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Christian Stewart 2004-05-13 01:45
What a great site - a multi monitor oasis in the maelstrom of the internet for a graphics card dunce like me....
My question is this - I've been wanting a multi monitor setup for some time - should I go for 3 17" LCD's or 2 19" LCD's? Depending on which combo, which graphics card(s)would you recommend?
I'm about to order a high spec new HP desktop through my company, having spent years using laptops, have no space limitation and have been looking to use the Ergotron DS100 mount solution.
I'm going to be primarily using the machine for business, but now being based at home might find the odd hour for a little distraction on the gaming front.....
The screens I've been looking at are the HP L1702 or the HP L1905. I'm most confused about the DVI / Analog resolution abilities and compatibility of the cards and screens.
Any help would go a long way to easing a thumping headache....
Christian Stewart
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Christian Studer 2004-05-14 06:44
I would go for 3 monitors, but it depends on your needs.
For example if you usually have multiple maximized applications open, 3 monitors will be the better solution, but if higher resolution is more important to you, then 2 higher-resolution monitors would probably be the better choice.
The 19" monitors also use 1280x1024 resolution, would probably make more sense to go to 20", with 1600x1200.
Most video cards should support 1280x1024 via DVI, I'm not sure about 1600x1200 though.
You could get either a single quad (4-monitor) video card, or two dual cards (one AGP, one PCI). Quad cards are usually quite expensive. If you want to drive all monitors via DVI, or want to use a quad card, you'll need to get a pro video card, for example Nvidia Quadro NVS, Appian, Colorgraphic, Matrox MMS.
Christian Studer - www.realtimesoft.com
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ecarlson 2004-05-14 12:26
My personal preference would be for the 2 - 19" monitors, since I like the easier reading of the larger pixels (of course, 3 - 19" monitors would be even better). But I don't sit that close to my monitors (at least not at home). If you sit really close, or like the smaller pixels, then the 17" monitors should be okay.
Since the 17" and 19" monitors have the same resolution, you would be able to display 50% more with the three 17" monitors than the two 19" monitors. So keep that in mind too.
Or you can go for the 1200x1600 - 20" monitors (as mentioned above) if you like small pixels, and a larger display area.
In another thread, someone was telling me about the different types of LCD screens, and apparently not all types are available in all sizes, so that is also something to take into consideration.
- Eric www.InvisibleRobot.com
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Tantalus 2004-05-15 03:54
i would get the dual 18-19" lcd. the native resolution on the 17" is 1280x1024 which is a tad small on 17" screens. if you decide on a 3rd monitor, it can be added easily enough with a simple PCI card.
i have a number of dual and triple LCD rigs...the 18" models offer a great price:perfomance ratio.
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Christian Stewart 2004-05-19 06:12
Thanks for the advice guys. I've gone for the two 19 inch Screens with a Matrox Parhelia 256 card - will wait to see the setup before ordering ergotron or similar frame.
Is there anything "essential" that I should do on the software side once I've got the system running with both screens recognized?
Many thanks for all your help.
Christian Stewart
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