I’m looking at getting 3 monitors. What is the best size?
Any recommendations?
It’s kinda a pain for booting and setup, but with an nvidia card, a great way for 4 monitors is to flip the flat pannels 90 degrees physically, and with nvrotate. This gives you more monitor space in front of yours eyes with less side to side.
I’ve got an nvidia NVS 400 doing this now.
I’ve got two of the cards, but IRQ unhappyness is preventing me from going 8 monitors!
There is a great alternative to the hassle of setting up multiple video cards within the same PC and getting the drivers to play well together. Check out the software called Multiplicity (there is a free trial available):
http://stardock.com/products/multiplicity
This software will allow you to take multiple computers and navigate them with a single mouse and keyboard (just align the monitors of your PCs adjacent to one another; either horizontally, vertically or both). Not only can you control multiple PCs, you can also copy and paste between them, as they all share a common clipboard.
This is not remote desktop or VNC software, as it does not run within a window. All it does is put an icon in the system tray (to indicate connectivity).
One example of a common setup is placing your laptop next to your home/work computer. You can then control your laptop with the desktop PC’s mouse and keyboard. The only cable you have to plug in is the power cable (assuming you’re connecting wirelessly, of course)!
In a Development/Testing environment, this kind of setup is ideal, as your test box is an independent machine, but can be controlled from your primary kb/mouse.
This supports 2000, XP (32 and 64), Vista (32 and 64) and there is an OSX client in development, too.
My corporate issue Dell system has a NVIDIA Quadro FX 1000 graphics card with two single link DVI outputs. I just installed two SewellDirect.com USB to DVI adapters to allow me to run four 1280x1028 monitors.
Supposedly, I could connect up to six USB-DVI adapters to a single system, for eight total monitors, but then I think at some point the “owl effect” would come into play and my neck would wear out from my head turning constantly. My co-workers already think I am nuts for using four monitors, although they really don’t know what they are missing. Once you go up, you never want to come back down. As an engineering contractor, the inherent portability of these USB devices is also very attractive. I can use them just about anywhere, on any system, be it laptop or desktop.
USB to DVI External Video Card, High Resolution, 1600 x 1200
http://sewelldirect.com/USB-to-DVI-External-Video-Card-High-Resolution.asp?
There is a cheaper 1280x1024 version, but where is the fun in that? The 1600x1200 version handles 22" widescreen monitors with 1680x1050 resolution also.
I also installed the UltraMon software. It is a very worthwhile addition. It puts a taskbar on each screen and buttons to move applications from screen to screen on each application. I think it can handle well up to twenty monitors and can handle mixed screen resolutions:
http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/
There are now USB external video cards for easy expansion.
Hey Guys
I’ve written an article on Multi Monitors, more specifically on the Discworld Creator’s (Terry Prachett) secret tip increases productive at work.
Here’s a snip
"Terry Prachett, the guy behind the popular Discworld Series of Book (hogfather, the colour of magic) showed, in a recent interview, a technique that he shares with Microsoft’s Supremo, Bill Gates, and which can significantly boost your productivity at work. Those who watched BBC News on Sunday Night will have seen him working in front of his desk."
And the link
http://www.itproportal.com/articles/2008/03/16/discworld-creators-secret-technique-could-make-you-more-productive/
Where did you get the background files as shown in the photograph?
David.
tyron: I write a litte program that minimizes only the windows on the first screen (Desktop). In case anyone is interested:
Im Bro habe ich ja wie erwhnt ienen neuen Rechner bekommen. Das Schne ist: Er kann dualhead, das beduetet, ich kann 2 Monite anschlieen und habe daher einen erweiterten Desktop.
Sehr nett zum Entwickeln: Rechts auf Vollbild das Terminal, links die Windowsprogramme und unseren Temrinalemulator. Dh: Testen links, entwickeln rechts.
Sehr praktisch ansich. Nur habe ich leider dummerweiose die Angewohnheit, die Programme zum Testen immer ber dei Desktop-Icons aufzurufen und alte schlechte Gewohnheiten wird man schwer los wies scheint.
Daher hat mich folgendes Windows-Verhalten sehr genervt:
Wenn man auf “Desktop anzeigen” klickt oder WIN+M oder WIN+D drckt, werden die Fenster auf allen Schirmen minimiert. Um hier Abhilfe zu schaffen, habe ich mir daher ein kleines C-Programm geschrieben, was nur die Fenster am primary display (Desktop) minimiert:
Sourcecode: http://code.dump.at/doku.php/dump/minimize.c
Compiled version: http://dose.0wnz.at/scripts/cpp/minimizer.zip
I purchased a Radeon 1600X 512k video card. It has two DVI outputs. I added two VGA to DVI adapters and hooked up two monitors. Only one monitor works and can not get the other to work even when the software recognizes both model numbers of each. Apparently I have messed up somewhere and would like to get an idea what I have done wrong. Using Vista Home operating system …
Thanks
Doug
Hello to all,
has anyone any experience writing screen savers in a multiple monitor setup ? The one i wrote is only displayed on the main screen, while the Windows internal savers generally show up on both displays ( they actually combine all monitors to one ). I tried the .NET screensaver example as well, but it behaves like my own and uses only the primary monitor. What to do ?
Thanks, Gerhard
I’m having a problem with my multiple screens. The Microsoft Office 2003 opens off screen to the left so that I can’t work with it. I don’t have 3 screens enabled. Has anyone had this problem? A friend of mine fixed it once, and said it was a setting, but he’s out of town. Any ideas?
It has been suggested by greinds that my monitor array is overkill.
At work I use 4 22 inch LCDs in the inverted T config.
Where I went excessive is at home.
My main PC runs 6 x 22 inch lcd in a 3 across, 2 up layout.
On either side of my work station I have shelving that holds 6 x 21 inch crts (3 either side vertically).
Each of these CRTs run on 6 separate PCs but are linked using Synergy which allows my to run my mouse off the left(or right)of my 6 LCD array and end up on the verticle 3 array of CRTs.
Each of the PC CRT pcs are separate machine running there own stuff but I can easily just run my mouse onto it’s screen and use it with the same keyboard. What’s even nicer is that Synergy supports a huge list of OS’s so I can run from my Windows PC straight onto my Solaris or Debian boxes seamlessly.
hi! I have an n-vidia 7300 gt with a dvi connecyor so that I have two monitors at the same time. I was wondering if I can make the on board video card work so that I can have a third monitor. Actually I had to turn it off from the bios so that my pci express card could work, if someone knows how tho make both cards work I wil appreciate!
CheerS!
I have a GeForce 6200 PCI (256MB) install and have 3 monitors working using the motherboard VGA port. Only problem I am having is with DOS apps. When I hit alt/enter to expand to full screen, monitors 2 and 3 go blank. Any ideas???
Multiple Monitors are the best thing since sliced bread!
I got a SUPER PC Multi-Monitor Computer from http://Multi-Monitors.com about a year and a half ago and it has changed my life!
No more maximizing and minimizing windows all day and forgetting what the heck I’m doing. I love the panoramic yet independent nature of multi-monitor technology. The real problem is… now that I have four monitors, I want six or eight. It’s hard not to get addicted. I do a lot of day trading so comparing charts and copying and pasting across monitors is such a treat for productivity. It really makes you feel like you have an advantage.
Here’s a cool youtube video of the same exact Model of Display I got. If you’ve never seen a Multiple Monitor Computer in action, you should take a look.
Multiple monitors really are amazing! I purchased my 6 monitor array from http://www.multiplexpc.com about 2 months ago (I am new to this) and I am never going back. Check’em out.
can some of you experts help me? I know next to nothing about hardware (software girl here 
but managed to install a dual video card a few years ago to enjoy two monitors. I have a third monitor available now and would love to go to 3, but I’m not sure how to do that. I’ve read some of your comments about, but unfortunately don’t really understand the techie terms. I’m broke or I’d get an expert to help me. What can I do? is there anyway I can use the now defunct original video card for my third monitor? just plugging it in doesn’t seem to work. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. You can reach me at webmaster@lighthaven.org if you need an email.
thanks!
You should get a USB Adapter to add a 3rd Monitor.
Here is a couple links:
http://www.multi-monitors.com/product_p/usbvga1.htm
http://www.multi-monitors.com/USB_to_DVI_Adapter_p/usbdvi1.htm
very cool! not to mention super easy! Is that my cheapest route? (sorry, broke
Finally I understood why programmers are having 2 monitors…seriously i wan’t aware of this so far…thanks