Introduction

I've trolled online gaming and news sites as long as I can remember. One thing that always caught my attention was when people posted pictures of their neat computer setups. The ones that stood out almost always either had multiple computers setup for "multi - boxing" MMORPG sessions, or giant wrap around multi-monitor setups for cool FPS or simulation gaming. Companies are making bigger strides to make these technologies more affordable and easier to access for the average user. LCD widescreen monitors are becoming dirt cheap. Right now, on Newegg, there is an ASUS 19" LCD going for $99. The resolution isn't the best, but $99 for a new 19" LCD, that's just crazy.

Eyefinity is a very cool, yet overlooked, feature that is incorporated into nearly all AMD video cards. When it was first released, there was a big problem - to use it, you needed the expensive Eyefinity monitor setup. Eyefinity requires one of the Display Ports to be utilized in order to work and the only way to do that was to buy the $1000+ 3 monitor setup. Because of this problem, DVI to DP adapters were released for normal monitors, but at a hefty price. It wasn't until recently that third party manufacturers started producing more affordable adapters. Now, they can be found anywhere from $30 to $100.

The Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 Flex Edition 1GB video card makes Eyefinity even easier. Using an onboard Analogix chip, the HD 6870 Flex Edition takes the need for a DP adapter completely away. Now, you can simply plug 3 DVI (or in my case 2 DVI and 1 HDMI) monitors in and get instant SLS (Single Layer Surface) Eyefinity goodness. Any additional monitors will need to use the Display Ports. In all, the Flex Edition can support up to 5 total displays. The Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 Flex edition retains the stock 6870 configuration under the hood. The HD 6870's core speed is 900 MHz and includes 1GB DDR5 memory set at 1050 MHz. There are 1120 Stream processors and more than enough power for play and/or productivity.