Used office junk.. the case for adopting triplets.

[potato masher]

This is just an example of what you can do on a budget.

$90 used 27" 1440p
$90 used 27" 1440p
$80 used 27" 1440p
$110 Used rx580
$120 i7 Dell box

Twice as wide as 4k. Granted its not 144hz but for sims and any non twitch game use ts fantastic. And it even plays twitchy stuff pretty dang well. Scratched bezels, yes. A couple of stripped mount threads yes. Dented case, yes. Slightly uneven brightness yeah. Don't care. Works great!

A similar used 1080p triple system could come in under 300 total and still get you more width than 4k.. This stuff was gotten through ebay, craigslist, and local "recyclers" who sell used office equipment that gets turned in by large companies.

 

[potato masher]

Didn't want to pollute the other triple thread with this so I wanted to post in this separate thread.

I know a lot of people (me included) are going to 4k televisions as cheap gaming monitors, but this is another option. These three guys cost almost exactly the same as my 42" 4k screen did but offer 66% the pixel height and 200% the pixel width. Cost wise its a good compare contrast. I did need a $30 psu and a few differnt monitor cords to get this up. I think I did display port to HDMI cords for two, and a dual link DVI for the older of the three. Probably $50 total in cords and the psu.

As far a bezels go, after a few minutes I don't even notice them in game. Them bezels don't bother me at all.. and some games I've got over 90 degrees of vision. A big 4k is more versatile for sure.. with movies or television, and you can still spreadsheet on it. Trips are nicer for spreadsheet type desktop work, but lousy for movies and tv. You've gotta pick your poison I guess.

 

[lopri]

Are the screens uniform enough? That was one thing that stopped me from going for a multi-monitor setup.

 

[potato masher]

They are all different monitors but after adjusting a few things it seems fine to me. I'm gaming, nothing that requires color accuracy between screens.

You can score 1080p 24's for like $20 used. To me, that is a no brainer triple setup for low budget gamers. The 1440p trips take hunting.. If you spend too much the less expensive 4k tv's start making just as much sense. You've got to be on your bargain hunting game for the 1440p's. But you can do it. I did.

 

[Kyron71]

ASU had a big used PC and parts sale just before school started. Lots of people took advantage.

 

[potato masher]

Awesome! I love to hear about old stuff getting a 2nd life. A few days ago I built up a 2011 dell with a e3-1270, for a gaming system with a gtx660. Also a few weeks back, built a g870 dell box with a gtx750 for another kid. Yeah yeah they are not ultra high settings, not 144hz, but its just as much fun to use as something fancier. I think people get too hung up about having the latest and greatest. And this perfectly good stuff goes in the trash. IMO its like crushing a civic that has years of life left in it. Pass it on to the next user...

1080p, 720p, 60hz, nothing wrong with it, Its all still fun stuff. There are a lot of kids out there who don't build systems out of a fear of high costs. These kids are the next generation of PC enthusiasts. YOU have to make them understand that it doesn't take $800 to build a gaming PC. Otherwise its a console future you are looking at people.