Dual monitors

[miniman]

I have a spare TFT monitor which I'd like to use as a second screen on my main PC for placement of Photoshop tool palettes etc. Is it as simple as plugging in another video card? Are there some special drivers I need to make it all work (i.e. the mouse move off the edge of one screen and onto the other) or will Win XP handle it all?

[slinky]

Win XP will handle it all, use it in that configuration in the office.. and it's bloody great! Just trying to convince the good lady that I need a second TFT!!


slinky

[xiphias]

You may not even need a second video card, replacing the first would probably make life easier. It's certainly plug and play under one card. Or - Click - may be useful, there is a triple version as well but depends on what your vid card can handle!

[Tripps]

Once you've done it you'll never go back, it just changes the way you work.

The dual-card replacement is good advice, I've got the primary gfx card in an AGP slot and the secondary in a PCI, and although the cards are supposed to be similar, the visuals are quite different. Dragging a window over the primary sceen looks fine when it flickers on the secondary.

But if you've got a spare card lying around, just shove it in, as even when different the two screens make it worth it.

[miniman]

Thanks guys. Only spare card I have is an AGP one but no spare AGP slots. Will have a scout round on eBuyer etc today and see what I can find.

[_dobbo_]

minimax, your existing card may be able to do this for you already. Check the back of your video card, and see if it has two outputs, one blue and one white, or two white.

If your card is a remotely recent nvidia or ATI card chances are you have this already.

If so, all you need is a DVI->VGA converter and you are sorted.

[simpo two]

_dobbo_ said:

If your card is a remotely recent nvidia or ATI card chances are you have this already. If so, all you need is a DVI->VGA converter and you are sorted.

Exactly what I did after advice from these good people. Having two monitors is brilliant, especially as I process photographs - Photoshop on one screen and toolbars, picture folder/s and Mailwasher on the other. I just drag an image from the folder into PS - bingo

[_dobbo_]

Once you've had two screens it's very hard to go back. Here's my desk at home (dodgy camera phone image):



What I find useful when editing photos is having the photo on the entire screen on the left, and all the toolbars and options spread out across the right hand screen.

[jamieboy]

_dobbo_ said:

Once you've had two screens it's very hard to go back.

I run three screens off my desktop, and it's like going back to the stone age when I have to use my laptop.

I bought a PNY-branded nVidia 5500 PCI dual-head card, and I run it alongside the onboard from my Dell Dimension. From memory the PNY card was about £50, but I don't know if they still make the PCI version.

[GIMPTON]

So if you have an SLI setup with both cards having dual dvi outputs cant you do the same as the Matrox triple head 2 go external box?

Or is the Matrox box the only way to get to use 3 monitors. This would be purely for games sad i know but GTR over 3 screens is very tempting.

[thepassenger]

_dobbo_ said:

Once you've had two screens it's very hard to go back. Here's my desk at home (dodgy camera phone image):



What I find useful when editing photos is having the photo on the entire screen on the left, and all the toolbars and options spread out across the right hand screen.

I like the idea of that monitor config. It must make editing documents so much easier to have the thing in roughly A4 format.

[miniman]

Bought a DVI / VGA card from eBuyer for £25 - works nicely although due to the difference in monitor size (15" / 19" it's hard to get the mouse to reappear in the "right" place on the other screen. Looks like I'll have to buy another 19" TFT...

[_dobbo_]

just realised you are miniman not minimax, sorry about that!

You can move the position of one screen relative to the other from the monitor properties sreen - have a fiddle and you should get them lined up.

[simes205]

I've had a dual set up for years now, really does make a difference.