Questions about Dual Monitors

[CurseTheSky]

I've been using a single monitor since I started using a computer... at 5 years old... in 1990...

To make a long story short, I've never had a need for more than one monitor before now. However, I've recently started working from home, and I'm using my home computer for office work, programming, web design, gaming, etc. It finally makes sense to add a second monitor so I can keep certain things on one window, and other things on the other.

So, being a multi-display noob, here are my questions:

1. Using Vista, if I'm running a 3D full screen game, will the other monitor go black or will I be able to keep something like a web page open on it?

2. I've seen some headaches co-workers have had with designating programs to open on a specific monitor. Can I simply force everything to open on my "main" monitor, drag them over to the secondary, and force them to go full screen from there? My goal will be to keep a text editor and FTP client open on one monitor, and multiple browsers open on the other. I may also run several virtual machines (Vista as main OS, Xp and Ubuntu as VM) using Sun's VirtualBox; I may have the main OS "open" on the main montior, and VMs on the other.

3. I'm currently using a 1920x1200, 24" monitor (Dell 2408WFP, S-PVA panel). Will there be any issues or major annoyances if the secondary monitor doesn't have the same resolution? 1920x1080 is becoming increasingly common, and I'm afraid I won't be able to find another 1920x1200 in my price range.

4. I'd REALLY like a monitor that matches my current one size wise. I see a lot of 22 and 23" monitors with 1080p resolution floating around now, and I think they'd just look funny next to my existing setup. Given a $300 budget (prefer less), what's my best bet? I realize for that price I'm pretty much stuck with TN panels (except for that Dell S-IPS... is that still around?), but I'd still like to get something pretty nice.

Thanks.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

1. dont know about vista, but in XP the other monitors' don't go blank when gaming on the primary monitor. if your game is set to your display's native res, the 2nd display stays the same. yes, you will be able to keep anything open on it including a web page.

2. yes, i'm sure there is a way to force monitors to open on the primary monitor, but i'm not sure how to do it. I never cared, most of my programs open up on the primary monitor anyway. If you want to stretch the window across both monitors you may need a program (a great one) called UltraMon. Yes, you can open up those VM programs on separate monitors.

3. no, there will definately not be any resolution problems running 2 displays with different resolutions. i'm doing the same right not: 19x12 on primary and 16x10 on the other.

4. make a separate thread asking for suggestions on a LCD. i suggest forgetting about 19x10. i love MORE resolution 1920x1200 for me. TN panels are fine to me and i've used Other types too. never really noticed the difference. TN's have gone a long way and look grweat and sharp these days.

 

[RebateMonger]

LOUISSSSS' answers match my own experiences. I've been using dual monitors since 1988 (you could run a second IBM Monochrome monitor in DESQview, a DOS multitasking program). Windows 98 supported multiple monitors and multiple video cards and so has every Microsoft OS since then.

For a work environment, I'm shocked that EVERYBODY doesn't use dual monitors. They greatly heighten productivity for most everyone.

In the gaming world, not many games support multiple monitors. The games run in the primary monitor. And, last time I checked, SLI mode doesn't like dual monitors at all.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

Originally posted by: RebateMonger
LOUISSSSS' answers match my own experiences. I've been using dual monitors since 1988 (you could run a second IBM Monochrome monitor in DESQview, a DOS multitasking program). Windows 98 supported multiple monitors and multiple video cards and so has every Microsoft OS since then.

For a work environment, I'm shocked that EVERYBODY doesn't use dual monitors. They greatly heighten productivity for most everyone.

In the gaming world, not many games support multiple monitors. The games run in the primary monitor. And, last time I checked, SLI mode doesn't like dual monitors at all.

yes, i can't believe SLI has been around for SO many years an still can't get SLI working perfectly. Crossfire is even younger and multi mon works so much better on it.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Thankfully I went with a single GTX 285 rather than dual cards this last time around, despite my SLI motherboard. SLI is a great way to get cutting edge performance (2 or 3x the cost for 10-25% gains in most cases), or a great way to get great performance for relatively cheap. It's just not for me, though - but that's another thread entirely.

I've done a LOT of research on monitors and panel types in the past (right before I bought my 2408WFP), but I don't know much about the "lower end" TN panel monitors. I'd love to have a second monitor just like this one, but I can't justify spending more than $250-300 or so.

Thanks for the responses.

 

[dev0lution]

Originally posted by: RebateMonger

In the gaming world, not many games support multiple monitors. The games run in the primary monitor. And, last time I checked, SLI mode doesn't like dual monitors at all.

SLI supports dual monitors in Windows Vista since driver release 180.

 

[aka1nas]

Originally posted by: dev0lution

Originally posted by: RebateMonger

In the gaming world, not many games support multiple monitors. The games run in the primary monitor. And, last time I checked, SLI mode doesn't like dual monitors at all.

SLI supports dual monitors in Windows Vista since driver release 180.

In addition you can have 3+ monitors with SLI active as long as the extra monitors are attached to another card that is not part of the SLI set.

 

[LokutusofBorg]

1. You absolutely can do this (I watch temps, etc. while gaming sometimes), but most full screen games will freak out if you alt tab to your other running programs. This is the same as if you were running a single monitor, it's just easier to do cause you can actually click on the other monitor. HL2 recovers fine when I switch. CoD:WaW croaks and won't come back up.

2. This depends on the program. Some remember they were on the other monitor when you close them and will reopen over there. Some programs aren't that smart. There's a couple different ways (in code) to figure out where you are on the Windows desktop and it just depends on how the programmer wrote any given program. WinSplit Revolution (freeware) is one of the best utility programs I've ever used, and I recommend it highly.

3. I make sure to keep both monitors at the same resolution because I work from home and Remote Desktop into my work computer to work. If you use the /span option then RD will let you use both your local monitors, but only if they have the same resolution. I ran dual monitors with different resolutions for over a year at my last job working in the office every day and it just annoyed the piss out of me. But I'm pseudo-OCD about a lot of stuff.

4. I have two 2408WFPs and their combined real estate was large at first, but now I love them. If you have your 2408 calibrated nicely then you're going to notice one heck of a difference if you put a TN panel next to it. Actually, you're probably going to notice a difference if you put most anything else next to it. I would recommend the 2209WA that you asked about, or just save up a bit and get another 2408. You won't regret it (as long as you buy it on sale). Or save up just $100 more and get two 2209WAs and run triple (would just need a cheapo vid card to run alongside your main one). You can still get the 2209WA for close to $200.

 

[CurseTheSky]

I thought about the picture quality / color difference between the 2408WFP and whatever TN panel I get, but I don't really have an option at this point - I need a monitor soon, and anything more is simply out of my budget

I'll probably look at upgrading it sometime in the next year or two, and hand the TN panel down to someone else. By then I'll probably be thinking about dual 30", or whatever's popular at the time.

 

[LokutusofBorg]

My "it'll suck next to your 2408" comment doesn't really apply to an IPS panel. And as mentioned, the 2209WA is still to be had for about $200. Seems like a good option if you care about the quality comparison. If you don't think you'd be constantly noticing it (I just know that *I* would) then look at one of the better 24" TNs. When I recently bought my monitors, I had my final list down to the 2209WA, 2408WFP, and the BenQ G2400WD. I've had BenQ monitors for years and they've been great. The LCD thread has lots of recommendations.

 

[CurseTheSky]

For me, it comes down to noticing my monitors don't match size / resolution wise (22", 1680x1050 2209WA vs. 24", 1920x1200 TN), or don't match quality wise (IPS vs. TN). It might sound ridiculous to some people, but hey, maybe I'm just weird.

I'll definitely check into it, though. If I'm saving that much money by grabbing the 2209WA, that might be the final deciding factor.

 

[LokutusofBorg]

Definitely not ridiculous to me. As I said, using dual monitors of different resolutions drove me batty. And when I first got my 2408s, I left one of my old 19" BenQ TNs hooked up, and for years I was very pleased with the quality of those 19" monitors, but seeing it next to my 2408 just made it unacceptable. There's no way I could have kept a TN alongside a 2408 without just going crazy trying to tweak the TN to the absolute best I could get it, and then finally giving up in disgust and buying a better second monitor.