Dual monitoring

[mkjaekmi]

Hi, i'm thinking about buying another monitor for dual monitoring. A few questions I have to ask is, what do i need to connect the monitor?

Also, once it's all connected and I start to play a game, will the game be covered on both screen? If so that might be a bad idea don't you think?

 

[pip1011261]

You will need a graphics card supporting more than 1 monitor. All adaptors should come with the graphics card, if not just make sure youknow the plug types you need.

Read a few of the other multi monitor threads here and it will help answer some key points.

 

[sniperchang]

Infact we were just talking about Spanning games in this thread

 

[mkjaekmi]

Seems everyone is confused.

What graphic card do I need to support multiple monitoring? will a certain graphic card only support dual? and certain graphic card only support trio?

Will the gt8800 support dual monitoring?

What happens when I play a game/ takes up both screens, correct?

 

[sniperchang]

Seems everyone is confused.

What graphic card do I need to support multiple monitoring? will a certain graphic card only support dual? and certain graphic card only support trio?

Will the gt8800 support dual monitoring?

What happens when I play a game/ takes up both screens, correct?

Ok I'll explain.

Chances are that a gt8800 has dual-head (Two DVI connections) wich support dual-monitors. Infact most modern graphics card have dual-head. (Meaning two connections for monitors and support for dual-displays).

Unless you change settings with your graphics card's software, when you have a multi-display system, windows is extended to other monitors. If you go to Display properties (Assuming you have windows XP: Right-click on destop, properties, settings tab) you will see two (or more if you set-up for it) monitors which are numbered.

One of these monitors must be the "Primary Monitor" in which your full screen applications will run (So in this mode, you games do not expand on all monitors). Windows see the two screens as two screens. So your windows are not maximized to your entire desktop, but in the screen your window happens to be in. If you have any other questions just ask.

Now if you have monitors connected to a single card, chances are you can set them in SPAN mode. This mode makes windows believe that the monitors connected to the video card is one big screen. So in this case your games do take all screens, and maximized windows take the entire desktop like it truly was one big screen.

And then there's CLONE mode, which just copies the same desktop on both monitors (BORING!)

I hope that clears things up.

EDIT: Most cards support two monitors. Special card can support more. Or you can also install two graphics cards (Not in SLI or CROSSFIRE modes) to achieve multi-display capabilities.

By the way, multi-monitors is f*ck*ng awsome. Once you go multi, you'll never go back! Trust me!

 

[mkjaekmi]

So let me clear this up a lil. If I have 2 monitors, I HAVE to make 1 as a priority correct? What happens if I don't?
Also, once I play a game, it'll only show up on my main screen correct? What happens If I scroll over to the next monitor?

Thank you

 

[sniperchang]

So let me clear this up a lil. If I have 2 monitors, I HAVE to make 1 as a priority correct?

Windows automatically assigns one monitor as your primary monitor. This is the monitor in which full screen programs will appear. Most likely when you first plug both your monitors, only one will be active. If you go to display settings, you can activate your second monitor and/or set the second monitor as primary.

What happens if I don't?

That won't happen.

Also, once I play a game, it'll only show up on my main screen correct?

Under normal circustance that is correct, unless you set your card to SPAN mode, then, if your game alows for widescreen gaming, it will stretch across the full array of monitors. A company that made a multi-display software has loads of information in this FAQ-> (click here for the different modes section of the FAQ)

What happens If I scroll over to the next monitor?

If you scroll your mouse while in a full screen program (like a game), nothing will happen unless you click something. The game loses focus and minimizes. There's two things you can do about that. One thing is set your graphics card to SPAN mode like I was saying. Also, with a program called Ultramon (This program is very usefull for multi-monitor systems) You can set a shortcut to temporarily disable your second monitor if you click on it. (Some games your mouse won't escape to the other screen anyway, so it's not much to worry in that case)

For example if you play an old game like Starcraft, you need to be able to scroll by moving your mouse to the edges. But with a secondary monitor active you'll lose your mouse in the other screen. By setting the Starcraft shortcut to automatically disable that screen (thanks to Ultramon), this problem is eliminated. Then, when you exit Starcraft, Your second screen will automatically re-activate.

Thank you

My pleasure! I love letting people know about the multi-display world

By the way the Ultramon (click here) program I was talking about can also add taskbars to other monitors (Windows doesn't), you can also manage your desktop image and screensavers properly in a multi-display configuration. It even adds usefull buttons to windows: One to move the windows to the next screen, and one to maximize window to the whole desktop.

 

[Marcuz]

Cool, interesting! I am wondering does it might work if I play 2 accounts on MMORPG on Dual monitor or need 2 PC?

 

[sniperchang]

Cool, interesting! I am wondering does it might work if I play 2 accounts on MMORPG on Dual monitor or need 2 PC?

Well did you try doing that by running two MMORPG and just alt-tab with one monitor? It would be the same thing except you won't have to alt-tab...

 

[Marcuz]

I did try that, but it made slow down black screen until pop up.

 

[sniperchang]

I did try that, but it made slow down black screen until pop up.

slow down black screen pop-up? what popped up? did the games slow down or did you get a black screen? What you wrote is unclear.

Either way, adding another screen to your computer will not be any different. Your computer doesn't magically become more powerful. Your computer is the same accept it has another screen.

 

[Marcuz]

For example I am on first account when I press alt-tab click on second account, there is a black screen that looks like freeze on the game, but it is not. It makes slow until the game pop up. You know what I am trying to say?

 

[sniperchang]

yes, running two games doesn't usually work very well.

 

[Marcuz]

So, I am asking you think need other PC or might work on dual monitor?

 

[mkjaekmi]

I guess you'll need 2 comps. Because if you have 2 games running, it'll both be showing on your main monitor. I think the 2nd monitor can be used for like internet browseing, and music players so it's easier to use.

I'm sorry to ask, but can you please clear up what Span means? and How do I get it?

Thank you again

 

[mkjaekmi]

Sorry to ask but can you explain what a Span is? and how do I get it?

Thank you again

 

[ronpaulamI]

Say you're running two operating systems on the same computer and switch to something like linux. If Windows is handling the primary assignments would that mess with the dual monitoring?

Windows automatically assigns one monitor as your primary monitor. This is the monitor in which full screen programs will appear. Most likely when you first plug both your monitors, only one will be active. If you go to display settings, you can activate your second monitor and/or set the second monitor as primary.

 

[pip1011261]

I have included 3 links to show you different views with multi display.

Click Here: This image shows a screenshot of my desktop (3 screens)

Click Here: This image shows Internet Explorer running across 2 screens and CorelDRAW on the third screen.

Click Here: This image shows Internet Explorer "SPANNED" over 3 screens. Span is like maximise but it will maximise over all your active screens. You will need a program called "UltraMon" for this.....it is easy program to use and small.

Have you got your second screen working yet?

 

[sniperchang]

I guess you'll need 2 comps. Because if you have 2 games running, it'll both be showing on your main monitor. I think the 2nd monitor can be used for like internet browseing, and music players so it's easier to use.

Yes exactly. There's a way, however, to have one game run on the primary, and one game on secondary, but it's just like any other time you play two games at once: your computer performance is greatly degraded, and resources conflict, it just doesn't work. Also, most game that lose focus will minimize and pause, so on one game, your other game is minized, switching to the next, that game will minize as well. So it won't even matter if you have two screens or not.

I'm sorry to ask, but can you please clear up what Span means? and How do I get it?

Span mode is a program controlled mode for your dual-display setup. The NVIDIA software provides this, ATI I believe does too. Anyway, the program makes windows believe that the monitors on the same video card is just one big monitor. So all the multi-display behavior we were describing goes away, and your monitors act as one big monitor. This is the best method to span* games across all monitors, and it works well if the game support widescreen, or proportional resolutions.

*SPAN: As well as the span mode, this word is also used for stretching a window or program across multiple screens.

Thank you again

No problem. There's not much information about multi-display systems on the internet!

Say you're running two operating systems on the same computer and switch to something like linux. If Windows is handling the primary assignments would that mess with the dual monitoring?

In windows, that's how windows handles multi-displays. Linux will handle multi-display the way Linux handles multi-displays.

The primary assignments in windows is just the way windows works with multi-displays. Linux might handle multi-displays differently (I have no experience with Linux so I don't know how Linux handle multi-displays.) When you load on windows, windows will handle it the way it usually does, if you load up Linux, it will handle it the way Linux does.

 

[mkjaekmi]

few more questions and i'm done.

First is, if I do dual monitoring, won't that kind of mess up gaming the fact that the outer screen case will be in the middle of the game screen? Do you get what I'm saying? Like if you connect them together, the outside case will be attached to the other outside case, so you have a screen+outercase+screen.

Second question is, Is span included in ultramon? Or only in nvidia/ati softwares specifically for span?

Thank you