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Brak's Buddy 2001-11-06 23:53
I was introduced to the multi-monitor world via a Appian Jeronimo Pro card. I was pretty satisfied with the 2 monitor support but for the 3D capabilities (for gaming) to be severly lacking. It appears that many here are using a high end 3D card for the primary monitor and a card like the Jeronimo Pro or Matrox 450 for the secondary. Will this setup work similarly as just using the Jeronimo Pro but with the Added ability of 3D on the primary monitor? What about DVD playback?
I also am not quite sure what is meant by "overlay." Can someone explain it to me?
Thanks for taking the time with a newbie...
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Christian Studer 2001-11-07 00:20
An AGP + PCI setup will work more or less like a single Jeronimo Pro. You'll need to make sure that the new card is primary, so that you can use it for games and DVD playback.
If you use Win98/Me, you may have to disable the secondary monitor(s) before playing games. This usually isn't necessary with Win2000/XP.
Overlays are a feature of the video card that improves video playback performance and image quality (especially when playing fullscreen).
For more information on setting up a multi-monitor system, take a look at the Multi-Monitor Guide.
Christian Studer - www.realtimesoft.com
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Brak's Buddy 2001-11-07 07:59
Thanks for the quick reply, Chris. I have a few more questions (I have now read the Guide).
First, I recently sold my Appian card (perhaps a mistake...)
Second, I have a Dell Precision 410 Workstation with 1 AGP slot. I checked on the video configuration and have found that there are no configuration settings in my BIOS. When this is the case, in a Dell system, the PCI becomes the primary if the system has a video card in the AGP and PCI slots. This concerns me greatly.
One of the reasons I got rid of my Appian card was due to the fact that it has poor 3D gaming capabilities. Here is what I would like to do. Let me know what you think.
I have a 2 monitor setup. #1 on the left. #2 on the right. I am running Windows XP.
I would like (if possible) to have the capability of playing DVDs full screen (1 monitor, full screen) on either monitor.
I would like for monitor #2 to have one of the latest and greatest AGP gaming card (I am seriously considering PNY's Verto GeForce3 Ti200 64 MB DDR). This means my gaming card would be my secondary card since it will be in the AGP slot.
I would like (if possible) to have the capability of playing Windows Mediaplayer(1 monitor, full screen) on either monitor.
I would like for my system to boot to monitor #2... I think this is where I begin to get into trouble...
Do most of these seem as though they would work? I have not decided on a second card (the one that will become the primary (PCI slot) yet, but I would be interested in suggestiond. Thanks for your time.
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Christian Studer 2001-11-07 09:11
Are you sure the PCI will be primary on your system? I have a Dell Precision 210, also without a BIOS setting for choosing the primary video card, and the AGP is always primary.
Anyway, with Windows XP this won't be much of an issue because you can change the primary monitor in Display Properties. Games and DVDs will always use the primary monitor as configured in Display Properties. Which monitor is primary in BIOS is only important for DOS applications and video cards with TV tuner/video capture features.
DVD players and Windows Media Player 8 always go fullscreen on the primary monitor. This is a limitation of the players, not Windows or the hardware. You could just change the primary monitor before playing a video (doesn't require a reboot).
Video players that can go fullscreen on any monitor are Zoom Player and Windows Media Player 6.4.
Christian Studer - www.realtimesoft.com
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