Dave Naylor was asking me today on our Daily SearchCast podcast about whether he should stick with one monitor or jump to two. My response? Go for three! I’ve used three monitors for about two years now, and I’d never go back.
It all started when I bought a new computer with a video card that had two outputs, digital and analog. I used the digital for my new 17″ LCD, but I wondered if I could get an old monitor going on the analog card. So I set my old 20″ CRT to one side, plugged it in and was amazed at how I could expand my desktop.
Honestly, if you’ve never used a multi monitor setup in Windows, it really does feel like magic. Using the Settings tab of your Display Properties, you can choose to extend your primary desktop onto the other monitor. And then that’s what happens. You have a super big desktop, where if you pick up something, you can drag if from one monitor and drop it onto the other.
The only problem with using two monitors I found was that my neck started hurting from looking only ahead or to the right. I figured if I got a third monitor going on my left hand side, I’d be moving my head around in various directions, avoiding any pain.
The alternative, I suppose, would have been to have had two monitors right next to each other in front of me. But I disliked this idea, because then my main natural viewing area directly ahead would be gone. I’d always be looking slightly to the left or right.
My bright idea meant purchasing two more 17″ LCD monitors plus another video card, so I’d have three outputs in all. It was worth the money. I couldn’t believe how much more productive I was. In my middle screen, I could write. On one of my other screens, I could read about something new happening. And on my third screen, I could test out what was being described. It was fabulous.
I recently graduated to 20″ LCDs for reasons I’ll explain more below (along with twin Nvidia gaming cards, handy if I ever want to link them together and run them as a single super accelerated card for games. I’ll never do that, but it’s nice to know I can). Here’s how the current setup looks:
I quickly found I needed two more purchases to make things fly to really do well with a multimonitor setup. The first was Ultramon, which I’ve written about before. It allows me to have a taskbar for each of my computer screens.
For example, currently on my main central monitor, I have FrontPage open. I also have my Outlook email window open. Both show on my taskbar on the middle screen. If I select one of the applications, I can switch to it.
Without Ultramon, Windows stupidly would put the applications I have open on my left and right monitors also on my main central window’s taskbar (my Outlook Calendar, Firefox, Paint Shop Pro, a few others would all show up). That’s because my other monitors wouldn’t have their own taskbars. Ultramon corrects this. In addition, it makes it easy to shoot any application from one screen to another. For instance, look at this:
See the two buttons to the left of the normal minimize, maximize and close window buttons? If you click on the one with the little arrow, that Choose Monitor window pops up that you can also see. Then click on the monitor you want to send a window to, and it magically moves over there.
The other key element is a good monitor stand. I’m appalled at the state of LCD stands. The new 20″ Dell monitors I bought late last year can’t be elevated to the height to match my eyes for good viewing. My old 17″ LCD monitors were worse. After some searching those years ago, I ended up going for an Ergotron base, a DS100 Triple-monitor Desk Stand. They aren’t cheap.
NOTE: Aside from the Ergotron monitor stand, which I’ll describe further, here are some other stands sold via Amazon (and FYI, if you purchase via these links, I earn a little on the sale. The Ergotron link above also takes you to Amazon)
I love the base except for two key problems. First, there’s no storage on it. Moreover, it’s got this weird peaked shape. If you look at my picture above, you’ll see the junk I’ve piled on it. Each pile leans slightly downhill. I wish they’d just made the thing flat, so my stuff wouldn’t slide off.
More important, the monitors can’t be tilted naturally in the way I’d like. Look at this:
– sorry, the picture’s now gone from the Ergotron site –
OK, that’s from the Ergotron site and shows you how they think the monitors should be set-up. Look nice a pretty, all seamless, right? And I can make my monitors look this way. The problem is, while it looks pretty, it’s uncomfortable to view them. The left and right hand monitors can’t be viewed directly straight on. In other words, I can’t turn my head and be looking straight at one of the side monitors. I literally have to turn in my chair and lean slightly to do this, to get a more comfortable viewing angle.
Here’s a closer up example from my own setup, before adjustment:
You should be able to see what a very slight bend the right monitor is on. It’s not tilted/angled in a way that both your eyes can look at it from exactly the same distance. Trying to look at it just isn’t comfortable. Now the monitors can be adjusted. You can set them up so that you can tilt them inward or outward from you, IE, adjusted horizontally. But look at this picture:
Notice how the top of the monitor leans more forward than the bottom? It’s incredibly annoying. Nor is there any reason for it to happen. These are standard VESA mounts. A monitor on them should be perfectly aligned between the top and the bottom. There should be no lean at all. OK, so why not just tilt the top back a bit. You can’t. The mount can either tilt horizontally or vertically, not both. Here’s an example with the vertical tilt setup:
If you go with this, sure, you can make sure the monitor doesn’t lean forward. However, then you’re back to the original problem of the monitor not being comfortable to view because it’s not tilted properly toward you horizontally.
I contacted Ergotron originally about this, but they were no help. In the end, I figured it must be a problem on my end and solved it by using washers. I shoved a bunch of washers under the bottom part of the mounting plate to help adjust for the bad angle. It works OK, enough that I’ve lived with it.
A few months ago, I upgraded my monitors, as I said. I discovered in doing so that it wasn’t a monitor problem on my end. Once again, the monitors leaned forward. This is just a badly designed mount. I ought to be able to adjust in all directions, horizontal and vertical. At the very least, if the monitors are set up with the sliding-bow pivot you see here, then they certainly shouldn’t be tilting forward as they do.
It’s also not just me. I was visiting a friend in California a few months ago. She had a dual Ergotron mount and her monitors did the same tilting thing as mine, tilting forward at the tops. She was also just as annoyed as me. But also like me, she lived with it because overall the mount is good compared to the relatively few other choices that seem to be out there.
I did contact Ergotron a second time after getting my new monitors in place, but once again, there was no help. I’ve been meaning to write up this up to visually explain it to them, so maybe there will be more luck.
FYI, top of my tech wishlist? I’d like a laptop that has a second screen that you could unfold. Forget tablet PC. Give me a laptop with two monitors, one that you can swing out when you have extra space but fold away when on an airplane. Going back to one screen is so hard — a laptop like that would be awesome.
{ 187 comments… read them below or add one }
Dear Danny
when you connect 3 monitor using 2 graphic cards? Do you have 2 vga connection and 2 dvi connection?
if that is so, the monitors can be connected using 2 vga and 2 dvi output. i might need a good monitor by using the dvi output. am i right?
regards
mac
It depends on the cards. If you use two cards, and they both have VGA and DVI outputs on them, you can use both outputs on one (if the card supports that, some don’t) and which every one you prefer o n the other.
I used two iball USB multimonitor support.. to connect two additional monitors… It creates problem (blue screen issues) in vista even with new updates for the display link software.. But it works fine with XP.
it doesn’t matter how you connect your monitors,(vga dvi whatever) as long as they connect!
this is really simple
count how many graphics outputs you have on the back of yopur p.c.
thats how many monitors you can have
just connect them up , power them up and turn the pc on
go to desktop display, whatever op’ sys’ you have and fiddle about with the position and size of the displays
you can’t break anything and if you do do something wrong, just wait 15 secs and windows will revert to the previous settings
you have to try things to learn, thats how every one else does it
The number of outputs doesn’t equal the number of monitors you can drive. For example, I looked at a computer once that had DVI, HDMI and VGA outputs all on one card. Only two of them worked at one time — the VGA and/or one of the digital outputs, HDMI or DVI.
But yep, experimenting is great.
okay,
i didn’t take into account hdmi out puts, tv out or anything other than vga or dvi
my error
Hey,
I need a Desktop on which i want to connect 4 to 6 Displays, Like You Have Used 3 Displays in the above article. I need to know what hardware is required to make this possible and what motherboard will be best for the support for 6 Displays.
six screens mmm!
well forget about hdmi or really any outputs other than dvi or vga( hdmi is for tv’s really) you will want a motherboard that will support two graphics cards and have onboard gpu as well, that’s not going to happen. Why ? well onboard gpu is not for serious gamers and twin graphics cards are. So what to do…. there are some motherboards that take three graphics cards(the intention is to run 3x crossfire/sli) but you dont have to connect them together. (I use dfi (allways do, allways will) that has two pcie slots but i don’t connect them together(crossfire) and 2 hd 4850 cards to run 4 screens (3x 22 plus projector))
Basically you nead 1 graphics card for every 2 screen. Allways get the same make ATI or Nvidia as the drivers may not get along with each other.
For normal office work, watching movies or occasional games i found that HD 4650 were well good enough. Why have i gone to HD 4850, ‘cos I had twolying around and had nothing better to do for ten min’s one morning.
I would think the hardest part about six screens is finding a mount for them all without having another mortgage….
let me know how you go on.
Standard drivers (ati, nvidia and windows(all versions) are all you need, but you might like to play around with “ultra mon”
Thank u so much dear. Could you suggest which motherboard, graphic card and processor to use for my new pc..
Hey btw i dont know if its already been mentioned but your screens, at least the right and left one can be adjusted so they face up. Your attachment that holds the monitor on the arm of the stand can go both horizontally and vertically. The one that you have vertical right now is actually facing more upwards the both the center and left screen. so consider switching the left screen one so that its also vertical and then trying to adjust them. Once again good luck with the setup but i thought I would point that out.
Shrey Marwa,
how much do you want, or are willing to, spend?
what do want to use this system for?
have you any preference for any particular manufacturers of components?
what op’sys’ do you want to use?
have you got the monitors?
i need more info.
Hey dude! Classy setup!! Very nice! So in addition: you went out and bought another graphic card to fit it ito the PCI slot, right? From there on, how did it go configuring the drivers and such so that all monitors do not conflict?
Thanks.
My laptop has both a vga and dvi output, in addition to the laptop screen itself. I can hook up two additional monitors to the laptop, but windows won’t recognize three at a time in “display settings”. My computer came with extra display setup software specifically for my card, but was erased during a recent reformat, and I can’t find it anywhere. Are there any good programs that will force the recognition of the third monitor? Thanks in advance
please every body listen
if you get all the same gpu makes (i.e. ati or nvidia, that includes the onboard gpu) then there are no driver issues or conflicts.
As to the laptop problem same goes….. what make of gpu is it in the laptop, go to that site and get the correct drivers.(clue.. if the screen will only play on the laptop in low resolution modes (800×600) but not high res (1280×1024 or better) then you probably haven’t got the right drivers.Also what spec’ is the laptop, if it doesn’t use a a seperate gpu you could be pushing it too hard.
what op’sys’ are you trying and what are you trying to use as 2nd and 3rd monitors..if it’s a tele then you are looking at a host of other problems that involve the tele not set up right…
come on people its not that hard
Hi there
I currently run a nvidia GTX 460 and a 9500GT. My intension was to use the GTX via DP for my 24″ main screen and the 9500 via DVI for two 21″ left and right of it. I don’t want to run games over all three screens,
but the space for 3D, Image and Video edit.
But if I connect the third screen (21″), my main screen disconnects.
I can see all three monitors in the display setup, but can’t activate more than two of it. I also tried Ultramon, but it doesen’t change a thing.
Is it really true that running three monitors under Win7 needs two graphic cards of the same type? No way to get it running with the two cards I have?
Many thanks an advance! Greateful for every hint.
hi
1 i assume DP stands for display port. i have no experience with a dp but know you need a special monitor for these
2 what happens if you don’t use the dp but either the dvi or vga from the gpu. try it. if it works you know its something to do with the dp settings
3 you don’t have to use two gpu’s for 3 or 4 monitors if your motherboaord has onboard gpu, however you should use the same make of graphics card as the onboard gpu just to stop driver conflicts
4 graphics card should be of the same make (i.e. nvidia or ati) they don’t have to be the same model number. (e.g. an ati 4870 and an ati 4650 work fine together, however an ati 4850 and an nvidia 9800 crash) at least in my experience.
p.s. what m/b are you using?
p.p.s. i stopped using nvidia a while back because
1 the drivers, especially under sli, where rubbish
2 ati are cheaper, faster and don’t sound like a harrier jump jet
my system is in a cupboard under a desk, and even when stressed you have to open the door to hear it
Thanks for answering!
1 Yes, DP = Displayport.
2 I use a NEC PA24W as main monitor for 100% (almost) Adobe RGB.
To achive this, I have to connect it via displayport..
But I guess I test it with DVI just to make sure it isnt the DP
connection.
3 I dont have onBoard graphic.
4 I run the same driver for both cards, its the latest.
With m/b you mean mainboard? If so, I use a Intel BadAxe2
http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/d975xbx/
I have to use nvidia, because I want to run vray gpu, a renderengine for gpu rendering. It supports only nvidia cards. For the same reasons I need as much RAM on the gpu as possible, which is 2GB in my case.
The 460 isn’t as bad (noise) as the 470/80 and also does not get that hot under full load. Another important point, considering that the card will be under full load for a long time (rendering).
Conclusion: In theory my setup should work?
hi
yes i don’t see why it doesn’t work, let me know how you go on.
there are other ways of connecting monitors, e.g. you can get usb to dvi converters. never tried one- sounds messy and complicated to me
best luck
not only do they need to be the same manufacturer they also need to be the same generation to use the same driver files. yours are not so will not work.
ati’s are no way as good for pro rendering applications (cheaper for simple game triangles though)
for your work i suggest 2 identical cards, do it right if you don’t want issues. (many card codes will be different but the underlying driver is the same). cheap=headaches.
Hi guys
Its probably the drivers. If I connect all screens via DVI, it works!
But as expected, I loose the color profiles of the NEC that way.
I contacted the Zotac support. As it seems they have no expierience with displayports, so they will ask nvidia for new drivers.
Thanks for your help!
hi Mark
1 what bit is the zoltac?
2 if i connect the pc in the conservatory by dvi or vga to the samsung tv and the resolution is not correct, then the screen goes blank.(okay with hdmi).In your case, maybe when you connect three screens. the default order is changed and the resolution sent to the 24 is out of
range. As all monitors will accept basic 800×600 resolution ( i assume this also applies thru D.P.) try setting all outputs to this. If all three work at 800×600 then thats the problem and you can adjust resolution one at a time. If you get one that doesn’t work then after 15 secs it will revert back to the previous setting.
best of luck
hi Joe
cards may have to be the same generation with nvidia, but that is not the case with ati. E.g. i have a pc that runs a 4870 pci and a 9600xt (that is old) I used to be a strong nvidia supporter up untill recently, but i gave up on them as i have a central heating system in the house and the house is warm enough if you get my meaning
Present system
Antec 300
Enermax modular 700
Dfi Lanparty
Q9300 at 2.7 gig
4gb ram (crucial)
2X500 sata2 in raid zero (thats why the floppy)
2x ati 4850
3 monitors and 1 over head projector
floppy and card reader
windows ultimate 64 or xp 64
running temp under stress never above 45 degrees and hang i’ll open the cupboard door to see if its on as i can’t hear it
sons system is similar exept cpu runs at 3.0 gig, 8 gig ram. 4 hd’s in raid and 2 4870 together
5$ software to control dual monitors can be really useful to control and manage dual monitors. The Software’s name is MurGeeMon and has really lots of features worth looking if using dual monitors. The Software is available at http://www.murgee.com/MurGeeMon/
danny,
cool setup, i have 2 monitors next to each other as well, but i just got a tv(which is above my 2 screens) and i tried to setup a third screen.
my computer has 3 outputs for screens but it doesnt recognize the third screen.
i already tried plugging in the tv in stead of one of the two screens. That works, so its not the tv, what im trying to figure out is how to get all three at the same time, i have a nvidia card.
hi erik
your pc has three monitor outputs.
where are they (all on one card,on two seperate cards, onboard?)
it maters.
There just in the comp. so i guess onboard
btw thnx for the quick reply
hi erik
i take it from your reply your not exactly a computer nerd
is it a standard pc, or something different like a media player or something totally hopeless like a dell?
im normally pretty much of a comp. nerd.
but when it comes to stuff like hardware and video cards.
im not so experienced.
its a standard gaming x comptuer but i do have a a high video card
hi erik
okay
how did you connect three monitors at once, where did you plug them in to?
what gpu is it?
what m/b is it?
what make pc is it?
i plugged 2 in a vga output and 1 in a dva output(the second vga isnt working)
i dont know the rest
the pc is an HP
hi
how can you plug 2 in 1 vga output. thats 2 plugs into 1 socket
no what i mean is i have 2 vga outpu
t and a dvi, the second one isnt working, and the dvi is working
hi
how many of these sockets(and which ones) are on the graphics card(gpu)
i want to purchase a laptop and i want to connect 6 displays with it for my stocks work, so i need help, how can i connect 6 displays with it, is there any external hub to do so? which laptop would be the best?
hi shrey
6?
do you want them all to show the same (clone) or all different (extended)?
personally the only time i would ever buy a laptop is to watch videos on the move….they are expensive, unreliable and if you need one for stock or something similar you should be buting a decent desktop pc with built in redundancy like raid 1 so as to protect your data in the event of system failure or crash….but thats just me (i have a sony vaio just because it was a present but even at nearly 1500 quid, between you and me, its not a patch on a desktop)
want to extend it for different displays at the same time.
thnx fr ur reply
actually i travel alot, so i cant keep my stock software data on desktop, i have to make it with a laptop.
how do i check the amount of sockets on gpu(lol)
do u know something abt the external vga multiplier?
erik
to check the number of sockets on you r gpu you look
frankly your questions are so basically simple i think you are just taking the piss
shrey
never heard of an “external vga multiplyer”, but by the sound of it, it is just going to clone your screen multiple times. you appear to know more about it than i do
Hey, what cheap graphics card do you recommend for a three monitor setup? Four years at least I see since this is possible and still they’re trying to get me to buy an expensive card for this, when quite clearly there’s probably a cheap alternative. I’m using Vista. There’s gotta be an option, man!
hi jiri
it all depends on what motherboard you are using
tell me that and then i can direct you better
Hey thanks for the quick response. My motherboard according to Belarc Advisor is
Main Circuit Board:
Board: PEGATRON CORPORATION Benicia 1.01
Serial Number: MS1C8AR63505842
Bus Clock: 1333 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. 5.30 09/05/2008
and the previous card, I cant find it right now, but I remember it’s qute important to define whether its PCI express compatible or whatever etc.
I was using an Nvidia before, is it true you cant use ATI where you recently put an NVidia? Doesnt matter what I get, but the only cheapies for three monitors ive found up till now were ATIs, NVidia are reported to be tremendously buggy with this aim in mind
hi jiri
forget what you have been told
neither nvidia nor ati are better or worse at running three screens
you can do it two ways
1 graphics card and on booard graphics, but you must use the same make of card as your motherboard uses
2if you have a crossfire or sli board then two graphics cards of the same make
i don’t recognise your motherboard (nor does google)
google cpuz and download it, this will tell you the motherboard, then tell me
its not hard really to run multiple monitors, most people just can’t see the wood for the trees
is by chance your pc an hp?
it certainly is an hp, how did you guess lol
in fact, i posted my specs at the hp forum a few hours ago:
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Monitors-and-video/How-can-I-get-three-monitor-setup-with-this-HP-Desktop/td-p/491697
unfortunately belarc gives the same pegatron crap that cpu-z’s telling me. And the guy at HP is saying i need to change my power supply to 550 watt…
Way i see it is even thou your setup was in 2006 you probably had a different motherboard. THe basterds at whatever corporation evil motherboard graphics card alliance must have updated their compatibiliy systems in such a manner that makes it impossible to stick in an old card in there… but please prove me wrong…
I remember reading that by looking at your old cards you could deduce what your motherboard was compatible with, either PCI or PCI Express etc, I’m looking at my burnt up card (the fan crapped up on me) and I’m wondering if you know where I can find pictures of these things from which I could recognise the shape as being the one my old card has?
Maybe you can go to that forum and argue him down
, but i doubt it, I’m probably condemned to having to buy a power supply for this setup, which is probably 100 euros… and god knows what compatibility problems that might bring… not to mention it’s nearly the cost of a pc these days…
I wonder if these eyefinitys can be run on 300W for only two monitors meanwhile… of course if theres an option outside ATI I’m all ears.
OK, forget what I just said, I just reread your first comment, which I’m not sure I still understand. This pegatron is probably not a crossfire or an sli, or sli and crossfire are maybe just a technology it does or does not incorporate?
The other part I dont understand. The onboard graphics, what is that? The crappy integrated card I’m using right now that goes out from the bottom of the pc, and that everyone says shouldnt be used as a third monitor to a graphics card that’s already dealing with two??? All I’ve read about that theory is that the pc implodes if you try to do that…
thanks
hi
intergrated graphics..on the motherboard where all the external connections are, the mouse, the keyboard, sound etc, is there a vga amongst those, if yes then that is integrated or onboard graphics
below all these are several slots in the case that are filled with either blamks or other expansion cards. does yur monitor fit in one of these,
then this is an graphics card
if it is at the very bottem it is probably a pci card (buy a pc from this century), if it is about 4 or 5 inches from the bottem it is probably either a pcie or agp card depending on how old your pc is, either will do
a 300w power supply is a bit marginal, you want to go for about 500w unless you are really into powerful games performance. i don’t know what prices are like in spain but here that would cost about £25.00 ( my son uses a xfx one rated at 850watt that cost me £85.00, but his pc is a true monster)
you don’t need eyefinity unless you’re into playing games again and eyefinity is different to running three monitors plus you will need spacial monitore for eyefinity
any chance youcan take a decent photo or two of the inside of the pc and send it me
p.s. what area of spain do you live?
madrid, you been there?
looking at photos on the net i see my old graphics card is pci express 16 and not agp.
i cant remember where i read that adding the integrated vga, which i’m running on now since my old gp broke, to a graphics card and using the three will burn the motherboard. is this a myth?
also, won’t there be an issue when the BIOS only recognises one of the two graphics card as the default?
i doubt my pc has crossfire or slf from what i read because it’s an hp and it’s from 2008.
ill see if i can get a camera tomorrow that’ll get a peak at my pc to show u. thanks.
Hi.
I ask where you live because I have a home in Cadiz.
Firstly you need to know the type of onboard graphics card your system has. It will probably be nvidia, ati or intel.
Secondly you will need a graphics card of the same make so that you will not need to load drivers that may conflict.
Thirdly the bios is set to onboard gpu by default. The other two screens will kick in when the software loads on start up.
I guess that your system (h. p.)will use an Intel cpu and intel on board gpu, if that is the case then I would think hard why you want three screens, two would be easy, but three…
I don’t know about prices in Spain, but here you could get 2 graphics cards (Ati 4350) a new m/b and a new psu for about £120.00
I, and my son, have run three or four screens for several years now. We have used various combinations of onboard and graphics cards, and have found that as long as all parts are by the same manufacturer then there is no problem.
Hi, well I also lived in Alicante for awhile but really looking to get to live in Portugal, though the water is reportedly colder than Spain, the Spanish coastline has become one endless hideous city…
hey, why you say HP’s intel cpu and on board gpu are so hard at dealing with three monitors? what setup do you have that makes it so much easier?
three woudl be a plus, two is definitely crucial, for work and a little play.
hi
try the coast near Cadiz……thats where the Spanish go for holidays
if you have a m/b with an intel chipset (not cpu) then the pictures will be drawn by an intel graphics system
it may well conflict with any other drivers you try and add e.g. nvidia detonator or ati catalyst
if you want me to recomend a system set up then i will want to know your cpu (478/755) and ram type (ddr/ddr2/ddr3) unless you want to start from scratch
personally i prefer to use a m/b with two pcie slots, and fit two identical cards
here are photos of my pc, in case it clarifies anything
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=H7U5H3NE
hi
may seem stupid, but is the power supply at the top or bottem?
power supply is at the top, or at least thats where all the tiny Watt labels are, despite it being so confusing the bottom also looks like a power supply.
I was thinking from the looks of it, it only seems to have space for one graphics card, since I can’t see a second line like the one that, seems like PCI 16 that could hold a second graphics card, though i may be wrong…
Incompatibility issues between these kind of cards, be they NVidia or ATI, and the integrated Intels, seem to be what people refer to when they say you can’t put the graphics card together with the integrated onboard one. I see now what you mean by having an integrated Nvidia or ATI already on your motherboard for this to work. This pegatron is probably an intel chipset. I posted it over at the HP forum, and it’s probably a ”Intel(R) G33/G31 Express Chipset Family [Display adapter]‘
I’m wondering then I’m condemned to having two graphics cards, but wondering how i’ll get this on the motherboard when there’s only one slide with space for a graphics card, it seems like it from the photos.
hi
oh dear !
IBM released a pc standard that, more or less, we use today.
The first type wsa known as an AT system, thenafter a few years things progressed and improved and it became the ATX that we all (nearly all ) have today. Afew years ago Intel tried to fob us all of with cpu’s that ran hotter and hotter and pc’s began to overheat. So they came up with a BTX system but no-one liked it because it was different to everything that came before, I thought that only DELL used it, after all the receive massive hand outs from Intel, but it looks like HP used it as well.
What gives away a BTX system is that the motherboard is on the opposite side of the case to an ATX system.
Back to you. You can salvage most things, but you will need a new case, psu,motherboard and graphics cards to achieve what you want, and I suspect your are running an Intel Pentium 4 socket 478 cpu. Are you up to a complete buuild from scratch? I don’t know what your level of expertise is. Maybe it would be easier for you to buy a ready built pc that is either sli or crossfire capable and adding a secong graphics card, I don’t know. Basically you want a luxury mansion and you are starting with a shed. Sorrry.
Lol, thanks well at least we tried. I’m afraid building from scratch will have to wait. I’ll make do with two for the time being, totally essential to get work done on the internet, one is way way too crampy. I guess I’ll have to put in an Nvidia card as the motherboard previously had one and it was used to it. Which one would you recommend? Cheapy one!
So the BTX system is the reason my pc can’t handle two graphics cards? And if it could handle two, I’d see two pci slots instead of the one I think I’m seeing? Do i have it right?
thanks for the help man
well i could always get an eyefinity though, but i dont kno if my motherboard will take it if an nvidia was previously installed. (then when i get a third monitor i’d update the psu…
hi
your board will take either nvidia or ati, just load the drivers
i have never used ati eyefinity, but do not believe it will do as you want.
my understanding, and I could be wrong, it that eyefinity gives you a wider view of the centre screen. e.g. if you are playing a game you can see more to the left and right than just the centre screen. It does not let you run three independant different screens. Also you will need a special monitor that takes a “dislplay port” (new type of hdmi)
if you use this as a work machine only then try this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PNY-Quadro-NVS-440-256MB-PCIe-x16-Quad-Monitors-Card-/370475023238?pt=UK_Computing_Computer_Components_Graphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW&hash=item5642083b86
good luck
Did i understand you right if i think you said ATX graphics cards can’t go inside a BTX case? I’m just confused now, because with cards like this one that mention they’re ATX:
http://www.acuista.com/x/377989-gigabyte_gv_r435oc_512i/#ficha_tecnica
cards like this that dont mention ATX or BTX
http://www.alternate.es/html/product/Tarjetas_graficas_ATI_Radeon_HD_5000/ASUS/EAH5450_Silent-DI/412337/?tn=HARDWARE&l1=Tarjetas+gr%C3%A1ficas&l2=Tarjetas+PCIe+ATI&l3=Radeon+HD5000
wikipedia entry about BTX that says:
‘The BTX form factor motherboards are incompatible with most of the ATX form factor cases and vice-versa. In particular, BTX motherboards are ‘flipped’ compared to ATX and mount on the opposite side of the case. Some cases such as the Cooler Master Series (Stackers) support a varying range of motherboard types such as ATX, BTX, Mini-ATX and so forth. However, all connectors are compatible, including power supplies, PCI cards, processors, RAM, hard drives, etc.’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BTX_%28form_factor%29
I’m not sure what to do. Am i right to conclude the only issue is between a motherboard and a type of case, BTX or ATX, and that all other things don’t matter. As long as it has a PCI slot for my graphics card, it should work, right? And yet, there aree graphics card like the one above that for some reason that escapes me, say they are ATX.
I’d thought about getting the ATI 5450, as it’s supposedly Eyefinity, as Eyefinity reporedly starts at 5400 with the ATIs. That way I can expand to a three monitor setup, or at least envision the possibility. But for now, I guess I’m OK with two monitors.
My understanding of having different monitors is indeed one where you can have different mozilla windows, hopefully that’s a possibility with it.
hi
graphics fit all boards if you get the right slot (agp/pcie)
the problem with you having a btx is that if you want to rebuild you will also need a new case
eyefinity? i repeat
“i have never used ati eyefinity, but do not believe it will do as you want.
my understanding, and I could be wrong, it that eyefinity gives you a wider view of the centre screen. e.g. if you are playing a game you can see more to the left and right than just the centre screen. It does not let you run three independant different screens. Also you will need a special monitor that takes a “dislplay port” (new type of hdmi)”
did you look at this… to me this may solve all your problems http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PNY-Quadro-NVS-440-256MB-PCIe-x16-Quad-Monitors-Card-/370475023238?pt=UK_Computing_Computer_Components_Graphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW&hash=item5642083b86
Wow, freaky shit. Two graphics card together, first time i’ve seen that! On one PCI express! Was wondering why you’d posted a used item on ebay for 150 pounds but now i know!
Thing is, it says it’s Win XP ready, but no mention of Vista or 7, which is where I’m at. Does this usually matter with graphics cards. Are they usually not OS forwards compatible?
And it says it requires a 350W PSU and I believe I have a 300W. So two questions about this. You think only one of these two GPUs could be played for less wattage consumption while I wonder what PSU to get? And what PSU do you recommend?
thanks, great help!
hi
just about everything that worked under xp will work on 7 without even installing the drivers. Seven is really good at that, and look on nvidias site, i bet you can get drivers there if you need them
change the psu, get a decent one of about 450 to 500 watts(or more) a 500 wat psu doesn’t use 500watts if it is not called for,but it is there if needed
it is false economy to skimp on a psu, honestly
and i don’t think there is any difference in atx or btx psu’s, but having never stuck my fingers in a btx system, i wouldn’t guarentee it
changing a psu is simple, you cant plug the wrong plug into the wrong place, they just won’t fit it’s just psu out-psu in
keep the cable neat to aid cooling
hi again
quadro nvs drivers here
http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/quadro-win7-winvista-32bit-266.45-whql-driver-uk.html
Hi
want to hook up a third monitor, current run two off a nvidia 8400 GS PCI-e graphics card via VGA and DVI connections. motherboard has two addition slots for PCI cards. will i have to purchase an additional PCI graphics card to allow me to run third monitor?
If so can anyone suggest a good graphic card
I am running Windows 7 ultimate
Cheers
Jake
hi jake
1 does your motherboard have on board graphics?
2 in theory you should be able to run a 8400 pcie and another nvidia pci card together, BUT pci cards are so old you may well have driver problems
Hey there whats up! The NVS look good but being an international buy at ebay, I’d be going for at least 130 euros for the GPU itself. Plus the PSU, another 30 or 40, so Ive been maturing my research on this matter and was wondering what you thought about the TripleHead2go system. See, with it i might just be able to save having to buy a new PSU and this GPU, get a much cheaper but still capable of gaming GeForce or ATI, unlike NVS, and if I’m going to be spending about the same… which would compensate for the price of the TripleHead2go, which admittedly would be about 150… what ya think? you come across these thingies?
damn… i wonder if triplehead2go maximizes 4 web browsers in their corresponding monitors or if theyr like eyefinity fiasco…
hi
never hears of it, but i would imagine it would give you what you wanted, after all what would be the point of having a device that gave you multiple screens if they all showed the same window
looking at your pc system in general, i would stick with what you have, save up and replace the lot
btx died, socket 478 passed away several years ago, it’s all going to want replacing shortly, then you can build exactly what you need
sorry
Hi Dad
Yes motherboard has onboard graphics, connection is vga
Jake
Hi dad
PC is Dell Optiplex 330
Jake
hi jake
1 read the previous posts, been thru’ this all before, you will find all your answers there
2 basically set your bios so that the onboard monitor is default, That wil fire up first and the other two will fire up as the software kicks in
Hi Dad
not great with techie side, how do i go about setting the bios so that the onboard monitor is default.
Thanks in advance
jake
hi jake
normally to enter the bios you press “f2″ or “delete” as the system “posts” or starts
then you will have to look thru’ all the different pages untill you find the one that gives you the option to change the first screen
i’m sorry i can’t be more specific, but you have a dell (my feelings towards dell are allready known)(would you buy a car with a different pedal layout, say the clutch in the middle) well thats what happens when you buy a dell
sorry
hi dad
computer wont let me set integrated onboard monitor as default, states that PCIe card overides and disables the integrated video controller.
does that mean my only choice is getting a PCIe card that allows 3 or more monitors to be run?
thanks in advance
Jake
hi jake
i don’t know of a graphics card that will let you run THREE independant screens, do not be confused by “eyefinity”
just because a card has 3 outputs it doesn’t mean that all 3 work at the same time
e.g my pc runs 2 x hd4850′s each one has 2 dvi and 2 video s, but only 2 work at the same time on each card
if your m/b will not let you set onboard by default, then
a/ stick to 2 screens
b/ try an nvidia quadro (not games)
c/ replace the m/b, but as you have a dell i suspect that won’t be an option
d/ replace the lot and buy a p.c. (dell do not conform to the pc standard, thats probably why you are having “fun” with it)
best of luck
I use x3 acer 23″ 3d 120hz monitors being run by x2 gtx 480′s in sli.
It’s the ultimate experance for games and movies tbh!
One i had only one screen running and it felt so wrong!!!
3d gamming is here and accross x3 screens is unbeatable!!!!
wow.. great forum!
My multi-monitor wishes are quite modest as I only wish to run a dual monitor extended desktop, however… one little detail is my laptop design proves to be quite a challenge.
I have a Sony Vaio laptop with a Radeon 5650 graphics card. I have one HDMI and one VGA output. The two ports though are very close together making it impossible to fit both a VGA and HDMI plug next to eachother !!
So I have the ports but Sony decided I cannot use them both at the same time.
I looked a little bit at the splitter cables, and I read in this thread someone claiming it can support two seperate displays rather than two cloned displays.. But i’m having doubts if this can work.
I’ve seen here also the USB connecting video outputs, but I need a resolution of at least 1680×1050 so that one’s crossed of the list too..
Is there any other possible solution to this silly problem?
Of course I can connect one external display and have the laptop screen as well, but I’d like to be able to use two high res external monitors.
Nice thread with good advice , I am going through the multiple monitor learning curve,currently I am up to the laptop – Tosh Qosmio- connected to 47″ led tv on extended setting -working beautifully , now I realise I want to extend onto another couple of monitors , not sure my GPU (geforce gt330 M) will do it on its own – is it possible to have an external graphics card that stays at home with the monitors as I am happy enough with the laptop as it is when out and about
hi
there’s a new kid on the block.
just replaced the 4870 pair with 1 x 6950
not just an ordinary 6950 but the latest “eyefinity 6″ version
this has 6 screen outputs and will run 6 screens all by itself, not just in clone or extended but as 1 big, really big screen.
i am running 3 monitors, set as 1 at a resolution of nearly 6000×1200
but,,,,…..
there are a few drawbacks, you need at least 4gb ram, a quad core cpu, at least 3 screens, a big desk and deep pockets. the new 6950 cost £250 quid but man its good. in games its like taking the blinkers of, you can see around corners. i’m sold
anyone want to buy :-
2 x 4870
2 x 4850
2 x 4650
anyone?
Heya, thanks for all the good info here, especially to Danny Sullivan and “Dad”. I am no techie, though I wish I were hehe. I have never built a rig, and am trying to learn what I can. Currently I do a bit of gaming, though mostly older online games like EQ. I currently run 2 comps side by side, with 1 monitor each. I am thinking of definitely getting a 2nd monitor for my main comp, and maybe even a 3rd if I can just get rid of the 2nd comp, since it is an ancient Dell that is a piece of junk. I am not sure if I can just buy a 2nd monitor, or if I need to make any other purchases as well, and would welcome some advice/help.
current setup: HP Pavilion 6310f PC
(info thx to reccomended site above, cpuz:)
AMD Athlon II x4 630
socket AM3 (938)
MB: Pegatron Corp. Violet6,
chipset :Nvidia NForce 7200
Bios: American Megatrends Inc.
Graphic Interface PCI-Express x 16
Memory: 8 gig RAM DDR3 533 mhz
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 3600 HD 512mb 128 bits.
Forgot to mention I run Windows 7 64 bit.
So If I understand what has been posted earlier, I need to buy a new video card that is an NVidia card, or instead buy a new MB?
with my current setup, is it worthwhile to try upgrading this addmitedly older unit or should I just try and go out and start all over? I would rather not spend $700 or so on a new computer, so if I can spend just a little and let this current rig survive a bit longer that would be sweet.
thanks in advance
hi “googs”
1st dell are good for one thing,,,,,filling the bin. now for the serious bit
look at the out puts on your graphics card. is there 2, they dont have to be the same, one can be vga, one can be dvi or any mix of the two.
if there are two outputs then push the dell to one side and unplug the screen. plug that screen into your other p.c. ( you made need an adadptor, but they are 2 a penny) and boot that p.c. when booted, right click on desk top, personalise,display,adjust resolution. here you will see option to move the monitor positions, turn on and change resolution of and generally play with both screens.
if your current card does not have two outputs then buy a new one. any decent card will do. i have just this evening set up two 19″ screens on a freinds p.c using a very very old ati x300 128mbcard., so anything decent will fly easily
just ‘cos your m/b has an nvidia chipset does not mean you have to buy an nvidia card, unless your card has onboard graphics and you want to use that. that path can (sometimes) become complex
i don’t know the games you play, but i could run most games good enough for me (but not my son, see previous) on an ati 4650 and they are cheap as chips these days.
if you are prepared to spend a few dollers, as i see you are then go the whole hog and get an “eyefinity 6″ card (about £250) (must be a “6″)
and this will fit nicely with the rest of your system and will run 6, yes 6 screen piss easy. just done that for my son and I was blown away (Ati 6950 eyefiity 6, 2 gb ram)
this is what my son has http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/ATI/ATI+6900+Series/Asus+ATI+Radeon+HD+6950+DirectCU+II+2048MB+GDDR5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+w%2F+FREE+Deus+Ex+Game%21+?productId=43807
just go for it
just out of interest youtube eyefintiy 6
best of luck “dad”
thanks for the quick and very helpful response “dad”. your post has some great info. I agree wholeheartedly with your evaluation of Dell hehe. I like to plea a case of temporary insanity when I bought it. I was really short of cash at the time, and it was a refurbished one I got off Ebay for a small, very small price, which still does not justify it hehe.
The only reason I still use it today is more for a backup in that I can game on the decent computer and still be able to look up info online if/when needed, as well as play music. I have had some bad luck with itunes in the past. I got a virus on the decent computer a while back, and the local store took 4 months to fix it hehe. On top of that, now all my Itunes library, some 40 gig of Music, is all on the Dell, and I am not sure how to move it over to the better computer.
I have been really behind the times on tech, and am slowly trying to get caught up a bit hehe. Up until 2 weeks ago I had the 2 comps side by side, with main keyboard just in front of me on desk, and the 2ndary in front of that, where I had to stretch my hands over the first. 2 weeks ago I finally ordered a stand that raised the 2ndary keyboard, making it easier to reach. Then, 3 days ago I found out about “mouse without borders” that lets you use 1 keyboard and 1 mouse for multiple machines, so the $40 I spent on the keyboard stand is now useless except as a paperweight. I’ll find some use for it I am sure though.
As for gaming, I pretty much only play Everquest, and have off and on for 10 years. It is an older game, so while it does not demand as much as newer games, it can be a bit clunky when it comes to coding, since nobody ever figured it would be around for this long. I multibox mostly, though I do enjoy raiding on 1 toon etc with guildies, or filling out a guildie/friend group with whatever toon is needed at the time.
Here are some current thoughts, and i would appreciate more advice if you would be so kind.
1) move Dell to bedroom and save it for printing, music whatever. Its monitor is an older 19inch that has max resolution of 1440 x 900, so a newer monitor would go better with my gaming anyways and would nt be too much more expensive.
My current video card does have 2 connection bits in the back of it, so a 2nd monitor is possible on it, though I will take a look at newer video cards, including the one you mentioned. I looked up a US site for that card and it said “currently not available” but that was just a first attempt, in order to see what a ballpark price.
The reason I had mentioned new motherboard was in case you reccomended I make a move to 2 video cards. As I understand it, if you go with 2 video cards, in order to run 3 monitors etc, you need to use the same brand as the internal one built on the MB. In my setup, I have a different brand external video card from the one on my MB.
Basically, I apologize for my ramblling but I only recently sat down and started really researching options, and my techworld has been expanded manifold in the last week or so between hardware options and software options. I am now trying to digest it all hehe. I just started using the “mouse without borders’ software, and am learning its idiosyncracies as well.
My desk is maybe a bit too small for 3 monitors, though I might be able to rig something up. I was not sure my decent computer could handle running 3 accts at the same time, but I think it actually could. Therefore, the need for the 2nd computer to be on same desk is no more, and I can move it off to a different spot, leaving more room on the desk. It would be very hard to go down to just 1 monitor after getting used to even 2. Even now I am wishing I had kept the old CRT monitor I finally tossed out 5 months ago that had been sitting in a closet. If I had that, I would have done the move already today in my spare time.
anyways, enough of my rambling. thanks again!!
So, Decided to post a quick update. I woke up yesterday to clean house for a last minute visit from family. As I drink my coffee, I go over to check email. My main computer monitor has gone into standby mode, which is odd, since I have it set not to do that. I restart, and the monitor is oddly very dim, and the image flickers. There is also an odd hissing noise that is active whenever there is power going to the monitor. The noise stops when I restart the computer, but then returns, along with the other symptoms.
I look online and sounds like is a problem that will take a while to fix via Acer, so I find out the name of the part I need, and head to the local catastrophe of a computer shop, where I had seen online they had something similar for sale as well, a refurbished for $80. I figured I would work with acer to repair, but meanwhile would have a replacement.
Upon reaching the store, I find out they don’t carry monitor parts, so I take the refurbished, and a 22inch I just had to have as well lol. I also got a new vid card that was on sale, an Asus 5450, for the main comp, as well as a card to set the old, crappy comp onto the network wirelessly.
Only switched in new bigger monitor, then spent time with family. Today, I decided to install everything during some downtime between jobs. I move the old computer, with its crappy working monitor, to the bedroom. Once everything is set up, plugged in and rdy to rock, I hit the power button. The monitor no longer registers the computer. It just says no connection, though I can see power is going fine… It was working 10 mins before whenI unplugged it all to move…
Fiddle with old comp a bit but nothing doing. Rather than throw it out the window like I feel. I decide to workon main comp. Insert new vid card np, on only 1 monitor to start. Update vid card and all good. Pull out the refurbished new monitor I got yesterday, insert all the plugs and connect etc…. And… would you believe it…. nothing, not a glimmer of power or anything..
So in all, I own 4 Acer monitors. Of those 4, 3 do not work…. I am now down a computer, so rather than 2 comps with 1 monitor each, I have 2 comps, the old 1 with no working monitor, and a new comp with a great new monitor, and a dead monitor sitting right beside it….
hi
sounds like a normal day
just check the basics
the old one worked down stairs so it should work upstairs. when carrying ithe screen have you presed a button so no its looking for a dvi signal and you are connected by vga maybe. it will be something as daft as that
similar on the other one
stop step back have a tea start at the begining
good luck
hi danny, my name is Jack, I have an office in Queens County New York and i have a front window where ive been given permission to run a monitor presentation of 5.5 x 5.5 feet I would like to link several monitors together to make up this size and run the monitors as one large single picture to run powerpoint presentations i would like your advice on doing this and i would be happy to pay you to help me, please let me know you can call me at 718 526 8100 m-f 9-5 please ask for my assistant Marcia Greaves, she will connect us, thank you
hi jack
first
do you know anything about p.c’s?
dad
i am a techinal support engineer .
i have conform one pc to maney monitors are conected and many user diffrant work them in moniters
ok
Not link spam! I’d never tried using more than one monitor before, though loads of the techies at work do. I’m a writer so had a try recently (as covered on my blog at http://karldrinkwater.blogspot.com/2011/04/using-two-computer-monitors-for-writing.html). I can now see the usefulness, though I think programmers and systems monitors obviously gain the most from them.