Dual Monitors

esunaesuna Rock Bottom Join Date: 2003-04-03 Member: 15175Members, Constellation
in Off-Topic
Ok, call me a nub (Actually, don't), i'm going to be getting my hands on a second monitor soon since my parents are changing their CRT for a TFT, so i'm thinking of running two monitors off of my machine, purely so i can brag about being better than other people.

So this leads me to ask, how would i go about doing it? Do i need two graphics cards and such (Since my AGP slot is taken, grrr PCI) and do i need any other kind of program / hardware?
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Comments

  • Vulgar_MenaceVulgar_Menace Join Date: 2003-10-29 Member: 22118Members
    you should have 2 monitor jacks on your PC, one on your card (mines a 9600 pro and 2 monitors are supported) and one on the back of your PC. Hope that clears it up.
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  • NecroticNecrotic Big Girl's Blouse Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 53Members, NS1 Playtester
    That is only the case if you have a motherboard with onboard graphics, which most people if they have bought a decent system won't have. My 9200, and in fact my old 7500 both came with second vga ports on a ribbon cable that plugged somewhere into the card then slotted into a PCI space at the back, but I am enirely unsure of where they are nwo so beyond that i can't be much help as the second display I use is a TV, and therefore uses a differant connection.
    Once you've got it all wired its dead easy with ATI cards goto Display Properties-> Settings -> Advanced -> Displays then activate the second screen and set it as an extended single or seperate display.
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  • l3igDl3igD Join Date: 2003-11-20 Member: 23262Members
    Yea what he said ^^ i had 2 hooked up...1 set on the side of the desk so my bro could watch me play without messing me up looking over me or touching the screen...The old one was hooked in to my on board gfx card (8mb) and the new one was in my new vid card...kinda cool to have it set up like that ^^
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  • airyKairyK Join Date: 2002-12-19 Member: 11126Members
    Well they're 2 ways this can be done, i have done this both ways. The first way is to have a graphics card w/two vga outputs and to just plug the monitors into it, my card has one vga connector and another dvi- i used an adapter to change it into normal VGA.

    The second way is to have your normal monitor on your main video card and to install a second video card in a pci slot and use the second monitor on this card. Depending on your graphic's card driver you can do a spread out desktop, clone, different screens all together: having two maximized windows on each screen. etc.

    i do recommend after getting everything setup try out this software called <a href='http://www.realtimesoft.com' target='_blank'>ultramon</a> that will add another task bar to your other window and will allow you to adjust the type of screen saver, desktop wallpaper, and anything like that. if your into extensively multitasking, photoshop- things like that you can really benefit from dual monitors.
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  • esunaesuna Rock Bottom Join Date: 2003-04-03 Member: 15175Members, Constellation
    Bugger, well since i bought a motherboard to act as just a motherboard, it has no onbourd graphics, sound, etc. So anyone have any recommendations of PCI graphics cards. I won't be running anything to intensive through the second monitor, so a powerful one won't be needed.
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  • airyKairyK Join Date: 2002-12-19 Member: 11126Members
    <a href='http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-139-141&catalog=48&depa=1' target='_blank'>this geforce 2 mx400</a> can be had for 39 dollars on newegg and it's pci, but any pci graphics would do. go down to a local computer shop and check out some of their second hand pci graphic cards if you know of a place. I know where i live there is a place that i can get a cheap pci card for around 15-20 dollars.
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  • RellixRellix Join Date: 2003-02-15 Member: 13572Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    Since I lack a 2nd moniter, i use the video out cable and hook it between my PC and TV, I can now use my TV as my 2nd moniter. Downside is there is a 2 foot gap between them and text is slightly hard to read.

    But yeh my 3D card has got the video out port/primary display port/secodnry display port.
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  • ChargeCharge Join Date: 2003-02-05 Member: 13144Members
    buy a voodoo for the other monitor <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
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  • Smoke_NovaSmoke_Nova Join Date: 2002-11-15 Member: 8697Members
    he wants cheap...not 300-500$ Voodoo cards that no longer are supported.


    you can get cheap PCI off of Newegg.com, though your in jolly (well, with you around, un-jolly) England so you might wanna use a British site. Shockwave might know one, as might any other Brit on the board. Or yourself.
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  • ScytheScythe Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 46NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation, Reinforced - Silver
    I think any radeon card above a 9000 can handle two monitors. One on the VGA plug and one on the DVI plug with an adapter for USD$10ish.

    I have a radeon 8500 but it only has one RAMDAC so I can't run an analog monitor off the DVI. I'm getting a sapphire radeon 9600 pro for chistmas though. Woo.

    --Scythe--
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  • MulletMullet Join Date: 2003-04-28 Member: 15910Members, Constellation
    my friend has 2 monitors and I find them to be more annoying than useful..... <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo--> But then again all i saw was him drag windows over to it, lol.
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  • TalesinTalesin Our own little well of hate Join Date: 2002-11-08 Member: 7710NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators
    If you're getting two monitors, I cannot stress this enough: make SURE you intend to run both at the same resolution!
    Nothing more frustrating than having a 1600x1200 main monitor, and a 1024x768 secondary. Have to find the 'sweet spot' where you can shift windows back and forth, without just running into the edge of the screen.

    Dual (or triple, quad, quint, or sextuple) monitors CAN be handy, if you need the desktop space. Personally, I keep my main project maximized on my 1600x1200, and toss all my IMs, notepad sessions, WinAMP windows, and so on into the secondary, just so they'll be there and I don't have to alt-tab just to find out that the message-alert was over something I don't really care about, or want to respond to. It's also great for watching DVDs while working, and so on.

    What kind of video card do you currently have, anyway, esuna?
    I'd recommend against a 440MX. Have had to fix machines that were screwed up by no-name third party manufacturers of those, whose cards wouldn't even work with the reference Detonator drivers.
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  • esunaesuna Rock Bottom Join Date: 2003-04-03 Member: 15175Members, Constellation
    <!--QuoteBegin--Talesin+Dec 23 2003, 11:41 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Talesin @ Dec 23 2003, 11:41 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> If you're getting two monitors, I cannot stress this enough: make SURE you intend to run both at the same resolution!
    Nothing more frustrating than having a 1600x1200 main monitor, and a 1024x768 secondary. Have to find the 'sweet spot' where you can shift windows back and forth, without just running into the edge of the screen.

    Dual (or triple, quad, quint, or sextuple) monitors CAN be handy, if you need the desktop space. Personally, I keep my main project maximized on my 1600x1200, and toss all my IMs, notepad sessions, WinAMP windows, and so on into the secondary, just so they'll be there and I don't have to alt-tab just to find out that the message-alert was over something I don't really care about, or want to respond to. It's also great for watching DVDs while working, and so on.

    What kind of video card do you currently have, anyway, esuna?
    I'd recommend against a 440MX. Have had to fix machines that were screwed up by no-name third party manufacturers of those, whose cards wouldn't even work with the reference Detonator drivers. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I'm currently using a FX 5200. Yeah, i know it's cheap. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->

    The main point of running dual monitors is so i can work on photoshop and still have my usual plethora of IM apps and so on running without distracting me by having to alt-tab from Photoshop, since that is the most used application on my system, bar none.

    Basically, all i need is a card that will support 1280x1024 and not cause my eyes to melt, but i am extremely unwilling to spend much money on a new card at all, considering i don't have too much free cash at the moment. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
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  • TalesinTalesin Our own little well of hate Join Date: 2002-11-08 Member: 7710NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators
    edited December 2003
    I'd suggest replacing your video card with a Radeon 9200. Better performance, visual quality, and they're relatively cheap (about $30 here in the states for the low-end). Double-check the box, but most (9200PRO/9200SE) come with a VGA, SVideo, and a DVI port, with an adapter to convert the DVI to a second VGA. I'd also recommend getting a Built By ATI, rather than a third-party manufacturer.

    I'm almost considering buying some and sending 'em out to developers as christmas gifts... namely the ones who are having problems getting their code to run right with ATI cards as they shelled out for a GF and are now broke, with a slower card. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
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  • esunaesuna Rock Bottom Join Date: 2003-04-03 Member: 15175Members, Constellation
    <!--QuoteBegin--Talesin+Dec 23 2003, 12:05 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Talesin @ Dec 23 2003, 12:05 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I'd suggest replacing your video card with a Radeon 9200. Better performance, visual quality, and they're relatively cheap (about $30 here in the states for the low-end). Double-check the box, but most (9200PRO/9200SE) come with a VGA, SVideo, and a DVI port, with an adapter to convert the DVI to a second VGA. I'd also recommend getting a Built By ATI, rather than a third-party manufacturer.

    I'm almost considering buying some and sending 'em out to developers as christmas gifts... namely the ones who are having problems getting their code to run right with ATI cards as they shelled out for a GF and are now broke, with a slower card. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Hmm, you can get DVI to VGA converters? Hah, my 5200 has a DVI too, i should look for one of those then. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
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  • TalesinTalesin Our own little well of hate Join Date: 2002-11-08 Member: 7710NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators
    Dunno where you'll find one.. or if your card actually supports it. It's not a 'converter' exactly, more along the lines of a plug adapter that the video card realizes is inserted and starts spitting out VGA signal along the proper pins.

    As well, I dunno where you'd buy one. Mine came in the box with my Radeon. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
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