# 3 Projector PC Gaming Setup



## rdqlus

mechman suggested I post my system over in this section. I've been getting a bit of help getting the screens sorted out in the DIY Screen section and now it's finally coming together.

The PC is just an overclocked Core i5 750 with an XFX 7970 BEDD video card. Previously I was running 3 24" HP monitors in landscape (effective resolution with bezel compensation was 6048x1200) but I didn't like the black bars introduced due to the bezels. I've now switched over to 3 Optoma GT720 projectors. No more bezels and the reduced resolution (3840x800) has resulted in higher frame rates for the games I play. As a semi-competitive first person shooter player I'm definitely enjoying the 120Hz refresh of the projectors as well. The projectors needed an override file to actually operate at 1280x800 @ 120Hz but other than that the software side of things has been smooth sailing.

The screen setup has been a lot of work due to the small space I have to work with. I've generally had something that works okay but it's never been perfect. The 3 screens are each about 30"x19" and made of Sintra board. On the back of each I've glued a square of plywood that acts as the VESA mounting point. The screens are then attached to the wall using adjustable VESA mount arms. Painting the screens has been the most work. Because they're so small and these particular projectors are so bright it has necessitated the use of a dark neutral grey paint. Things should be finalized this weekend and then the only remaining item is painting a black border around the edge of the entire screen assembly.

I can post up some pictures if anyone is interested and can probably answer any questions you might have.

Cheers,
Mike


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## mechman

Thanks Mike! And please post pictures when you can. :T


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## vann_d

That sounds awesome. I'm having trouble picturing how/where the projectors are mounted. What's the throw distance? Are they loud? Pics please!


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## RTS100x5

Yes I for one would love to see the pics .... How did you connect the VC to the projectors ?? With all that video wowness I hope you have a badass sound system to back it up... I play alot of BF3 and when I get my system up to about -5db my neighbors start running for cover :rofl:


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## rdqlus

The projectors are just sitting on the desk in front of me much like monitors would. They're not too loud and the heat vents out the front of the projector towards the screen. That said, it's really not meant for watching movies. The throw distance is 22". They only have HDMI inputs so I needed a couple of format converters to translate the signal from the video card. On the card itself I'm using 2 mini-DisplayPort connections and a DVI connection. There are 2 active mini-DP to DVI converters and then 3 DVI to HDMI cables. I'll be moving to an nVidia card in the future to try out 3D Surround and it will simplify the connections a bit. 

I got around to painting the screens again last night and I'm pretty happy with it now. Not sure if I'm going to do the black border or not. I'll snap some pics tonight.

As for the sound system. I'm always using Ventrilo or Teamspeak for voice chat so that basically necessitates the use of headphones and a mic. I'm using a Sennheiser PC350 headset.


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## rdqlus

Couple of pics. Hopefully they attach properly. Posting from my phone so we'll see how this works out.


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## rdqlus

Here's one in-game in full daylight with some of the blinds in the room open. Camera phone doesn't do the contrast justice ... it's actually pretty good and with the blinds closed it's perfect.


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## mechman

That looks like a sweet setup Mike! :T


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## vann_d

What a cool idea. Thanks for posting!

Was it difficult to align the projectors properly?


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## RTS100x5

Very cool setup :T Any idea what your FPS is ??


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## rdqlus

Aligning the projectors is pretty easy, I'm not using a mount of any type. I made some shims to raise them up where the adjusters weren't enough. Pretty happy with how it looks.

As for my FPS, I used FRAPS to monitor it and help me set the visual quality. In BC2 it dips down into the 100 range but is usually over 120. I've set most things to low except for whichever one affects water quality. You need to set that one to medium so that you get transparent water and can see tank mines.

In BF3 it's usually above 80. The goal of course it to keep it above 120fps all the time to take advantage of the 120Hz projectors. It turns out that it's an advantage, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Diablo 3 and Skyrim are single player and not all demanding in the graphics department. I'm pretty sure they're way above 60fps with everything maxed - I've never checked since I've never noticed any slowdown.


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## markair

awesome setup! , i really like the seamless look as opposed to the multi monitor look. btw, what is your FOV setting for BF3? i can only imagine how cool it is to fly with that setup :clap:


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## gotchaforce

This is a very cool implementation, but these projectors dont have tilt shift do they? So that means youre doing a ton of keystoning? Hmm.

I had an optoma hd65 i think it was, and it was pretty loud and got really hot. Im surprised you can stand 3 of them right in front of you.

Ive said this before... i think the best setup would be a new sony 4k projector then sit real close. Would blow away any 3 display setup.


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