Four monitor question

J

jmjatlanta

Hello all.

I've got a dual-head windows box, that I'd like to upgrade to 4 monitors. I'd like two of the monitors above the other two.

Does Windows handle that smartly? Can I drag the mouse up and to the right, and have my app move to the upper right screen?

Does what I want require a bunch of configuration and driver nightmare, or can it easily be done?

On another note:

I like the ability to put a chart in a window, hit the "maximize" button, and have it fill ONLY that screen. My Windows box works that way. My Fedora 6 box doesn't. Hitting "Maximize" stretches the window across both.

I have the understanding that the NVidia (nice stock lately btw) driver is "fooling" the OS by telling it the resolution is something like 2560 x 1024. Is this the cause of my problem, or is it that the Linux UI doesn't work the way Windows does?

Thanks in advance,
-jmjatlanta
 
Quote from jmjatlanta:

Hello all.

I've got a dual-head windows box, that I'd like to upgrade to 4 monitors. I'd like two of the monitors above the other two.

Does Windows handle that smartly? Can I drag the mouse up and to the right, and have my app move to the upper right screen?

Yes

Does what I want require a bunch of configuration and driver nightmare, or can it easily be done?

Usually pretty easy, install drivers (preferably use the same card so you can share the drivers) and add the monitors. (Set the layout as you want)

On another note:

I like the ability to put a chart in a window, hit the "maximize" button, and have it fill ONLY that screen. My Windows box works that way. My Fedora 6 box doesn't. Hitting "Maximize" stretches the window across both.

I have the understanding that the NVidia (nice stock lately btw) driver is "fooling" the OS by telling it the resolution is something like 2560 x 1024. Is this the cause of my problem, or is it that the Linux UI doesn't work the way Windows does?

This depends on the card and drivers and operating system.

Thanks in advance,
-jmjatlanta
More...
 
Quote from jmjatlanta:

Hello all.

I've got a dual-head windows box, that I'd like to upgrade to 4 monitors. I'd like two of the monitors above the other two.

Does Windows handle that smartly? Can I drag the mouse up and to the right, and have my app move to the upper right screen?

Does what I want require a bunch of configuration and driver nightmare, or can it easily be done?

On another note:

I like the ability to put a chart in a window, hit the "maximize" button, and have it fill ONLY that screen. My Windows box works that way. My Fedora 6 box doesn't. Hitting "Maximize" stretches the window across both.

I have the understanding that the NVidia (nice stock lately btw) driver is "fooling" the OS by telling it the resolution is something like 2560 x 1024. Is this the cause of my problem, or is it that the Linux UI doesn't work the way Windows does?

Thanks in advance,
-jmjatlanta
More...

Yes, Windows handles that easily. I have mine side-by-side, but it would make sense that Windows would operate the cursor as though your desktop were a 2x2 square. All you need is another dualhead card... good idea to get another Nvidia to avoid possible driver conflict. And for trading, I suggest you use the Nvidia Quadro NVS 280/285/400/440 cards... whichever fits your system. Also on the NVS... you can operate your desktop without installing any video driver (XP's library driver is good)... one less thing to get fouled.

If you want to fill one screen to fit one monitor, you need to drag that screen onto the monitor, then resize it manually to fill the screen (windows will remember the setting). Then you can use the minimize and restore buttons for the effect you want.
 
Beyond 2 monitors you need:

(1) Either a quad video card...
Which will also include software.
This is the way to go for graphic intensive applications.

Or

(2) Something like MaxiVista...
Where you use old PCs on a network...
To support almost unlimited monitors.

http://www.maxivista.com

Quad cards are expensive and can be tricky to install.
Make sure you have ALL the latest firmware...
Or get an experienced technician to set it up.
 
Quote from QuantPlus:

Beyond 2 monitors you need:

(1) Either a quad video card...
Which will also include software.
This is the way to go for graphic intensive applications.

Or

(2) Something like MaxiVista...
Where you use old PCs on a network...
To support almost unlimited monitors.

http://www.maxivista.com

Quad cards are expensive and can be tricky to install.
Make sure you have ALL the latest firmware...
Or get an experienced technician to set it up.
More...

Lots of us have 2 x dualhead cards... works well and much less cost than a quad.
 
I'm interested in building a cheap box that can handle four monitors as a backup/supplement to the current computer I'm using.

I don't need anything fancy, not performing a gazillion calculations per second or anything like that. I'm currently using the low end box from Tradingcomputers.com and it works great for what I do.

Can anyone point me in the direction of where to get information on what to look for in motherboards, etc. to get this done?
 
Quote from gnome:

Lots of us have 2 x dualhead cards... works well and much less cost than a quad.
More...

I trade with 3 PCs... and 5 monitors.

After a quick Google...
Configuring 2 dual head cards seems unusual.

How does Windows view this?
How are the 4 monitors rendered as one desktop?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top