Meant to be Seen

Hey everyone, new here. So I'm going to build my first gaming rig, and I don't know where to start. For the basics, I know I want Windows 8 and a 40-50 inch flat screen 3D TV as the monitor.

I have a lot of questions!

So I've heard that there are several different methods/technologies that fall under the category of "3D," I assume some games use one method, other games use a different one? I'm afraid of buying something that allows me to play only one "type" of 3D technology and not the other. Is everything all inclusive now?

Someone told me that using an HDMI cable for 3D limits the frames per second to 24 and the resolution at 720. Is that true? Someone else mentioned input lag is terrible. I can't imagine anyone playing 3D games if this were true, do I have anything to worry about?

What do I "need" to get this started? A 3D graphics card and a 3D TV, and I'm set?

Thank you if anyone has any insight, I would truly appreciate it!

There are 2 main different types of 3D displays: active and passive.

Passive use cheaper polarized glasses, that look more line sungalsses (used in the RealD cinemas). With passive (at home) you using end up with an interleaved display, which cuts the resolution in half. It also has some issue with viewing angles in 3D, meaning you will need to sit in a specific spot to get the best picture. The advantage is that the image is relatively bright, and the glasses are cheap and comfortable.

With active, you end up with more expensive glasses ($60-120) that are a little more bulky. However the picture quality is at full resolution and viewing angles are wider. The disadvantage is that the glasses are more expensive, need batteries (or re-charging), and the image may be a little darker.

Personally, I like active better because I feel the picture quality is an improvement. However people can go either way, and each solution is adequate. Also, this choice will not effect which games you can play in 3D. See below for details.

The other thing to watch out for is HDMI 1.4a compatibility. That is the new standard for 3D transmission. It is all but a requirement for most 3D HDTVs made in the last 2 years. This will allow you to plug in a PS3, Blu-Ray player, or PC to the HDTV and have it display in 3D. However, the limitations are for 1080P @ 24Hz and 720P @ 60Hz. So if you primarily want to game with this set, you will be limited to the 720P resolution. It doesn't matter if the TV is 1080P, HDMI will only allow for 720P transmission.

If you would like the full quality 1080P image, then the only option is to purchase an Nvidia GPU and an Nvidia certified 3D monitor. This is the Nvidia 3D Vision solution. However these will only come in smaller sizes, I believe 27" is the largest. With Nvidia you get a very mature software solution, however you are locked into using their approved hardware. Certain AMD compatible monitors can also do 1080P (like the Samsung) but that is less common.

Nvidia also supports certain HDMI 1.4a monitors (check their site for the list) with the Nvidia 3DTV Play software. This is similar to 3D Vision (which is for monitors) but for TVs and projectors. Again, you will be limited to 720P for gaming. With AMD GPUs they have something called AMD HD3D. This is basically the same thing, but for AMD GPUs. In that case you will need to also purchase the DDD TriDef Ignition drivers to play games ($25 if you have AMD, $50 otherwise). It's a competitive solution to Nvidia, though some games will work better with one than the other.

Depending on what you want (or what you can live with), you may choose one solution over the other.

Thank you very much for the information! That really helps me a lot.

So it seems I have to take a hit on the resolution and Hz to play in 3D. Hmm. So just to clarify, do I get the choice between 1080P and 24 Hz, VERSUS 720P and 60Hz? But most choose 720p and 60Hz because 24 Hz is unplayable?

I'm wondering how are hertz and frames per second related. Or what exactly does low Hz mean for gameplay. Does it mean the visuals arent smooth?

So frames per secone arent affected? Perhaps the person I talked to before saying I was limited to 24 fps was wrong and mixed it up with Hz.

Thank you again!

Well in terms of gaming, 24Hz will basically mean you are capped at 24FPS. Most people find this to be unplayable for fast-paced games. While it will look better in 1080P (like in a screen shot), it's just not smooth enough to play. So the other choice is 720P at 60Hz (meaning 60FPS). While losing resolution, the over experience is smoother and better.

I was talking to a friend who claims to have 1080p at 120 fps (60 for each eye), I wanted to have his set up, here's what he said:

HDMI standards are minimums, usually. The fact is, the cable has to at least support 1080p @ 24Hz, because that's what 3D movies use. Wikipedia lists 1.4 as rated to 1920×1200 @ 60Hz. However, the nvidia equipment is not the basic poop. In fact, the equipment I have connects through a dual-link DVI cable, which is rated for 1080p @ 120Hz. You will notice the difference between 120Hz and 60Hz, because each eye only gets refreshed half the time, so the effective refresh rate is half the rating. However, there is no 3D gaming monitor with only 60Hz rating in 3D mode! All are 120Hz or 240Hz, as are most "3D TV's." You will want to check this with the manufacturer's specs for the model you are thinking of purchasing. Plasma 3D TV's can have MUCH higher ratings, but I am not big on plasma due to high cost and relatively quick failure rate.

So gathering from what he is saying, if I use a "dual-link DVI cable," I can get 1080p with 60 fps in each eye? Is there any advantage/disadvantage to using a dual link DVI cable versus an HDMI cable? I had never really considered it.

Yes your friend is right, dual-link DVI can give you 1080p at 60Hz per eye, but you need a compatible monitor for that. AFAIK no TV can support this since they use only HDMI which is half the bandwidth, ie. 1920x1080 at 24Hz per eye in most cases, 30Hz per eye for some specific TV models (some Samsung and Panasonic that we talked about here already, but not all of them).

The other option is 1080p@60hz@SBS. This will cut your horizontal resolution in half, but will retain the vertical resolution and the 60hz refresh rate. I'm sure there are some monitors out there that don't support Side By Side, but I think a majority of them do.

Monitors support 120hz 1080P using dual link DVI cables. This is the best solution. TV's dont usually support dual link DVI though, so you are limited to 1080/24fps or 720P/60fps - although the SBS mode mentioned by xhonzi might be a decent compromise.