9 Monitor setup.

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dsaem

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Aug 9, 2012
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I have an Alienware m18x and can do 3 monitors using active display port to DVI, HDMI, and VGA. Looking at:

http://plugable.com/products/usb3-hdmi-dvi

I can add up to 6 more over USB 3.0. Has anyone done a setup like this before? any know how to get even more displays out of a laptop?
 
Intended usage scenario would be helpful as to whether this will work out for you or not performance wise.
 
(disclaimer: I work in Marketing for NEC)

One things to think about with multi-monitor setups is that TN panels can be hard to read at off angles in a display array. You should probably think about something with an IPS panel.

Also you could look at something like 3 or 4 of the ultra-wide 29" displays (ours is EA294WMi-BK) that essentially fit two 1280x1080 displays into one without a bezel in between. You'd need fewer video adapters, as long as each one can drive 2560x1080.

We also have a technology called ControlSync that allows you to control the settings up to 5 displays from one master display, so if you change the brightness on one, they all change at the same time. Combined with a human presence sensor, this has shown to be an in-demand trading workstation product.
 
Have you considered using a 4K TV, this would essentially be like getting 4 displays in one. I think a single DP could power it.
 
ArtMarshall. do you have more information on ControlSync? I could not find anything on google but it sounds cool. I do like the extra extra wide monitors.
 
I do like the 4k displays. I'll need to see what is more cost effective.
 
I agree.

I have one non gamer laptop with two displayport and one hdmi for my 3 4k tvs.
 
dsaem said:
ArtMarshall. do you have more information on ControlSync? I could not find anything on google but it sounds cool. I do like the extra extra wide monitors.
Click to expand...

We don't have a great marketing page on ControlSync yet but you can find more information on page English-26 of the EA294WMi user's manual.

There's also a short video on the ControlSync feature.

The basic benefit is that you can have one display that adjusts the settings for the other 5, which is ideal for a multiple monitor setup.
 
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For stock quotes and bargraphs, I highly recommend SEIKI 4K HDTV's instead.

39" 4K -- about $700 on amazon
50" 4K -- about $1200 on amazon

Even a single screen would display more pixels (and probably more surface area), than 6 USB monitors. You still even get faster performance even at 30Hz refresh, than over USB (which will sometimes run at a lower framerate during rapid updates, and will have far more latency and compression artifacts; interfering with readability of small text). Close runnerups are the 27" Korean 2560x1440p monitors, at $300 each, if you prefer a 60Hz (or even 120Hz) refresh rate.

Search "SEIKI 4K HDTV"
 
The problem with using more windows than monitors is that it can make for difficult window management. It's a heck of a lot easier to maximize a single window to a single monitor.

MVA is also great at angles. It doesn't have the fastest response time so I wouldn't use it for video games but I find they work well at odd angles.
 
Video software can emulate multiple monitors, you also have stacked and side by side windows options. and s
 
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