Dual-display - need advice/recommendations

[Pandamonium]

I've been reading through old threads, and it appears that my MSI GeForce3 Ti200 can't power two displays despite its multiple ports. (I'd love to read otherwise though....)

I have available to me a 19" CRT (Dsub9), a 15" LCD (DVI/Dsub9), a 20" TV (S-Video), and an old PCI video card.

Is my best bet to use the PCI video card to drive my LCD as a secondary display and put the 19" on my Ti200?
Or is there a relatively cheap video card that I can substitute for my Ti200 that will drive both displays and still have acceptable framerates?

I think the Ti4200 would work as a substitute, but can it power two 1600x1200 CRTs simultaneously? (I remember reading something a while back about some video cards being unable to support dual displays in this fashion)

Would it be advisable to sell my Eizo L365 and get two lesser spec'd LCDs? (deskspace carries a high premium in a dorm suite single)
Or should I stick with a 19" and hope things work out?

 

[SUOrangeman]

Only something like a GF4 Ti4600, Matrox, or a Quadro card *might* be able to push two 16x12 signals.

How much are you looking to spend?

My list of Dual DVI cards complete with links.

-SUO

 

[EeyoreX]

Is my best bet to use the PCI video card to drive my LCD as a secondary display and put the 19" on my Ti200?

What is the LCD going to be used for? If it's just a secondary display for emails, downloads etc (nothing too intense) that would be fine. I did this for a while before I got my MSI Ti4200.

Or is there a relatively cheap video card that I can substitute for my Ti200 that will drive both displays and still have acceptable framerates?

Framerates should not really be an issue, as most games will only use your primary monitor anyhow, so framerate of the second monitor won't matter. Only a few games will allow both displays for gaming.

I think the Ti4200 would work as a substitute, but can it power two 1600x1200 CRTs simultaneously? (I remember reading something a while back about some video cards being unable to support dual displays in this fashion)

I have no way to know for sure at this time, my second monitor can only support up to 1280x1024. But my Ti4200 can drive 2 CRTs, one at 1600x1200 and the other at 1280x960 without issue. Also, since you have one CRT and one LCD I don't see this as an issue, unless you are in fact, upgrading to displays that support that resolution. Also, here is a list for my video card. MSI Ti4200 VTD8X I have zero reason to doubt that these are maximums for both displays.

640x480 8/16/32 bit colors with 150Hz
800x600 8/16/32 bit colors with 150Hz
1024x768 8/16/32 bit colors with 120Hz
1152x864 8/16/32 bit colors with 120Hz
1280x1024 8/16/32 bit colors with 100Hz
1600x1200 8/16/32 bit colors with 85Hz
1920x1200 8/16/32 bit colors with 75Hz
2048x1536 8/16/32 bit colors with 60Hz

As far as selling/buying, that's up to you. I certainly wouldn't "downgrade" my displays and get something with "lesser specs" than what I already have...

\Dan

 

[Pandamonium]

The reason I'm considering "downgrading" my LCD is because I have an Eizo L365 and if I move to dual identical displays, I don't want to drop another $500 on a display after a new video card. I now realize that going dual CRTs @ 1600x1200, though economically favorable, isn't practical because my dorm room simply cannot accomodate that configuration.

Actually, I have no idea what my second display will be used for. At this point, I think I will feel awkward using a CRT and LCD running at different resolutions on the same system. However, since I plan on bringing my 19" CRT to school this fall (I can't go another semester at 1024x768...) and I have my L365 in storage, I figure I ought to take advantage of the hardware available to me.

Now the question is whether I should invest in a Ti4200 or just haul my 3dfx GLINT to school.