Dual Monitors

[tim55]

I currently use a Matrox G400 dual head graphics card with two monitors to extend my desktop. However, I'm getting greedy and would really like to have three monitors!

Although many people have talked about using multi-monitors with Windows XP, my understanding is that it works OK with Windows 2000 as well. In which case...

a) Can I keep my Matrox to handle two monitors and just add another graphics card to give me the third monitor?
b) My motherboard only has one AGP slot, currently taken up with the Matrox. Can I get any kind of adapter so that I can add the second card, or are there perfectly good PCI graphics cards still about?

Thanks.

 

[kmcferrin]

You can probably keep your Matrox card to handle two monitors, and then add another card to get a third. There are no AGP--> PCI converters, so whatever card you ge would have to be PCI. There haven't been any new model PCI graphics card made for a year or two, but as long as you are not looking for top-notch 3D performance you should be fine with any of the most recent PCI cards.

The only caveat that I have is that if you are spanning your desktop across multiple monitors with your Matrox card, you may run into problems trying to span across a third. The Matrox card is handling the mulimonitors with it's driver, whereas the OS will be handling the spanning to the second card's monitor.

 

[tim55]

The only caveat that I have is that if you are spanning your desktop across multiple monitors with your Matrox card, you may run into problems trying to span across a third. The Matrox card is handling the mulimonitors with it's driver, whereas the OS will be handling the spanning to the second card's monitor."

Yes, I have come across this myself. The Matrox drivers work well so that a window maximised in one monitor stays in one monitor, and tool bars stay in one monitor as well. Other set up create all sorts of odd results.

Of course, one solution is simply to get a Quad output matrox card - now that would be VERY cool!