Multi-Monitor Setups?

[Tefeari]

How many folks at Relic Forums have multi-monitor setups? What do you do with all the extra screen space? Do you use any special software to improve the experience? How much of an improvement has it been to you over your previous setup?Do any of you use programs that work on all three screens at once?

POST PICTURES OF YOUR SETUP TOO! :Oogle: :)

I recently upgraded to a 22" Widescreen Monitor (for $300) and found it to be such a comfort for long term computer use I decided to return it and buy 3x 20" Widescreens (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824116075) ($510). This is my first experience with so much screen space (5040x1050 resolution) and I was wondering how many other folks on Relic Forums had multi-monitor setups and what they did with them.

http://tefearimpor.com/computersetup4.jpg

[PULSTAR]

Does it count as two monitors if I regularly use both my single-monitor desktop and laptop concurrently? :p

[Tefeari]

Uh.... erm... sure? XD I guess that's a multi-display setup but I was hoping to have some conversation on the additional benifits and disatvantages of multiple screens plugged into one computer. If you can fit it into the topic though that's cool :). Perhaps just how much an extra monitor/laptop/computer really adds?

It's also an interesting point to discuss: A 24" monitor is now of a similiar price as 3x 20" monitors. Is a multi-monitor setup neccesarily better?

[SquidDNA]

Tef, you're quite mad.

I have a 20" CRT and a 17" CRT. The 20" is the primary, not entirely XP supported (got it for $5 when someone moved) and doesn't handle resolution switches elegantly, but it is really bright, if slightly green by comparison to the Dell branded 17".

Currently:
http://squiddna.hwcommunity.com/dualview.jpg (http://squiddna.hwcommunity.com/dualviewfull.jpg)
Click for full resolution.

I'm browsing the forums on the main screen and using IRC on the right. This is almost always how I'm set up, unless I'm gaming, in which case IRC is still over there, but teamspeak or something might be floating too.

I've lugged the laptop over here too on occasion but it can get quite confusing when you try to use the wrong input device. I think it's superior just to be able to move the mouse from screen to screen.

[Zepherian]

I do what squid does with two 17" LCDs atm. Plan to upgrade one of them to a 24" or 30" inch sometime in the future.

[ÜberJumper]

If I had the desktop real-estate I'd have 3 widescreen LCDs too.

[Handarazuur]

http://www.ergodesk.de/eds/media/sonderloesungen/multi-monitor-arbeitsplatz.jpg

One monitor provides me with all the screenspace I need, considering I'm not a gamer or PC junkie and I only really use it for writing.

-Hand, losing this online pissing contest

[dreddnott]

Freaky, SquidDNA uses his two monitors exactly the way I do, down to mIRC on the smaller, 17" screen.

My other computer has a 21" CRT and a Wacom Cintiq 15X...not using it right now because my video setup is SLI! :P

[Chrome]

I just have one monitor, but it's a 22 inch LCD, so I feel like I'm dealing with dual 12 inch screens anyways. :D And it's so much easier on the eyes at full brightness than my 7-year old CRT--and gives me a much sharper image.

It's going to be a while before I do multi-monitor at this rate.

But my ideal setup would be one long-assed monitor curved to allow for a 3-monitor arrangement. :D I saw something like that as a concept online a while back, and I think it'd be my ideal "wide view" rig if I could've afforded such a thing.

--Chrome, also losing this contest.

[CommodoreKitty]

One shitty dell crt is my monitor works just fine for me. Never really got why you would need any more than two monitors for much more than bragging rites. I don't believe that the extra three monitors really improves your gaming performance, but, meh. But, if I wanted to, I could put four on, but they would all be crt's and would take up to much space, space that I don't have. Not to mention, I would never use it. I loose.

[SquidDNA]

Commodore, it's got little to do with gaming (although it is helpful to be able to keep an eye on IRC when playing a game) and more to do with what you're doing when you're not gaming. It's nice to not have to minimize a window every time you want to do something else.

[grdja]

Ive got 20'' wide TFT and 17'' CRT, but the CRT has to go, not enough desk space...

[Tiresias]

I have 2 monitors but normally second monitor is plugged into my 360 as I gmae with that a lot more than with my PC nowadays

[Elukka]

I'd love to get a second monitor. I do have a spare 19 inch CRT lying around, but CRTs just take way too much space.

I'll just hope small LCD displays will become dirt cheap in the future.

[Mirehn_Bielann]

Two monitors, one for chat windows and IRC so I don't have to minimize etc, the other for what I'm typing/looking at, be it a forum post or Youtube screen. Been thinking of adding a third monitor when I get a new vid card. Both are 19" LCDs.

And, it's great for SupCom!!!!! Will post a pic tomorrow when I'm not batshit tired.

[Mnementh]

http://www.planetdawnofwar.com/gallery/__phpAutoGallery__picLoaderTmp/www.planetdawnofwar.com/gallery/photos/desk/800_desk0002.jpg


Two connected to my desktop, with the laptop (well tablet) controllable via a program that lets me control the mouse/keyboard (including copy + paste) on multiple machines over the network.

Left screen houses the vista sidebar and the nvidia motherboard/gpu status monitors, and when laying supcom has the huge map.

[Vicius]

Don´t you need a gfx card whit 2 or more entry's to get dual monitor?If so what kind of gfx card you use ? I only have a 17 " monitor ,but sometimes i miss having a second one to like most of you do to use for ic ,forums ,drawing etc.

[Skyward]

I have two 17" samtron 76E CRT monitors. Takes a lot of space, but is very usefull in many things. Planning on switching to some LCD ones in the near future though.

[Plasma]

This reminds me, I have a spare spare 17" CRT kicking around..... my GF might kill me though since we lack desktop real estate for it :))

[No1lives4ever]

When using 3dsMax I could realy use a second monitor,
but considering the time I spend with the program these days it's not realy a good idea to invest in one.

So, one monitor for now.
19 inch CRT (screensize comparable to 18 inch LCD)

[Plasma]

Mnementh, nice curtains :)

[AceRimmer]

Right now, I'm stuck with a single 17" LCD (verging on two years old now), but in the future, a couple of 21" LCDs in dual screen would be very cool.

[Plasma]

Yahaar. I've set up my spare 17" crt now, its kind of groovy, Im just trying to figure out what the hell I'll do with it now :)

[Captain Pierce]

My main gaming/internet computer only has a 19" CRT, but my "video" machine is currently running two 17" CRT's, which eat up a truly staggering amount of desk space, to the point that the keyboard is practically hanging off the desk... ;) Been trying to save up the cash to get a couple of 19" LCD's for it, but lately have been thinking about going with a single 22-ish-inch widescreen instead...

Vicius--most dedicated graphics cards made in the last several years should have two monitor outputs. Most will probably have one VGA and one DVI, but they usually come with an adapter to convert the DVI over to VGA. Typically, computers using integrated graphics will only have one port, but (if they're still making them) a cheap PCI card should be able to convert it to dual monitors.

[Tefeari]

Mnementh: Nice setup! What's the software that you use for the laptop? Does it lag over the network? Is it networked via LAN or wireless?

Vicius: Most modern video cards have 2 video outputs, you can just plug a screen into each of them for a dual setup. For three screens or more you need a second videocard (SLI or PCI) or a Matrox adapter (which lets you plug 3 monitors into one video output).

[Mnementh]

Synergy: http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/ is the software I use. Very powerfull and even with both machiens on a wireless network it was fast. Now that one of them is wired its even less prone to any sort of slowdown when the network is busy. The ability to copy & paste things from one computer to another is brilliant, and it removes the need for a KVM.

Just wish I could use it in work, having two IT systems on completely seperate networks is a pain in the ass.

[ÜberJumper]

I think it's time for me to get a new desk setup.

Man I love this desk though...

DAMN YOU TEFEARI, MY MASTERCARD HATES YOU.

[lordkosc]

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c41/lordkosc/P1010032Medium.jpg

Thats my setup , its a picture from last year, and now I have the center monitor level with the other 2.

The side monitors are 19 inch Dell 1907's
The middle is a 2007FPW.

I'd of gone three 2007FPWs but I just don' t have a big enough desk... :lol:

[ÜberJumper]

LordKosc:

What are you running for video cards?

[CommodoreKitty]

That is a very neat setup you have there, wouldn't mind having that.

[lordkosc]

I have 2 video cards, a 7800GT (soon to be a 8800GTS 640M B) ) and a old Nvidia 5200 DVI - PCI card. As my mobo only has 1 PCI-e slot...

[naradaman]

Damn you guys have some cool setups. If only I had the cash and space for that...

[Harmanoff]

Indeed. But i'll be going down the two monitor route very soon. I'm getting an iMac as soon as they update(within 1-2 months ) and i'm throwing the PC out. I'll then use the 20" iMac paired with my fairly new Samsung 19" LCD. One problem i predict there is that the iMac have a higher resolution than the Samsung and that means i'll have to run it at a lower quality than possible. If this turns out to be more annoying than i anticipate i might sell the LCD and remain with a single screen instead.

I have a pretty specific reason for wanting two monitors. I do alot of mixing in Pro Tools at home and a very comfortable setup is having the mix window(looks like a regular analog mixing console sort of) on one monitor and then the editing window on the other. It gives you much better overview of whats going on in your session.

I've tried running this setup from my 15" Powerbook with the 19" as a second monitor but it was just annoying because of the difference in size and because, obviously, the keyboard is attached to one monitor. This makes for a really awkward work situation(just in case anyone actually contemplated such a crazy setup, i simply tried it because i had the extra monitor anyway). :murph:

[whats_true]

Only have one Viewsonic 20in wide screen LCD. Been looking around for a second one for a while now. Hoping to get a HD TV to hook up soon (considering i don't have a Tv at all~)

[Nurizeko]

I have two monitors.

The main is a Samsung SyncMaster 172v

The secondary is a Samsung SyncMaster 152v

The only problem is the 152v isn't plugged in or set up because I am intimidated by how the hell I go about it without duffing it up as I feel I would so inevitably end up doing.

:-\

[Alliance]

I have a whole lot of monitors, they're really big. some would say they're the largest monitors in the world.

http://library.thinkquest.org/J002558F/komodo_dragons2.JPG KOMODO MONITORS!

[Vicius]

I see ,but how does it work,do you get 2 identical desktops ,independent from one and other ,a extended desktop or what? Is it possible to get a game in one and a movie on the other or just simple apps like browser and irc. I once had a radeon 9800 whit a tv out that i used to clone the screen is it similar?

[Tefeari]

Your desktop just keeps going onto the other screen. You can play a movie in one window and do IRC in the other. You just plug a screen into a second VGA or DVI output on your card.

[Someguy]

I run a 19" and a 17" LCD at work. It works nice for work since all the real estate is nice for work production (aka work and IRC).

[Elukka]

I'm curious, how are two or more monitors used?
The desktop just keeps going onto another screen? But games tend to be fullscreen. How can you browse the net or something then? I'm confused.

[Nurizeko]

Maybe you use some downloaded help, but the impression I got was that a game runs on one screen only, not effecting the desktop on the other one?.

[Stripe7]

My normal working setup is 2 monitors, but that is because my normal setup is 2 pc's. My primary PC has a 30" Dell and 2nd PC has a 18" SONY LCD monitor. I use the 2nd PC for chats and work and the primary for my games.

[Nurizeko]

heres my set-up. The image quality sucks because I don't have a digital camera, just a cruddy web-cam with a snapshot function.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/nurizeko/dualmons.jpg

1st monitor.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/nurizeko/monitor1.jpg

2nd monitor.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/nurizeko/monitor2.jpg

nothing fancy.

Oh and one I took just for fun. Not really related.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/nurizeko/facesillohetesteve.jpg

[Dj]

I've got my 67" Samsung hooked up through S-Video as my second monitor, for gaming and watching anime. I'll try and get a picture later. :P

[ÜberJumper]

I've done the dual monitor setup before, and my current motherboard supports PCI, AGP and PCI-E Video cards, so theoretically I could have 5+ monitors (depending on how many PCI cards I'd use). Right now I've got an PCI-E 8800 GTS (dual DVI out) so I could drive up to two monitors with it. I've got a spare AGP GeForce 2 GTS 64 MB card that I could use to drive a non-accelerated desktop, but I think with Vista I'd want to have as many accelerated desktops as possible.

I'm actually considering a matrox triple head, and outputting the desktop across multiple monitors that way.

[Captain Pierce]

On the subject of dual monitor setups, anybody know an easier way to make XP put a different picture on each "desktop?" My solution was to just try and make one big 2048 by 768 image, but I never quite manage to make that work properly...

[ÜberJumper]

http://www.wallpapertool.com/index.htm

Try that.

[roflmao]

Only one.... I am a sane person :P.

*drools*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Us-OaSNo0

[Corsix]

I use UltraMon with my two monitors to do nice desktop thingies and a seperate taskbar for each monitor.

[Chrome]

roflmao that youtube had me sitting here with my jaw hanging out.

Nice find. :)

I remember somewhere a site that did these awesome multi-monitor displays where the frames of the monitors were so thin as to make the whole rig look quite seamless. They weren't cheap, but my God did they look droolable.

However, I'd just want one big curved flatscreen that gives me a 180-degree viewable desktop. :D

[Deionarra]

Damn you guys and all your monnies. :p

I think I lose this one, I have a single 21" wide screen monitor with 2 PCs and my cable TV input going into it so I have to keep switching inputs. At least it can do PIP.

[Skyward]

I use UltraMon with my two monitors to do nice desktop thingies and a seperate taskbar for each monitor.

Thanks, i've been looking for somthing like that for some time now.

[Archangel of Death]

I had two monitors a few months ago... that is until running the onboard video and a separate pci vid card plus extra drives coupled with a springtime heat wave made my powersupply give up the ghost, along with at least my mobo and usb wireless adapter.

I miss those dual monitor days... throw all my modding tools and IRC on the right screen, run a game on the left... ah, good times.

I'll have 2 again one day! As soon as I get some money to dump on a good power supply and new graphics card. (Already replaced everything else)

[Rafta]

I changed from a dual monitor system to a single 27" display and it rocks :D

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i107/Raftaman/display.jpg

[ÜberJumper]

Ultramon's awesome, but it's a bit pricey... haha what am I saying, it's like 30 bucks and with a multimonitor rig you'd be paying thousands!

[LionRed]

Actually I have 2 computers with Dual monitors. I use Multiplicity to be able to control both computers with on one key/mouse over LAN

[The Collector]

Update, I dug up a 15" and paired with my 17", so I've got AIM on one and internet on the other.

[Cy_Revenant]

For a while I had two monitors, 15" LCD for internet browsing, 17" CRT for irc, with PuTTY full screen on it.

But recently I switched to a smaller desk and had to say goodbye to the 17" :(

[Sir Plasma]

I've got a shiny new 15" dell, and some god-awful daewoo 10-incher. The daewoo won't even hook up to the computer as its insertion thing is too small. anybody know where I can find an adapter?

[Blade44]

ive got a 19" LCD and a 17" CRT and a 27" tv. tv is in another room though so i can use my computer as a mulitimedia computer. having 2 monitors is so great, i cant stand not having it. i love being able to play games, and still be able to see vent, aim, msn, xfire and anything i want to have up without tabbing out.

[Hyperian]

laptop counts as another monitor right :) i got 3. wait my treo! i got 4 :jig:

http://home.comcast.net/~vashi16281/mysystem2007.jpg

[Mac_Bug]

I see you took out the family photo to the right wall and still has that printer hyp

[Hyperian]

I see you still think about the sister that i dont have mac.