Can Nvidia GTX 660 drive 3440x1440 Display ?

Hey Guys,

I need a bit of advice from a video hardware guru, my main development rig is running OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 and booting via Clover :-

• GA-Z77X-UD5H motherboard
• i7 3770K CPU @ 4.3Ghz, 16GB RAM
• ASUS GTX 660 DirectCU OC (using default OS X Drivers)

http://www.asus.com/uk/Graphics_Cards/GTX660DC2O2GD5/

I currently have two 1920x1080 displays (27" & 24") both connected via DVI, the system is used for productivity, programming, video and audio editing and the bezels between the two displays really get on my nerves.

Although my main OS is OS X i do use Windows 7 x64 for running SolidWorks ...

Nothing wrong with the hackingtosh system it all (currently running as iMac 14,2), it works great, however i have the chance of getting hold of slightly used 34" LG 37UC97 on a really good deal and i like the idea of a 21:9 display for productivity, i don't play any games so not looking for raw FPS or high refresh rates so 60Hz is enough for me.

However i'm not sure if my GTX 660 can run at 3440x1440, the card has HDMI & DP in addition to the two DVI's but i cant find out what standard they are and if the DP is be able to run 3440x1440 @ 60Hz both in Windows and OS X. Don't really want to spend more cash on anther GPU as current GPU is fine for what i do (although more render power would always be appreciated in FCPX), SolidWorks is CPU limited so don't really need the added expense.

Would appreciate any thoughts & advice from anyone who has a similar setup or experience with this display and GPU.

Cheers
Jay

I don't have a GTX 660 but the specifications says it support 3440x1440 at 60fps over Displayport and 3440x1440 at 30fps with HDMI.

Maximum Digital Resolution*: 4096x2160
* - 3840x2160 at 30Hz or 4096x2160 at 24Hz supported over HDMI. 4096x2160 (including 3840x2160) at 60Hz supported over Displayport. Support for 4k tiled MST displays requires 326.19 driver or later.

Click to expand...

http://www.geforce.co.uk/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-660/specifications

I have a GTX 780 Ti and I have had no problems with that resolution running over Displayport.

l1am9111 said:

I don't have a GTX 660 but the specifications says it support 3440x1440 at 60fps over Displayport and 3440x1440 at 30fps with HDMI.


http://www.geforce.co.uk/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-660/specifications

I have a GTX 780 Ti and I have had no problems with that resolution running over Displayport.

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Thanks for your feedback, i missed that info in the foot notes ... well spotted.

Cheers
Jay

I was just about to post a similar topic but luckily I found this one.
I have a similar question since I'm strongly considering replacing my 2x23" 1080p monitors with 34" Samsung S34E790C. Right now I'm using HD4000 with my build and as far as I know it won't be able to handle 3440x1440. What would be the least expansive graphics card that would match the following criteria (most to least important order):

- works without a hassle with 10.10.3+Clover
- has to be as quiet as possible
- no gaming required
- hopefully will fit into a microatx if I decide to replace my motherboard and get a smaller factor case


Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

McBuddy said:

What would be the least expansive graphics card that would match the following criteria (most to least important order):

- works without a hassle with 10.10.3+Clover
- has to be as quiet as possible
- no gaming required
- hopefully will fit into a microatx if I decide to replace my motherboard and get a smaller factor case


Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

As per post 2 if my GTX 660 can handle it then i would think that a fan-less nvidia card would be the way to go as long as well supported by OS X ..

Something like this maybe :-

http://www.quietpc.com/pal-ne5x75t00941-1073h

Its a short length card so should fit in most mItx towers like bitfinix .. etc ... as long as its got the hight to acomade teh heat sink ... and being passively cooled means its totaly silent. Its an entry level maxwell spec gpu so should be good for the money .... and work well except for games ... although it should be fine with most low and medium spec games, relatively low power so no need for PSU update .... looks like it works ok with OS X using nvidia webdrivers ... but check before you commit.

Max digital res via mHDMi is 4096 x 2160

It about the same as a GTX 660 in performance only half the price with next gen GPU and using half the power .. could be a good contender for quiet system ... like HTPC

Review here: http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/palit_geforce_gtx_750_ti_kalmx_review,1.html

Cheers
Jay

jaymonkey Wow!! Thanks a lot for your answer! I was dreaming about a card like this.

However, I noticed that I would have to order it from UK since it is not available in US. I found the similar one, which I think could be a good alternative to Palit's version of GTX750.
http://www.amazon.com/Asus-GTX750-DCSL-2GD5-ASUS-Graphics-Cards/dp/B00RL2SKXY

McBuddy said:

jaymonkey Wow!! Thanks a lot for your answer! I was dreaming about a card like this.

However, I noticed that I would have to order it from UK since it is not available in US. I found the similar one, which I think could be a good alternative to Palit's version of GTX750.
http://www.amazon.com/Asus-GTX750-DCSL-2GD5-ASUS-Graphics-Cards/dp/B00RL2SKXY

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@McBuddy,

Yes it does seem like a good option for quiet high-res desktop work ..

The card you linked to is very similar but is not the TI version so the GPU & Memory Clock run a little bit slower but i don't think it would make that much difference in a desktop environment, however its heatsink look's to be a lot larger than the Palit's which maybe an issue if your tight in on case size.

I'd keep searching if i was you, i'm sure you'll be able to find something like the Plat over there ?

Quick search of Amazon.com :-

http://www.amazon.com/Zotac-GeForce-DisplayPort-Graphics-ZT-70707-20M/dp/B00MO4MOPE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429104288&sr=8-2&keywords=Geforce+GTX+750+Ti+Silent

Note: Only 1Gb RAM not sure if this will effect max res .. but says that it can do full 4K so should eb ok in theory .... but do some reading first.

Tony list's GTX 750 GPU based cards in the Buyers guide so you should be ok with any GTX 750/750-TI as far as OS X compatibility goes.

With the fairly positive feedback i got from my post i've taken the leap and am going to go for the 34" 3440x1440 UW - just got to wait for a few days until it arrives .... looking forward to running FCPX on it.

Good Luck - let me know how you get on.
Cheers
Jay

An Update .....

Monitor arrived .. don't know what i was worrying about


Running on:

• GA-Z77X-UD5H / i7 3440K @ 4.3GHz / 16Gb
• Asus GTX 660 DC-II OC
• OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 - Stock Apple Nvidia Drivers
• 3440 x 1440 @ 60Hz via DP

Audio is working via the GTX 660 DP to the displays built in HD Audio Device & speakers with no issues, these are probably the best sounding built-in display speakers i've ever heard so I got rid of my desktop speakers = less clutter.


I'm very happy and impressed with this display, its added a whole new level to the desktop experience both in OS X and Windows, I don't think i would ever go for one at full retail price (unless lottery win) but i was very lucky and got an ex-display model for less than half retail price as a favour.


I spend a lot of time working on this system, so the extra real-estate in the vertical resolution (1080 -> 1440) has made a huge difference, and although the horizontal resolution is slightly less than my two old HD displays (3840 -> 3440) having all of it in one display with no bezels seems like its bigger.

Cheers
Jay

Jay,

For your awesome setup you're using only one Displayport cable to have 3440x1440@60Hz? I'm thinking of getting GTX 960 which states that "5120x3200 at 60Hz with dual DisplayPort connectors", and I'm assuming that 3440x1440 would also require dual DisplayPort for 60Hz. Is there a specific cable like dual displayport -> displayport. Or how could it be done? I noticed that all nvidia cards support a higher resolution only with dual displayport but I don't seem to figure out how would I connect it to a single displayport on a monitor.


Thank you!

McBuddy said:

Jay, I'm thinking of getting GTX 960 which states that "5120x3200 at 60Hz with dual DisplayPort connectors", and I'm assuming that 3440x1440 would also require dual DisplayPort for 60Hz.

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@McBuddy,

I believe that the use of dual cables is a requirement for early generation 4K monitors, later/recent generations only need a single cable connected to a mini-DP (which has higher bandwidth)

I'm using a single DP cable (standard type not mini ..... its the one the monitor came with) connected to the single (standard size) DP on my GTX 660 and I've been amazed at just how well my three year old GTX 660 runs 3440x1440 @ 60Hz.

Desktop work under OSX & Windows is fine ... so much real estate

However being in the motorsport industry i tried running Assetto Corsa on it at 3440x1440 with all graphics settings set to high except AA which is set to x4 and it looks and plays amazing .. averaging around 45FPS which is plenty for a blast around the Nordschlife ....

I would assume that a GTX 960 is the 9 series replacement for the 6th series GTX 660 so its capabilities should be at least equal if not better than the 660 but I would do as much research on the Monitor & GPU as you can before parting with any cash.

Sorry i cant be of more help.

Cheers
Jay