dual monitors?

[datapimp69]

i forgot to add.

the second vid card dosent have to be anything nice.

you will just use it when in windows, i run 2 extra ati 8 meg pci cards.

you just need a good primary card, as that is all games will play on.

[e mag]

its easiest to just get a card with dual output, then you dont have to mess around with 2 vid cards.

[datapimp69]

dont let people scar you.

there is no messing around with a second vid card.

you instal the card and boot. then goto the control panel and enable the second monitor.

it can be WAY cheaper to get a second cheap monitor then a dual head card.

and there are still some problems with dual head cards. some apps dont like them as well as some games.

a bud of mine ened up riping his matrox dual head out because of them.

thats just my .02

[gibby]

Yup...during my online clanning days, the dual monitor came in handy. Sometimes I'll be playing a game on my primary monitor and at the same time, I can keep track on what's happening in IRC...so people who drop by looking for me, I was able to find out and exit the game if it was anything important.

Also, dual monitors come in handy when using programs like Photoshop. You can maximize your application window and move all the tools to the second one so you can work without having to move tools around to make space.

Like data pimp said, it's also good when you're on IRC and you have a ton of private messages going on. It allows you to browse the web without the clutter of all those windows.

In my opinion, it's just a more efficient way of working on a computer.

[devildog]

will wood- most of the time when using dual monitors, itll be setup so when the mouse gets to the end of the screen, it goes to the next monitor, its like having one really big monitor, thats how it is by default, but you can change it however you want.

the cheapest option id say is pick up a geforce fx 5200, its under 100 bucks and is pretty fast, almost as fast as a geforce ti 4600, or an ati 8500 pro. its dual head, so you can just hook 2 monitors right to it, no hassle.

[NJPaint]

Originally posted by devildog
to add to the list of cards that support dual monitors as listed above by NJPaint,

-any of the geforce fx models have 2 heads (support dual monitors)
-ati radeon 9700 and above support it as well

im sure any other new cards coming out in the future will have the option, its cheaper that buying 2 video cards (if you want a descent card)

GeForce FX series were cancelled beause they totally flopped, they have a new model out instead.

[Orange Crush]

I had a dual head video card, and let me tell you why I switched to two seperate video cards.

1. Your desktop wallpaper covers both screens, so you will need a widescreen wallpaper. (can be cool, I had one of a Star Destroyer blue print, but otherwise its a PITA)

2. Very annoying, when you maximize a window, it will cover both screens...atleast mine did anyway. This got real annoying and was ultimately why I got rid of it.

3. The task bar goes all the way across the bottom of both monitors....which puts your start button on the right monitor and the systray on the right.

All of these are livable, and you would probably get used to it, but I prefer two monitors and two cards....

[e mag]

Originally posted by Orange Crush
I had a dual head video card, and let me tell you why I switched to two seperate video cards.

1. Your desktop wallpaper covers both screens, so you will need a widescreen wallpaper. (can be cool, I had one of a Star Destroyer blue print, but otherwise its a PITA)

2. Very annoying, when you maximize a window, it will cover both screens...atleast mine did anyway. This got real annoying and was ultimately why I got rid of it.

3. The task bar goes all the way across the bottom of both monitors....which puts your start button on the right monitor and the systray on the right.

All of these are livable, and you would probably get used to it, but I prefer two monitors and two cards....

mine puts the same wallpaper for both, or i can set a different wallpaper for each, i can have it maximize a screen across both or just one (theres an extra button to maxime across both, which is convenient), and i can set the taskbar to go on just one or both. i guess it depends on the software you have, i'm using nVidia's program called nView.