Dual Monitors: What are the uses?

[chess9]

Ok, I'm dying to get a Matrox G400 with dual heads so I can try out the dual monitor schtick. But why? Why will I be happy? I don't do any graphics work, but do a lot scanning of docs. Other than that, I'm just your average power user.

So, why are the Matrox dual heads so popular?

 

[T2T III]

I saw a dual monitor setup at a computer shop about a year ago. On one monitor, the person had several small stock monitoring windows (tickers) opened up. On the second monitor, he was running his regular Windows applications.

I think this setup is pretty neat - provided you have a true use for both monitors.

 

[Czar]

Its very practial... you can have on one screen the Anandtech Forums that updatets every 5 mintues and then on the other you can play solitare full screen.

 

[chess9]

Thanks guys! Jeesh, Czar, you sold me!

So, I take it you can select which app to put on which monitor? For instance, I'd like to put email on one and everything else on another. Is that ok?

 

[Czar]

It is just like you have two desktops and you can drag whatever you want on the other screen. Then you can set the second display to dualheadmax and let it play your DVD movies full screen or whatever video the card accelerates, like AVI and MPEG files.

 

[SSP]

You should also look in to the Geforce2 MX. Its a bit faster then the G400, and cheaper @ 120 bucks. Also it comes with Twin view (basically copy a of dualhead). It?s supposed to be better then what Matrox offer now (2nd Ramdac).

Check out anands review.

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1266

Benches you can compare the G400 Max vs Geforce MX
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1266&p=11

EDIT - Before Zipster jumps on my case, the G400 + dual head is a great card, but the MX can do the same for a lower price.

 

[GreenGhost]

I think if you spend the day working in front of a computer you will find some uses. For example, I use visual studio all day and that alone requires all the screen you have. Checking emails, word processor, anandtech, etc, require many clicks on the minimize/maximize buttons. Annoying. Two monitors would be perfect for me. I'd keep the Studio in one, test and do wathever in the other. I used a 2-monitor system around 1992, and later multiple desktops on the same monitor that would change at the click of a button. That was a cheap and effective solution, but I'll forget applications running on the invisible desktops chewing up resources. This was one of the many other neat ideas that never were adopt by Windows.

Cheers,

GreenGhost

 

[Rogue]

I would still like to see a 9 monitor setup. That is the max. that Win98 supports. The most I could see possible would be 8 using an AGP G400 and then filling up 6 PCI slots (if your mobo has 'em!) with something like a Voodoo3 PCI or a TNT2 PCI card. That would be a lot of frickin' monitors!

 

[chess9]

SSP: The GeForce2 MX requires an external Ramdac for the second crt monitor. I have two crt monitors! Wonder how much that will cost? But performance is on par with the original GeForce, which is pretty phenomenal when you think about it. Thanks for the heads up on that one.

 

[Czar]

chess


<< The GeForce2 MX requires an external Ramdac for the second crt monitor. >>


The MX has an external RAMDAC so it doesnt need it, the G400 doesnt have an addidional RAMDAC so it shares the 300mhz or 360mhz ramdac. the G450 on the other hand has two Ramdac's each for each output

 

[chess9]

SSP and Czar: If you are saying that it will work out of the box with two CRT monitors then it is a done deal. But Anand's article appears to say otherwise. It needs a SECOND external RAMDAC.

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1266&amp;p=6

 

[chess9]

Also, that card is NOT on the shelves yet. I couldn't find it in Pricewatch. I assume Anand had a manufacturer's sample from Invidia.

 

[chess9]

double post. ugh!

 

[flenn]

Easy. Porn on one. Porn on the other. Twice the porn!

 

[SUOrangeman]

I like maximize windows. With my two-display systems at home and at work, I can be twice as productive (LOL). Well, that's the argument I use.

Remember that scene in Star Trek IV (I think), where Spock is taking four tests at once? That's me with two displays.

-SUO

 

[chess9]

SUO: I'll take your word for it. I'm not a Star Trek fan, but I like the twice as productive argument. I'll use that on my wife!

 

[SSP]

I'm not sure if it has the external dac included, but I think its more to do with the board manufactures choice. I think they probably will have it out of the box.

 

[wars]

I leave one monitor w/ my mail client open and the other I use for viewing web pages. It's also very useful when your typing a paper and you're pulling a source from the internet.

wars
--------------------------------
Hail to the King, Baby -Ash

 

[Duckers]

may I ask something here ?

By running dual monitors, wouldn't both monitors display exactly the same images ?

 

[SSP]

Duckers, that?s the great thing. With dualhead (and Twin view), you can have 2 monitors displaying 2 different things. Read some of the posts on this thread. Some people talk about how they use Dual head feature.

 

[flenn]

Just an FYI, you don't have to have &quot;Dual Head&quot; or &quot;Twin View&quot; to use dual monitors (and display two different things). Any $15 PCI vid card will do. As a matter of fact, there are advantages to running to seperate vid cards over the G400. I've posted about this in other threads.

 

[khat]

I have one monitor situated in normal computer position, and the second siting at the end of my bed (pc in bedroom) for DVD purposes.

I like!

KHAT

 

[chess9]

Flenn: You mean if I insert a cheap pci video card while I have an AGP card the system will use both cards? Now there is a great solution. What additional benefits, in short, do you get from that arrangement? Of course, you do use up a pci slot.

 

[chess9]

SSP: No cards are on the market yet, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what is actually implemented in the final product.

 

[Rogue]

chess9,

The use of another slot on your mobo is really the only down side. I'm sure most of us have old video cards laying around. Hell, I used an old S3 Virge (3D decelerator card) as my secondary display. If it can reach 1024x768 at 16-bit color, it's more than enough for me as a secondary card.