with 4 17" monitors what are my video card options ??

[Soulkeeper]

just wondering which cards can support 4 monitors at 1600x1200 ??
thanks

 

[Soulkeeper]

would you all rather have 4 1600x1200 17" monitors and a video card to support them ?

or would you rather have 2 21" good monitors and my current GF4 ti4800 ?

 

[Alptraum]

Heh, I wouldn't want either since I prefer LCDs. Though I do have two 21" CRTs. They are on seperate systems though. But if I had to choose between running four 17"s or two 21"s I would go with the 21"s.

First off, four monitors is just more then I want to pay attention to off one comp. I think three would be the most I would want to deal with, and thats pushing it. Two would be more my style.

Also, I don't know of any cards that support 4 monitors. You would most likely have to run a PCI card for one or two of the four (depending on wether or not your AGP did 2 or 3 monitors). There are some cards that will support three monitors, and lots that support two.

 

[JonnyBlaze]

matrox has some cards that support 4 displays. check them out


JBlaze

 

[Soulkeeper]

MATROX Parhelia Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, Dual DVI, 8X AGP, Model "PH-A128R" -RETAIL
is that worth $350 ??

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Soulkeeper
MATROX Parhelia Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, Dual DVI, 8X AGP, Model "PH-A128R" -RETAIL
is that worth $350 ??

That won't support four monitors.

Give me an idea of what you're trying to accomplish with the quad-monitor setup, and I'll prescribe an appropriate treatment. I'm thinking AGP/PCI combo - the AGP being a heavy-duty card and the PCI being more 2D-oriented.

- M4H

 

[Soulkeeper]

so if i took my current GF4, that supports two monitors, and added two pci video cards then i could have 4 monitors ?

would windowsxp support this ?

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Soulkeeper
so if i took my current GF4, that supports two monitors, and added two pci video cards then i could have 4 monitors ?

would windowsxp support this ?

Just add a single dualhead PCI card - like a PCI gF2/4MX. WinXP will support that effortlessly.

- M4H

 

[ponyo]

You're going to go blind trying to run 1600x1200 on a 17" CRT. I don't know any 17" that can do 1600x1200 at an acceptable refresh rate. Just thinking about it makes my eyes hurt.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Naustica
You're going to go blind trying to run 1600x1200 on a 17" CRT. I don't know any 17" that can do 1600x1200 at an acceptable refresh rate. Just thinking about it makes my eyes hurt.

You need to look into some CAD/CAM high-end monitors then.

- M4H

 

[yhelothar]

The highest end 17" monitors should be able to do 1600x1200 @ 75Hz if not 85Hz

well I'd go with dual 21".
I'm using it right now and it's a wonder
pics of my dual 21"

 

[Aso]

You can do four monitors with just one Matrox G200 video card. Matrox says you can run 4 of these cards off one driver and have 16 monitors if you really want.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Aso
You can do four monitors with just one Matrox G200 video card. Matrox says you can run 4 of these cards off one driver and have 16 monitors if you really want.

Problem is - and the reason why I didn't suggest it to start - each G2 chip has that whopping power of DX5 compliance and that monstrous 8MB of RAM. Unless he does strictly 2D work, it's going to be a little lacking in the power department.

- M4H

 

[Soulkeeper]

if these were your choices which would you choose?

2 veiwsonic 19" 1600x1200 crt monitors

1 viewsonic 21" 2048x1536 crt monitor

1 19" 25ms 1280 x 1024 lcd monitor

4 17" 1280 x 1024 cheesy crt monitors and a pci vid card


keep in might that Trading Stocks, web browsing, and gaming are my prime concerns. I want lots of room and good look

 

[Tab]

2 Dell 2001 FPs

 

[Soulkeeper]

yeah but that is over twice what i am looking to spend

 

[Alptraum]

Originally posted by: Soulkeeper
yeah but that is over twice what i am looking to spend

Well, keep in mind that =

I want lots of room and good look

and a total budget that looks to be in the $500 range don't go together very well.

Having said that I think out of those choices your best mix of decent quality and screen real estate would be the two 19" CRTs. Do you have a hard limit on your budget? If so what is it? There are some decent 19" CRTs that can be had for cheaper then those viewsonics. And some 19" LCDs nicer then that Sceptre, at a higher price then it as well. You may also want to consider two 17" LCDs. What are you looking to spend? Since the two 19"s come pretty close to $600 you might want to look at a single high quality 21" CRT as well. I have a Sony G520p and Mitsu 2040u and they are both quite nice, though I don't like them as much as my LCD.

Lol, its late, and I am rambling now.

 

[Soulkeeper]

thanks for all the advice
yeah i guess i am looking to spend under 600
i might be getting a new processor too
kinda wanted a new hard drive too but figured i couldn't afford it now

 

[beatle]

I'd go with dual 19s. If you REALLY want the space down the road, you can add a 17 and a PCI card on the cheap. You'll definitely want something bigger than a 17 for games.

I personally don't like 1600x1200 on my 19" Hitachi (and it does it @ 85Hz). I run 1280x960 on it, and 1024x768 on my 17. 1600x1200 on my 17" Hitachi (fairly high end in its time) is just outrageously small.

 

[Alptraum]

Originally posted by: Soulkeeper
thanks for all the advice
yeah i guess i am looking to spend under 600
i might be getting a new processor too
kinda wanted a new hard drive too but figured i couldn't afford it now

Well, NewEgg has the Samsung 955df for $175 right now. You could get two of those and have around $250 left to play with. With your budget I think two 19" CRTs are going to give you the best mix of quality and screen real estate. If you wanted to get two higher quality 19" CRTs I would get the Mitsubishi 930sb, they are $298 a peice. In addition to my Mitsu 2040u I have an old 900u (a few generations back from the 930sb) that has been going strong for something like 5 or 6 years. That and the 2040u have served me very well for years.

But if you want to try to get some other upgrades with that money I would say go with the two Samsung's. They are not the best 19" out there but you get a lot for that price. I have a few friends that have them and they also seem to be a favorite recommendation on this board. And two of those leaves you with some money for other things.

 

[Soulkeeper]

one other thing i was wondering about
i noticed that 21" monitors claim to have 20" viewable
yet 22" monitors claim to have 20" viewable too
what's the deal with this ??

 

[Alptraum]

Originally posted by: Soulkeeper
one other thing i was wondering about
i noticed that 21" monitors claim to have 20" viewable
yet 22" monitors claim to have 20" viewable too
what's the deal with this ??

Marketing basically. Same viewable size = same viewable size.

 

[ponyo]

Go w/ two 19" CRTs. Four 17" CRTs at 1024x768 would just take up too much deskspace.

If you are a full-time trader, then spend some money and get dual 2001FP or 213T.

 

[beatle]

Wow, double post almost 8 hours apart!

 

[Soulkeeper]

haha thanks everyone