[olug] dual head vid cards

[Jason Troy]

What distro?  :)
I run a similar 3 display setup with a cheap ATI card (DVI / VGA) +
the onboard VGA on that windows xp distro.
As always though, the key is drivers.

-- JT


On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 12:32, Obi-Wan <obiwan at jedi.com> wrote:
> My 64-yr-old dad is about to buy a new, low end PC to replace his
> dinosaur.  The dino currently has two vid cards to power his two
> 19" CRT's.  Since neither existing vid card will fit in any new box,
> he'll need to buy a second vid card if he wants to keep the dual
> head setup (and he does).
>
> Here's my question:  Will most low end PCIe-16 vid cards like this one:
>   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127473
> which have one DVI & one VGA port allow you to run both ports
> simultaneously as side-by-side monitors, or do you typically just
> have to choose one port or the other (or mirror them)?  I've seen
> it done that way in the past, so I don't want to assume.  Dad runs
> lower screen res on those monitors (maybe 1280x1024), so the max
> resolution of the two combined is still within the limits of that
> card.
>
> If I do only get to run one port on that card, here's another question:
> Would I likely be able to run one monitor off the onboard video and
> the second one off a PCIe card, or does the PCIe slot override the
> onboard slot?
>
> This card is less than half the cost of a dual-DVI card (even before
> you buy the DVI-VGA adapters), but I'm wondering if he should get a
> $70 dual-DVI card anyway so he's ready when his current monitors die.
> This new PC will definitely outlast his monitors.
>
> --
> Ben "Obi-Wan" Hollingsworth                             obiwan at jedi.com
>   The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance I owe only to the
>     Giver of all good things, so if I stand, let me stand on the
>       promise that You will pull me through.  -- Rich Mullins
> _______________________________________________
> OLUG mailing list
> OLUG at olug.org
> https://lists.olug.org/mailman/listinfo/olug
>