2+ monitor setups.....How?

[DonRotolo]

We regularly use 2 monitor setups at work, to avoid switching from one application to another while using both to process some information.

Dual-monitor cards are used (because neither app is terribly graphics-intensive).
Don

[chris31]

I frequently use a 17inch with my laptop just so I have more room because my 15in IBM just doesnt have enough because the highest resolution the screen supports is 1024 by 768 but I can you that and the 17in with a much higher res and get enough screen space to work. What OS are you running so I can think of some programs that add some nice features for multi-screen setups.

[texasranger]

Al gore has 3 huge apple 30 inch displays connected to his mac pro.

With mac os 10.5 leopard coming out in october, you'll have spaces on top of exposé, which will make your screen a lot more organized.

[John Gutmann]

Well since Dave answered my question so simply I guess i should ask what some peoples opinions are on things. The first thing I can thinkof right now is what people feel about a 4:3 vs widescreen (9:16 or 10:16 or whatever) I cannot justify buying a 4:3 except for the fact that you can get one on newegg for just about 100$ compared to me paying 250$ for a nice Westinghouse widescreen. What do you guys think?

-John

IMHO, whatever monitor setup you pick should be based on what you do. I CAD, so I run 2 24" LCD's. I use both extensively when designing. If you just forum and AIM hop, a single widescreen is plenty.

[Gamer930]

Getting back on subject with software I believe the best and what most use at college is UltraMon.

You can do the different Background Images, Resolutions, and task bars with UltraMon.

Full list of features are at: http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/overview/

I have my UltraMon setup with 4 different profiles to fit my 19" wide screen and 19" LCD.
1. Single 19" Wide screen Monitor (For regular internet surfing)
2. Single 19" Square Monitor (almost never used)
3. Dual Display (Used for programming, video editing, office work)
4. Stretch (cool for movies and some games)

[Schnabel]

You know, I could have thought that not just any graphics card will work unless it has a special feature on it (crossfire or something like that). I'm thinking that if you don't have that, then all you can do is have the same image on every screen instead of multiple desktops. You may want to google that however.

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by texasranger

Al gore has 3 huge apple 30 inch displays connected to his mac pro.

It looks like he's busy inventing the Internets or the "al-gore-ithm"...
(oh the horror of lame jokes, lol)

Either way, that's still a sweet setup, which would totally pwn at video editing, CADding, or website development. And seeing how I frequently do all of those, I would love to have that setup, as currently I just have an older Apple CRT (which has very high screen resolution) from my ancient G4 PowerMac plugged in as a secondary monitor on my laptop (which has a maximum resolution of 1024x768).

Originally Posted by John Gutmann

Well since Dave answered my question so simply I guess i should ask what some peoples opinions are on things. The first thing I can thinkof right now is what people feel about a 4:3 vs widescreen (9:16 or 10:16 or whatever) I cannot justify buying a 4:3 except for the fact that you can get one on newegg for just about 100$ compared to me paying 250$ for a nice Westinghouse widescreen. What do you guys think?

-John

Go for widescreen. The recent trends for television and computer monitors has been moving away from 4:3 and towards 16:9 or 16:10 models.

And you're willing to spend a bit extra, find one that utilizes a DVI input, because some of the higher end monitors have additional USB and Firewire ports on the monitor itself. (Which can save you the hassle of needing a USB hub or additional PCI cards.) Dell and Apple both make monitors that have additional ports on their DVI monitors:

http://www.apple.com/displays/specs.html
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=320-4688

(Note: these monitors are usually quite a bit more expensive than generic LCD monitors, but usually Dell and Apple LCD monitors are accepted as some of the best around.)

[Schnabel]

Originally Posted by artdutra04

Note: these monitors are usually quite a bit more expensive than generic LCD monitors, but usually Dell and Apple LCD monitors are accepted as some of the best around.

I will caution you on a dell monitor as they were rated very low in a recent review I read a couple of weeks ago. They had the lowest rating on everything (I think it was consumer reports).

[Greg Marra]

Originally Posted by Schnabel

I will caution you on a dell monitor as they were rated very low in a recent review I read a couple of weeks ago. They had the lowest rating on everything (I think it was consumer reports).

A review of a single monitor doesn't say much on the brand. Each Dell monitor (and even within the same model number) can contain LCD panels from different manufacturers. Read up on whatever monitor you're looking at.

[Simon Strauss]

There are ways to get this type of setup without adding video cards.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Toshi...oductDetail.do

And tell me this isnt sexy
http://www.massmultiples.com/products/C19/c4p19d.htm

[Boydean]

The main thing to think about(for me that is) is to make sure the monitors run at the same refresh rate. I had three CRTs running at different hertz...thats one of the quickest ways to get headache.

note: This is before I found the miracle of LCDs.

[Otaku]

I run two 17" monitors piped through an ATi Radeon X800XL

Your best bet for managing them would be UltraMon (50$ iirc, 30 day trial period), which gives the secondary screens a taskbar as well and lets you manage your wallpapers better

I tell you what, it's amazing for graphic work and just multitasking in general (for instance right now I'm posting on CD, reading a conversation/chatting in IRC, and managing my music while transferring files to my laptop).

All you need is a Dual head card or additional PCI cards, and some patience (this is vital)

[John Gutmann]

Originally Posted by Otaku

I run two 17" monitors piped through an ATi Radeon X800XL

Your best bet for managing them would be UltraMon (50$ iirc, 30 day trial period), which gives the secondary screens a taskbar as well and lets you manage your wallpapers better

I tell you what, it's amazing for graphic work and just multitasking in general (for instance right now I'm posting on CD, reading a conversation/chatting in IRC, and managing my music while transferring files to my laptop).

All you need is a Dual head card or additional PCI cards, and some patience (this is vital)

Or you can get ultramon for free.....I got mine from a search on google of ultramon downloads since I didn't know where to get it. It isn't like I illegally got it off anything like limewire. But Like I said before I already know about Ultramon, I love it.

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by Boydean

The main thing to think about(for me that is) is to make sure the monitors run at the same refresh rate. I had three CRTs running at different hertz...thats one of the quickest ways to get headache.

note: This is before I found the miracle of LCDs.

I run an LCD at 60Hz and a CRT at 75Hz. No headaches here.

But then again, I've endured build season, several rock concerts, and I've hit my head a lot, so...

Originally Posted by John Gutmann

Or you can get ultramon for free.....I got mine from a search on google of ultramon downloads since I didn't know where to get it. It isn't like I illegally got it off anything like limewire. But Like I said before I already know about Ultramon, I love it.

Seeing as how you have to pay to get it from the company, downloading it for free is illegal. It's unauthorized transfer of copyrighted materials, and for the sake of CD's legality, I suggest that people keep the talk about these kinds of things elsewhere.