVI-I and 3x miniDisplayPort.
    My old BenQ offers a DVI (I'm not sure which) and a VGA.
    The new BenQ offers 1x HDMI, 1x DVI (which one?) and 1x VGA.

    My question is: how can I make it so that I can get the full 144Hz on the new monitor while still having the old monitor around as a secondary display? I've been searching around but I haven't found this combination of GPU+monitor, so that I can see how other people managed it.

    I've read that HDMI cannot possibly output more than 60Hz, so I cannot go GPU -> *HDMI cable* -> 144Hz Monitor.
    DVI supports 144Hz as far as I know, so I could go GPU -> *DVI cable* -> 144Hz Monitor.
    And what about the other 60Hz monitor? Should I go GPU -> *miniDisplayPort to DVI cable* -> 60Hz monitor?

    My questions summed up:

    1. Is my above approach correct?

    2. What's the difference between DVI-I, DVI-D, and DVI-DL?

    3. I also have my old GTX 560 (non-Ti), I can keep it as a secondary card if it makes things easier. But would my PSU be able to hold 2 GPUs?

    Any suggestion will help, and thank you in advance guys.
     
  2. xIcarus

    xIcarus Guest

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    Bumpity bump, can someone help me please?
     
  3. StewieTech

    StewieTech Chuck Norris

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    The gtx 970 is an excelente choice atm. I dunno about that Gainward though, i think you´ll be best with a msi twin frozr, a asus strix or a gigabyte g1.

    The monitor is a solid choice for gaming. I´d take an IPS over TN any time of the day but that´s up to you.
     
  4. xIcarus

    xIcarus Guest

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    Hm, do Gainward have a bad reputation or something similar? Never bought anything from them. I mean from reviews it seems like a nice balance between a G1 and a Strix, both performance wise as well as cooling and noisiness-wise.

    About the monitor, I'm still deciding whether to go for IPS or 144Hz. The point is that I'm partially colorblind and I'm not sure how much of a difference I'd notice color-wise. I haven't been able to see both 144Hz and IPS with my own eyes so that I could get a solid comparison.
     

  5. StewieTech

    StewieTech Chuck Norris

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    Nothing wrong with Gainward as far as i know. It´s just that the options i mentioned are very well know brands that have proven themselves, as well as their respective cooling solutions. Maybe some other gurus have some more to add.

    I strongly suggest you go to a local store and see and interact with some IPS monitors. I had a TN until recently and thought it had nothing wrong with it, and now i have a IPS screen next to it and i cringe everytime i look at the TN panel. I´m like "why didn´t i do this sooner?". It´s not just the color reproduction. I can lay back on my chair and still see all the datails due to its wide viewing angle, the blacks are so much deeper, the white is really white, i can see details in everyday images and websites that i couldn´t with my TN panel, and games really come to life real vivid. Anyway see for yourself as i said.
     
  6. stevevnicks

    stevevnicks Guest

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    I have had a couple of gainwood graphics cards in the past, never had any problems with them as far as I can remember. I have 2 gigabyte 970's which im very happy with. my old retailer used to stock/sell a lot of gainwood gfx cards, although like a lot of small business the store closed down about 2 years ago he told me back then he's hardly moving any hardware and started to lay off staff to try and keep business going, obs it didn't help in the end.
     
  7. xIcarus

    xIcarus Guest

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    I understand, thank you for your input guys. The point is that I like the way that Gainward card looks, that's all. I mean I'm not picky when it comes to the manufacturer.
    The only turnoff for me is the display ports, there's just one DVI and 3 miniDP so I'd have to purchase cables. The strix I see has 2 DVI outputs which is nice.

    And I just asked the guys where I work and one was kind enough to show me an LG IPS panel. That thing looks so damn good compared to my TN panel.. I'll think about this some more. The point is that I also work with photoshop and 3D graphics programs as hobbies so it's not like I'm purely gaming-oriented.

    In the meantime, if you would be kind to answer 2 more questions for me. I can run 144Hz on any cable type, except HDMI right? And if I need to buy a miniDP-to-DVI cable, does it have to be some special kind of cable or any cable would work?
     
  8. StewieTech

    StewieTech Chuck Norris

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    To do 120hz(144?) at 1080p:
    VGA- No.
    DVI- Only if it´s dual-link cable.
    Hdmi- Yes but only from rev. 1.4 upwards and your monitor has to support the revision.
    Displayport- Yes.

    The cable only matters on VGA because it´s analog. Anything else is irrelevant because it´s digital, so as long as the image is fine without corruption, any cable will do.
     
  9. xIcarus

    xIcarus Guest

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    All right. Thanks a lot for your input.
     

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