Dual Monitor Setup question

[fonebone10]

I'm considering a dual-monitor setup, but I just want to know this:

I realize it's kind of a silly question, but can I play a game on one monitor and browser the internet/make a spreadsheet/do whatever on the other monitor?

I have more than enough firepower for dual monitors (tri-SLI 480's FTW?) and just for reference, the monitors I'm considering are 24" Dell Ultrasharps. If there's a better monitor for gaming that's ~24" and has a 1980x1200 resolution, feel free to tell me.

Help is much appreciated.

 

[campolar]

The monitors are powered externally, so monitors don't have much concern with PSU.

As for your question, no you cannot play a game on one monitor and browse on the other. And there is a reason for this. Games run on full screen. When that happens, you cannot move your mouse away from the game without minimizing or deactivating it. So, unless your game works in a window mode, you most likely will not be able to do that...

 

[scotu]

You can run a game fullscreen on one monitor and have internet/ chat/ etc open on the other perfectly fine. While I would imagine it to be difficult to actually be playing some FPS while posting some web comments simultaneously, it's more that adequate to be web browsing while idling in an MMO or have a starcraft build order up on the other screen just to reference, etc.

It's absolutely possible.

 

[kaosnkorruption]

You can run a game fullscreen on one monitor and have internet/ chat/ etc open on the other perfectly fine. While I would imagine it to be difficult to actually be playing some FPS while posting some web comments simultaneously, it's more that adequate to be web browsing while idling in an MMO or have a starcraft build order up on the other screen just to reference, etc.

It's absolutely possible.

That's not entirely accurate.

I honestly cannot think of a single fullscreen (fullscreen being the keyword here) game that keeps the game on screen when you tab out to another window regardless of whether or not it is on the same monitor.

SC2 does have windowed fullscreen, which is essentially just borderless windowed mode that fills the entire screen. That would allow you to move back and forth between windows with out the game minimizing itself.

Dual monitors will allow you to monitor IMs, etc, but you would still need to minimize a fullscreen game to interact with windows outside the game.