Yes, but …
A single display at 1080p resolution requires data for 2,073,600 pixels. Three displays add up to 6,220,800 pixels. All the pixels need to be refreshed at least 30 times every second for 30 fps.
In contrast, a single display at 4K resolution requires data for 8,294,400 pixels. Three displays add up to 24,883,200 pixels. All the pixels need to be refreshed at last 30 times a second. So you can see that running three displays at 4K results in a four times higher load on the CPU and GPU, which theoretically lowers the frame rate a proportional amount.
With today’s high end computers and graphic cards, it is possible to run a single display at 4K resolution with an excellent frame rate. However, attempting to run three displays at 4K resolution is generally beyond the performance capability of the top gaming computers and graphics cards currently available. The limitation exists, especially with flight simulation software, because creating the external display requires an interplay and dependency between the computer’s CPU as well as the graphic card’s GPU.
While running three displays at 4K could be done with a top-of-the line graphic card, the resultant frame rate would be unacceptable. Trying to overcome this by adding a second or third graphic card does not solve the issue, because all the graphic cards are dependent upon CPU processing as well. The CPU then becomes that rate limiting component for frame rate. It is common for the main core in the CPU to be running at 90 to 100 percent.
Multichannel with Three Computers
The best way to successfully accomplish running three displays, driven at 4K resolution, is to have three separate main computers, each with their own graphic card. The challenge with this approach is that all three computers must be kept precisely in synch with regarding to timing of outputting graphic data. The Professional Plus edition of Prepar3D does allow for systems to be configured as “Multichannel” for this to be possible, but there are substantial disadvantages. First, the multichannel feature is only available with the Profession Plus license of Prepar3D, which is approximately 45 times more expensive than the regular Professional license. Also, it would require purchase and maintenance of three high performance computers, instead of just one.
Therefore, for most home simulators, three 4K displays are used for the LCD display, but they are each driven by 1080p data streams from the main flight simulator computer, then internally upscaled to 4K in the display. This is the best. most economical, and least complicated solution today for a home flight simulator.
