Jeff A:
Tx.
i forgot to post above that I am planning to buy Matrix TripleHead2Go Digital and use it with the new Dimension E521,Athlon 64 X2 3600+ (1.9GHz, 512Kx2) with 2 GB RAM with nVidia Ge Force 7300 LE video card…do i still need the two PCI Express x8 or x16 slots suitable for video cards?
Hey-- Al Gore is a three monitor man, too. Three 30" LCDs, it looks like.
http://www.tuaw.com/2007/05/20/rig-of-the-week-al-gores-setup/
I’ve been using multi monitors running through one dell pc for about a year now. It really has been great.
It’s a multi-taskers dream come true.
For those who want a similar experience without the multiple monitors check out “virtual desktop managers”. While you don’t get the same effect of seeing all your apps at once, you can seperate your tasks into seperate virtual desktops. Apple’s come with built in and it’s called “spaces”.
Software solution to deliver triple-head effect for games:
http://www.kegetys.net/SoftTH/
This involces some compromises, as the rendering is done by one video card and thus the display buffer must be transmitted over the PCI Express bus to the 2nd video card…
Jeff:
I screwed up and bought E521 with only ONE ONE ONE PCI Express x 16 slot…wish i had waited to buy until after you had posted May 10, 2007!!!
documentation on the motherboard of the E521:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dimE521/en/SM_EN/techov.htm#wp1058256
no way i can get two, identical GeForce 7600 GT video cards to run 3 monitors (20.1 inch Dell LCDs) of that motherboard?? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!
help!
John Page Garrett
Lots of great screenshots of ultra-wide gaming using the Matrox TripleHead2Go solution, here
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/index.php?title=Matrox_TripleHead2Go_%28Featured_Review%29
You can still add a PCI card to get the third monitor, JG…look around for, say, a 5200fx PCI. Since you have an Nvida primary card I’d suggest another Nvidia card (which the 5200fx is) as a secondary. A PCI card is bad for gaming but should be fine for your purposes. Good luck!
A quick question, since this triplehead2go product only does a span of the 3 monitors, i was wondering if the double (dual monitor) would be able to do that with a span and a tv as a seperate monitor (nvidia users will know this is dual view)??
because i plan on using my two 22" monitors as a single monitor and mount the tv on the wall above it so i dont want the task bar to span onto that, is this possible???
Here’s one that’s like the TripleHead2go and three monitors all in one: http://www.fsix.com/monitorconsole
Hi all,
Thanks for this site!, After reading this page I jumped from 1 to 3 monitors. I find it great!
My setup is a dual head video card plus an old s3 pci card. My central monitor is 19’’, the right and left ones are 17’’.
As many of you said, there is no go back.
Regards
An alternative to the “Maxivista” idea that I’ve found useful is a program called “Synergy”.
Instead of sending screen data to the other computer, what Synergy does is send mouse and keyboard data (and clipboard data) to the other computer – so, if you move your mouse off the edge of the screen of one computer, it shows up in the screen of the next, and you can then type into things on that computer. Thus, along with the “large desktop” advantages, you get the benefits of multiple computers, as well as the benefit of one keyboard and one mouse for everything you’re looking at. The disadvantage is that it’s multiple computers, so you can’t drag windows from one set of screens to the other – but, if you’ve got pretty fixed ideas of which task goes with which screen, that may not be a big deal.
I found this particularly useful with my laptop and desktop, and for various reasons had things on both machines that I wanted to use. It might also be useful for people who want to do things in multiple operating systems, since Synergy is (mostly) cross-platform.
I want 3 monitors, but i see 2 dual mon epci cards would create a lot of noise - both would have fans.
Anyone who has this configuration - is it noticeable?
I would not want TM2G, because i do want the stiky windows to mon borders, just as commenters here mentioned.
I currently have Matrox G550, two mons, and would want 3rd. My system is old enough, so i am ready to upgrade.
So if i want a 3mc membership but a quiet pc, where should i go?
Michael
I’ve been TH2G (x2) user for a bit and totally agree with everyone who’s recommended GridMove for that: http://www.donationcoders.com/jgpaiva/gridmove.html
I even posted a custom grid just for TH2G users here: http://www.donationcoder.com/Forums/bb/index.php?topic=9387.msg92459#msg92459
That should fix sizing windows to monitor borders (Matrox’s Powerdesk SE also does some to fix this but it’s not near as flexible. The good news is you can run both at the same time (if you want to).
For those using 2 or more systems for multiple monitors I totally agree with the recommendations for Synergy: http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/
Thanks to your inspiring post - I have now Joined the 3 monitor Club. 3x 19" LG Flatrons on a ErgoTron 3 Monitor Stand using Matrox Digital TripleHeadtoGo with Vista 32 and a 8800 GTS 640MB.
I must say after you get over the initial Motion Sickness from playing games over 3 screens it’s really quite fun. It won’t increase your skills or anything, as unsupported (games not built, may support - but not built for three screens/Matrox) don’t give you more peripheral Vision but instead stretch a Standard One Screen Image with a Higher FOV.
Example UT2004, has a default FOV (Field of View) of 100 max. Matrox for Single Player asks for a 130 FOV. If you played on one screen you would get a large walleye with everything in view, would be quite standard to normal UT2004. Matrox takes that and stretches it. With the added FOV it gives the illusion of surround gaming. Games that don’t give extra FOV look a bit funny. Games that Dont support and Matrox wont assist with (single screen games) like COD4, maybe able to be forced over 3 screens but it would be extremely stretched. 3x wider then it should be.
Games like ARMA that are both supported and built for TripleHeadToGo however will give you 2 monitors of more physical viewing area, without changing your normal view. Basically look at the ARMA picture that was provided on this site and lop off the left and right of the bottom Status bar. You get the same game, but 3 screeners get a visual advantage. Unlike Ut2004 where we all get the same view, I just get a bit larger FOV due to forced Walleyeing and then its stretched.
Motion Sickness is a big one from 3 screens, and UT2004 and Oblivion do it to me every time.
As well As a warning as I haven’t seen it anywhere else – When using Matrox you get a bevel management and if you use it you’re going to lose the width of the monitors that touch the middle to right, and middle to left and then centers width. What this does as gives the illusion of things passing behind the monitors “Frame” as well breaks up the problem with the monitors breaking up diagonal lines in different start and end places.
http://www.matrox.com/graphics/surroundgaming/en/product/bezel/
As well the 2nd biggest thing is that Matrox 3 screen gaming is not overly supported and you end up playing on the far left screen for one screen games (or when your motion sick). At this time your center and far right will hibernate (no Signal - soft shutdown mode/power saving mode). You do not get 1 screen Game, and 2 screens desktop. So there is no effective gain other then neck injury for one screen games. There is also distortion to ingame text (shrinks it) and in some 3 screen enabled games makes the Text Huge or shows you things – like behind the loading screen, while the game is loaded. So Epileptics beware.
Once you get over that, and realise you got 3 screens (1050$ CAD for 3x Fresh Monitors and Stand, 110$ CAD for 4 DVI-I Cables (Matroxs supplied DVI-I Cable was too short, and LG only supplies VGA.) and then 375$ CAD + shipping for the Matrox… It gets quite costly to join this Club. But the damage is done and you really can’t go back.
I vowed I would never be a hodgepodge 3 monitor club member and I recommend the same to all whom will follow this path. Buy 3 new monitors at the same time, get a nice stand and get them linked. Anything else is non-prestigious and inferior.
For the gamers out there, Sick to One 20” or one 19” anything larger and you’re going to lose out on games because you waste valuable milliseconds looking rather than reacting to the enemy whom is already shooting at you – that and all your tactics that you perform because you have limited FOV will all change and it will bugger you up – Especially for First Person shooter. Flyers, Racers – I guess after you get over the extra view it will become natural, so perhaps this might be worthwhile to you. Hardcore CS players or Unreal Players or any hardcore-esk, First person shooter player – really think hard about 3 screens, if only for gaming, I recommend against.
With that I bid my Ado and hope this helps someone in the future :D, Good post by the way Atwood!
Sorry about the above post, - MS Word, Killed my formatting 
Multimon sure is an improvement though 1 super big display is probably superior in many scenarios.
However 2-3 projectors seamlessly attached is by far the coolest! You’d rather sell your Mercedes than going ‘back’ to multimon.
I have hooked up 3 monitors to a new Dell at our law office. The managing attorney sits facing 2 monitors. The 3rd faces away from him toward one of his paralegals on the other side of the desk. The sttorney shifts programs that he wants to work on with the paralegal to his screen #2. I have installed a DVI splitter on the Dell output to monitor#2, and then connected the splitter output to monitor #2 and monitor #3. Both the attorney and the paralegal have their own mouse and keyboard, so they both can navigate thru the program and make entries. Works great - big productivity gain. The only problem is that Monitor #3 DVI cable must be physically disconnected before shutting the computer down, or on startup, the computer gets confused and ends the extend session to monitor #2. After the computer is rebooted, Monitor #3 DVI cable is reconnected for the days work. If anyone has a solution to this annoyance, I would like to know
Ed
Guys,
I need some advice. I’m trying to put together a triple monitor system. (3) - 24" LCD’s. One of the problems I’m having is with LCD selection. Most panels these days are TN panels. Those are ok if u just have one panel, but when looking to the left or right as u would be doing with a triple monitor setup, you can see the text will not look sharp, and the white background color starts to look yellowish. At least this is what I see in the store when I do a mock test. Please correct me if this is not right. I think the effect will be more pronounced when using 24" monitors.
My next best option is the Dell 2408 and HP LP2465. I think those are both S-PVA monitors. They are pricey. $800 and $600 respectively. For $800 i was hoping for an s-ips panel. I have dell 2005 and dell 2007 which are sips and they are wonderful but now can’t be bought for a good price at all.
What do you think? What monitors make the best triple monitor setup? I graudally turn my side panel inward so I can see the outer edge more clearly. I bet if I turn a TN panel enough, that maybe I can work this way. It’s a big issue since I’ll be buying 3 monitors and I can’t afford to be wrong…
Help!
I clicked the link to the head-tracker video and WMP opened the video between my monitors. Does that count as irony?
For laptops etc.have a look at USB connected monitors using DisplayLink chips. Not suitable for gaming, but excellent for office work
BTW, author Terry Pratchett has 6 monitors: 2 rows of three.