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Dual monitors

E

Eiolon

Gawd
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Messages
928
I've never setup dual monitors so forgive me.

I have a 7800GTX and my Dell 2005FPW connected to it using DVI. If I get another 2005FPW can I connect that one to the VGA connector or do I need to get a second video card?

What kind of performance impact would I be taking on games like BF2, etc. by having a second monitor connected?

Thanks!
 
yes, you can connect it using VGA. it wont look as nice, but hey! youve got some awesome dual screen action.

you have a 7800GTX and you question the possibility of a performance decrease?

if i just spent 600$ on a graphics card, itd better not stutter on me once, no matter what i throw at it.

edit: you also might want to update your sig, then ;)
 
Okay, I just wanted to make sure that nothing would go wrong and that it would work. I hate having to ALT+tab out of games to do things so I thought this would work easier for me.

EDIT: Heh, I just built my system 2 weeks ago so haven't gotten around to it.
 
well, unless its just me and my stupid queer graphics drivers, youll still have to ALT+Tab out.

but maybe thats just because im using crappy 'custom-made' drivers for my lappy. somebody w/ a true dual monitor setup can let you know about that.
 
TSS Modder said:
edit: you also might want to update your sig, then ;)
Click to expand...

Speaking of sigs how come I cant see mine or anyone elses?

EDIT: Woops I just needed to enable it in options :rolleyes:
 
mathesar said:
Speaking of sigs how come I cant see mine or anyone elses?
Click to expand...
you have to enable viewing sigs.

go to User CP, on the left side, click Edit Options. scroll down to Thread Display Options and check Show Signatures.

/off topic
 
Most games you will still have to alt-tab out of to acess any other programs running. However, you will still be able to see any programs such as IM or webpages that you have on the 2nd monitor. You just won't be able to interact them without alt-tabbing.
 
Okay, thanks for that info. I am not sure it would be worth a second monitor then if I can't interact. I'll just save my money for later upgrades.
 
^^^thats exactly that i do. i play games and view the internet on my main one, and have everything else on the second (iTunes, Trillian, Xfire, misc programs, etc...)

incredibly handy! esp w/ that kind of screen real estate.
 
TSS Modder said:
well, unless its just me and my stupid queer graphics drivers, youll still have to ALT+Tab out.

but maybe thats just because im using crappy 'custom-made' drivers for my lappy. somebody w/ a true dual monitor setup can let you know about that.
Click to expand...



Grab one of the dual-core processors. I'd think a single-threaded game would play on one core, and the OS/all the other shenanigans would run on the other core . . . or something. I may be wrong, and I am no good at explaining :p .

As for dual monitors - do it! As a warning, though - you'll never want to go back to one monitor again.
 
thats not possible. thats not how dual cores work....

but your warning at the end is very true. youll never want to go back.
 
I went dual monitor and back...and forth.

Dual monitor setups are fun, but in games it can have some issues. For example, at the end of a round in bf2, it will go back to the menu area to show the scores of the round. During this time, your mouse may be considered to be on the desktop(the non-game screen) and if you click, you'll be going through a long and frustrating alt-tab process that may crash the game.

Most games it works fine though, I like to be able to read my IMs and see winamp as I listen to music between rounds and such.
 
kelbear said:
I went dual monitor and back...and forth.

Dual monitor setups are fun, but in games it can have some issues. For example, at the end of a round in bf2, it will go back to the menu area to show the scores of the round. During this time, your mouse may be considered to be on the desktop(the non-game screen) and if you click, you'll be going through a long and frustrating alt-tab process that may crash the game.

Most games it works fine though, I like to be able to read my IMs and see winamp as I listen to music between rounds and such.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a Bug to me. I loved when I had dualies, but for LCD's I would want a dual DVI card. like my old 4600.

The great thign about having dualies in games is you can see who is talking on on teamspeak since it lights up wen tehy speak, monitor temperatres, chats etc while your playing in a game. But yes you have to alt-tab to switch back to oher applications run on the desktop. I mean in games like BF, you use the mouse to steer, so how would you be able to interact with other programs anyways?
 
With more than one monitor, I'd suggest grabbing a program like UltraMon (link). If you use it, you can set a hotkey for locking the mouse to one screen / disabling all monitors except the primary. It's handy for gaming.

As for the dual core comment, I realize I have no idea what I'm talking about :p but it sounded nice :).
 
For example, if you have AIM/Vent/IRC/Firefox/ETC on one window, and bf2 going on the other. If you click something on the first window, BF2 will minimize itself. That's if your at a menu that uses a arrow cursor, you can just move from 1 to the other in game. I hear running 2 screens while gaming can give a big hit in some instances.
 
Indeed, I'm using ultramon. Since only a few specific games give problems with dual monitors, I use ultramon to disable the second screen when playing those games. Just two clicks with ultramon to disable the second screen versus like 4 with nvidia's systray icon. It also lets me have a mirrored system tray so I can see what programs are open while the left monitor is occupied by the game.

I'm only using a 6600gt so yeah, having the 2nd monitor on will cost me 5-10 fps out of 60-70. Your mileage will vary. It's not a tremendous hit to my fps, but some games fps counts for more than others. If you've got better than a 6600gt, chances are your fps is too high for it to really matter.
 
I've been using 3 screens for a while now. Some games handle it just fine, others let the mouse cursor wander off the screen. Once in a while I run into one that won't run unless I disable the 2nd and 3rd displays.
I definately find multiple monitors to be worth it. Hell, I feel a bit clausterphobic if I try do anything other than game on a machine with a single display. I guess I'm an addict.
If you've got the slots, I'd suggest getting a card and two smaller side screens rather than a second 2405. I've been using dual setups at work since 1999 or so, and I find the 24" + 2x 19" (all CRTs) setup I have at home to be much nicer than the dual 21" CRT setups I've been using at work. The problem basically is that I find it really anoying not to have one of the screens right in front of me. When you start talking about really large screens, having one off to the side leaves the outer edge a bit too far away to really be all that useful. I keep finding the windows on my second screen at work and side screens at home tend to migrate towards the edge closest to my main screen and very often have a bit of empty desktop showing on the side screen(s) even when I have a ton of windows open.
Along with, IMHO, a better layout, a pair of 19" LCDs will also give you more screen space and more pixels for a cost <= the cost of a 24".
 
I agree with the above post -- I use a 2005FPW flanked by 172x's on either side, and I like it better than the dual 2450FPWs I used at work (alhough the pimp factor on dual 2405s is pretty high). It just feels more natural to have a main screen, then two sub-screens.

Thing is, to run three screens you'll probably have to add an extra video card (or two more, like me, because I wanted them all on DVI . . . and occasionally I run 5 or 6 monitors, just for kicks) - however, PCI cards aren't all that expensive and the experience is definitely worth it.


Edit: Minor pet peeve about Ultramon: I have to exit Ultramon entirely to play Starcraft. It messes around with the colors for some reason. Otherwise, totally worth getting.
 
zandor said:
I've been using 3 screens for a while now. Some games handle it just fine, others let the mouse cursor wander off the screen. Once in a while I run into one that won't run unless I disable the 2nd and 3rd displays.
I definately find multiple monitors to be worth it. Hell, I feel a bit clausterphobic if I try do anything other than game on a machine with a single display. I guess I'm an addict.
If you've got the slots, I'd suggest getting a card and two smaller side screens rather than a second 2405. I've been using dual setups at work since 1999 or so, and I find the 24" + 2x 19" (all CRTs) setup I have at home to be much nicer than the dual 21" CRT setups I've been using at work. The problem basically is that I find it really anoying not to have one of the screens right in front of me. When you start talking about really large screens, having one off to the side leaves the outer edge a bit too far away to really be all that useful. I keep finding the windows on my second screen at work and side screens at home tend to migrate towards the edge closest to my main screen and very often have a bit of empty desktop showing on the side screen(s) even when I have a ton of windows open.
Along with, IMHO, a better layout, a pair of 19" LCDs will also give you more screen space and more pixels for a cost <= the cost of a 24".
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Yea but it still won't support widescreen. :( I was going to go with all the same for multi sreens but now I think I might keep my MITSU/NEC 2141SB-BK CRT the screens the a widescreen LCD for the other then I will have the best of both worlds.
 
kelbear said:
Just two clicks with ultramon to disable the second screen versus like 4 with nvidia's systray icon. It also lets me have a mirrored system tray so I can see what programs are open while the left monitor is occupied by the game.
Click to expand...

With nView, it takes 2 clicks. Right click, go to nView Profiles and select. Actually, it takes 0 clicks. You can create a shortcut combo with the keyboard to load a profile.
 
As you can tell from my signature, I'm an unabashed ATi whore. However, UltraMon has a number of handy options that the nVidia drivers might not have.

Ultramon has some pretty handy tools for manipulating wallpapers. I run a bunch of screens at different resolutions, so making a pretty background is difficult. Ultramon allows you to use different backgrounds for each monitor, stretched or tiled differently, for instance - it just makes getting a decent background up a little simpler.

Also, the program gives you the ability to bind key combinations to, say, turn off a monitor, lock the mouse to a screen, flip a monitor, et cetera -- I can't give you a good list because I'm at work.

IIRC, you can download a fully functional demo from their website, good for 30 days (or something like that). I've always used it because ATi doesn't have the same handy-dandy multi-monitor features that nVidia has, at least to my knowledge.
 
TheSpook said:
As you can tell from my signature, I'm an unabashed ATi whore. However, UltraMon has a number of handy options that the nVidia drivers might not have.

Ultramon has some pretty handy tools for manipulating wallpapers. I run a bunch of screens at different resolutions, so making a pretty background is difficult. Ultramon allows you to use different backgrounds for each monitor, stretched or tiled differently, for instance - it just makes getting a decent background up a little simpler.

Also, the program gives you the ability to bind key combinations to, say, turn off a monitor, lock the mouse to a screen, flip a monitor, et cetera -- I can't give you a good list because I'm at work.

IIRC, you can download a fully functional demo from their website, good for 30 days (or something like that). I've always used it because ATi doesn't have the same handy-dandy multi-monitor features that nVidia has, at least to my knowledge.
Click to expand...

Umm, nView/nVidia drivers does all that.
 
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