Dual Monitor Question

[lucienknows]

I'm planning on buying a second monitor to use for a dual-monitor setup with my current 19" lcd, but I'm debating whether or not to purchase a widescreen 19". I'd prefer the widescreen, but I originally figured it would give me too many problems since it would have a different resolution than my regular 19".

Then I read somewhere that you can use a second video card to control the second monitor and thus give it whatever resolution you want. The main video card I'll be using is an 8800gts640mb, and I've got both a 7950gt and an x800 video card available to use as well. Does anyone know the intricacies of using that method? Would my fps, video quality, etc. drop when using the second monitor hooked up to the older video card?

Has anyone done this on their own systems or someone elses, and if so, have you noticed any problems in doing it?

 

[LouPoir]

With one video card, you can provide 2 different resolutions to 2 different monitors.

You dont need another video card.


Lou

 

[Tarrant64]

I would think that regardless the video card and the setup, your second monitor will go as high as the monitor will allow. Setup as 1st or 2nd. Widescreen is your choice, of course. It shouldn't matter either way.

Not many games run well with dual-monitors. There are tweaks that can be done, etc. however I don't really see the point.

Your current video card has two ports, use them I guess. I'm not seeing the logic in adding a second video card of lesser specs just to run a second monitor. I think for both to be in sync they have to be on the same video card. Really only purpose of using 2 video cards is if you need more than 2 monitors, OR, you want to run SLI configuration.

 

[Matthias99]

Your current video card has two ports, use them I guess. I'm not seeing the logic in adding a second video card of lesser specs just to run a second monitor. I think for both to be in sync they have to be on the same video card. Really only purpose of using 2 video cards is if you need more than 2 monitors, OR, you want to run SLI configuration.

There are a couple other situations where it makes sense, such as wanting to run two hardware-accelerated applications at once (one on each monitor). Most video cards will only give you full 3D or video acceleration on the 'Primary' display.

If you just want a second desktop to stick some windows on, you can use a single card. You can run the desktops independently and use different resolutions on each without a problem.

 

[RebateMonger]

Personally, I'd stick with two non-wide-screen monitors, both the same size. Using non-identical monitors, while it TECHNICALLY works fine, would be an ongoing phsychological battle.

Standard (non-widescreen) 19-inch monitors can be purchased for as little as $120 to $150. I suggest getting one of those.

 

[lucienknows]

Well I was actually looking at a widescreen that was $150 after rebate, which is comparable to regular 19" prices, which is why I'm having trouble deciding.

What is this psychological battle you speak of?

 

[Crizza]

Probably moving windows between the monitors shrinking or growing is what I think he means.

I use a 24" Wide with a 20" standard so both have a 1200 horizontal resolution and it's awesome. If you're just going to keep Outlook/IRQ/etc on one and primary use on the main, you should be fine.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: lucienknows
Well I was actually looking at a widescreen that was $150 after rebate, which is comparable to regular 19" prices, which is why I'm having trouble deciding.

What is this psychological battle you speak of?

I suppose the idea is that the monitors being different, they look different and have different controls. I got a second 19" LCD, and it's different from the first. It looks different. I could probably adjust out most of the color disparity, but haven't gotten around to it. I just started using the second display regularly. I have one usage that kind of requires having two applications visible simultaneously, each with a lot of screen real estate, and dual monitor is great for that. When I first got my second display I was unhappy with the way it looked using the VGA output from my video card, so I bought a video card with dual DVI - BFG geforce 6600 GT OC AGP. They also come in PCI-E. I think it's been getting easy to find them very cheap now (under $40-50).