Can I use dual monitors on the same video card?

YROC

YROC

Formerly Hokey McSmokey
Joined
Nov 29, 2008
Messages
2,966
Reaction score
65
Can I go dual monitors using the same video card that has two display ports? One of them is vga and the other is dvi. I even still have the onboard video which has a vga port. Just curious.
 
I think it might depend on the video card, but I'd say you can. I know I can on mine.
 
I guess I wont know until I try it out. Will report back with results.
 
It will work, so long as you have one vga monitor and one dvi obviously. Or adapters. I don't think you'll be able to use the onboard one though, as its likely been disabled in the bios since you have an actual video card plugged in.
 
Yeah, I did disable it. And I do have a vga monitor. I didn't even get to use the dvi until I got this card.

It's an ATI Radeon 5670
 
Well why didn't you say so, of course it'll work. Radeon 5000 series is pretty new.
 
Ah, ok. Well, I had only heard of people using dual monitors when they had seperate video cards so I just thought i'd ask.
 
Dual monitors actually should always be run on the same card (with the exception running dual video cards in crossfire or SLI). I heard that you can run them on seperate cards but I never actually seen it done and don't turly believe it would work.
 
Okay, I have it set up. It's really neat. Just a few things i'm wondering.

There's no task bar on the other screen, so does that mean I just drag whatever I want to the other side to use it? (I currently have my irc window open on it.)

And does this eat up more power? Like will my games run slower than normal or anything?

Edit: How do I screencap both screens? - Nevermind, I got it. Though, I tried capping both screens while I was in game and it only capped the game. Guess it only works out of game.
 
Heck, my 8800 does dual. I can't go away from Dual now, though. I can't even imagine how I lived with just one monitor!
 
Hokey said:
There's no task bar on the other screen, so does that mean I just drag whatever I want to the other side to use it? (I currently have my irc window open on it.)
Click to expand...
You can drag whatever you want over to the extra screen, but you won't be able to get two task bars set up without mirroring you main monitor.
Hokey said:
And does this eat up more power? Like will my games run slower than normal or anything?
Click to expand...
I actually think it does, but I can't be quite sure. I always unplug my extra monitor when I play games nowadays (this probably wouldn't be needed if I had a more powerful card - but I don't). From what I remember, there is a slight decrease in frames. Don't quote me on this though; I never have seriously tested it.
 
Hokey said:
There's no task bar on the other screen, so does that mean I just drag whatever I want to the other side to use it? (I currently have my irc window open on it.)
Click to expand...
You should get used to not maximizing your windows, I have trouble with this myself. But if you can get used to that window management on multiple monitors is simple enough without dual taskbars. But there are programs that will give you a taskbar on the other monitor:

http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/

I don't personally like them as they take a while to load at start up.

And does this eat up more power? Like will my games run slower than normal or anything?
Click to expand...

It's a insignificant performance decrease, nothing to take seriously.
 
You don't get twice the desktop for free; of course it's going to take some cycles to process that video. However, it's going to be a nominal usage in comparison to the game you're playing. If you've got Win7, the only thing that matters is the number of windows you have, not the desktop space, since Aero has a texture for each one.

I like being able to see my IM windows in my secondary monitor while I'm playing on my primary.

EDIT: man, is there a limit to the number of times my reply opportunities are going to get ninja'd by someone else?
 
Finished HalfLife2 with it yesterday. Weren't any real noticeable things. I'm pretty used to the single taskbar now. Like how windows I set in the other monitor automatically maximize to it.
 
I used to have two CRTs hooked up all the time (2 monitors powered by 1 video card w/2 outputs). There was a time when I even had 3 monitors when I was running Windows XP. I just added added a PCI video card. For a while the 3 monitors were the 2 CRTs and a 25" TV (S-Video output on ATI video card for testing videos during editing for how they would look when played on a DVD player and TV). Then I got a LCD and still had the 2 CRTs going.
Just have the LCD atm. 1 monitor...
 
I use 2 monitors for work. It uses a lot of power and creates a lot of heat with two CRTs. Also, they can't be too close together because they aren't EM shielded and create visible interference onscreen. The gap between the monitors is not desirable, and there's more head movement required.

The missing taskbar can be added with 3rd party software if you really want it, but I've found that ... like others have said ... maximizing windows and moving windows from monitor to monitor is a bit ugly. Move the window partially off screen and let go, where you must move the mouse cursor to the other monitor and pick the window back up again or double click it.

So, I'm getting ready to buy one large widescreen LCD monitor instead. All problems solved.
 
For the longest time, Nvidia cards wouldn't run SLI (two cards with SLI bridge) with a dual monitor setup. Things could be different these days though as I remember that was how things were back when SLI was first introduced in 05'. I'm not sure about ATI's crossfire tech anymore either.

Hell, I'm not so sure about PCs anymore for that matter! :p

Is new PC hardware still fundamentally the same these days? *heh*
 
I think you can use 6 monitors if you have crossfire.
Operate up to six high-resolution displays simultaneously and independently, flexibly configured in various combinations of landscape and portrait orientations. Group multiple monitors into a large integrated display surface, enabling windowed and full-screen 3D applications, images, and video to span across multiple displays as one desktop workspace.

ATI Eyefinity advanced multiple-display technology supports Duplicated Mode operation (PC desktop cloned on multiple displays) and Extended Mode (PC desktop extended across multiple displays), and offers comprehensive operating system support that includes Windows® 7, Windows Vista®, and Linux4.
Click to expand...
http://sites.amd.com/us/underground/products/eyefinity/whatiseyefinity/Pages/what-is-eyefinity.aspx
 
I was running 3 monitors on eyeinfinty but it's buggy as shit on a display port to analog VGA adapter. Remote desktop which I use all the time would make one of the monitors turn off.

The crappy adapter I was using got stripped when I disconnected it the other night so I need to order a new one, maybe with a different adapter it will work better. But having 3 monitors is absolutely awesome.
 
3 monitors = underground command center
 
Dr.Demento said:
For the longest time, Nvidia cards wouldn't run SLI (two cards with SLI bridge) with a dual monitor setup. Things could be different these days though as I remember that was how things were back when SLI was first introduced in 05'. I'm not sure about ATI's crossfire tech anymore either.

Hell, I'm not so sure about PCs anymore for that matter! :p

Is new PC hardware still fundamentally the same these days? *heh*
Click to expand...

SLI is still very common among gamers. I'm still using dual 9800 GTX+ in SLI @ 1920x1200.

They get hot, but never overheat and shutdown.
 
Hokey said:
3 monitors = underground command center
Click to expand...

Yeah, I sometimes think about doing this, but practicality and cost always gets the better of me. Still would be awesome if I could.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Krynn72
You guys, what the **** is up.
Replies
11
Views
2K
Tollbooth Willie
Tollbooth Willie
bbson john
Hi everyone. I am new to this forum!
Replies
11
Views
6K
Tollbooth Willie
Tollbooth Willie
MFL
Fascinating look at the ongoing psychological evolution of flat hieirarchies.
Replies
2
Views
2K
Tollbooth Willie
Tollbooth Willie
B
The other cancelled ports of Half-Life
Replies
3
Views
7K
Tollbooth Willie
Tollbooth Willie
B
Barking Dog Studios' work for Valve
Replies
0
Views
12K
Barnz
B
Back
Top