4 monitors as 1

[businessadvisor]

Hi

I would like to have 4 monitors placed 2x2 and have them work as 1 large monitor. Is that possible? What components do i have to choose then?

 

[outlw6669]

Welcome to the forums!

You are in luck as the hardware that supports what you intend was just announced!
What you will need is four displays that support DisplayPort input and a soon to be released ATI 5870 Eyefinity Edition GPU.

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

well, if you've got 2 video cards which support 2 monitors each (somewhat every single pci-express or agp video card, in other words, anything that's not onboard), you can hook up 4 displays. Using Nvidia's Utility you can configure it to work as one monitor. Sorry, but I have no advice on ATI.

Naturally to use nvidia's utility, (included in driver, actually part of it) you will need an nvidia graphics card.

windows xp does not support this type of configuration of using it as one monitor. It does support 4 monitors as individual monitors.

 

[businessadvisor]

okey so with 2 nvidia cards in a pc with vista home premium it would work? no special monitors? Even if i would like to use 4 lcd- tvs`?

 

[outlw6669]

I believe you are mistaken xbeater.
According To Microsoft, nVidia's Span display mode is not supported in Vista or Win7.
That means that you can only have multiple displays, not a single large surface, outside of Xp.
Even in Xp, I believe you are limited to spanning two displays without using SLI (I could be mistaken here though).
It seems that the ATI 5k series is the only game in town for this right now.

 

[outlw6669]

@ Op, if you want to use a 5k series card for output to DVI or HDMI, you will only need the proper adaptor (HDMI or DVI).
It is entirely possible that these cards, when released, will be packaged with a few of them...

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

I believe you are mistaken xbeater.
According To Microsoft, nVidia's Span display mode is not supported in Vista or Win7.
That means that you can only have multiple displays, not a single large surface, outside of Xp.
Even in Xp, I believe you are limited to spanning two displays without using SLI (I could be mistaken here though).
It seems that the ATI 5k series is the only game in town for this right now.

In windows XP it is possible, i've achieved a single surface span of 3 screens, which is quite an odd number so it only seems logical that they would permit 4. This was quite a while back.

as for windows vista/7, I replied after 1st post, and it was not indicated that there was any use of vista.

As for screens, yes, technically you should be able to use any screen or combination of screens, as long as the width of all the screens are the same, if they are different you get some odd shape, and then the single surface probably wont be supported in the form of 2x2. If they are all different resolutions a single surface probably wont be suppported, but they will be seen as 4 seperate screens (a theory of what seems practical/logical: it would not be square if the entire screen is wider at the bottom than the top )

If you make a line of 1x4, (really wide) then different resolutions should be supported.

Again, im not entirely sure, but based on experience and some logic, this should be possible.

Should be fun with booting, seeing the startup bar (worm thingy) on four screens

Good luck.

PS, What do you actually want to do this for, and would't it be quite ugly with a line going through the middle of the screen?

 

[outlw6669]

...for windows vista/7, I replied after 1st post, and it was not indicated that there was any use of vista...

No problems, I just assume, as Xp is over 8 years old already, that everyone is running, or planing to run, Vista or Win7 unless otherwise stated.

In windows XP it is possible, i've achieved a single surface span of 3 screens, which is quite an odd number so it only seems logical that they would permit 4. This was quite a while back.

Actually, if you think about it, an odd number of screens in a row is perfect for gaming.
It will allow you to keep a single display directly in front of you, along with the aiming reticule and such, while giving you an even split of right/left peripheral vision monitors.
With an even number of screens, you are going to be splitting your aiming point across two (or more) displays and the mass of bezels between them.

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

Actually, if you think about it, an odd number of screens in a row is perfect for gaming.
It will allow you to keep a single display directly in front of you, along with the aiming reticule and such, while giving you an even split of right/left peripheral vision monitors.
With an even number of screens, you are going to be splitting your aiming point across two (or more) displays and the mass of bezels between them.

Yes, but I doubt that anybody is going to game on a 2x2 surface. Your crosshair will be split in FOUR parts.

and, 3 is an odd number both mathematically, and to create a single square surface. (and probably odd for more things but whatever )

 

[outlw6669]

...If you make a line of 1x4, (really wide)...

Don't believe I ever said anything about gaming on a 2x2 surface (or about making a square from it either).....

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

Yes but if you want to use it as a single surface (as in you can fullscreen a window and it will span across all screens) the resolution needs to be the same along all sides, if you want them to work individually any resolution should work fine.

 

[businessadvisor]

im gonna have them to show a large video in a store.

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

Ok. In that situation as long as you have all the same screens (at least resolution) then you should be able to create a big screen.

Do you have / are going to get the really thin bordered screens? I hear they are perfect for this purpose. I've seen those setups, quite impressive.