BenDover 2002-08-18 16:06
I have 3 monitors running in Windows XP. A GeForce4 mx 440 (AGP dual-vga) and an ATI XPERT 128 (PCI single-vga). 3-monitor setup seems to work fine in Windows XP and windows recognizes the three seperate monitors. When i try to play a 3-monitor enabled game such as Jedi Knight 2, only the primary monitor displays the game and the other two monitors are frozen. There must be a way to change somethin in the config file, but I have no idea what to do. Every suround gaming, triple head monitor site I have seen is about the matrox parhelia which does not help me. Tx
|
Nite 2002-08-18 17:13
Try looking at my site (link below).
Basically, it's not possible without Parhelia to get three-monitor hardware-accelerater gaming. (Unconfirmed: might be possible with 2 to 3 Radeon cards.)
For many games that "Support" surround gaming (like JK2O), you have to set your desktop to "Strectched Mode" (ie. one large resolution, instead of three independent screens) to be able to do it. (by "support" I mean that the game in question only has the ability to spread across multiple monitors, but the developers hadn't done anything to properly take advantages of it. Like different views or something.)
\Nite - "can't rain all the time"
Multi-Monitor Gaming Web
|
BenDover 2002-08-19 03:25
Well, in Windows 2000, the two monitors on the GeForce card are merged together so, i have a stretched primary monitor (actually 2 monitors) and the secondary is normal. There must be a way to add that second monitor to the stretched area, maybe i need some software or somethin, i have no idea.
|
Nite 2002-08-19 04:29
Yes, the two displays of the GeForce work as strectched, but there is *no way* to add a third non-geforce adapter driven monitor into that area. With two (or three) indentical GeForce cards it might be possible, but no one has found a way yet.
Only solution now, is to use the Parhelia, or multiple Radeon cards with newest Catalyst drivers. (don't know about the newer 9xxx Radeons)
\Nite - "can't rain all the time"
Multi-Monitor Gaming Web
|
Master Yoda 2002-08-19 05:10
You sound like a Padawan Learner to me...
Use the force. All will become clear. Triple monitor gaming is quite possible.
|
Nite 2002-08-19 07:32
Indeed. With Parhelia, multiple ATIs, or then in windowed mode.
If you know something else then, please, share it with us mortals who have to do with standard drivers and hardware...
\Nite - "can't rain all the time"
Multi-Monitor Gaming Web
|
Black Scorpion 2002-08-20 21:47
BenDover: as said above, u have to STRETCH em , not configuring 'em as separat screens.... the utility is called nView (in the displauy properties of the GF)...
Now as i also want a surround game environment... i'm struggling around too, but fo other reasons:
I've got a GF4ti4600 connected to 2x19"screens... now if I'd buy a GF4MX420-PCI, I could put a Third 19"screen to my PC, but, will the nView tool stretch it to all 3??? I think yes, but now the other problem: performance.... I'm sure the PCI GF4MX420 card will slow down, and also there are unsupported features on the PCI card... like thoses special water effects....
As I don't want the parhelia cause less power than my actual GF4ti4600, I decided to wait until the NV3-GF5 comes out, hoping they grant a 3screen support :)
|
Nite 2002-08-21 01:22
Nope, adding a PCI GF doesn't add it to the strectched desktop. Sad, but true. Lot's of people here and elsewhere have tried this, but none (that I know of) has achieved it.
I'm pretty sure that awhile back some Win2000 Detonator drivers offered this option, but there is nothing like that in the current driver versions. Maybe in some future point in time.
As I have said many time earlier, only way to achieve three-screen gaming today, is to use the Parhelia, or multiple ATI Radeon cards. (or then some other Quad-output card, but generally don't perform well in games.)
But, multiple GF cards can run three screens, hw accelerated, but just don't allow strechcted mode. The answer is to run the game in windowed mode, if possible. That way there is at least a way to try to run three screens with GeForce cards...
\Nite - "can't rain all the time"
Multi-Monitor Gaming Web
|
Black Scorpion 2002-08-21 02:17
bad news then..... :( Anyway, guess I'll have to wait the NV30-GF5.... hope they get 3 screens, HELL! :) :) :)
|
r0gu3 2002-08-22 00:53
Well I have been working on a library in linux that lets me multiplex the opengl output of certain games... In simple testing i could get 4 monitors on 3 seperate video cards running the same 3d app (I am right now trying to add support for unaccelerated cards by using a pbuffer and copying it out) but MOST of this work will transfer well to windows... But I don't know when I will have time to do it :)
If someone wants to port it email me
- r0gu3
http://r0gu3.codices.net
|
TonyT 2002-09-03 12:08
Nite, I have a Radeon 8500 64MB AGP card, one 19" monitor and 2 17" Dell 780's. If I added say the Radeon 7000 64MB PCI card could I play Jedi Knight2 for example in surround? If so please could you point me in the right direction for guidence. Thanks.
|
Damien 2002-09-03 15:21
TonyT,
>>I have a Radeon 8500 64MB AGP card, one 19" monitor and 2 17" Dell 780's. If I added say the Radeon 7000 64MB PCI
ATI told me that you cannot have a PCI card in the system along with a dual-DAC AGP card. (At the moment I'm not clear on whether they meant that if you tried that, the PCI card wouldn't work or the AGP card wouldn't work. And they couldn't say whether this applies to non-ATI AGP and/or PCI cards.)
Apparently sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn't. Anyone out there have experience with this one way or the other?
Damien
|
TonyT 2002-09-04 10:54
Thanks Damien, I thought it would be to good to be true! It looks like I will have to be patient and wait for the price of the Parhelia to drop to a more realistic level. Problem is that Matrox prices don't seem to fall as fast as ATI's. Lets hope it reaches the $175 mark or lower by Xmas. By the way if anyones having problems running Jedi2 with surround there is a short guide on Tom's Hardware.
Link http://www17.tomshardware.com/graphic/02q2/020625/parhelia-05.html
Lastly there are some fair to good deals for monitors (refurbs) on UBid but they are ruined by ridiculous shipping charges. I guess refurbs should be Ok for moniors 2 and 3.
|
TonyT 2002-09-06 11:58
Damien take a look at this link...it may be possible after all!
http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthread.php?s=0579128ef3b1c69fe988fe368577bd62&threadid=33633580
Now all we need to know is 'is it possible to run games?'
|
Fuzzy 2002-10-25 17:58
Alright, I got UT2k3 to run on my 2 monitor setup... except it doesn't run fast at all... about 1 fps actually.
My setup: 1.8ghz, 768mb 800mhz rambus, GF3, GF2mx200, 21" (19.8"), 20" (19.0")
I got it to work by setting the "StartupFullscreen=True" variable to "StartupFullscreen=False" and changing the lines: "WindowedViewportX=1024
WindowedViewportY=768" to "WindowedViewportX=2024
WindowedViewportY=768" which spanned into my second monitor... I'm guessing this just doesn't work well with two video cards?
-Fuzz
|
