dual monitor setup options

[mgravy]

I?m a newbie to dual monitors. What are the setup options? Do you have to connect both monitors to one card that supports dual monitors, or can you use two separate cards ?one for each monitor?

Thanks!!

 

[hans007]

you can use two cards, but only certain PCI cards are suitable. I spent quite a while trying to get one that would work. I think its a better option actually as most cards with two ports are pretty slow for say 3d games and you have more flexibility with 2 cards.

 

[mgravy]

Any recommendations on a good card combos? I'm looking for something that is relatively high end. Most of my work is with AutoCAD 2000 and 3D Studio. No gaming at this point.

 

[zzzz]

no gaming????
get the matrox G450 or G400 max. Not too expensive and good..

 

[mgravy]

O.K. -let me get this straight. I know that the Matrox G400 is a dual monitor card. So, could I use this card for dual capabilities AND a GeForce2 ULTRA 64MB as my primary card? I will be using a 22" Samsung 1200NF as my primary monitor and a regular old 17" as a secondary display.

 

[Hamburgerpimp]

Check out my setup. I've owned every imaginable setup this past year. Get a cheap PCI Vcard for your second monitor! Who the hell cares about DVD playback on it! I really don't. These are the cards I've bought and sold in the last year and decided on my current setup with a Radeon on my primary Mitsubishi DP200 22"!



Geforce 2 MX PCI
Geforce 2 GTS 64MB AGP
Matrox G450 32MB Dual
VooDoo 5500 AGP

 

[Hawk]

well, I am not sure if they have a PCI G400 dual head, but if they do, I think you can use the Ultra as a primary and the G400 dual head as 2nd and 3rd monitor.

 

[mgravy]

O.K. I think I'm starting to make some sense out of this... My only concern is regard to performance (after reading anandtech's dual monitor comparison). If I use the ATI Radeon VE or the Matrox G450 as a primary card, will I be sacrificing performance over a high-end Vcard in applications like Photoshop, AutoCAD, and 3D Studio?

 

[kimcheeboy]

I've been using dual monitors for the past few years...I have used these combinations:

1.) ATI All in Wonder Pro AGP + ATI Mach64 VT PCI
2.) Geforce2 MX AGP + ATI Mach64 VT PCI
3.) ATI Radeon DDR AGP + ATI Mach64 VT PCI
4.) Geforce2 MX AGP + ATI Mach64 CT PCI

I have found that the older Mach64 to be perfect for dual monitors regardless of the primary video card. I too use AutoCAD and Solid Edge (high end engineering programs) and found no problems with Win98SE's implementation of software dual monitors. The only glitch I find is that the secondary card must be disabled to play OpenGL games. However, this OpenGL glitch is not evident with 3D programs such as AutoCAD and Solid Edge which also utilize OpenGL. So, just swing by your local computer store and pick up an old Mach64 and all should be well.

 

[RobsTV]

All of your questions can be answered here:
Multi-Monitor Resources at www.realtimesoft.com

I've used ton's of different combo's, and have yet to find a combo the DIDN'T work.
Currently using a GeForce2 GTS modified into a Quadro2 Pro, (one of the best for CAD and 3D modeling), with Elsa Gloria III Bios. Second card is Canopus Total3d 128v, but seems like any card will work with the GF2.

 

[ProviaFan]

I've found a combination that didn't work: an ATI Xpert 98 (or similar, I can't remember the exact name), and the built in Intel graphics adapter in an HP XE813. BTW, is there such a thing as a decent performing, not really expensive, pci dual-monitor videocard?
Thanks,
Josh

 

[Hawk]

Well, I am not sure if they have PCI dual cards (I am sure they do though), and most of the dual displays aren't THAT expensive, 90-120? So if you can find a PCI dual, then it should be a decent card anyway (there are only Geforce MX, Matrox G400/450, and the Radeon VE that are dual cards).