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Two Monitors, Two Games?

X

Xiode

Senior member
Currently, I have a 1900XTX powering two monitors via dual-DVI: a Dell 1905FP and a "15 LCD monitor that I've had for a long time. I run World of Warcraft on the big screen and my web browswer or AIM on the other.

However, here's my question: How can I get two different instances of World of Warcraft running on each monitor? Would I need two completely different installations? If I try to do it now by simply dragging a copy of WoW to my other screen, my FPS drops real low, almost like a slideshow. It's not that my computer can't handle it, because I can ALT+TAB back and forth all day and not lag one bit. It would just be nice not to have to.

Anyone?
 
First, you'll probably need two WoW accounts. Second, your computer needs to be kick-ass to run two WoW games at 60fps. Third, WoW is boring.
 
I had a similar problem in a setup of MS flight sim 2002. What it came down to was when the window was dragged into the second monitor all instances of the game drop into a software render which of course trashes the frame rate. in fs2004, specific programming was added to allow you to do that and keep hardware render. you might find that the problem is something along these lines.
-TL
 
WoW has built in support for running it more then once...all you have to do is double click on the WoW icon twice...I know you can do this via alt-tab on a single monitor, so it should be doable by alt-tabing but just keeping one instance in one window and a second instance in the second window.

Good Luck and have fun!

P.S. - You do need more then one account as Omizzle stated.
 
Originally posted by: stardrek
WoW has built in support for running it more then once...all you have to do is double click on the WoW icon twice...I know you can do this via alt-tab on a single monitor, so it should be doable by alt-tabing but just keeping one instance in one window and a second instance in the second window.

Good Luck and have fun!
Click to expand...

Can you post a pic demonstrating this? This is hard to believe.
 
Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
Originally posted by: stardrek
WoW has built in support for running it more then once...all you have to do is double click on the WoW icon twice...I know you can do this via alt-tab on a single monitor, so it should be doable by alt-tabing but just keeping one instance in one window and a second instance in the second window.

Good Luck and have fun!
Click to expand...

Can you post a pic demonstrating this? This is hard to believe.
Click to expand...


Indeed I can, let me fire up the laptop and give me a few min...
 
I wanted to show off and have 3 windows open, but my comp crap the bed when I did that. Here is two of my char looking at each other on the same system.

I'm doing this on a main system instead of the laptop because the laptop doesn't really show off well...
The system is as follows:
Athlon 4800+ x2 Toledo, 1 Gig Corsair XMS DDR400, Single GeForce 7900GT

I typed something in chat and its timestamped so you can see it's good.

You only need a single install 🙂
 
Originally posted by: stardrek
I wanted to show off and have 3 windows open, but my comp crap the bed when I did that. Here is two of my char looking at each other on the same system.

I'm doing this on a main system instead of the laptop because the laptop doesn't really show off well...
The system is as follows:
Athlon 4800+ x2 Toledo, 1 Gig Corsair XMS DDR400, Single GeForce 7900GT

I typed something in chat and its timestamped so you can see it's good.

You only need a single install 🙂
Click to expand...


Yup, I've done that with WoW, and Shadowbane. Very very usefull!
 
Originally posted by: stardrek
I wanted to show off and have 3 windows open, but my comp crap the bed when I did that. Here is two of my char looking at each other on the same system.

I'm doing this on a main system instead of the laptop because the laptop doesn't really show off well...
The system is as follows:
Athlon 4800+ x2 Toledo, 1 Gig Corsair XMS DDR400, Single GeForce 7900GT

I typed something in chat and its timestamped so you can see it's good.

You only need a single install 🙂
Click to expand...

Nice. My hats off to you. 😀
 
Originally posted by: stardrek
I wanted to show off and have 3 windows open, but my comp crap the bed when I did that. Here is two of my char looking at each other on the same system.

I'm doing this on a main system instead of the laptop because the laptop doesn't really show off well...
The system is as follows:
Athlon 4800+ x2 Toledo, 1 Gig Corsair XMS DDR400, Single GeForce 7900GT

I typed something in chat and its timestamped so you can see it's good.

You only need a single install 🙂
Click to expand...

Drool, look at the Hand of Rag 🙂 I miss WoW.
 
Originally posted by: stardrek
I wanted to show off and have 3 windows open, but my comp crap the bed when I did that. Here is two of my char looking at each other on the same system.

I'm doing this on a main system instead of the laptop because the laptop doesn't really show off well...
The system is as follows:
Athlon 4800+ x2 Toledo, 1 Gig Corsair XMS DDR400, Single GeForce 7900GT

I typed something in chat and its timestamped so you can see it's good.

You only need a single install 🙂
Click to expand...

Very nice to know!

Is there a way so that I could make it to where WoW opens to the correct resolution on either monitor?

Example:
Open WoW #1 on my "19, and it opens to 1280x1024 resolution.
Open WoW #2 on my "17, and it opens to 1024x768 resolution.

See what I'm saying? Very useful info nonetheless though, thanks! I had never thought of simply having two windows on one screen.

 
Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
Originally posted by: stardrek
WoW has built in support for running it more then once...all you have to do is double click on the WoW icon twice...I know you can do this via alt-tab on a single monitor, so it should be doable by alt-tabing but just keeping one instance in one window and a second instance in the second window.

Good Luck and have fun!
Click to expand...

Can you post a pic demonstrating this? This is hard to believe.
Click to expand...

Don't know why it's hard to believe. MMOs are installed in their own island, which means there's no registry settings or DLLs anywhere else on the computer (ie you can copy the game folder to another computer, and it'll run just fine). You just click on the launcher and another instance starts. I never actually tried WoW with more than one instance, but in EQ i did, and all it took was to just launch the game multiple times.
 
I know, getting the other instance isn't the problem. It's getting two instances on two screens (an instance on each screen) that I can't seem to get to work. I tried what was suggested above, and that works very nicely. I have a pretty powerful machine, and I can still keep close to max FPS in each window. Immediately after I try to drag a window to the other monitor, though, it becomes a slideshow.
 
Originally posted by: DLeRium
Wow requires 2GB of ram. I will show you once I move my rig over (Opty 170, 2gb, 7800GT)
Click to expand...


Where do you get your system requirements?! WoW does not require 2GB of ram.

Stardrek just ran 2 instances of it with only 1GB of ram! Get your facts straight. :disgust:
 
In general, you only get hardware acceleration on the primary display.

I'm quite confident it isn't something you can just select in your drivers to enable acceleration on the 2nd display, someone would need to work software magic with the WoW program itself.
 
Originally posted by: alpha88
In general, you only get hardware acceleration on the primary display.

I'm quite confident it isn't something you can just select in your drivers to enable acceleration on the 2nd display, someone would need to work software magic with the WoW program itself.
Click to expand...


Ouch. I suppose two windows on the primary screen works, although I could use a bigger monitor if I'm going to do that. =P

And on a side note, regardless of how much RAM WoW "needs", I have 2GB, along with a AMD X2 @ 2.6, and a 1900XTX.
 
I don't think that is possible, to run two games simulataneously. It wont be possible to do this with WOW because of the fact that you can't login to your account in two different places, correct? Unless you're going to run another friends account via alt+tabbing your way between them and you'v got dual CPUS with lots of ram etc.. then yea you can do it.
 
Originally posted by: Looney
Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
Originally posted by: stardrek
WoW has built in support for running it more then once...all you have to do is double click on the WoW icon twice...I know you can do this via alt-tab on a single monitor, so it should be doable by alt-tabing but just keeping one instance in one window and a second instance in the second window.

Good Luck and have fun!
Click to expand...

Can you post a pic demonstrating this? This is hard to believe.
Click to expand...

Don't know why it's hard to believe. MMOs are installed in their own island, which means there's no registry settings or DLLs anywhere else on the computer (ie you can copy the game folder to another computer, and it'll run just fine). You just click on the launcher and another instance starts. I never actually tried WoW with more than one instance, but in EQ i did, and all it took was to just launch the game multiple times.
Click to expand...

Are you looney or something? If I say its hard to believe, its hard to believe! :laugh:
 
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