programming and human factors
by Jeff Atwood
I found an interesting blog post about a small, informal multiple monitor productivity study. A number of developers, with some nudging from me, have gravitated to multiple monitor setups over the last year. Based on that experience, I wholeheartedly agree with the study survey results:
This is really a no-brainer for any developer who values his or her time. Now more than ever, since:
I recently went from two to three panels, and I think the transition is worth the effort. All the "extra stuff" I couldn't fit on the primary or secondary panels finally found a home on the third one. The increase isn't as noticeable as going from a single monitor was, though. I think the rule of diminishing returns will definitely kick in for more than three. I'm also wondering whether I could physically see four monitors without moving my head around a bunch more than I normally do.
If you're interested in moving to three displays, you'll need a second PCI video card installed in addition to your primary AGP video card. Although this generally works, don't assume it will. Having two different video drivers installed (from two different vendors, on two different hardware busses) can be problematic. I recommend visiting the excellent Multiple Monitor Resources website-- they pioneered this topic way back in, er, 1999-- and checking their compatibility database. I had a dual-output nVidia 5200 video card, so I opted to stick with the same chipset by installing a PCI nVidia 5200 video card. That way, I only had to install one video driver, and I get the benefit of configuring all three panels using the same display properties applet.
ATI and nVidia both have good support for multiple monitors in the default drivers, though nVidia's support is significantly better at this point. So if you're on the fence, or don't have a preference, I'd go with a nVidia video chipset where possible. If you get serious about multiple monitors, you'll also want a copy of RealTimeSoft's UltraMon utility, which has a bunch of legitimately helpful multiple monitor features, and one absolutely killer feature:
UltraMon adds an additional taskbar for each secondary monitor, and each taskbar only shows tasks from the monitor it is on. This makes managing lots of open applications much easier, and when activating an application, you'll know on which monitor it will appear.I had no idea how significant this feature was until I tried it. It's huge! The taskbar becomes far more useful when it isn't crowded by the dozens of windows you're bound to have open, and each taskbar only shows the windows on that particular display. Strongly recommended.
I tried the 4 monitors setup one time at the end of the project that study was based on. You do move your head around may more than necessary, unless you have flat panels and you can put them right on top of each other. Some of my trader friends have 6 monitors, but they're just sitting around watching feeds all day. :)
I never got into the ultramon taskbar feature. I use Alt+Tab rather than the mouse to navigate between windows. It also doesn't work well when you use remote desktop. But most of the rest of my coworkers at the time loved it.
Yes, having the flat panels gives a lot more flexibility in layout -- and now that the 17" and 19" panels are relatively inexpensive, this is easier to justify financially.
I'd say EVERY serious developer should be using two monitors if they are not already, for the clear productivity benefits. No doubt about it. And those that feel it is justified for what they do (space, cost, working habits) should be able to move to three.
The fourth monitor, even as an ultra-thin LCD, is just hard to place, period! I think I'd want it above my primary monitor, for sort of an upside down "T" shape-- 3 across, 1 up. Given the diminishing returns between two and three, I doubt I could justify a fourth due to cost and difficulty of placement, and even then, It'd definitely be my least used display.
Remote desktop works well in multiple monitor scenarios, particularly when you make it fullscreen. It's a little picky about placement, but once you get it on the right monitor, it'll remember to launch fullscreen on that monitor the next time it is started.
Oh yeah, one thing I forgot to add: It's odd that you mention *more use* of ALT+TAB as a benefit of multiple monitors.
I define productivity as less use of ALT+TAB, and its implied window management overhead, not more! :) I know I use ALT+TAB a lot less now that I have more desktop space and therefore less overlapping information trapped in obscured or partially visible windows..
A third monitor is great for all those little extras like your media player and your IM client, especially for those working from home. I would second the recommendation to get your AGP card and your PCI card from the same maker (I've had no setup problems with my dual-head Radeon and an older All-In-Wonder 128 Pro, though they do require two different drivers).
The first PCI slot (the one right next to the AGP slot) often has trouble with video cards, even if you're not using an AGP card. When I'm setting up a system with two video cards, I automatically leave the first PCI slot empty. If you're having trouble getting your PCI card to work, this is the first thing to check.
Keep in mind that some cards will only provide hardware acceleration to one screen (the one defined as "Primary" in the Windows display properties). Unless you're a gamer, this probably won't be an issue, but it will also affect other graphics-intensive items like Winamp visualizations.
Dave on August 7, 2004 12:46 PMI use ALT+TAB to focus a window, not necessarily to bring a window to the top of the z-order. So I do a lot of ALT+TAB in my dual monitor setup. Alas, I spend most days in front of a laptop these days, which is why I opted for the 1920 x 1200 display.
John Lam on August 7, 2004 12:47 PMThe MultiMon utility is kind of expensive. You can get the additional taskbar for a 2nd or 3rd monitor with this free utility.
http://www.mediachance.com/free/multimon.htm
And regarding a 4th monitor. My fourth is above the primary monitor in an upside-down T-shape as mentioned above. I use this product.
https://store.ergotron.com/LearnMore.aspx?ProductID=32
The 4th is the least used, but great for IM apps as mentioned above.
I have been using at least 3 4 monitors since summer of '99 when Win98 2nd edition added multiple monitor support. I have wasted a lot of time telling people to try a 2nd monitor. Most haven't, but I have switched to telling them to plan for at least 3. And that means a small bezel is very important.
Nifty links, Ken. My co-workers already think I am insane with three monitors, but I will definitely keep that vertical mount in mind-- that 2nd PCI card has an unused VGA port just waiting for something to plug into it..
Jeff Atwood on August 7, 2004 12:48 PMIf you're interested in studies of multiple monitor use, you might be interested in the following study done by Jonathan Grudin (http://research.microsoft.com/users/jgrudin/) at Microsoft Research:
http://research.microsoft.com/copyright/accept.asp?path=http://www.research.microsoft.com/research/coet/Multimonitor/CHI2001/paper.pdfpub=ACM">http://www.research.microsoft.com/research/coet/Multimonitor/CHI2001/paper.pdfpub=ACM">http://research.microsoft.com/copyright/accept.asp?path=http://www.research.microsoft.com/research/coet/Multimonitor/CHI2001/paper.pdfpub=ACM
Check out the sweeeeeet setup at http://www.digitaltigers.com/tigervista-arena21n.shtml. Drool. No affiliation...also, sadly, no spare $4k for the setup.
David on April 26, 2005 5:16 AMI just bought an xfx FX5200 PCI and a xfx 6600Gt AGP and placing a call to the support department at XFX was worthless.
Some guy named Frank (who clearly doesn't like his job) tells me that after speaking with the nvidia engineers, nvidia software doesn't support more than two monitors, period.
I am basically being told that 3 monitor configurations are not allowed. This sounds like total nonsense to me, but I have nowhere else to turn.
Am I simply out of luck or just out of support for an XFX product?
I'm not trying to play games (too much), so I don't care so much about that, but does your three monitor setup work for windows by itself?
I was wondering about bagging it and buying a Matrox 450mms quad on ebay.
Any help out there? Thanks in advance.
Bill, 3 monitors definitely works; windows supports up to 10 monitors out of the box. A few suggestions:
1) Install the latest video drivers from http://www.nvidia.com
2) Read through the forums and FAQ at:
http://www.realtimesoft.com/multimon/
Which is an excellent multiple monitor resource!
Jeff Atwood on May 31, 2005 12:58 PMHello, I have the GeForce 6800 AGP card and am looking for a compatible Nvidia PCI card to make a 3 monitor setup. I can't find a PCI version with the 6800 chipset. Do you think I can use a 4000 or 5500 or will that cause problems? Any suggestion on what PCI card I should get?
Thanks!
mark on July 6, 2005 6:51 AMI have a SLI setup with 2x6600gt's can i do 3 monitor with sli? i am needing some serous space for dev heh, 2 wasn't enough :(
Justin on July 22, 2005 2:26 AMIt is my understanding that nVidia SLI mode and "more than 2 monitors" modes are mutually exclusive. But when SLI is disabled, you can use up to 4 monitors.
Jeff Atwood on July 22, 2005 4:38 AMI want to be able to have a 6 monitor setup, I was thinking of purchasing the Command center from www.digitaltigers.com what video cards would I need?
Steve on September 4, 2005 2:57 AMYou may need some 4-output video cards. These are somewhat rare..
Matrox QID
http://www.matrox.com/mga/products/qid/home.cfm
Appian Xentera GT
http://www.appian.com/newsite/products/xentera_gt_overview.html
You're looking at $600+ for these cards, though. I'd go with the Appian because it's based on a known ATI chipset. Matrox tech is just too old by now.
The other, cheaper alternative is to get a mobo that has two PCI express slots (eg a nForce 4 SLI), and add a standard PCI video card. That would be 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 video ports.
Jeff Atwood on September 4, 2005 6:43 AMAnother triple monitor user here. Wonderful. While I would like to see some taller monitors I don't think a 4th up on top would be all that useful. I think only about half a monitor worth of additional height would be comfortable.
I have put together several multi-monitor machines and I will definitely stress the point of getting cards that will work on the same driver. In the early days it didn't seem to matter but by now they're all but impossible to get to play nice together. Nvidia seems to be better than ATI at this. Note, also, that PCI versions of ATI cards are hard to come by.
Another observation: The install disk often doesn't work. Rather, install it from the device manager. Unfortunately downloaded drivers often won't install this way, period.
Loren Pechtel on September 5, 2005 2:44 AMRokage! Thank you for that URL to UltraMon :)
The only annoying thing left is that 'Minimize all' minimizes also the stuff from the second screen.
Bill,
3+ monitors works in any way with any pci card
slotted in, in terms of spanning desktops, (talking about agp + pci architectures),
guess "our" (nVidia users :) point is :
horizontal span w/ 2 monitors !
and it seems it just does not work !
Max on January 9, 2006 5:41 AMI run a 4 monitor system with 2 EVGA 6600gt cards in pciX .....
now that I've been using that...I'll never go any smaller....
4 is the way to the go if u ask me..... u just have to sit a tiny bit farther back from the lcds...or you will be moving your head a little more..( which I don't mind anyways...)
the EVGA cards are awesome an under 130$.... just the 19" monitors killed me... $1200 for those puppies... the heat from the comp and 4 monitors heats the room up like a s-auna when I really get rocking...
but it literally was a matter of plugging the cards in and hooking the cables up..
no brainer if u ask me..
and I cant post my email or homepage because u have x-x-x words not allowed... kinda stupid... but keeps the spam out i guess
DJBXP on January 14, 2006 4:48 AMI'm a graphic designer and web developer who is looking into purchasing a new pc in feb or mar. i've been reading up on a lot of graphics cards to try to determine the right ones for me. I want to have a 4 monitor display. I have read all about sli technology and think that having 2 processors working on stuff at once is a great idea. does it really make sense to have two sli cards versus getting 2 non-sli cards that are cheaper? Any reccomendations would be greatly appreciated.
Matt on January 23, 2006 12:04 PMdoes it really make sense to have two sli cards versus getting 2 non-sli cards that are cheaper
There is no such thing as an "sli card", just motherboards that are "sli capable" meaning they have two video card slots.
You just plop two regular PCI Express video cards in those slots and you're off to the races. That's exactly what DJBXP did in the post above yours.
Jeff Atwood on January 23, 2006 12:09 PMI've been ruuning XP with 3 Princeton 18 inch flat screens(DVI). I have an AGP NVidia 5500 and 2 PCI NVidia 5200 cards. It's great. The only way to develop software. Unfortunately I haven't found a multi-head fish aquarium screensaver but that's a question for another post.
Each of these cards "supports" dual monitors but I wasn't using the second port.
I also have 3 19inch analog VGA CRTs sitting here doing nothing, I decided to try the dual port setup. The analog monitor plugged into the AGP (NVidia 5500) port is crystal clear. Unfortunately that's not the case for the analog monitors plugged into the 5200's. Both monitors show really bad shadowing, so bad that they are pretty much useless.
And yes, I've swapped the monitors around.
I just installed the latest NVidia drivers and verified that all 3 cards are using them.
Suggestions?
Papadilbert on January 29, 2006 1:42 AMI have stumbled across the strangest work-around ever. My flat screens support both analog and DVI. It seems that they run better plugged into the analog ports on my video cards. When plugged into the DVI ports there would be the odd screen blanking. So I thought, let's try the CRT's in the digital ports (using DVI-Analog converter plugs). Yup, you guessed it. The analog screens on the 5200 cards are now crystal clear also. I now have 5 monitors running. The 6th one is in the basement and I'm too tired tonight to carry it upstairs.
I would still like to understand why the analog ports on the 5200 cards do so poorly displaying CRT's.
One thing I haven't checked is if the problem is caused by running multiple video cards. I guess I could test the cards one at a time to see it makes a difference.
Any ideas?
Papadilbert on January 29, 2006 3:07 AMThe DVI circuitry isn't always integrated into the video chip itself; less expensive and/or older video cards sometimes use an external (discrete) chip for the DVI interface.
More on this here: "ExtremeTech DVI Compliance Shootout"
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1370500,00.asp
Jeff Atwood on January 30, 2006 1:22 AMI have dual 7800GTs in SLI mode and a Radeon 9200 sapphire PCI card for an additional monitor. My OS recognizes the PCI card but it has an initialization error and cannot be used.
I've tested the 9200 on another machine and it's still functional. Is there any particular reason these don't play nice?
I originally thought I didn't have enough power to run it, but have since put a 620W power supply on my machine so I should have plenty of juice.
Brad Greer on April 25, 2006 9:17 AMFor those of you wanting dual monitor NVIDIA SLI and to add a 3rd monitor or 4th check this out...
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=6269
For those who want to use 2 or 3 monitors at a time from a laptop or SLI-enabled system, or don't want to install a new graphics card, check out these external multi-display upgrades...
DualHead2Go:
http://www.matrox.com/mga/workstation/3dws/products/dualhead2go/dh2go.cfm
TripleHead2Go:
http://www.matrox.com/mga/workstation/3dws/products/triplehead2go/overview.cfm
What is recommended between 3x17" or 2x19"
Definately 3x17" if you had to choose.
But obviously 3x19" would be cooler... I am about to upgrade from my Matrox Parhelia 512Mb for a dual card option with more juice... perhaps 2xnVidia cards outputting to 3x19" Lcd.
For the last three years my Parhelia and 3x17" lcds have made my life a million times easier. I am an animator/filmmaker/editor, so I use a lot of different programs all at the same time... the extra space is a must!
Paul on June 20, 2006 6:56 AM"While I would like to see some taller monitors I don't think a 4th up on top would be all that useful. I think only about half a monitor worth of additional height would be comfortable."
You could probably use a large widescreen monitor mounted sideways and use the NVrotate funtion of Nvidia's drivers. this would give a 'taller' monitor
Robert Smith on July 14, 2006 7:23 AMHi Jeff
Thanks for the writeup on multi-monitors! Found this when trying to research, I'm planning on moving to the three monitor setup. I do SEO and web development work and I am tired of having to switch windows all the time.
I've heard some other people who have multimonitor setups rave about Ultramon as well.
Michael @ SEOG on July 31, 2006 11:47 AMThis is great information and very helpful. I've been trying to get two cards (AGP and PCI) to work for about a week now and this thread identifies the possible problem areas and solutions.
Ironically, my first attempt at work with this went fine; I just stuck an old card in the Dell Desktop system I use and it worked. However, at home I have not been so fortunate so the problems are definitely based on compatible chips/cards and/or drivers.
Laurence Roberts on August 12, 2006 8:18 AM[quote]The MultiMon utility is kind of expensive. You can get the additional taskbar for a 2nd or 3rd monitor with this free utility.
http://www.mediachance.com/free/multimon.htm[/quote]
I downloaded this free MultiMon utility and installed it. I have the new taskbar on my primary monitor but it does not show on my secondary monitor. I have tried using the CNTL + ALT + arrow key to send the screen to the 2nd monitor but it does not go. I can't drag the taskbar over to the 2nd monitor either.
I can and do use the 2nd monitor for extra windows and applications. Anyone have any recommendations?
Bob on September 22, 2006 8:46 AMI've found that the best thing for me is to use dual monitors for "real work", and then have an old handheld or two sitting around for email monitoring and status updates.
They can even be connected via USB or WiFi so they are constantly showing me project status, or incoming emails. I can also reply to any of the emails without using any memory or screen space.
Russ on September 27, 2006 3:27 AMI have a 5 monitor setup using a Matrox triplehead2go for the lower tier and a dualhead2go for the upper displays. All of this runs off of 1 eVGA Nvidia 7800 OC.
That's right, 1.
This is all mounted to an ergo-on-demand 2x3 stand and I LOVE it!
I know, Matrox doesn't support the use of these box's on the same machine but I don't care because it works flawlessly. I do my own support anyway so whatever to the support thing.
I am a full time Unix admin and working from home is a dream now, I'll never ever ever go back to a single monitor except at the office where most of my clients are to cheap to provide their consultants with proper hardware setups.
If you haven't tried it, you are missing out.
And if you have and are going to boast of what a real man you are by NOT using it, whatever. You probably don't do this kind of work for a living anyway.
Try it, you'll love it.
PopeTodd on December 12, 2006 6:07 AMI recently started using 3 monitors when I bought my new computer. I am a student as well as run small ebay business and I will never go back to 1 monitor. However, for your everyday home user this setup might be overkill. When not concentrating on work the other 2 screens really seems like a waste, but when actually working my multitasking has gone through the roof. I can only imagine what a difference this makes to all you programmers and developers. And it looks way cool, I mean 1 21" widescreen looks cool, but surrounded by 2 smaller monitors it just looks bad a$$.
Ryan on January 3, 2007 4:42 AMI wonder how remote desktop works with Vista. From what ive heard, remote desktop is implemented alot better in Vista than in XP, but i think thats mainly performance and fps they speak about. I dont know how it works with multiple monitors.
I have a dream that i can have multiple monitors on a remote computer, being my laptop.
So basicly:
1 computer with 2x nvidia graphics-card in SLI - (3 monitors and 1 TV-out), which i can remote my laptop on, and distribute windows from both computers freely around among the 3 monitors and TV.
Is this possible with Vista i wonder?
ven on January 6, 2007 12:46 PMHello, I have a Dell Dimension 2400 P4 with an onboard Intel AGP. I also have a GEForce FX 5200 dual head PCI card. I am currently running two monitors but want to go to three. The motherboard does not have a AGP slot, but I do have another PCI available. I am somewhat confused on just how many video cards I need. Right now, one monitor is plugged into the AGP and one into one port on the GEForce card. Currently the second port on the GEForce card is not used nor does it appears in Display Properties Settings.
Should I purchase another GEForce FX 5200 and try to get three monitors running off of those two cards (bypassing the onboard AGP), or should I try with my combination of the onboard AGP and my existing GEForce. I am not a gammer so intense graphics are not a big concern.
Any advise would be appreciated!
one question,
first i have already 2 screens, but because i do a lot of animation (3d) i need 3 monitors (mostly because i also have scripts running to script animations and tools)
what do i physically need?
do i need a second graphics card? to have more then 2 screens?
tommy on January 10, 2007 7:06 AMDells have rather odd custom motherboards which run off low-voltage PSUs - additional VGA cards are not 'supported' by Dell but may work. That's what they said last time they were asked anyhow! FYI I run 2 Dell 2007WFP's and have decided to take the plunge to a triple-20", 20"+24"+20" or 20"+30"+20" setup - my main worry about needing to DualLink-DVI the 30" is the only reason I've not decided yet!
Personally I'd try with the existing setup using a junk CRT from ebay or wherever, and then get a recycling company to take away the old CRT and get a LCD monitor if/when you've got the three working.
Good Luck!
John Hancock on January 15, 2007 7:09 AMThere's an important note on Windows Vista and multiple monitors here. Basically, it's best to use video cards that can share a video driver (eg, ATI/ATI or nVidia/nVidia).
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/display/multimonVista.mspx
To answer a few questions asked in the above comments:
- You generally need a second video card installed to get more than TWO monitors connected.
- Yes, standard PCI video cards *usually* work fine as secondary video cards in tandem with a primary AGP or PCI express video card. Note that I said *usually*.. there can still be compatibility issues, typically at the BIOS level! One thing that has helped me in the past is setting the boot order of the video cards to favor the PCI card in the BIOS, so the system boots off the PCI card first. If that doesn't fix it, you may be hosed; I've sometimes had to go through multiple PCI video cards before I found ones that would work.
- I strongly recommend sticking with video cards from the same vendor (ATI/ATI or nVidia/nVidia) so you can use a single video driver. I've had problems running two different video drivers at once.
- It is not possible to use on-board motherboard video at the same time as a standard video card. Plugging in a standard video card typically disables the on-board motherboard video support; this is by design.
As ever, the very best place to look for detailed compatibility information or get detailed help is at the multimon site:
http://www.realtimesoft.com/multimon/
and the multimon site forums:
http://www.realtimesoft.com/multimon/forum/
Jeff Atwood on January 15, 2007 10:22 AMIs it possible to use the integrated graphic card together with a dual vga output card to perform the triple display?
Rian on January 24, 2007 8:18 AMI’m a web developer with a 5 screen setup. All 5 monitors are 19” Dell E193FP’s with a native resolution of 1280 x 1024 each. This makes for a total desktop resolution of 6400 x 1024 pixels.
http://www.riddolls.com/images/seans_studio.jpg
What’s unusual about this rig, is that it has no AGP or PCI-E slots whatsoever.
It’s a Dell Dimension Basic that comes equipped with only three PCI slots and one on-board video port.
I went out and got two 256MB Diamond Stealth Radeon 9250 PCI [ http://www.diamondmm.com/S9250PCI256.php ] video cards on special for $78 a piece. Each card supports two monitors [a VGA and a DVI output].
I also acquired two DVI to VGA adaptors since all the monitors have only VGA inputs. The center monitor uses the onboard card, and the two monitors on either side use one video card each.
Considering how inexpensive it was to set up this system, it runs surprising quickly and smoothly. It’s no gaming rig, but as web-dev workstation it’s phenomenal. I can run multiple graphics apps, an xhtml editor, as well as multiple browsers and spread them all out with room to breathe.
I am trying to run a multiple monitor setup, but I wanted to know if you need to similar monitors to do this. I have a 19" monitor connected and a 23" TV connected by S-video. I can switch between each screen, but can only use one at a time. I have an ATI X1300 graphics card and Windows Media Center Edition. The card has a primary and secondary drive on it, but when I enable the second monitor it flashes and dose nothing. The card came with a control center but that is unable to setup second monitor either, and I out of luck here?
Thad on February 27, 2007 2:29 AMThe background in that photo is called Neuron and is in the Microscopic section of my website www.dualmonitorbackgrounds.com
For those with triple monitor backgrounds, the site www.triplemonitorbackgrounds.com is coming soon too, and for the select few with 4 monitors there's www.quadmonitorbackgrounds.com
I can't say nice backgrounds will help with productivity but they look nice :)
I use 4 monitors, I have 2 NVIDIA GeForce 7300GTs (512DDDR), it's very nice ( 4 19" flats =) ) running on a Pentium D it's flawless
I2aMpAnT on March 14, 2007 9:23 AMhi am looking for a multi pc system in my pc.
i need two working monitors seperately working from a single machine
where 2 person can work in different monitors.
avinash_boot@hotmail.com
Avinash on March 14, 2007 1:26 PMNice setup for sure. But I definitely prefer having variable screen sizes. My display has two 17" wings tipped into portrait mode on either side of a luscious 21.3" landscape mode center panel. The mount is absolute heaven because it let's me rotate the screens anyway I want with my finger. No screws, or cabling to mess with. Its like one of those cool previous-generation imacs with the screen on the arm. beautiful stuff. check out the details...they wont let me post the url for some reason...Im gettin an error. Anyway. its CineMassiv*Displays dot com. - 21X
I saw their MasterPlex has been getting some serious press lately. It might be time for an upgrade soon...dream.
CubicleofDeath on April 6, 2007 2:54 AMhi,
i have a dell dimension 2400 and would like to run a second lcd monitor off it. I have a second monitor but no idea where to start!!
Im not very computer savvy and dont really know what ports i have. I have never upgraded so it is just what the dell dimension 2400 comes with as standard. Do i need to buy a video card/adapter and if so where do i plug it in?? Also, i read somewhere that 2400s have limited dual monitor capabilities? is this the case? Im a graphic/web designer but am still feeling my way around the hardware itself so any help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks.
peter ryan on April 6, 2007 4:30 AMHi Guys,
I've been looking for a software solution to enable all alerts/message boxes that popup to NOT span dead centre of both my screens.
Is there any way to manage this so a popup (from any program) pops to a specific screen? (I know the popup position is normally coded into the program..
Cheers.
Tim on April 9, 2007 11:46 AMHI everybody, does anybody know if its possible to run 3 monitors from two dual head FX5200 256 MB PCI cards using XP? AND how to do it? I got 2 monitors working flawlessly, when I go for the second video card, both cards show up in the device manager, but no screen on the 3rd monitor. Im using the newest Nvidia driver V.93.81. thanks HOmer
Homer on April 15, 2007 5:57 AMInteresting. I'd never say no to another monitor, but I tried a dual-screen (CRT) setup at home and the side monitor suffered from massive negligence. I suppose this is due to X-sans-Xinerama not letting one move windows between screens, and that I am also using virtual desktops. Alt-arrow is simply faster and easier than turning the head and moving the mouse pointer?
When using x2x to have the laptop as secondary screen I also keep forgetting the real estate over there...
A good idea would possibly to use 1600x1200 screens in portrait mode so three of them aren't that wide to svivel the head while providing 110 lines of code at once in each window.
(@Tim: Use three screens :-)
Andreas Krey on April 17, 2007 2:54 AMHello everyone......
I need to drive multible monitors....approx 30.
In a boeing 737 cabin trainer to simulate outside conditions in all the windows.
Any ideas????
Thanks for any input.
quite interesting
plan to try it out very soon
with three or more LCDs
realdan on May 29, 2007 1:35 PMFor those interested, here is a useful bit of autoit script that automatically activates a monitor when moving your mouse over it.
It works for 1280x1024 pixel settings, so modify as required.
(AutoIT is freeware gui programming tool)
Opt("TrayIconHide",1);Hide tray icon
Dim $pos, $x, $monitor
;left monitor = 1
;center monitor = 2
;right monitor = 3
$monitor = 0 ;initalize without a monitor choice
AutoActivate1()
Func AutoActivate1()
Do
$pos = MouseGetPos()
$x = $pos[0]
if $x =1280 and $monitor 3 Then
;MouseMove(1920,10)
MouseClick("middle")
$monitor = 3
ElseIf $x0 and $monitor 1 Then
;MouseMove(-640,10)
MouseClick("middle")
$monitor = 1
ElseIf $x =0 and $x 1280 and $monitor 2 then
;MouseMove(640,10)
MouseClick("middle")
$monitor = 2
EndIf
sleep(200)
until $monitor = 4; perpetual do
EndFunc
I'm working on my third monitor and windows will not recognize my second s3 Virge video card. It gives it a code 10 and will not start. The monitor and card do work. Can anybody help?
Robert on August 2, 2007 8:54 AMI'm looking at getting 3 monitors. What is the best size?
Any recommendations?
Calvin on August 23, 2007 2:34 AMIt'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!
Jonathan Chester on December 10, 2007 3:57 AMThere 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.
Mike on December 12, 2007 10:27 AMjayharbath@yahoo.com
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.
Shane on January 11, 2008 6:29 AMHey 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.
David on March 20, 2008 6:25 AMtyron: 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?
Suzanne on May 9, 2008 9:05 AMIt 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.
Kris on June 13, 2008 3:26 AMhi! 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????
car-free on July 30, 2008 3:50 AMMultiple 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.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_avGStqZOI
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.
Larry on August 9, 2008 3:59 AMcan 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!
Lori on August 15, 2008 11:01 AMYou 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
Multi-Monitor Computer on August 16, 2008 9:58 AMvery cool! not to mention super easy! Is that my cheapest route? (sorry, broke ;-)
Lori on August 17, 2008 5:01 AMFinally I understood why programmers are having 2 monitors...seriously i wan't aware of this so far...thanks
Abhishek on September 4, 2008 3:42 AMYou might want to consider using a USB graphics adapter. There have been some good improvements in this area recently since DisplayLink came along and the performance is comparable to a standard graphics card provide you're not trying to play 3D games or 1080p video.
The nice part about DisplayLink is that all you need is a spare USB port and the USB graphics adapters are pretty cheap these days. EVGA sells a UV+12 (up to 1280x1024 or 1440x900) for $59 and a UV+16 (up to 1600x1200 or 1680x1050) for $79. (http://www.evga.com/products/prodlist.asp?switch=10)
DisplayLink on October 6, 2008 2:51 AMI have been using Synergy for about a year and I really like it. It passes the clipboard along with keyboard and mouse commands to a second pc over the network. I'm using it with two dual display systems. Besides the fact that you can't drag windows from one pc to another, it really feels like I am working on a single system with four monitors and two cpu's. It let's me spread processing around and maintain two versions of the same browser mounted shared drives let me share hard drive space. Anybody that has two computers near each other or a laptop and pc should check it out.
Matt on October 17, 2008 7:05 AMI've used virtual desktops (via Virtual Dimension) to keep my taskbar uncluttered for years. I still use them now that I have two monitors!
StuffMaster on November 20, 2008 2:55 AMHere's my scenario:
* 2 PCs running XP
* 3 Monitors (24-inch, 1920x1200)
* 1 keyboard
* 1 mouse
as-is,...
PC #1 drives monitor 1 2
PC #2 drives monitor 3
and I use MaxVista to handle the mouse, keyboard, and clipboard across all 3 screens. PC 1 runs the server. PC 2 runs the client (viewer). The two computers are on the same gigabit network.
LAG - With this setup, there is small lag from time to time as I am maneuvering the UI on PC 2. I think that this is because this is a software solution, and that mouse and keyboard data need to travel across the IP network from PC 1 to PC 2.
KEYSTROKE ERROR - Certain keystrokes are failing, notably CTRL-ALT-DEL and some screen capture hotkeys within SnagIt.
QUESTION - Would a hardware solution speed up the connection? Is there a hardware solution? I keep reading about KVM switches. However, they seem to address multiple PCs on a single display. I'm looking for speed... no lag.
I have four, two glass tubes and two of those new kind that are platic and skinny. The tubes are 14 and 16 and the flat plastic ones are 19 and 20. To fit all of them onto the very small space on my desk I set it up 16-20-14-19, with the 20 being primary. It works very well, most happy with all the screen area, and took only a short time to get used to swivveling head back and forth, it's good exercie, strengthens neck muscles. My computer had only one PCI express slot, so the second video card (which I bought for $50) had to be the older type PCI regular, no express. Don't know if current computers (mine is 4 years old) come with two PCI-express slots, that would be an improvement. However, the pictures on all four screens still appear to be very sharp and clear. That's my exp. rgds
dog on January 21, 2009 8:07 AMEach 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.
http://aliansmotors.ru/
Multiple Monitors definitely improve productivity. I've been using
them for years and I've built two multi-million dollar web companies!
Now I'm up to six monitors on my main computer and four on my
sidekick PC! Big monitors are good for video and multiple monitors
are good for multi-tasking!
Here's a good introduction to Multiple Monitor Computers:
http://www.multi-screens.com
Multi monitors a high expensive for me.
http://dexzone.blogspot.com/
I'm taking a class on computers and I have been assigned to hook up 5 monitors. I've got them working so I can open a different programs in each. Now I am supposed to make each monitor have the same thing on it. I'm sure it's a setting of some sort but I am stumped, so is the teacher. I have 2 GeForce FX 5200 in it. Any ideas out there, Please let me know. Thanks
Keith on April 3, 2009 1:26 PMThanks for the post.
Why it is unable to make larger screen resolution monitors.
So that we can not add up several monitors
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Thanks for article it's great
I use two monitors now and would buy one more. Do you recommend me to buy extra video card for it?
a href=http://www.luckymountainhome.com/http://www.luckymountainhome.com//a">http://www.luckymountainhome.com//a">http://www.luckymountainhome.com/http://www.luckymountainhome.com//a
Thanks for article it's great
I use two monitors now and would buy one more. Do you recommend me to buy extra video card for it?
http://www.luckymountainhome.com/
Multiple monitors are best for sound editing such for music studios.
However not much suitable for personal use.
I think in the future larger and wider screens may come in to live that ultimately outdated the multiple monitors.
http://lankanews7.com/
Cool, Thanks for the great tip!
http://www.mpos.net/s/p3.asp
http://www.mpos.net/s/p4.asp
Finally I understood why programmers are having 2 monitors...seriously i wan't aware of this so far...thanks!
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I'm taking a class on computers and I have been assigned to hook up 5 monitors. I've got them working so I can open a different programs in each. Now I am supposed to make each monitor have the same thing on it. I'm sure it's a setting of some sort but I am stumped, so is the teacher. I have 2 GeForce FX 5200 in it. Any ideas out there, Please let me know. Thanks
grow taller 4 idiots on July 21, 2009 2:33 AMCool. It is a greet information.
Joker on August 4, 2009 4:12 AMHi , my set up is just has a dual view, nvidia 7900 gs pci express card with two lcd creens on the end... the pc has an onboard 6150 LE nvidia card...
im thinking if its possible to use the onboard video card at the same time with the pci express so i can run another monitor to make it 3. if not do i just add a pci vdeocard?
the bios only lets me choose a primary adapter... any other way around it?
don cue on February 6, 2010 9:30 PMAnother thing to consider for going multiple monitors is a software solution. I use MaxiVista http://www.maxivista.com, but I know StarDock has a similar application. These apps allow you to connect to another computer over your LAN and hijack an attached monitor. MaxiVista sits in my taskbar and allows me to either use the second computer remotely or allows me to extend my main computer's desktop over to the second computer.
The disadvantage is that this remote desktop extension can be a little slower. I don't notice it at all for most desktop applications, but dragging a game like World of Warcraft over there doesn't get such great results as it looks like it is running at 5 fps. I imagine video wouldn't work so well either.
However, when using the remote desktop control you get the nice advantage that you have a totally separate computer running over there. If you don't need to specifically drag tools and pallets over to the third monitor, you can just use the remote desktop control and launch your IM, video encoding, browser, music, etc. on the second PC without tying up RAM or CPU cycles on your main PC past MaxiVista. I love to pipe TV into my second PC when I'm relaxing and web surfing or gaming.
I know both advertised that they work well with laptops too.
Neither of the remote desktop apps I mentioned are free, but they may be a cheaper alternative than multiple video cards, especially if you have some older PCs and monitors sitting around.
Colton on February 6, 2010 9:30 PMGREAT link! using an MSI nx7600gs in the PCI Express x16 slot, and e-GeForce fx5500 in the PCI slot. Vista home basic had the drivers for both already, so i didnt use the install cd's. Using ultramon makes this easy to manage too. For my setup, using nVIDEA based cards in both slots worked.
THANK YOU JEFF ATWOOD!!!!
only tricky part for this noob was to configure the hardware so the startup and primary screen was the middle, as the slideshow feature in my photo program doesnt support the extra ultramon buttons. and every time i selected slideshow, it started far on the far left.
This can be done. Just read a LOT and take it all with a grain of salt!
the 1550 card actually supports two monitors, i need to get the splitter for that 4th monitor. it shows as an unused, discrete monitor in display settings.
volkemon on February 6, 2010 9:30 PMD'oh! meant the fx5500 card, not the 1550 card (?!?)
Giddy with joy looking at all this desktop I guess.....
volkemon on February 6, 2010 9:30 PMThe comments to this entry are closed.
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