[olug] dual head vid cards

[Hurley Rod]

Most all decent 2, 4, or 6 port cards allow you to do all of the options you discussed:  Mirror 2 monitors, combine them into one desktop, or stretch the desktop across them.

-----Original Message-----
From: olug-bounces at olug.org [mailto:olug-bounces at olug.org] On Behalf Of Craig Wolf
Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 1:10 PM
To: olug at olug.org
Subject: Re: [olug] dual head vid cards

In my experience, if the card has two ports, you can run monitors on it just fine.  Does the new machine already have 2 ports?  The card you linked to should work fine for just viewing...would not use for a good game of Crysis.  8)
 
Craig Wolf


>>> Obi-Wan <obiwan at jedi.com> 1/29/2010 >>>
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
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