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Forums -> Multiple monitors -> OpenGL acceleration using multiple graphic cards (9 screens)
Lennart   2006-05-03 22:17
Hi

I'm trying to set up a soultion for running 9 screens (1280x1024 each) for use with a OpenGL application.

It will be running on a display like this 9 screen display

Today I am running the system using 5 computers with Nvidia 6800 cards running 2 or 1 screen each dividing a virtual frustrum for the matrix of screens. My application handles this frustrum.

My goal is to get this running using only one high end computer.

This will be done using a mainboard with 4 PCIe 16x slots.

The computer will use 3 x7900 nvidia cards each running a screen resolution of 3840x1024.
This analog VGA output will then be divided to 3 VGA outputs of 1280x1024 using the Matrox TripleHead2Go solution.

This will give a total of 9 x 1280x1024 VGA outputs from the 3 screens in windows.

My problem is getting hardware acceleration accross the 3 graphic cards. From what I've read online this should be possible from version 80 of the Nvidia drivers.

Do anyone have experience setting up openGL applications/games using multiple cards?
Beofres   2006-05-06 19:47
Unless the application you are using specifically supports multi-monitor systems, you would have to drag the application's window out over all the monitors...Most app's (if not all) that I have come across that don't support multiple-monitors by default maximise to the 'primary' display set in Display Properties in Control Panel.

However, this is for Windows...I believe Linux has MUCH better support for this. I've seen a linux warcraft II clone run on 9, as well as Quake 3 for linux on I think 9 or 16 :S

Good luck!
Lennart   2006-05-09 01:08
Did my setup today.
Haven't got the Matrox boxes yet but managed to get 6 screens at 1280x1024 running with full hardware acceleration between the cards.

I used the latest Nvidia drivers and when all cards was installed a new advanced setting appeared alowing for multi screen acceleration.

My application allows for custom screen size and maximized to the full virtual desktop
Bill Hess   2006-11-18 04:06
This is the closest I have come to any kind of answer regarding the ability to play games over multiple monitors above a maximum of 3 monitors. I was happy to learn about the triplehead2go and game software support. But I would like to see that concept (135 degree field of view) spread over the vertical plane as well. This would create almost a dome-like effect. I haven't found any information to answer this question. Does your experience with the six monitor configuration help to answer the question? (My question also has a lot to do with whether, even if you can set up 6 or more monitors, it's possible to integrate the set up with the views in any game so that it makes sense -- in other words, could your "dual-triplehead2go" system play games and show what you would normally see using one triplehead2go system on the bottom 3 screens, and show what should appear directly above those screens on the top 3 screens?)

Bill
Forums -> Multiple monitors -> OpenGL acceleration using multiple graphic cards (9 screens)

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