Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > Graphics Cards > BEST TO HAVE SAME MONITORS IN DUAL SETUP??

BEST TO HAVE SAME MONITORS IN DUAL SETUP??

Forum Graphic & Displays : Graphics Cards - BEST TO HAVE SAME MONITORS IN DUAL SETUP??

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Hello fellow cyber nerds,
I have a problemo which requires your knowledgable self...

1. When using dual monitors, is it 'better' to have the same monitor, or is it ok to have 2 different monitors with different resolutions?

2. What do you think of this monitor? Reviews appear to be thin on the ground (save for on the site itself)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/show [...] =MO-030-BQ

My Specs:
Q6600@3.4GHz
2 X 4770's CF
Samsung 2232BW (current monitor)

Thanks for your replies Gentlemen..
AC

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Alctually I have some more questions...

3. I'mright in thinking that I could have one monitor for gaming and one for my desktop running at the same time..yes?

4. Would I take a performance hit with my setup if the answer to question 3 is indeed a yay?

There...you have enough to chew on for mo. Cheers for your help brainiacs.
AC

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Reply to ac3144
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I used to have a LCD 22'' @1650x1080 and a CRT 20'' @12??x1024, and I played in the LCD one while browsing info (maps, walkthroughs, etc) on the CTR one.

I think it's call dual view, so each screen is independent and it allows you to have 2 full screen applications at the same time.

I wouldn't run 2 games at the same time (whats the purpose anyways?!) because in that case you will see cards overloaded, (assuming they are 3D demanding games).

with your setup you won't have any problems with 2 monitors, atm I'm using a core2 duo and 4 lcd monitors @1680x1050 (@ work now not for gaming), and this is running just fine

Reply to jassao
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Aha! The early indications are favourable :D Thanks Jassao.
So do you need a program to make it work or is it possible through windows??
Thanks
AC

------------------------------ If only life had a votekick option....the world would be a better place.
Reply to ac3144
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your ATI catalyst control center has a wizard you can run to set them up, takes less then a minute

Reply to ct1615
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Thanks ct1615.

OK. So it's certainly possible and I shouldn't take a performance hit. Any ideas on the rest of my questions gentlemen?

Many thanks in advance of your enlightening replies.
AC

------------------------------ If only life had a votekick option....the world would be a better place.
Reply to ac3144

2- That is a fine monitor

3/4- Yes, you can set it up to have the desktop and the game at the same time. There wil be a very marginal performance hit if you are runnign apps on the otehr screen while gaming. Some games don't like windowed mode and won't allow you to interact with the desktop while they are open. Additionally, the primary display will always have the start menue, and also default to the gaming display, though you can change it. How well it works is very much a game by game basis. For example, WOW and Fallout3 work very well while I watch a movie or surf the net on the other monitor, where as crysis does not.

------------------------------ CPU: Q9550 at 3.6ghz (FSB 425mhz) | MB: P5E3 Premium | Ram: 4*2Gb Corsair DDR3 @1417mhz | GPU: 2 HD4890 1Gb (925core/1025mem) CF | PSU: OCZ ELiteXtreme 800W | Sound: Creative Titanium Fatal1ty Pro | 2*120gb OCZ Vertex SSD Raid0 and 2 500gb Raid0 HDDS
Reply to daedalus685
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Thanks very much Daedalus.

My upgrade options were either a single SSD (can't afford 2) or another monitor and I think I'm going to go for the monitor, unless someone knows of 2 decent SSD's for a total of £150-160 bracket, in which case I'm all ears!

Thanks again for your help folks.
AC :D

Reply to ac3144

Go with the 2nd LCD. Just remember to calibrate both LCDs. This way if editing vids,etc there won't be much of a difference. If you are a heavy multi tasker Dual LCDs are the way to go.

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Reply to Shadow703793
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Shadow703793 wrote :

Go with the 2nd LCD. Just remember to calibrate both LCDs. This way if editing vids,etc there won't be much of a difference. If you are a heavy multi tasker Dual LCDs are the way to go.



Thanks for your reply Shadow. I'm assuming that calibration will be automatic if I use catalyst? I'm not a heavy multi-tasker I just would like to increase my native resolution on my gaming monitor and thought I might as well run my existing monitor alongside for a healthy dose of cool-ness (I am shallow, I have learnt to accept this :D )

In truth, I would rather have 2 fast SSD's in raid 0 but I can't afford 2 so have opted for dual monitors instead.

Thanks for your input.
AC

Reply to ac3144

Believe me, dual LCDs are very addictive. Once you start using them single LCDs are history.

As for the calibration, I preffer to do it manually, the LCD/settings will be adjusted to the manufacture defaults. For most, that's OK, but it's not the best. Spend 20-25 minutes calibrating and you'll see a difference.

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Reply to Shadow703793
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