Multi-monitor questions

[cthomas1489]

Hey all,

Just joined and have my first set of questions.

I have a gtx 560 that's been working pretty decently for me so far but I may upgrade or get a second one, more on that in a minute.

Up until now I've used a single monitor but just recently got a matching second monitor for some multi tasking work with school but soon I'll get a third for gaming purposes. But for now, its just two monitors.

Currently, it's an extended display. My question is how do I make it so that it acts as a single display? (They are 1080p monitors so I guess something like 3840 x 1080 and then eventually 5760 x 1080) Right now they are both independently set at 1920 x 1080. Does it need to be done with three monitors so I can use something like Nvidia Surround (or Eyefinity if I end of switching cards)? I don't require multiple cards for this do I? Also, is this even possible in Windows 7 or is it only possible when in games using Surround or Eyefinity?

I swear I've also seen the Win 7 taskbar span across the monitors. Mines just on the primary display.

Thanks!

 

[DM186]

In your nVidia controll panel under set up multiple displays in there you will set up how each monitor is to work either to gether or work by them selves. If you get confused.

Up in the top left hand corner is the help menu. In there you will find how to make your screens go accross each other as if they are on big screen. If that is not what you want to do.

You can have three different cards in your rig to opperate each monitor as a single monitor for each card. Just don't SLI them. In order for you to run 3 monitors with the nVidia cards you will need two cards.

AMD cards you can get away with one card to run three monitors. Also in the nVidia controll panel in what I said above you will be able to set both monitors to run separate from each other. Good luck to you.

 

[inzone]

When you connect the second monitor the Nvidia control panel will automaticly set the desktop on the main screen and you will get the same desktop diplayed on the second screen minus the task bar. You then have to go into the Nvidia control panel and set up extended desktop so that the mouse will travel across to both screens. As DM186 has said you will need two 560's in SLI in order to run three monitors in Nvidia surround and it's best to not connect them all to the same card. There are also a couple of places in the control panel where you can make adjustments to the desktop , there's Set up Multiple Displays and Adjust desktop size and position. I have run two monitors off of one card but just for desktop purposes and not gaming , but I have the second screen with windows open while gaming on the first screen. If in the game in the video option you set the display to wondowed mode full screen (no borders) then the mouse will travel to the second screen without doing alt/tab to minimize the game in between maps of course.

 

[cthomas1489]

So I've been going in the Nvidia control panal and I still can't find the option to span my desktop across both screens. Currently, I have my main monitor with taskbar etc., and then the extended display.

I'm following the help menu but the options its listing don't appear. It says "in step 1 select either the Horizontal Span or the Vertical Span". Then "in step 2, click the display pair list and select the pair of displays corresponding to the pposition of your displays. For example... ". Well those options don't exist for me. I just have "select the displays you want to use" and "drag the icons to match your display config". Basically only options to choose which is my main monitor and which is extended.

 

[cthomas1489]

Oops! rereading the note at the top states that's only available in XP. So how do I get it so that everything spans across both? For example, I want a wallpaper that stretches across both? Right now I'd need two wallpapers, each at 1080p.

 

[inzone]

I'm not sure that's possable and the picture would really look stretched out and or distorted