Those of you who run multiple monitors know the freedom it gives as well as the pain of configuration. While I’ve arrived at a sort of compromise with NView in how my desktops work, I wouldn’t say it was particularly easy (and sometimes the backgrounds freak out). AMD’s new DirectX 11 cards are shipping with a tool called Eyefinity, which allows multiple monitor setups to be handled natively as “Single Large Surfaces,” appearing as a single display to the OS.
The best part is: only one GPU required. The system can handle up to six displays, though I think they have to make up a regular rectangle (no Tetrads). Later versions will support multiple GPUs, but for now it’s a comfort to know Crossfire isn’t required.
The AMD demo reported on by Hot Hardware had six 30″ displays together forming a single 7680 x 3200 resolution surface. While I think I would find the bezels distracting, it’s still an absolutely cool setup. On the bezel front, they’re partnering with Samsung to create super-thin bezels for use with this kind of setup.
Why not instead buy an ultra-widescreen display, you ask? I don’t know. Maybe you have $8000 to spend on a ridiculous wide screen with a freaky resolution, but I’m a filthy, destitute blogger. Oops, gruel time!